tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post437790317141116088..comments2024-03-06T06:34:42.881-05:00Comments on EconoSpeak: Some Religious Political Economic History of Iran (long under the fold)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-47352404294812421792009-06-30T00:04:31.049-04:002009-06-30T00:04:31.049-04:00A weird aspect of the whole Project Ajax thing is ...A weird aspect of the whole Project Ajax thing is that the Brits continued to classify anything having to do with long afer it happened, even though Kermit Roosevelt wrote a book about it (bragging mostly) in the US. The book was banned in the UK. Of course, part of what had them all wanked out was that they were asking the US to come in and bail out their beloved oil company, which in those days actually had a slight majority of government ownership. That dated all the way back to 1917 when then Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, demanded the semi-nationalization in the middle of WW I in order to guarantee a supply of oil for the British navy, harrumph!<br /><br />In this regard, perhaps it is not all that surprising that during the current strife over the elections in Iran, the government there has reverted to being more anti-British than anti-American.Barkley Rosserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13114257724762074636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-45986880346592814092009-06-29T23:10:42.805-04:002009-06-29T23:10:42.805-04:00A really good run-down of the antics of Kermit Roo...A really good run-down of the antics of Kermit Roosevelt in project Ajax can be found at: <br /><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/rearvision/stories/2009/2605245.htm" rel="nofollow">Rear Vision June 24th 2009</a> <br /><br />It is a rerun of an Australian Broadcasting Commission radio history program from 2007. The whole interview illustrates the chilling disdain with which the west viewed Iran, but also gives some insight into the way an overthrow happens. <br /><br />The fact that the BBC news service was prepared to send coded messages to the Shah says a lot about the independence of the press. The local papers also paid a large role in the overthrow.<br /><br />Rob2Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-79365077622131305372009-06-29T16:17:30.829-04:002009-06-29T16:17:30.829-04:00GROCERY PRICES GOING THROUGH THE ROOF-INFLATION OU...GROCERY PRICES GOING THROUGH THE ROOF-INFLATION OUT OF CONTROL!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-49848649675342706312009-06-29T12:30:56.713-04:002009-06-29T12:30:56.713-04:00Brenda,
You are right that the US is and has been...Brenda,<br /><br />You are right that the US is and has been funding various opposition groups to the Iranian government, a point mentioned by Fareed Zakaria in an op-ed in today's Washington Post, even as he in general praises the fairly cautious response by Obama to the situation there. Of course, the report you put here is the tip of the iceberg, with the US having been funding groups almost continuously since 1979, such as the Mujaheddin-el-Khalq, even as most of these are largely ineffectual, and some of them, such as the MEK being viewed as terrorist organizations by other countries the US is friendly with.<br /><br />Kevin,<br /><br />According to Juan Cole this morning, Rafsanjani has caved and is now siding with Khamene'i and Ahmadinejad against Mousavi. Not clear the degree to which this is a matter of him viewing the demos as a threat to the financial establishment that he is a leader of or is a response to the personal pressure on him from these guys arresting some of his children, or perhaps both.rosserjb@jmu.eduhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09300046915843554101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-27903623218562835712009-06-29T11:44:21.745-04:002009-06-29T11:44:21.745-04:00Another bit of history for Iran.
Seymour Hersh in...Another bit of history for Iran.<br /><br />Seymour Hersh in his article entitled, “Preparing The Battlefield” dated July 7, 2008, stated:<br />http://www.countercurrents.org/print.html<br /><br /> <i> “ Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran…These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000.), were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations…Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. United States Special Operations Forces have been conducting cross-border operations from southern Iraq, with Presidential authorization, since last year (2007) These have included seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation…the scale and the scope of the operations in Iran, which involve the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), have now been significantly expanded… Under federal law, a Presidential Finding, which is highly classified, must be issued when a covert intelligence operation gets under way and… must be made known to Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and the Senate and to the ranking members of their respective intelligence committees—the so-called Gang of Eight.” It includes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, and House Intelligence Committee chairman Silvestre Reyes who viewed the C.I.A. torture tapes in 2002)...</i>Myrtle Blackwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07427043367624101075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-54166707966835994232009-06-28T09:49:48.463-04:002009-06-28T09:49:48.463-04:00Kevin,
Khatami appears to support Mousavi, althou...Kevin,<br /><br />Khatami appears to support Mousavi, although he may have been really for the reformist cleric, Kourabi. However, he seems to be effectively sidelined. The heavy does seem to be Rafsanjani, who actually heads a group that could have Khamene'i removed. That is why it is significant that some of his children have been arrested. We are definitely seeing a coup by the RG with allied elements in the ulama, with, apparently Khamene'i having thrown in with them, although he was not all that close to, or supportive of, Ahmadinejad earlier in his presidency.<br /><br />Shag,<br /><br />In the short-run the loss of revenues would hurt. However, in the longer run it would probably be better for Iranian society and economy and polity. The literature on what is now being called the "natural resource curse" (with oil the most accursed) is simply huge. Not very countries are able to pull off being Norway.Barkley Rosserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13114257724762074636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-64197067829595883052009-06-27T07:03:01.127-04:002009-06-27T07:03:01.127-04:00" . . . and, of course, the dominating role o..." . . . and, of course, the dominating role of oil in its economy in more recent decades (never below 85% of export earnings even in the 1960s when the price of oil was quite low)."<br /><br />What if a plentiful source of safe energy is discovered that does not have negative environmental issues? What will happen to the economies of Iran and other oil-rich nations and how might such impact nations no longer dependent on oil for their energy needs?Shag from Brooklinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07312591102812315460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-51796473818135566912009-06-26T14:15:38.978-04:002009-06-26T14:15:38.978-04:00Barkley, thanks for this. What is Khatami's ro...Barkley, thanks for this. What is Khatami's role in recent events? Is he allied with Mousavi? Do you see any chance of Rafsanjani turning back what seems to be a RG coup?kevin quinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04880872194080353414noreply@blogger.com