Gas prices, such as in this gas station in Chicago, have been on a steady increase over the past ten days.

Around the country, people continue suffering at the pump as gas prices rise for the
tenth straight day. The nationwide average for a tank of gas was $3.54 a gallon just
last month; however, today’s prices stand at $3.842. Prices are quickly approaching
July 2008’s all-time high of $4.114.

Prices for oil itself have gone up 5% over the past month due to scares involving
Iran and possible complications in the near future. According to CNN, “Gasoline
averages more than $4 a gallon in seven states: Alaska, California, Connecticut,
Hawaii, Illinois, New York and Washington.” The lowest gas prices come from
Wyoming, but $3.43 a gallon isn’t low either.

Gas prices are up 17% this year and with the skyrocketing stock market, the prices
per gallon will most likely continue to go up.

On Sunday, Iranian news network Fars News Agency announced that an Iranian electronic warfare unit had downed and captured a American RQ-170 Sentinel, an unmanned aerial drone manufactured by American defense and aeronautics company Lockheed Martin.

According to a statement from the Iranian government, the drone was in violation of Iran airspace and was brought down after the Iranian unit hijacked the controls from the American. This was later changed to the Iranian’s having shot the drone down.

The U.S Military confirmed that the remains of a RQ-170 were captured by the Iranian army, though they claimed it was flying a mission over western Afghanistan when they lost contact due to a mechanical error.

On Wednesday, an Iranian TV station aired of what appears to be the RQ-170 in perfect condition being examined by Iranian military officials. The Central Intelligence Agency has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of the plane that was broadcast.

The RQ-170 is used as a stealth Unmanned Ariel Vehicle (U.A.V.) and has been assumed to be an information gathering device by many aviation experts. Though very little has been released to the public about the design and specific dimensions of the drone, it is guessed to be much larger than many of the other information gathering drones used by the Air Force and C.I.A. in operations in the Middle East. It was first noticed by the public when a low resolution photo was snapped of it at Kandahar International Airport in Afghanistan, gaining the nickname “The Beast of Kandahar” for its large size.

The Iranian government claims that the drone’s presence in their airspace confirms America’s hostile intentions due to recent conflicts over Iran’s nuclear development program. The official stance of the American military meanwhile says that the plane malfunctioned while flying a mission in Afghanistan and was not intended to cross the border.

Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News agency reported on Thursday night that Russian and Chinese officials have asked for permission to inspect the captured drone.

A new report by the Associated Press claims that EA’s AAA shooter Battlefield 3 has been banned in Iran, where a portion of the game takes place.

Citing fears that the game will spark further fear and retaliation against the region, stores have been prohibited from selling the game, and there are reports of police raiding establishments rumored of selling it.

“We understand that the story of a videogame is hypothetical,” an online petition filed by an Iranian youth group read. “We believe the game is purposely released at a time when the US is pushing the international community into fearing Iran.”

It’s interesting to note that the game was never readily available in Iran, and not many shops were said to have been carrying it in the first place.

The Egyptians weren’t the first peoples in the Arab world to rise up against an oppressive government in 2011. Before that Facebook group was made, the people of Tunisia rose up against their (now former) president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, kicked him out, and have had an acting president since mid-December.

Egypt got so much attention because of the sheer scale of the protests, the millions that marched and demanded democracy, and the fact that they are a major receiver of U.S. aid. But now, as Part I of Egypt’s fight for freedom has come to a close, several of its Arab counterparts are learning from it and Tunisia’s example.

Here is a list of the top five countries (in no particular order) in the Middle-East facing a major uprising against oppression and for democracy. And you can bet, a lot of it will be organized on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Tunisia

Just like in Egypt, this fight isn’t over. It all started when Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire, an act of self-immolation that has been emulated in other countries as a symbol of governmental oppression and humiliation. Now, even though Ben Ali has stepped down, Tunisians are protesting against high food prices and high unemployment, and are trying to put together a reliable temporary government until a free and fair election is held later this year for the first time since Ali took office in 1987.

2. Bahrain

Bahrain has an overwhelming Shiite majority that wants more of a say in governmental procedures and a larger share of economic opportunities. They want their king Sheikh Hamid bin Isa al-Khalifa to rewrite the country’s constitution to include those amendments, and an end to the 39-year reign of prime minister Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa (the uncle of the king). Add that to concerns over corruption, torture and the jailing of 500 presumably innocent Shiites last year and Bahraini’s have plenty to protest against. The government has tried to stop protesters by offering each family nearly $2,700 each, but this movement can’t be bought. There have been clashes between protesters and pro-government forces here, too. Forces fired on the funeral procession for a fallen protester in the capital Manama early Feb. 15, and killed at least one person, Al Jazeera reports.

3. Iran

We all remember the green revolution; the 2009 uprising after the results of a disputed election that put President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back in power. But now that fire has been rekindled, thanks largely to Egypt’s success in overthrowing Hosni Mubarak, and Iranians are now back in the streets. Ironically, after Mubarak was overthrown, Ahmadinejad’s government supported the protesters, but are now banning their own people from voicing their opinions in the streets of Tehran. There were many clashes in Tehran on February 14th, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters who were chanting “death to a dictator,” in reference to Ahmadinejad. Iranians aren’t happy at their country’s hypocrisy, and while the people obviously support the Egyptian cause, they can hardly believe their government’s words of encouragement.

4. Algeria

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been in power since 1999, when he was elected amidst widespread allegations of fraud, as several candidates pulled out just before election day. This one is for democracy, much like Egypt’s, and on Feb. 13 hundreds of Algerian protesters were met by thousands of police who were deployed to stop the protest. The people want a legitimate government and an end to the state of emergency that has plagued the country for almost two decades, which President Bouteflika said he’d lift soon, according to Al Jazeera. Bouteflika also promised Algerians more political freedom, but that hasn’t stopped them from organizing a massive protest set for Feb. 19.

5. Yemen

Monday, Feb. 14 marked the fourth straight day of protests in the country, but the first day of major clashes between the people and the police. During a sit-in at Sanaa University, hundreds of protesters clashed with pro-government forces, where at least 17 were injured and 165 arrested. President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he would not run for re-election in 2013, but that hasn’t been enough to stop Yemenis from airing their grievances in the street. This protest is of special concern to the U.S., as the New York Times reports the movement has spread because of the president’s relationship with the U.S., and possibly his role in covering U.S. involvement in trying to eliminate the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda.

None of the above uprisings have reached numbers anywhere close to what was happening in Egypt. However many of the country’s populations are smaller and many of the protests are still in their infancies. Amazingly, these aren’t the only Mid-East countries rising up. Here are a list of countries and corresponding dates for their next planned major protests (via twitter user @Blindust): Libya Feb. 17, Morocco Feb. 20, Cameroon Feb. 23, Kuwait March 8.

Along with these, the people of Jordan, Syria and Sudan are standing up to governments they see as illegitimate.

For a near constant stream of updates on the situation in the Mid-East, you can watch Al Jazeera English live on their website by clicking here.

An Iranian F-4 (Media credit/PressTV)

Well, we knew this already, but a Wikileaks-posted cable from the US Embassy in Tehran in 1972 shows how the United States rushed to arm the Shah’s Iran, concerned over Soviet interests in the area.

The cable indicates that the state department urged the delivery of one of several squadrons of F-4 jets to Iran as soon as possible, even if that meant delaying the United States Air Force’s resupply of F-4′s.

It is a glimpse into the Cold War, a period of time quickly fading from memory, given that as of December 31, no one under age 19 will have been alive during the existence of the Soviet Union.

Further, the United States closed its Iranian embassy after the 1979 revolution and has used the Swiss embassy to deal with “American interests” since 1980. Most Blast Magazine readers have not been alive during a time in which the US had diplomatic relations with Iran.

In the leaked cable, the Iranian Minster of War, General Reza Azimi, asked the Americans to speed up the production line to accelerate the delivery of a squadron of 16 F-4E attack jets to Iran before the end of 1972.

“REQUEST REFLECTS SHAH’S INCREASING CONCERN OVER SOVIET AMBITIONS IN AREA AND ESPECIALLY THREAT SHAH SEES TO IRAN OF FRIENDSHIP TREATY UNDER CONSIDERATION BY IRAQ AND USSR. SHAH RECOGNIZES PROBLEMS THIS POSES FOR US BUT IS TURNING TO USG (United States Government) WITH THIS REQUEST TO GIVE IRAN HIGHER PRIORITY ON FA-4E PRODUCTION SCHEDULE BECAUSE HE REGARDS US (United States) AS MOST DEPENDABLE FRIEND,” the cable reads

At the end, the embassy urges the United States government to “give prompt and sympathetic attention” to the Shah of Iran’s request for the F-4E jets, from whatever sources may be available to be tapped (including deliveries to USAF).”

In total, Iran received 32 F-4D, 177 F-4E, and 16 RF-4E aircraft. The country still has 65 total American F-4 aircraft in service in the Iranian Air Force. An Iranian F-4 crashed due to “technical failure” in August. The pilots survived by ejecting, according to PressTV, an English-language state-funded media organization in Tehran.

The F-4 was a versatile jet with a distinguished record, shooting down more than 100 aircraft in the Vietnam War. It has both air-to-air and ground attack abilities. The F-4D and F-4E were exported widely and featured an internal M61 Vulcan cannon. The jet can travel at speeds above Mach 2.

The American-armed Iranian Imperial Air Force was considered second only to the Israelis in the Middle East, and it was a rival to the Soviets during the Cold War. The Iranians also purchased F-5 fighters and the legendary F-14 Tomcat.

In a Wikileaks-leaked cable from the US embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s office, Ambassador James C. Oberwetter reported in December 2006 that an unnamed Saudi official told the embassy that Saudi Arabia fears an Iranian missile strike more than terrorism.

“xxxxxxxxxxxx told Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Frances Fragos Townsend that he was speaking for the King when he urged action to counter Iranian threats. xxxxxxxxxxxx said he worries more about an Iranian missile launch against Saudi oil facilities than a terrorist attack against them, because he can take preventative measures against terrorism but not against Iranian missiles.”

The cable shows the Saudis urging the US to attack Iran.

“The more dangerous threat, in his view, is a SCUD missile launch from Iran, which could happen with short or no notice. The Iranians would target Saudi facilities at Ras Tanura and Jubail, also perhaps the US bases in Qatar and Bahrain, which would cause the Saudis to be involved as well, he said. His concern was that tightening sanctions on Iran will cause Iran to up the ante, triggering an escalation leading to a missile launch. Given the possibility of this scenario, he speculated on the option of a pre-emptive strike.”

“I would rather be on the offensivesince we are the target,” the Saudi said, later clarifying that he meant “military readiness,” not necessarily a military strike.

The Saudi official said he was speaking on behalf of King Abdallah several times it he cable.

The same cable also implicated the United Arab Emirates, an American ally, accusing 8-12 Dubai banks of having “extensive links wit Iran, holding up to $12 billion in Iranian assets.”

“We need to send someone quickly to the UAE to freeze these assets before the Iranians begin to unload them. In addition, he continued, the Saudi Monetary Authority should issue a caution to Saudi banks to refrain from Iranian transactions or else jeopardize their international dealings,” the cable reads.

Wikileaks. I know, I know, you’re probably sick of hearing about cables and embassies and what diplomat said what nasty thing about what leader. But, it’s only day four of nine in the latest Wikileaks saga, and there’s more to come next year regarding U.S. banks.

 There’s been a lot of chatter about whether what Wikileaks is doing is right, if it’s necessary, if it serves the public’s interest or just the public’s interest in gossip. I’ll leave that up to the readers to decide.

We’ve already heard one Canadian official call for the assassination of Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, and Mike Huckabee call for the death penalty for whomever leaked the documents.

But it isn’t all gossip. There are some key revelations in these leaks, like the Saudi King pressuring the U.S. to bomb Iran, the concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear program (the worst-kept secret, but the details are interesting) and China’s acceptance of a reunified Korea with Seoul as the main power.

Oh, and there’s the Iranian-American who flew into Tehran without problems, but had to sneak out of the country on horseback through Turkey.

In a leaked cable that sounded more like a leaked movie script, the story of 75-year-old Hossein Ghanbarzadeh Vahedi’s perilous journey through the north-western Iranian mountains is told.

Vahedi flew to Iran from Los Angeles in May of 2008. Seven months later, his passport was confiscated and he was barred from leaving the country. After his appeals to the courts were turned down, Vahedi got a horse, hired two guides, and trekked 14 hours through the ice cold mountains bordering Iran and Turkey.

In early January of 2009, Vahedi showed up at the U.S. embassy in Ankara, where diplomats were, obviously, surprised to hear what he had endured.

Vahedi, who left Iran during the 1979 revolution, told U.S. authorities that Iranian officials had made it clear that a payment of $150,000 would have seen his passport returned. He opted, instead, to trek through the mountains, where his escorts had to periodically hug him to keep him warm.

Vahedi, according to the cable, was an inexperienced rider and, at one point not too long into the climb, fell off his horse and into the woods. He told authorities he believed he would die in the mountains.

After dealing with Turkish officials who wanted to deport Vahedi back to Iran as an illegal immigrant, American authorities ensured his safe return back to the United States.

NEW YORK—Despite a near 14-month imprisonment, Sarah Shourd emerged from her Iranian captors promoting a message of peace.

Shourd, 32, spent 410 days in a Tehran prison after she, her fianc©, Shane Bauer, and friend Josh Fattal were arrested for allegedly crossing into Iran from Iraq while on a hiking expedition. The Iranian government detained the trio as spies, which Shourd declares "a huge misunderstanding."

Bauer and Fattal remain in prison. At a press conference in New York Sunday, Shourd stated she is "one-third free."

All three of the prisoners were engaged in humanitarian work in the region prior to their arrest. Fattal had travelled to visit Bauer and Shourd, who were living together in Damascus, Syria. The trio went on a hiking expedition to a waterfall in Iraq’s Kurdistan region in July 2009.

In a statement of goodwill, Shourd thanked the Iranian government for the "humanitarian gesture" of her release. Shourd emphasized that she in no way blames the Iranian people for her imprisonment, calling them a "diverse and generous people" who also "want to live in peace."

"I believe that our tragedy is an opportunity for Americans and Iranians to realize that an improved relationship would be in the best interest for all people," Shourd said.

The mothers of Bauer and Fattal hope to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while he is in New York attending the U.N. General Assembly. Ahmadinejad has not indicated a forthcoming release for Bauer and Fattal, telling Christiane Amanpour "the cases have to be examined" and calling on the U.S. to release eight detained Iranians.

Following Shourd’s press statement, Bauer’s mother, Cindy Hickey, said, "A mother’s hope is never going to end, it’s always going to be strong."

"Now is the time to make the world a little safer for everyone through peace and dialogue," Shourd said.

An American woman detained in Iran arrived back to the U.S. after more than a year.

Sarah Shourd touched down in Washington D.C. early this morning from Dubai, according to Shourd’s media spokeswoman, Samantha Topping.

Shourd then made her way to New York and held a press conference this afternoon. Shourd thanked the Iranian government and religious leaders for her release from Iran’s notorious Evin Prison.

“It is my deepest hope that the world will not let this humanitarian gesture … go unrecognized,” she said, reading from a prepared statement.

She also called on the government to release two fellow detained Americans, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, both of whom are still locked up in Evin.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told ABC’s “This Week” that his powers to release prisoners are limited, and that Fattal and Bauer would have to make their case in Iranian courts.

Shourd, Bauer and Fattal were arrested in in 2009 after they supposedly crossed an unmarked Iran-Iraq border while hiking in Kurdistan. The three were accused of espionage, and Shourd was held in solitary confinement.

Earlier this year Roxana Saberi, another woman accused of espionage by the Iranian government, was also released after almost a year. She wrote a book, called Between Two Worlds, documenting the conditions and circumstances surrounded her imprisonment.

Saberi told CNN that Shourd’s days in solitary confinement could have felt like her own; endless, fearful, uncertain and consumed with an anger toward God and those who held her in captivity.

In a report outlining the updated priorities of US intelligence, China and Russia were placed alongside Iran and North Korea on a list of nations that challenge US interests at home and abroad, the French press agency AFP reports.

China was added, amongst other things, for “increasing natural resource-focused diplomacy and military modernization,” while Russia was singed out because, despite a growing partnership with the US on fighting things like nuclear terrorism, “it may continue to seek avenues for reasserting power and influence in ways that complicate US interests,” according to the AFP.

The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), a report released every four years, calls China and Russia “aggressive” in the cyberworld and while the NIS did not explicitly name either countries as a cyber threat, it did outline cause for concern.

“At the tactical level, they are intent on penetrating our critical infrastructure, information systems, and leading industries,” it said, AFP reports. The report went on to recommend the US employ tactical strategies “across the cyber domain to protect critical infrastructure.”

The report also lists Iran and North Korea, unsurprisingly, as parts of its main opposition. It stressed the possibility of further partnerships with China and Russia to help strengthen relationships, however saw no hope of immediate reconciliation with either countries.

“Iran poses an array of challenges to US security objectives in the Middle East and beyond because of its nuclear and missile programs, support of terrorism, and provision of lethal aid to US and coalition adversaries…North Korea continues to threaten peace and security in East Asia because of its sustained pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, its transfer of these capabilities to third parties, its erratic behavior, and its large conventional military capability.”

Its assessment of Iran and North Korea was much harsher than of its two newcomers.

The report also highlighted Al-Qaeda as a continuing threat to both Americans and American interests at home and abroad and said the US’ main objective for the next four years will be to enhance “cyber security”, combat extreme terrorism and ensure weapons of mass destruction are not created or bought by any opposing nations.

The promotion and spread of democracy was not listed as a main priority.

The 2009 G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy was a massive letdown. Personally, I didn’t expect much more. The G8 operates under the guise of real leadership, when really the summit has become nothing more than a glorified vacation for the world’s most powerful leaders. But as we’ve seen in the past and present, power does not equal intelligence.

Empty threats were issued toward political powers in Iran. The very foundation of democracy is threatened in the divided country, but the world’s “saviors” offered nothing.

The strong foundation of the worldwide economic recession shook not one bit; no economic plans were laid out. In the worst economic crisis in about 80 years, the richest offered no solutions.

In perhaps the largest disappointment of the summit the leaders made such a wavering, uncommitted “commitment” to climate change, simply declaring that the eight superpowers had agreed to “substantially reducing global emissions by 2050.” Weak. Those who have been lambasted and forced to be environmentally-friendly were flipped off by their own leaders.

The plan drafted in L’Aquila, according to the LA Times, specifies no real interim targets either, just that global emissions reduction progress will be reviewed every so often.

Sadly enough, the recession will hinder climate control progress as well as the ability of developing countries to adapt to changes that have already occurred. Some groups predict that as much as $150 billion is needed every year to aid regions in developing countries that have already been affected by climate change. No one has that money, and may not any time soon since no solid economic revisions were drafted.

Other countries have demanded the G8 dramatically reduce their emissions by as much as 40 per cent. From these eight leaders however, there was no urgency. No commitment. No sense.

In 2010, the leaders meet in Muskoka, Ontario. By then, even more criticism will be launched their way. Hopefully it knocks some sense into them.

The protests of the young and old in Tehran have been more than inspiring. But real political reform isn’t taking place on the streets of Iran,‚ it’s taking place behind the scenes.

A power struggle between Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Assembly of Experts, which, theoretically, has the power to remove the Ayatollah from power. That’s the key.

If any reform to Iran’s current Islamic Republic is to happen, it would have to take place with the help of both religious and political leaders.

This past week, religious leaders from the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum called the current government illegitimate. This declaration may signal the beginning a domino effect.

Perhaps other religious leaders with even more political power, such as those on the Assembly of Experts or the Expediency Council, may be inspired to voice their opinions regarding Ahmadinejad’s “victory” and what role Ayatollah Khamenei played in ensuring it.

The Association’s move is highly rebellious. It’s a group of religious clerics opposing election results verified by the Supreme Leader. It’s real opposition.

In 1979, when the people of Iran rebelled and organized a revolution to overthrow the Shah and his monarchy and install the current Islamic Republic under, at that time, Ayatollah Khomeini, this is not what they had in mind. This life full of oppression was not their ideal.

Soon after the revolution, all western media influence was banned. The freedom of the people was severely hampered, and women especially felt the Ayatollah’s strong arm of oppression come crashing down from his pedestal.

According to Jian Ghomeshi, a prominent Iranian-Canadian broadcaster with the CBC, people have been unhappy with their government since that revolution. Though they were victorious in overthrowing the Shah, they failed to secure the freedoms they so sorely desired.

So it was back to square one, and now 30 years later, a revolution is brewing again. But this time, more work needs to be done behind the scenes. The people will fight, but religious leaders and Hashemi Rafsanjani need to challenge the legitimacy of this government before it gets out of hand.

Watch the short AlJazeera English documentary, “Mousavi and the Masses” below to learn more about Mousavi’s past as Prime Minister during the early years of the Islamic Republic and how his political ideologies have seemingly changed so much since the 1980s.

TORONTO — While speaking to an Iranian Ph.D student at Ryerson University yesterday, I began to truly understand the magnitude of what is currently happening in Iran. These protests and demonstrations represent much more than a disapproval of election results, but also an uprising of a people historically oppressed by a power-hungry supreme leader.

It’s a revolution against an Islamic Republic that puts its own needs and wants in front of the people that it governs, or so the Ph.D student put it.

Saturday’s protests in Iran were full of violence. People were shot, beaten and tear gassed in the streets. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the public in his speech Friday that more demonstrations were prohibited. He said that if the people continued to revolt, Mousavi and the opposition would be responsible for what happened to them.

He also said these protests won’t force the ruling regime into a corner. He said, basically, these outbursts are useless.

The people are however challenging the very foundation of not only the supreme leadership, but the Islamic Republic as well.

Protests turn deadly

Some sources say a bomb went off outside a mosque and killed three or four people. Other say people were being shot dead in the streets. Some claim military tanks were deployed. Reports of helicopters landing at universities are coming through via Iranian twitter accounts. More twitter accounts claim Basiji are ntering homes and attacking civilians.

CNN reports hospital officials say 19 died today during the demonstrations. The death toll could be as high as 150.

According to this video, one woman was shot and killed by Basiji during the protests.

WARNING: THE VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES.

In terms of severity and risk, the situation may be getting out of hand. The woman killed is now being used as a rallying point for Iranians, an example of horrid government brutality. Her name was Neda, which, so fittingly, means “voice” in Farsi.

If Iran were to give in and approve a re-election, it could start a dangerous trend across the Middle-East. As Obama said, “the world is watching. An Islamic Republic that gives in to the demands of the people could set a precedent for the citizens of other Islamic countries.

Countries that are successfully oppressing their people. These protests could mean widespread unrest throughout the Middle-East.

Thoughts of an Iranian student

But what does all this mean for Iran? What are these people fighting for? When will these protests end? How far will the supreme leader go to ensure his republic maintains some degree of control?

Yesterday I spoke to an Iranian exchange student, Mahdi Takaffoli, about the protests, the election results and the behind-the-scenes power struggle between Ayatollah Khamenei and Assembly of Experts Chairman Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president.

Takaffoli could not comment on the specifics of some issues since his media access is like ours. Restricted. Living outside of Iran during a period of extreme internal turmoil summons feelings of guilt within him. He said on one hand he’s glad he’s not there. His life, in Canada, is not in danger.

“But then I thought about it and I think I would like to be in Iran so I can show I have the courage to speak out against Khamenei,” he says.

Even though he can’t be in Tehran, Takaffoli is showing his support. He attended a protest in Toronto last week, which drew a crowd of more than 1,000. He and I also attended a candlelight vigil on Friday night for those who died during the protests in Iran. He also plans to attend a rally in Toronto on Sunday.

Takaffoli even took a five-hour bus ride to Ottawa to vote at Canada’s only polling station. He voted for Mousavi, as did 85 per cent of the nearly 3,000 Iranian-Canadians who made the trip to the nation’s capital, he says.

After the interview Takaffoli expressed some regret over the harsh words he spoke against Khamenei. Not because he believed them to be untrue, but because his family still lives in Iran. “I am not afraid though,” he says.

Takaffoli spoke of his devotion to Iran and his allegiance to the reformist party and Mousavi. He admitted that when the election began he did not know much about Mousavi, but after watching the debates and reading about his policies, he decided Mousavi, as an artist, would be a good stepping stone to reform Iranian politics and help promote freedom of expression.

He says there’s been a reformist movement brewing for a while, especially among the educated youth. He’s happy that this movement now has a leader, though he did acknowledge that while Mousavi may not be everyone’s ideal candidate, he is a figure people can rally behind to look for real change. He criticized Ahmadinejad for acting like he works for the people.

He believed, along with his friends in Iran, that an election was the best way to have their oppressed voices heard. Now that may have been taken away from them, too.

Now, with a tainted, corrupt democracy, he doesn’t know what the future of his country will bring.

Takaffoli said there’s no way he could believe Ahmadinejad won so much of the public’s vote when so many citizens wanted reform.

He doesn’t believe in toppling the entire Islamic Republic though. He wants to achieve reform through the system because, as he put it, overthrowing the entire regime would result in the deaths of too many Iranians. Throughout our talk he made it clear he was against violent revolution of any kind, no matter what it could achieve.

Takaffoli doesn’t know what these protests will bring, but he is extremely proud and hopeful that his countrymen and women will force the republic to reform.

But that won’t happen if Khamenei has his way.

Blast will present its own exclusive coverage of the events in Iran, including an interview you’ll only see here.

For now, we wish to share these images with you, which were sent to us by Gooya News/Voice of America Persian News Network.

Click on the link below to see President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dance around answering Christiane Amanpour’s question regarding the safety of his opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi. There are conflicting reports on whether Mousavi is under house arrest.

In the video, Ahmadinejad compares the rioting to misplaced passion by fans of the losing team after a soccer match. Degrading.

Ahmadinejad presser video on CNN

The protests went deep into the night. Journalists and citizens were arrested and beaten, police cars and bikes were set on fire, windows were broken – it was complete chaos, not seen since the 1979 Iran Revolution.

Protesting is not something Iranians normally do, so it’s a good sign of the people fighting for what they believe is rightfully theirs – a democratically-elected and coherent government that will represent the people in the way they want to be represented.

For up-to-the-minute updates on what’s happening in Iran, follow @LilyMazahery, a human rights activist and lawyer getting updates from friends in Iran, @tehranelection, a student living in Tehran, and @Change_for_Iran, a man named Farhad, who is, according to his tweets, taking part in the riots.

Seriously, follow these people. The two Iranians are really risking a lot by updating the world on what’s happening inside their country, since Twitter, Facebook and other sites were banned for a long time yesterday.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won Iran’s June 12 election with a whopping 62.6 per cent of the vote. His main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi called the result a “charade” and has demanded a re-run.

“I personally strongly protest the many obvious violations and I’m warning I will not surrender to this dangerous charade,” said Mousavi, according to Reuters.

The possibility of a re-run is very slim so Iranians, unfortunately, must come to terms with the reality of four more years under Ahmadinejad, a man whom many have called a “dictator.”

But the people just wont have it. To many of Mousavi’s supporters 62.6 per cent is suspiciously high. After all, before the election the two candidates were apparently locked in a head-to-head battle.

Mousavi’s supporters and supporters of free vote and democracy have taken to the streets in anger. Yelling “down with the dictator” and “freedom freedom freedom” they are vocally expressing their extreme distaste at the prospect of four more years under the tyrannical Ahmadinejad.

The protest has turned violent now, with many angry voters breaking windows, breaking into shops and setting fire to various objects across the crowded city. Police isn’t responding well, they’re using tear gas and batons in an attempt to discourage and stop protesting, which is, despite these attempts, still going strong. Reports of deaths are now coming in.

Click here to see photos of street violence in Iran.

Many of the protesters are urbanites who voted for Mousavi or Karoubi and feel betrayed by their government. A government who they say, perhaps frightened by the prospect of losing power, rigged the election to guarantee victory.

Mousavi said it. The citizens have said it. It’s popular belief among westerners, too.

If the election results are correct, Ahmadinejad apparently won handily in Mousavi’s heartland. That’s hard to believe.

What it means for society

Speculating about a possible election rigging won’t solve the problem however, because Ahmadinejad is now president and is unlikely to relinquish power or allow any sort of re-run. He’s never been one to give into public demands, and this isn’t an exception.

So what does Ahmadinejad’s election mean for Iran? Well, any hope for peaceful social reform is now defunct. The state-owned media will continue to dominate, private and liberal media companies will still be outlawed, and the government will still own the communications system.

The young will continue to be oppressed; freedom of expression will not become a real right for citizens.

Unemployment will stay around 30 per cent, yea, 30 per cent. No joke. Inflation will remain in double digits and the economic problems of the nation will go ignored, just as they have been for a while now.

For the U.S.? This term will serve to increase tensions between the two nations, largely at odds because of Ahmadinejad’s thirst for advancing his country’s nuclear program and his hate for Israel.

Mousavi has the same view on Iran’s nuclear program and Israel, though he claims he wants to advance the program for peaceful purposes.

No one really believes that, though the moderate reformist did say he wanted to increase positive relations between his country and the U.S. and middle-east. However, while he was prime minister in the 1980s, many horrible human rights violations did take place.

Still, he would have been easier to deal with, and most likely better for Iran. But that dream is dead. And for Iran, it’s worse. Their people will continue to be oppressed, humiliated on an international stage and controlled by their government.

The time has come. Obama’s first speech to a joint session of Congress takes place tonight at 9 p.m., broadcast on all major television stations. Will he extend a hand towards Iran, following up on his promise to engage in open discourse with President Ahmadinejad? What will he say about health care reform? The economy?‚ 

We’ll see tonight. But we know one thing, the kid is feeling some pressure. It’s a big speech that will outline what Americans and the world can expect over the next few months and perhaps even years.

He may talk about what the administration refers to as “AFPAK” – the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I refer to it as a double-edged sword that has the potential to maim the collective world.

Obama said he’s going to send nearly 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan, but as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour outlines in a report, “[he]‚ seems to be pulling back from a promise to help rebuild Afghanistan and promote democracy there.”

The economy will for sure come up, and the kid is going to have to outline a plan to cut spending, something he said is absolutely necessary. The U.S. spends so much money on foreign missions, and right now we can’t afford to help everyone in the world without first helping ourselves. We should be priority number one. Too many people are out of work, that’s just a fact.

Obama will hopefully come through on a lot of his campaign promises tonight, especially those to do with foreign policy and the economy (one of the main reasons he was elected was because his economic plan kicked McCain’s ass).‚ 

In classic Obama fashion, everything he says will sound great, just because of his oration skills. But how much substance there will be beneath the kid’s words will be open for debate following his speech.

• State secrets under Bush will stay that way. (Greenwald’s take)

SAN FRANCISCO “" In a closely watched case involving rendition and torture, a lawyer for the Obama administration seemed to surprise a panel of federal appeals judges on Monday by pressing ahead with an argument for preserving state secrets originally developed by the Bush administration.

In the case, Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian native, and four other detainees filed suit against a subsidiary of Boeing for arranging flights for the Bush administration’s “extraordinary rendition” program, in which terrorism suspects were secretly taken to other countries, where they say they were tortured. The Bush administration argued that the case should be dismissed because even discussing it in court could threaten national security and relations with other nations.

• The Senate passed the stimulus bill 61-37 this afternoon. Now it’s on to conference where the two chambers can iron out their differences before voting again next week.

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan has passed the Senate and is on its way to difficult House-Senate negotiations.Just three Republicans helped pass the plan on a 61-37 vote and they’re already signaling they’ll play hardball to preserve more than $108 billion in spending cuts made last week in Senate dealmaking. Obama wants to restore cuts in funds for school construction jobs and help for cash-starved states.

Those cuts are among the major differences between the $819 billion House version of Obama’s plan and a Senate bill costing $838 billion. Obama has warned of a deepening economic crisis if Congress fails to act. He wants a bill completed by the weekend.

• National Security Council Overhaul.

The NSC will take on all national security matters that are strategic in nature and “of such importance that the president of the United States would care” about them, he said. Action groups from various departments and agencies will be formed around specific issues for as long as it takes to resolve them. “Some of these things will be very short-term. When the problem goes away, the group goes away.” Others will be ongoing. “An Afghan strategic review, that’s going to take a while,” Jones said. “The policy that is generated from that review, and the implementation, is going to take a while.”

• Iran is ready to talk.

Many Iranians are tired of isolation but some say Iran needs a hard-liner to win U.S. concessions not a moderate like Khatami, whose reforming efforts were mostly blocked by conservatives.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in Madrid on Sunday, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said: “They (Iranians) think the American attitude is positive, and they are just waiting for that attitude to manifest itself in some gesture.”

Some principals will be regulars at the NSC “just by force of issues,” he said, and “you can’t just designate the whole government as being there.” But everyone should be kept aware of “what’s going on” and given an opportunity to say, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve got something to say here.’ “

The world is indeed watching today.

Despite the United States recent economic woes, there is no doubt amongst serious observers that the country is still, by far the most powerful nation in the world. The United States military budget “" which, I think it is fair to say, gets quite a bit of use “" is astronomical. The U.S. accounts almost half of the world’s military spending, with the FY 2009 budget allocating more than $650 billion. To put this in perspective, the next highest spender is the United Kingdom with just over $50 billion. And the U.S. figures do not count the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan which are paid for with supplemental bills and have cost the nation hundreds of billions more over the last five years.

Further, the world economy, for better or worse (worse is the popular answer in 2008), is directly dependent on the U.S economy. Even though China, for example, continues to grow, they are only able to do so by sending 80 percent of their exports to the U.S. Now, as American consumers are becoming thrifty, or broke (or both), Chinese growth is in trouble.

Russia “" China’s partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which many see as a blossoming counter to the US and NATO “" is now losing out on all the revenues that they were getting from $147 barrels of oil. And this drop in oil occurred, at least in part, due to the massive deflation that has occurred since the US economy really hit the skids in September. Venezuela and Iran, two other oil-rich nations with hostile relations with the U.S, are facing the same problems as oil prices go down.

So why is this relevant to the 2008 election? It is a reminder of how important this election, and American policy in general, is to other parts of the world.

In Israel, for example, the right has expressed fears over an Obama presidency. While Obama has said all of the right things, and spoke in front of AIPAC when he finally won the primary, some in Israel are not sure he will be 1) as aggressive on Iran as a McCain or Bush Administration or 2) as willing to continue America’s unconditional (and totally unique) package in aid, which is at $3 billion, the most in the world. This is why the right started singing the “Obama-is-anti-Israel” tune when McCain fell sharply behind (as did Hillary Clinton when she was gasping for anything at the tail end of the divisive primary, which gives you a sense of how predictably low politicians can go when in trouble).

It is a fairly empty tale. Obama has toed the Party line with Israel, pledging continued and increased aid, and insisting that Iran poses a grave threat, despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the opposite.

Nonetheless, this election is watched with great interest from the Israeli right. To follow the coverage in Israel, I recommend, Haaretz, which is widely viewed as the “New York Times of Israel.”

Another country that must be watching with watchful eyes in Pakistan, especially given Obama’s expressed a willingness to bomb the country (which President Bush actually did recently).

Interestingly, Iraqis and U.S. soldiers may have less at stake that one might think. While Obama ran in the primary with anti-war rhetoric , his staff has acknowledged to the Wall Street Journal that he will leave around 35 “" 45 thousands troops in the country. Given that a similar draw down is likely under a McCain Administration (though the exact timeline could vary), it appears that the War in Iraq will continue in a lesser fashion, no matter who wins. Still, if anyone wants to read an English language Iraqi newspaper, visit Azzaman in English.

Iranians, too, must be watching with great interest. While both McCain and Obama are willing to talk tough on Iran, Obama has a far more moderate (supported by many Republicans from the Bush I days, such as James Baker and Collin Powell) and reasonable stance on engaging in diplomacy. To read Iranian media visit Press TV and the Islamic Republic News Agency (both state-owned, for what its worth).

And of course, every country has a stake in the U.S. economy. As I listed above, the ramifications of the economic crisis are indeed global, and countries have been scrambling with bailout and stimulus packages, request for aid from the (US controlled) International Monetary Fund and the nationalizing of some banks.

Here, world public opinion is clear: Obama is the favorite for most of the world, which has grown deeply skeptical of U.S. economic policies, and gives most of the blame to Republicans.

Some other foreign news outlets:

The Daily Star (Lebanon)

Russia Today (Russia)

The Independent (United Kingdom)

Dar al Hayet (Saudi Arabia )

]]> http://blastmagazine.com/archive/the-news/the-world-is-watching/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/republican-jews-bash-obama/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/republican-jews-bash-obama/#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:32:56 +0000 Blast Magazine Newsroom http://blastmagazine.com/?p=4283

The Republican Jewish Coalition lashed out against Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Monday, saying his policies and advisors posed threats to Israel and American Jews.

“Sen. Barack Obama surrounds himself with a number of individuals and advisors who are hostile to Israel and American Jews,” the coalition said in‚ a statement. “They include Zbigniew Brzezinski, General Tony McPeak and Reverend Jeremiah Wright. All are known for their anti-Israel views.”

Jeremiah Wright’s name gets mentioned again and again in this election.

They also say Obama voted against legislation to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization and‚ ”his willingness to meet with Iranian President Ahmadinejad without any preconditions,” echoing a popular John‚ McCain sentiment.