Civil Society Feels Conservatives' Wrath...

Here is my piece on the current situation of the civil society in Iran (IPS- Inter Press Service). I have reviewed different scenarios that is used by the Ahmadinejad’s government to silence the Iranian activists. Here is the first two paragraphs:

Nearly a year has gone by since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to
office, and his establishment is continuing to suppress civil society,
intimidate the press and arrest activists. Since the government's security
forces violently interrupted a peaceful protest in support of women's rights in
Tehran on Jun. 12, dozens of women activists have been summoned to court -- some
having been interrogated for more than a week. Nooshin Ahmadi Khorasani and
Parvin Ardalan are two prominent activists who have spent more than four hours a
day answering questions. Their lawyer, Nasrin Sotoodeh, told IPS that the charge
is "mobilising people for illegal protests", a violation of national security
laws that can carry a lengthy prison sentence.

Just last Year at this time...

Just a year ago Ahmadinejad elected for the office in a very controversial election. Since then, civil society activists are experiencing a different situation. Ahmadinejad’s agenda was based on economy improvement for poor people. But during the last year, his focus has been on foreign policy. He chose an aggressive tone against the international community, talked about things that have never been a priority among Iranians. Things like dening holocaust or wiping off Israel from the map. I was talking with a friend of mine in Tehran, a middle class family, about living in post-khatami period. “Omid, you can not even imagine how inflation is affecting the daily life.” He said, “We are loosing increasingly our ability life in such a expensive city.” Officials say the inflation is just %15, but economists believe the real number is double. Even the extra money of oil income hasn’t changed the people’s daily life. Life is getting hard and harder for ordinary people while government is just repeat its promises to change. But is there any hope for real change in a short-term period? The perspective of economic change is not bright.

On behalf of social and political atmosphere, we can just look at the reaction to the social campaigns and protest. They can not listen to the “other’s voice. Anyway, after such a long time that I haven’t written anything on my blog, I have many things to say, but perhaps next post…

This is my piece on Iranian women protest on June 12 on IPS:

BERKELEY, California, Jun 11 (IPS) - On Monday, Iranian
women activists will again demonstrate in Tehran to demand changes in the
oppressive laws that are written into the country's constitution. They are being
supported by five Nobel Peace Prize winners: Shirin Ebadi of Iran, Jody Williams
from the United States, Betty Williams from Ireland, Wangari Maathai of Kenya,
and Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala. "We, the undersigned, would like to express
our support for Iranian women in their continued struggle to gain equal rights
under the civil and penal codes of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Specifically,
we support Iranian women in their peaceful protest scheduled for June 12, 2006,"
said the letter from the "Nobel Women's Initiative".

Not Accepting Failures!

We have becomes accustomed to failure. Whatever the reasons, one can notice that Iranians have been losing their traditional and historic self confidence. Mexicans who played a soccer game against Iran last week and won say Iranians looked sad.

Iran’s national soccer team is a team that has witnessed harsh and difficult days and stepped into the World Series isolated. Yes, the faces comprising its team looked sad and heavy. In a way, it was the only team that did not feel welcomed. Until as recently as a month ago there was plenty of talk about stopping Iran’s team from participating in the games altogether, something that generated a lot of heat inside Iran.

An Iranian president who has turned Iran into one of the most isolated countries in the Middle East and has presented a distorted picture of Iran to the world, is today witness of a people who do not view soccer or football like the people of other countries do. To Iranians it may be a ninety minute window to take a look at the world and also an opportunity to present what they stand for to the world. Unfortunately, what is displayed is not the cultural and social heritage of a people, but a reflection of their leaders and politicians.

Whether we like it or not, may wish to view us through the same prism that has been used by the likes of Ahmadinejad. When people’s opportunities are trumped under the weight of international isolation, disregard by wrong domestic decisions and politicians, they create precedence and become customary, even pushing a ball across the soccer field does not come easily.

Even those who had hopes in the team and watched the players, did not expect a miracle from the 11 players. We need to accept some of the realities around us. Realities that show us that failure and defeat are becoming part of our culture. Something that in the political realm has been called “drinking the cup of poison” in Iran, as worded by the late ayatollah Khomeini when accepting the UN cease fire to end the 8-year Iran-Iraq war. Even if our pride presents the facts differently.
We cannot believe that we can be defeated that easily and pushed off the field. We cannot accept not be visible and not be counted in. We cannot believe that we are judged through the words or deeds of our leaders or politicians.

(Photo:Iran's Anderanik Teymourian reacts after their Group D World Cup 2006 soccer match against Angola in Leipzig June 21, 2006. FIFA RESTRICTION - NO MOBILE USE REUTERS/Shaun Best (GERMANY)

Nuclear-Berkeley

Nuclear-Berkeley
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Halt Nuclear Activity and Get off the Isolation

US have set condition to join Iran’s nuclear talks. Iran’s governmental news agency reacted first to this offer. “US offer is propaganda”. Now, the big question is whether Iran accepts the Washington’s offer or not?

I think, what US has offered to Iran is nothing. I mean it is not something new. It is not even a face-saving step to stop Iran’s nuclear program. While they have mentioned enrichment of uranium is inevitable it will be suicide for the conservative government to stop the whole nuclear activities. Iranian said that they are ready to talk on number of centrifuges but not stop the whole process. Today Keyhan, the ultra conservative paper, mentioned that as US is at the vulnerable situation is suggesting the offer to talk. “US can not ask support of Iran in the Middle East and the other issues by using this top-down tone”, said Keyhan daily today.

But at the same time, Iran is in a very bad situation. If they do not accept, it is possible to loose China and Russia’s support. Americans pretend that the ball is at Iran’s field now, however nothing has change, compare to the past.

I think the best option for the Islamic Republic is to suspend nuclear activities for such a short time and try to build trust among the International community and then follow the nuclear plan under the IAEA watchdogs. It is better to get off the isolation than enrich 1 gram uranium a month with 164 centrifuge

Halt Nuclear Activity and Get off the Isolation

US have set condition to join Iran’s nuclear talks. Iran’s governmental news agency reacted first to this offer. “US offer is propaganda”. Now, the big question is whether Iran accepts the Washington’s offer or not?

I think, what US has offered to Iran is nothing. I mean it is not something new. It is not even a face-saving step to stop Iran’s nuclear program. While they have mentioned enrichment of uranium is inevitable it will be suicide for the conservative government to stop the whole nuclear activities. Iranian said that they are ready to talk on number of centrifuges but not stop the whole process. Today Keyhan, the ultra conservative paper, mentioned that as US is at the vulnerable situation is suggesting the offer to talk. “US can not ask support of Iran in the Middle East and the other issues by using this top-down tone”, said Keyhan daily today.

But at the same time, Iran is in a very bad situation. If they do not accept, it is possible to loose China and Russia’s support. Americans pretend that the ball is at Iran’s field now, however nothing has change, compare to the past.

I think the best option for the Islamic Republic is to suspend nuclear activities for such a short time and try to build trust among the International community and then follow the nuclear plan under the IAEA watchdogs. It is better to get off the isolation than enrich 1 gram uranium a month with 164 centrifuge

Serial Arrests in Iran!

What is the message in the arrests of several Iranian-American researchers over the past few weeks? Who is sending this message to whom, are what are its effects? What has transpired since the arrests of Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, and Ali Shakeri?

All three individuals are some of the most reputable among their colleagues. Dr. Esfandiari is one of the analysts with the most realistic views on Iranian developments. Articles published by her, and views of those she invited to present at Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, all promote an outlook opposed to the radical ones present in Washington, the most important aspects of which state that inside Iran there are people who are sensitive to their destiny, and who try to build a better future for themselves, and that no one can rule above these people’s will.

Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, a university professor, researcher and consultant to several international organizations and to some entities inside Iran, is described as one of the most prominent professionals in the area of civic sociology, among other areas. Dr. Ali Shakeri is an individual who is known for his anti-war views by many.

These scholars live outside Iran due to their professional activities, and they are regarded with pride among the Iranian community outside Iran. Now they are imprisoned, facing various security-related charges in Iran. Kayhan, a conservative newspaper in Tehran, claims to have made “discoveries” about these individuals’ professional lives—discoveries not attained through ingenuity, but through the simple ways such information can be collected about individuals. This basic and quite public data, embellished with suspicions of overthrowing the government and spiced with incorrect and untrue accusations, display how empty those claims are and how innocent the imprisoned individuals are. By virtue of their very public academic and research activities, these individuals lead a rather transparent life, with their activities reflected and displayed on the websites and reports of their affiliated organizations, rendering the list of accusations against them as “inventions” rather than charges. Dr. Esfandiari’s husband provided a detailed reply to Kayhan’s accusations against his wife, though Kayhan refused to publish his letter.

Such lies and fabrications are standard tactics used to create fear among Iranians living outside Iran, and to discourage and warn those contemplating utilizing these individuals in the future. Such tactics usually backfire and achieve opposite results.

This is not the first time Iranian security groups, operating through Kayhan, are tackling such projects. Over the past years there have been several similar incidents, and it is not difficult to predict the final outcome. It is easy to expect that as this report is written, some of the wiser members of the conservative force in Iran are advising their more radical members against such rushed and ill-fated actions, just as the radicals in charge of the prisoners are promising their prisoners that a simple confession will enable them to go home.

Therefore the arrests, espionage charges, leaking interrogation questions in radical newspapers, issuing directives to prevent newspapers to report on the cases, denying the prisoners the right to access lawyers or to see their families, continuous lies, creating fear among certain sections of the society, revealing the names of numerous individuals who will be the next subjects of these security projects, or creating fear and putting pressure on the prisoners to give forced confessions, and eventually freeing them without a trial (and in case of a trial, a closed-door one) through posting astronomical bails, are all old and repetitive stories which lead neither to acquisition of any viable intelligence, nor any other gains.

Any Iranian citizen would like to see his security organizations managed by the most competent individuals, proficient and intelligent, and capable of safeguarding national security in the least costly way through enlisting assistance of the largest number of citizens in an atmosphere of trust and satisfaction. But even in the most optimistic evaluation the security forces have missed the mark so many times over the past few years, that one never ceases to wonder why individuals who are incapable of managing the smallest issues have been appointed to such important posts, portraying Iran in a way which supports the pro-war faction in the US who continually criticize Iran for its violations of human rights, showing Iranian regime as an oppressive state.

The question is how can hurting citizens who serve as ambassadors of peace and friendship, and who consistently defend Iran vis a vis “anti-Iranian” points of view, be fruitful? Naturally, people who live and work outside Iran have extensive interactions with organizations and entities in the societies in which they are active. Iranian Government may be able to have a say about the personal and professional lives of those living within its borders, but they cannot do the same with its citizens outside of Iran. Such simplistic approach in confronting Iranian elite who live and work abroad, people such as Ramin Jahanbegloo among others, will have two outcomes none of which is desirable.

First, those Iranian researches and academics who live all over the world, and who love Iran and try to bring resources and opportunities available abroad into Iran, become pessimistic and conclude that to love Iran and to work for this love will face them with imprisonment and endangerment of their personal lives. This will perpetuate Iran’s massive isolation of the past several years in various areas, exacerbating the current situation through closing its few outlets.

Such arrests also demonstrate a poor picture of the existing intelligence and judicial systems in Iran. This picture neither promotes pride for those who support it, nor does it add to the regime’s credibility. This picture creates the question that when security and judicial authorities approach Iran’s most reputable and well-meaning elite with such venom, how do are they treating the ordinary Iranian citizens who don’t enjoy the same fame and international attention?

What happened with Hossein Moussavian’s recent arrest, the significant charges made against him by pro-government radicals, and his eventual release within just a week, show that such fabrications are not mere intelligence errors, but are political maneuvers of groups inside the Iranian regime. In view of what was described above, these political maneuvers are not in the best interest of Iranian people, Iran, and even the regime. At a time when Iranian regime should be using all its resources to reduce and eliminate the increasing threats against the country, such arrests and actions are nothing short of committing suicide for the fear of death.