There is a failure in the current class of Iran experts in ascertaining Iran’s strategic intentions. There is generally a failure in academia of experts on Islamism who do not grasp that we are dealing with a dangerous neo-imperialist, totalitarian, modern political ideology, but rather seem to think that Islamism is “a traditional religion”, “aContinue reading “Tehran is not Interested in Reconciliation”
Category Archives: United States
The Perceptual Gap
There is a vast perceptual gap between the P5+1 and the Khomeinist regime. The P5+1 talk the language of reconciliation while Tehran hears weakness and uses the time offered to further enrich uranium towards the goal of amassing enough material to produce a nuclear weapon. For Iran are P5+1 useful infidels to be deceived andContinue reading “The Perceptual Gap”
Rethinking Regime Change Policy on Iran
The Biden Administration just like the Trump administration before it does not with the sole exception of Venezuela advocate regime change in foreign policy. Iran should be another exception. Iran is an exceptionally dangerous regime which poses a significant strategic threat against the United States and its vital national security interests. A no-fly zone isContinue reading “Rethinking Regime Change Policy on Iran”
Mowing the Grass
If the Iranian regime survives a no-fly zone over Iran in its core Persian-speaking region (the ethnic periphery will no doubt revolt) will a no-fly zone crucially permit continual air raids against Iranian nuclear installations on a regular basis. This will offer significant operational advantages when implementing air strikes against the Iranian nuclear weapons program.Continue reading “Mowing the Grass”
The Desperate Plight of the Yarsanis
Yarsanism is one of the seven denominations of core Median Judaism. There are approximately 2 to 3 million Yarsanis and most live in Iranian Kurdistan with a significant community living in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdish Yarsanis live in the southernmost part of Kurdistan. Most Yarsanis are Kurds although there are also small communities of Arab,Continue reading “The Desperate Plight of the Yarsanis”
The AANES does not Harm Turkey
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its subdivisions such as the YPG and YPJ have never in their history launched a military attack against Turkish territory. In fact, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) is a very good neighbor of Turkey. The AKP regime accuses the SDF of terrorism, yet the SDFContinue reading “The AANES does not Harm Turkey”
Is Islam Incompatible with Democracy?
After the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States did the George W. Bush administration launch a global campaign to promote democratization and liberalization in Islamdom. Many have later asked whether this was a mistaken policy as it was clearly the Bush administration’s efforts that ushered in the Arab spring a full decade later.Continue reading “Is Islam Incompatible with Democracy?”
Erdogan is Trying to get Turkey Expelled from NATO
Turkish politics has since 2003 been based on an uneasy power-sharing and indeed heated rivalry been the Muslim Brotherhood controlled AKP regime and the Sabbatean (“Dönmeh”) controlled so-called Derin Devlet (Turkish for ‘Deep State’). NATO membership is sacred for the Derin Devlet which will not allow the AKP to lead Turkey out of NATO. RussiaContinue reading “Erdogan is Trying to get Turkey Expelled from NATO”
Liberalization in North and East Syria
The AANES (Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) is nominally a one-party state run by the PYD (Democratic Union Party) with socialist libertarianism as its official ideology. In practice however, does the AANES have free and fair elections with freedom of expression and its de facto official ideology is feminism which permeates all aspectsContinue reading “Liberalization in North and East Syria”
Jewish Survival
One criterion as to whether a form of Judaism is genuine is whether it stands a chance of survival. While usually not explicitly spelled out is Jewish long-term survival the overriding criterion in halakhic decision making in contemporary Orthodox Judaism. The main reason non-Orthodox Judaism is condemned by Orthodox rabbis is primarily because it tendsContinue reading “Jewish Survival”
Sharing the Burden
It is unreasonable that US allies should not be able to collectively defend themselves. European Union member countries each need to create an Office for the Protection of the Constitution on the German model as well as institute a joint confederal military. The extreme reliance on US troops to defend the EU is intolerable. WhyContinue reading “Sharing the Burden”
No Return to Vienna
Tehran has no intention of returning to the indirect Vienna negotiations. It is somewhat hard to see what Tehran fears in the negotiations as the Iranians could simply stall but they apparently do they fear that Rob Malley will make too many concessions to them as they might be fearful that Beijing and Moscow wouldContinue reading “No Return to Vienna”
United we Stand, Divided we Fall
A strong defense pact in the wider region against Iran should include as many relevant countries as possible. This should include Israel, Azerbaijan, the five post-Soviet central Asian nations, as many Gulf states as possible as well as Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and Morocco. These are countries that are intended victims of the Khomeinist regime’s neo-imperialistContinue reading “United we Stand, Divided we Fall”
The Iranian Threat against Azerbaijan
The ongoing Iranian war games on the border with Azerbaijan illustrates the Iranian Neo-Safavid irredentist threat against the independent Republic of Azerbaijan. The excuse for the maneuvers is the Israeli security presence in Azerbaijan and the particularly close Azerbaijani-Israeli alliance. Would the Iranian military invade Azerbaijan in response to Israel’s destruction of Iran’s nuclear weaponsContinue reading “The Iranian Threat against Azerbaijan”
Implement the Iraqi Constitution
The Iraqi constitution stipulates that there should be referenda in Kurdish areas beyond the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) whether these areas should indeed also be part of the KRG or be ruled directly from Baghdad. This includes the city of Kirkuk. The US government, the European Union and other international friends ofContinue reading “Implement the Iraqi Constitution”
Why the KRG should have an Air Force
The KRG is a loyal and faithful ally of the United States and deserves more US support. The KRG is often described by its detractors as “a second Israel” due to its pro-American and pro-Israel sympathies and alignments. In fact could and would an independent Kurdistan in the Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian sections of KurdistanContinue reading “Why the KRG should have an Air Force”
Why Moscow and Beijing do not Arm Tehran
Iran has a sophisticated military but its air force is antiquated as are its tanks. Why then do not Russia and China supply Iran with fighter aircrafts and tanks? There is in general a fear in the international community of Iranian intelligence committing 9/11 style mass terrorist attacks and potentially with chemical, biological and radiologicalContinue reading “Why Moscow and Beijing do not Arm Tehran”
The Nefarious Influence of Islamist Soft Power
Islamist soft power is highly influential in academia where it has become paradigmatic that it is ostensibly intrinsically “Islamophobic” to oppose or even criticize the modern totalitarian political ideology of Islamism. Modern political Islam generally opposes all public criticism of any aspect of what is perceived as “Islam” and it is hard to see howContinue reading “The Nefarious Influence of Islamist Soft Power”
The Fiction of Iranian “Democracy”
The extensive Iranian propaganda machinery abroad has long been able to create an illusion of a semblance of Iranian “democracy” with an ostensible “power struggle” between two types of Islamists dubbed “reformists” and “hardliners”. The question that must be asked however is whether there has been any substantial policy difference when the two respective IslamistContinue reading “The Fiction of Iranian “Democracy””
Iran is a Rival of China, not an Ally
Islamists hold profoundly contemptful attitudes towards non-Muslims and Khomeinist attitudes towards China of course is no exception. Does Tehran hate Beijing for its internment of one million Muslims in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region? Yes of course they do but Tehan’s duplicitous strategy towards Beijing is designed to fool and take advantage of China. After all,Continue reading “Iran is a Rival of China, not an Ally”
Why Iran wants Nuclear Weapons
It is peculiar why so-called “anti-imperialists” are not concerned with Tehran’s clearly neo-imperial ambitions. Rather, “Anti-Imperialism” was a Soviet propaganda discourse closely connected to yet another Soviet propaganda discourse, namely “Anti-Zionism”. In fact, Soviet propaganda often mentioned “Anti-Imperialism and “Anti-Zionism” in one breath as if they were one. The Islamic Republic of Iran is oneContinue reading “Why Iran wants Nuclear Weapons”
Liberalization without Suppressing Religion
Secularism in Turkey and Iran during the 20th century was anti-religious in actively trying to limit the extent of religion in society. This led to a backlash in Islamists coming to power. The secularization policies of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi were in this sense clearly counterproductive. However, their respective heritage remains aliveContinue reading “Liberalization without Suppressing Religion”
Aliyah Organization 