Articles

Americans are so used to being lied to that when they are told the truth, they refuse to believe it. For more than three decades, the US establishment has been harping about Iran’s non-existent nuclear bomb. Now that the people are told that there is no such thing, most Americans find it hard to believe it. Perhaps, they can be forgiven. The dumbing down of America is so thorough that 38% of college students believe France shares a border with America. An equal number believes Uganda is a plant or an animal.

With the foreign-instigated war on Syria into its fifth year, is there room for opti-mism about a possible end to the bloodletting? Recent developments give rise to guarded optimism that there may be a dim flicker of light at the end of Syria’s long dark tunnel. It would, however, be prudent not to assume that peace will descend on Syria tomorrow. That may still be a long way away but it appears there is much greater awareness among all parties involved, especially foreign backers of the takfiri terrorists, who realize they have created a monster that needs to be brought under control before it devours them as well.

“Uneasy lies a head that wears the crown” is a phrase that was coined in Europe when it was engulfed in internecine conflict among warring knights as well as kings facing rebellious barons during the Dark Ages. Some, like Charles I (1649ce) and Louis XVI (1793ce) ended up on the chopping block. The French king’s wife, the Austrian-born duchess, Marie Antoinette faced the guillotine nine months after her husband’s public execution. Today, the monarchy is little more than an expensive piece of decoration to keep the European masses amused and to divert their attention from the drudgery of life.

The AKP-led Turkish government’s fragile peace with the Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has come to an end and revived horrific memories of the past. Since 2009, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had pressed hard to end the ongoing violence in southeastern Turkey. The government’s determined peace negotiations with the PKK initially yielded results and an agree-ment to end the bloody conflict seemed imminent.

Relations between India and Pakistan have never been cordial, in fact often tense, but they have hit new lows in recent weeks. This was again illustrated by the abrupt cancellation of talks between the National Security Advisors of the two countries scheduled for August 23 in Delhi. The latest cancellation occurred against the back-drop of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s virtual ultimatum to Paki-stan to decide by midnight August 22 whether it wanted to meet Indian officials or invite Kashmiri political leaders struggling for freedom from Indian occupation for a meeting in Delhi.

Stepping out of a train station in a European city and seeing a taxi plastered with an advertisement for a swingers club triggered a thought in my mind that leaders, thinkers, scholars, and activists of the global Islamic movement must ponder over deeply and carefully. The thought is not only about haram and halal of gender rela-tions; it is about a realization that committed Muslims today generally lack confi-dence in openly propagating their vision of gender relations.

An Israeli flag next to the rabbi’s podium, a synagogue-wide Israel Independence Day celebration, a prayer for the state of Israel during services — for many, these are innocuous if not positive parts of American Jewish congregational life.

When the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the Islamic Re-public and the P5+1 group of countries (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) was agreed in Vienna on July 14, Western media outlets immediately re-ported that there were “celebrations” in Tehran. The BBC as usual led the pack. Conversely, opponents of the deal were dubbed as “hardliners” whose personal in-terests would be affected if it was approved and implemented.

Will the long-delayed Russian supply of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran ever near resolution? A large delegation of Iranian defence officials was in Moscow to attend the International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) air show in the last week of August. The show is held every two years at the Ramenskoye Airport 40km (25 miles) southeast of Moscow. The Iranian offi-cials also had discussions with their Russian counterparts about the delivery of the S-300 systems for which a contract was signed in 2007. Dmitry Shla-pentokh provides background to the Russia-Iran S-300 deal.

Until recently, Bushism referred only to George W. Bush’s infamous malaproprisms, such as “they misunderestimated me,” “make the pie higher.” As Americans gear up for the 2016 presidential elections, it is coming to mean something completely dif-ferent. Two dynasties are competing for the presidency. Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush will most likely face off, the former the spouse of the popular Bill Clinton (1992–2000), the latter, the younger brother of the now reviled George Bush junior (2001–2008), herein Bush II — both sons of George H.W. Bush senior (vice presi-dent 1980–1987, president 1988–1991).