Iran's Cerebral Politics, Arabs Talk Nuclear, Tom Tancredo of Arabia
Arab media report that tensions inside Iran are growing between President Ahmadinejad and his opponents, who are purportedly more moderate- or maybe not. They have called him bumbling and inexperienced (now why does this sound familiar?), and he has responded by criticizing corruption and 'los gatos gordos', probably meaning the consummate Iranian politico and fat cat Ali Akbar Hashimi Rafsanjani among others. At one point he called his critics "people who have the brains of goats". Interesting that none of them has denied the charge about their cerebral powers. BTW: goats are kosher in both the Old and New Middle East, they are considered cool, and their brains, and some other assets farther to the south, are considered hot when fried with spices- perhaps that is why many Arab men, especially grandees and potentates, sport goatees.I still think that Dick Cheney has more colorful terms for his foes than mere 'goat brains': he tells them to go and do 'something interesting' with themselves- but we all know they can't do that sort of thing in Iran.
Speaking of goats, Mr. Ahmadinejad's blog is dry, mostly has him answering email queries. I wish he would take off all those annoying pictures he has posted of himself grinning, making speeches. Even Mr. Khamenai's blog is more interesting, well, a little bit, at least in terms of production. It still says a lot about how exciting Ahmadinejad's blog is. It is not nearly as exciting, or even as interesting, as this blog of mine, for example.
I can't wait for other Middle East leaders to start posting their blogs. I can just imagine the wealth of insight, wisdom, and entertainment when the Two Kings Abdullah, Nouri al-Maliki, Husni Mubarak, or even Omar al-Basheer start posting. Qadhafi's should take the prize: news reports say that the colonel has just decreed that all foreigners who want to enter the paradise that is Libya must have their passports in Arabic as well as in their national languages.
Meanwhile in Cairo President Mubarak apparently woke up from his years-long nap recently to announce that Egypt will resume its efforts to produce clean nuclear energy, for civilian uses. (He did go back to sleep immediately afterward). I don't know about that: something about Egyptian bureaucrats running a nuclear facility makes me very uncomfortable. Some Arab media have been reporting on efforts to start a joint Arab nuclear program for peaceful purposes. At some point there were even reports that Saudi Arabia was proposing developing clean nuclear energy in cooperation with Iran.
Meanwhile criticism has escalated in Israel and some circles in the United States of Mohammed el-Baradei, head of the IAEA. This is in anticipation of a coming IAEA report that is expected to highlight 'some' Iranian cooperation. Even John Bolton is being dusted off by Fox News to beat the drums of war: he has not said yet whether he is ready to volunteer and suit up for a possible conflict.
The Saudi National Human Rights Society has criticized what it called harsh treatment of Saudi detainees in Iraq. It complained that Saudis who enter Iraq illegally can be jailed for fifteen years (unless they blow themselves up first, of course). If the shoe were on the other foot the Saudis would be more humane: they would just chop off such foreigners' heads in public.
Speaking of fifteen years in jail: are you reading this, Tom Tancredo? Escucha, por favor, Tomas.
Cheers
Mohammed Haider
m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com
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