26. februar 2007

Ahmadinejad faces stronger criticism at home There appears to be signs that the Iranian Mullahs are nervous about Ahmadinejad's confrontational line. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced a new round of sharp criticism at home Monday after he said Iran's nuclear program is an unstoppable train without brakes. Reformers and conservatives said such tough talk only inflames the West as it considers further sanctions. The criticism came even as new signs have arisen that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is growing discontented with Ahmadinejad, whom he is believed to have supported in 2005 presidential elections. Last week, Khamenei voiced rare criticism of the domestic performance of Ahmadinejad's government, and the president was notably absent when a group of Cabinet members and vice presidents met with Khamenei, who has the final word in all political affairs in Iran, including the nuclear issue. The increasing criticism reflects public worries about the course of the country's confrontation with the United States and the West. I wonder if this criticism and wariness would have come if the US had not chosen a hard-line position on the Iranian nuclear programme? We should also remember that Ahmadinejad went on election promising to cut corruption and improve Iran's economy. He has not been doing any of that, and it doesn't help to be a rabble rouser internationally if you don't deliver at home. 8:59:45 PM    comment []  trackback []

UN court clears Serbia for Bosnia genocide The UN International Court of Justice has cleared the state of Serbia for direct responsibility for the genocide in Bosnia. The UN's highest court at The Hague has cleared Serbia of direct responsibility for genocide during the Bosnian war of the 1990s. But the International Court of Justice also said Serbia violated international law by failing to prevent the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica. Bosnia brought the case and would have sought billions of dollars from Serbia in compensation if successful. The case was the first of a state being charged with genocide.  It's not at all clear what it means that a state is responsible (or not) for genocide. However, this will be taken by supporters of the late Serb president Milosevic as a post-mortem acquittal of his direct role in the Bosnian genocide. 2:04:02 PM    comment []  trackback []

Another anti-war stumble in the US Congress As dangerous as support for a troubled war is, the Democrats are discovering that being the peace party has its pitfalls, too. The plan was bold: By tying President Bush's $100 billion war request to strict standards of troop safety and readiness, Democrats believed they could grab hold of Iraq war policy while forcing Republicans to defend sending troops into battle without the necessary training or equipment. But a botched launch by the plan's author, Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), has united Republicans and divided Democrats, sending the latter back to the drawing board just a week before scheduled legislative action, a score of House Democratic lawmakers said last week. "If this is going to be legislation that's crafted in such a way that holds back resources from our troops, that is a non-starter, an absolute non-starter," declared Rep. Jim Matheson (Utah), a leader of the conservative Blue Dog Democrats. Murtha's credentials as a Marine combat veteran, a critic of the war and close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) were supposed to make him an unassailable spokesman for Democratic war policy. Instead, he has become a lightning rod for criticism from Republicans and members of his own party. Freshman Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a retired Navy admiral who was propelled into politics by the Iraq war, said Murtha could still salvage elements of his strategy, but Sestak, an outspoken war opponent, is "a bit wary" of a proposal that would influence military operations. "I was recently in the military, and I have to speak from that experience," Sestak said. Look like self-destruction, and against a weak opponent, that is not a good sign at all for the Dems. 12:29:26 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2007 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.03.2007; 06:12:47.