For those interested in learning more about Iran I recommend Iran Chamber generally. You may sometimes be very surprised at what you read — they strive to be balanced and accurate.
In the absence of a well-documented, comprehensive and permanent source on Iran/Persia that can accommodate many viewers’ needs and wishes in providing information on all aspects of Iranian/Persian history and culture, and in compliance with the needs of those who are concerned with Iran/Persia and its issues, “Iran Chamber Society” (Andjoman-e Otagh-e Iran) was founded in 2001. “Iran chamber Society” is nonprofit without any political, religious and otherwise affiliations with any governmental institutions.
This society was founded in order to bring Iranologists and those scholars who are concerned with Iran/Persia together under one roof. Therefore, we invite all Iranian and non-Iranian scholars to join “Iran Chamber Society” and become contributing member and share their articles and papers on this platform with rest of the world. … … …
The site is both comprehensive and well organised into the following main sections:
- Art & Culture of Iran
- “This is a comprehensive section, which pays lots of attention to Iran’s culture, cultural events, music, religious music, musicians, musical instruments, visual arts, artists, cinema, film makers, language, literature, writers, poets and their biographies. Iranian old scripts and their fonts, museums, galleries, cuisines and their recipes, rituals, religions, Persian carpet, architecture and many more are covered here as well”
- History of Iran
- “This section covers the historic events, history of ancient Iran (Persia), birth of the Iranian (Persian) Empires, ancient Imperial Armies, historic inscriptions, Greek and Arab invasions, Iranian identity challenges, Mongolian invasion, rebirth of Imperial Iranian dynasties, Persian Gulf and its history. Historic movements and revolutions, contemporary history, history articles, historical personalities and photos are featured too.”
- Iran’s Guide
- “In this section attention’s gone to Iran’s cities, places, geography, facts and figures, national monuments, flags and national anthem, cities’ dialing codes, government and ministries, Iranian embassies abroad, media and sport. Iranian all times personalities are covered here as well as Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran, education, higher education, universities in Iran, Iranian people and tribes.”
Each of these sections has many articles all of which are either PDFs or are printer friedly.
The final section The Podium is a collection of articles on various aspects of Iranian society and history. I’m not going to say anything further about it because you really need to find out for yourself. I do however suggest that you download and print this article by Taymaz Rastin, written in October 2004 (PDF) “Past Failures and Present Opportunities: Iranian-American Relations and The Context of The Current Nuclear Standoff” Don’t be put of be the fact that it’s 38 pages long you’re quite likely to want to read it again :-)
Finally on a personal note check out some of the photogalleries — if you’ve ever been they’ll make you long to be back and if you haven’t they’ll make you long to go.
markfromireland
Thanks for the site reference, Mark. I can see I’m not going to get much else done today! Hope you are well.
Comment by Griffon — May 11, 2006 @ 1:41 am
I haven’t had time to read the pdf you recommended, Mark, but I did spend time looking over the website and can thoroughly recommend it to other readers.
It was a bitter/sweet experience, though, in that while I was drinking in the people, culture and architecture, I was constantly thinking how could that barbarian Bush contemplate bombing this place into rubble and blood.
Comment by Griffon — May 12, 2006 @ 4:55 am
Believe me I understand Griffon I can’t remember whether somebody told me about Iran Chamber or whether I found it while searching what I do remember was how much time I spent there going from article to article. Its a real labour of love by people who know what they’re talking about and have worked really hard to convey both the facts and the feel of the place. As to Taymaz Rastin’s report he covers a huge amount information so that by the time you’ve read it you’re well and truly briefed - and in the happy position of being able to contradict the warmongers using facts to counter their hysteria. It’s worth taking slowly :-) Rastin’s an interesting chap and has a small site of his own http://www.rastin.org - mostly a collection of links to stuff he’s written. He was born in Tehran but grew up in Singapore and moved to Canada in 2001. He’s doing post-grad work on the political economy and geopolitics of energy. And in his spare time (Ha!) he’s researching national survival strategies in the era of globalisation. His approach is to argue that only those countries with strong and autonomous governments will survive the onslaught of globalisation well as I say an interesting chap.
Comment by markfromireland — May 12, 2006 @ 1:27 pm
Off Topic (Sort of)
Financial Times Story
Morales in warning to energy companies
By Haig Simonian and Daniel Dombey in Vienna
Published: May 12 2006 11:29 | Last updated: May 12 2006 11:29
Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, has ruled out compensating foreign energy companies that face changes to their contracts as a result of a controversial nationalisation policy announced earlier this month and warned big landowners that they were next in his sights.
Speaking at a summit in Vienna of Latin American and European Union leaders, the left-wing president accused foreign companies of pillaging his country for hundreds of years and said big landowners were the next target of his radical reform agenda. “We’re not going to limit ourselves to hydrocarbon res-ources,” he told a news conference. “There is also huge land ownership, especially unproductive land, in our country.”
Earlier this month, Mr Morales shocked foreign investors by sending the army to gas fields to underline his move to nationalise the energy industry. Companies have been given 180 days to renegotiate their contracts. Some energy companies, for the time being, have to pay royalties of 82 per cent to La Paz, rising from 50 per cent. Only a year ago, companies paid royalties of 18 per cent.
On Thursday, Mr Morales indicated that companies could receive compensation for physical assets taken by the state but that they would not be indemnified for losing their concessions.
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Mr Morales described foreign energy investors as “smugglers” and argued that they had broken Bolivian laws and paid no taxes on their profits. “We don’t have to talk, dialogue or negotiate when it comes to the policy of a sovereign state,” he said.
He also pointed to a looming clash with the judiciary, whom the government has criticised for failing to impose laws to protect national interests. “For us, the judiciary are the representatives of the colonial state, not the people,” Mr Morales said.
Analysts said the president’s message was all the stronger for being delivered in Europe, where many of Bolivia’s biggest energy investors are based. Spain’s Repsol, Total of France and Britain’s BP and BG Group are among the biggest foreign energy groups.
Repsol said yesterday it would defend the value of its investments in Bolivia and, if necessary, with legal action. Mr Morales is expected to meet Spain’s prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, today to discuss the threat to Repsol.
Mr Morales drew criticism on Thursday from Vicente Fox, the Mexican president, who highlighted the sharp differences among Latin American leaders by describing nationalisation as a “terrible” path. “I think that far from putting the economy in the hands of the state, you have to put it in a market with social responsibility,” he said.
Mr Morales also accused the US of misusing drug eradication programmes as part of its “geo-political interests” and warned neighbouring Andean countries not to press ahead with trade agreements with Washington.
Then there’s this from The Guardian.
Blair in summit plea over energy
Press Association
Friday May 12, 2006 1:28 PM
Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on the leaders of Bolivia and Venezuela to show the world they are being “responsible” in their handling of their nations’ reserves of oil and gas.
Tensions over energy supply are dominating a summit of European Union, Latin American and Caribbean leaders attended by Mr Blair in Vienna.
Bolivia’s new President Evo Morales has sparked concern in Europe over his plans to nationalise his country’s natural gas industry, while Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is set to impose additional taxes on international oil companies.
Speaking in the Austrian capital, Mr Blair called for a responsible approach to what he said was “a major issue” for countries around the globe which all needed security of energy supply.
“The most important thing is that everyone uses the power they have responsibly, that is what we want to have happen,” he told reporters.
Referring to Chavez and Morales, he added: “All of us have a responsibility to the world community to try to manage this sensibly. People are worried about energy supply in the future. What countries do in their energy policy … matters enormously to all of us.”
A decree issued by Mr Morales on May 1 gives foreign companies, including BP and British Gas, six months to renegotiate contracts with Bolivia’s state-run hydrocarbons company, handing over to it the ownership and exploitation of the country’s energy resources.
The leftist president indicated on Thursday night that he would not compensate foreign companies which lost out in the nationalisation, saying: “There is no reason to indemnify them.” Many foreign firms investing in Bolivia had engaged in smuggling and tax evasion, he claimed.
Mr Morales also accused foreign companies of “betraying” Bolivia, which is South America’s poorest state but has the continent’s second largest natural gas reserves, after Venezuela.
Mr Blair’s official spokesman cautioned that, while energy policy in Bolivia and Venezuela was a matter for those countries’ governments, it was in every nation’s interest not to drive away potential investors.
Comment by Declan — May 12, 2006 @ 2:18 pm
Bush has scheduled a TV speech on Monday night - claims it’s about immigration (which it may be since this crew sometimes just bulls along in cosmic dissonance) but I am worried for Iran this weekend in particular.
Comment by siun — May 12, 2006 @ 3:28 pm
I hear ye Siun he surely needs to bomb someone to get his approval ratings up.
Comment by Grania — May 12, 2006 @ 4:37 pm
just realized Ahmadinejad is still in Indonesia … hope I am just being paranoid.
Everyone on FDL is pointing to the Raw Story story on carrier movements but I don’t trust them to have the real story - too little knowledge, too much hype.
Comment by siun — May 12, 2006 @ 5:13 pm
Yes and that’s very good news indeed Siun, and if as seems likely Malaysia will also weigh in it’ll become excellent news. I remember very well how fast the US and UK backed down the last time those two acted in concert. And both countries are royally peed off at the way the US is trying to choke their technological development. And both got really really really ticked off when Condi said the US would patrol their waters. She backed off very fast indeed. Go googling for some maps and note the oil tanker choke points. I’m sure the Chinese would be only too happy too happy to donate a sunburn missile or two or twenty. I hope griffon comes in on this about and I’d be very interested indeed to hear how Canberra would react to Malaysia in particular closing their market to Aussie exports. They’ve done it to the Brits in the past starting with “Iron Lady” Maggie Thatcher (spit)who caved in at a rate that had to be seen to be believed. Unnoticed and uncommented upon is that over the past 50 years there’s been a slow very slow because they’re starting from so far behind shift in power away from Whites and towards browns. Now me I think that’s a good thing but I doubt if the likes of Blair or Cheney would agree. As to Condi I’d love to know exactly what went on inside her stomach when she read this:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/12/content_4536707.htm
Comment by markfromireland — May 12, 2006 @ 5:41 pm
Oh and forget sanctions against Iran the Iranaians would LOVE sanctions to be imposed. I bet they pray daily for sanctions to be imposed. Sanctions are a win win win option for Tehran (and Russia and China)
Comment by markfromireland — May 12, 2006 @ 5:45 pm
will Condi and her boyfriend understand that or will they assume that hitting while he is out of the country will give them an advantage?
(running fast to keep up here)
Comment by siun — May 12, 2006 @ 8:49 pm
Siun - In real terms it doesn’t matter a damn. The president of Iran doesn’t call the shots and has relatively little authority who is important is the supreme leader and the council of guardians and the expediency council.
Comment by markfromireland — May 12, 2006 @ 8:57 pm
Mark, if Malaysia and/or Indonesia were to impose trade bans against Australia, I think the local establishment would have kittens. They are increasingly getting squeezed out by their American masters and are desperate for every dollar they can lay their hands on to survive (they think).
They finally revolted against Shell when it tried to take over their little oil company, Woodside (of the Timor Sea), a couple of years ago. So that, together with the local establishment’s myopic obsesson with the bottom line of the next Profit & Loss A/c, would tend to indicate they would squeal like stuck pigs at the first wiff of financial loss and cave into Malaysian/Indonesian pressure, particularly, if the US is seen on the ropes elsewhere (which is all to the good).
Declan’s post highlights Blair’s subservience to the oil companies by clearly acting as their spokesman.
It also shows the growing worldwide willingness to call America’s bluff. This is in no small part due to the Iraqi Resistance IMHO. The way I read it, they have shamed more than a few people and peoples around the world. Their example in the Mid-East must be enormous.
David Mamet, and others, have likened the US Administration to poker players who bluff and raise continuously. It works fine for a while but doesn’t end happily (for the bluffer). Everyone’s starting to call them including the Chinese as you noted, Mark. (payback for the insults to Hu)
The danger, in my view, is that America has a history of quickly reverting to Plan B if people don’t acquiesce to their demands. And Plan B is chaos. (If they can’t have it, then no one has it. Or under the cover of chaos, they’ll pull something out of the fire).
Siun, if the Raw Story is reasonably accurate, then it will take some time to get the Carriers in position. Plus, there was an intriguing comment on one of the sites linked here by Prof Foland that the B2 bombers would wait till the next New Moon (if history is a guide) which is May 29.
That’s an intriguing observation about possible future sanction against Iran, Mark. I guess most countries are seriously contemplating economic life without the US.
Comment by Griffon — May 13, 2006 @ 1:43 am
May 29 is holiday time here - Memorial Day - long weekend - folks away from the news, not paying a lot of attention, congress (not that it matters) not in session, etc. Thanks Griffon and Mark for infos!
Comment by siun — May 13, 2006 @ 3:44 am
May29 doesn’t look real good all of a sudden.
Here’s confirmation of something that has been suspected for a long time about Iraqi scientists being murdered.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m23222&hd=0&size=1&l=e
Comment by Griffon — May 13, 2006 @ 9:33 am
Griffon - how reliable is uruknet? I don’t know enough about them but that is certainly a chilling article and one more war crime …
and thank you for your kind words on fdl last night/this morning … appreciated!
Comment by siun — May 13, 2006 @ 8:58 pm
Uruknet are a portal Siun they’re run by a (very) leftwing group, nothing wrong with that per se and will pretty much publish anything so long as it’s puts the US in a bad light. To be fair to them they do source their stuff. That story was taken from Axis of Logic who in turn took it from Al Jazeerah.com now Al-jazeerah.com are by not at all the the same as al-Jazeerah and again they’re very very partisan. I take anything from all three sources with huge quantitities of salt in the same way that I take anything from azzaman.com or foxnews.com or the Jerusalem Post with huge quantities of salt. I think its time for me to make St. Ronny the gaga spin in his mausoleum again ^_^
There is a campaign on to liquidate the Iraqi professional classes. Again in a civil war or in the lead up to one that’s all too common and I’m not saying the Israelis or the Kurds wouldn’t love to see a weak leaderless broken up Iraq - they would, they’re very closely allied and there are Israelis all over Kurdistan as military “advisers.” - Not for the first time either. Whether they or their Kurdish allies have the assets outside of Kurdistan to mount a campaign like this is another question entirely and one I’d be open minded on. Not that I’d put it past them just I wonder if they have the assets to do it.
(No criticism of griffon here at all for linking to uruknet btw and the story does give a lot of very true info but whenever anybody in the M.E. starts to point fingers I start to wonder why.)
A likely alternative explanation is that most Iraqi scientists and inteligentsia were Ba’athists, (they didn’t get a choice about that join or die or be persecuted and driven into exile was the choice for everyone but the most junior of the junior,) and a lot of people are determined to wipe out the Ba’ath. Sorting out who is whom, why they did what and to whom, and in temporarily expedient alliance with which other faction, frequently makes my head hurt.
Yet another likely explanation is that in a situation where an outside power wants to foment a civil war such as the US did in both San Salvador and Nicaragua or organise a coup such as Chile or Argentina or Venezuala or Bolivia … well one part of ensuring success is to get their local allies to eliminate by murder terror you name it … all potential sources of opposition. Ask Archbishop Romero’s ghost.
Going on past form I know which one of those alternatives I believe is the most likely particularly given who it is who is founding and organising and continuing to fund the death squads just like they’ve done in the past - proving that to a point where you could take it into a court of law is another matter altogether.
Comment by markfromireland — May 13, 2006 @ 11:49 pm
Thanks MFI - I wouldn’t put anything past them but the line in the article about the US trying to get Iraqi scientists to work for the US just read wrong to me … but I really appreciate seeing a story like this since it gives hints of things going on and points to info that influences local readers.
Comment by siun — May 14, 2006 @ 4:29 am
Oh yes, a lot of this is propaganda and as Goebbels??? said a lie is stronger for being mixed with the truth. Getting to what’s true and what’s spin and what’s outright lie can be tricky.
Comment by markfromireland — May 14, 2006 @ 4:38 am
Supplementary to griffon’s link (’though again I read that source with a sceptical eye:
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news2006-05-08178.htm )
Comment by markfromireland — May 14, 2006 @ 8:44 am
Hello Mark,
Found your website two weeks ago. I am flattered by your description of my essay on Iranian-American relations, as well as my website. Hope I can improve on both in the future. :-)
warm regards,
Taymaz
Comment by Taymaz Rastin — May 28, 2006 @ 8:59 am