Sanction Fallout

Just because Iran's Green Movement is opposed to the hardline regime in Tehran doesn't mean they agree with everything the US does either. Case in point: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the opposition movement's leaders, has criticized President Obama's recent sanctions against the Iranian nuclear program. According to AFP:

"The world arrogance (US) is trying to intimidate countries of the region, so they go along with bullying policies against Iran, but will not succeed in this act," Rafsanjani said at a session of the Expediency Council, Iran's top political arbitration body which he heads.

This is a stark reminder that, though there is dissent in Iranian politics, it doesn't simply boil down to anti-American and pro-American. Rafsanjani even uses the word arrogance to refer to the United States, a comparison we usually hear from Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. We need to be careful not to make the strife in Iran all about us.

Electioneering: How the Supreme Court and David Bossie Have Compromised American Democracy

(originally written June 7th, 2010)

    In January 2010, the US Supreme Court handed down an historic and controversial decision on the case of Citizens United v FEC; the ruling effectively overturned a century of limits on corporate funding for political tv ads. The case brought by Citizens United against the FEC was self-serving and politically motivated. It is clear from the films they produce that Citizens United is simply interested in exposing the public, through any methods necessary, to conservative propaganda, even if that means compromising our democracy.