The US Special Envoy for Iran: "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon"

The US Special Envoy for Iran: "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon"

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

 The US Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, said on Wednesday that "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon."

Malley claimed, during a webinar hosted by the "Foreign Policy" daily related to Iran, that "with regard to the nuclear agreement, the closer the parties are to agreeing on a formula to revive the agreement, Iran puts forward new demands at the last minute."

Malley explained that on September 1, "Iran put forward a new condition, which is that the agreement must be accompanied by an end to the sanctions imposed on it."

He added, "The suspension of sanctions comes within the framework of the agreement, and the latter is not up for discussion now, so the sanctions will continue in the same context."

This comes as Iran affirms that it is serious about reaching a nuclear agreement, and that it will not hesitate to reach a "good, strong and sustainable" agreement, but it is calling for guarantees that the United States will not withdraw from the agreement again, and it is also calling for the closure of the International Atomic Energy Agency's allegations.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said, "The Americans are sending us through some foreign ministers that they are in a hurry to revive the nuclear agreement, while the US envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, says, "The nuclear agreement is not among Washington's priorities."

Since the beginning of reviving the nuclear agreement, Tehran has been stressing on 4 basic issues: guarantees after the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement, lifting sanctions on Iran, verifying the occurrence of these matters, in addition to closing the file of political allegations of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Malley: The diplomatic option is the most appropriate

The US envoy for Iran claimed during the symposium that, "As soon as US President Joe Biden took office, we immediately declared to our European allies our intention to revive the nuclear deal, provided Iran complies."

He added, "The diplomatic option is the most appropriate to stop Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons," noting that "we are working in close and coordinated steps with France and Britain to achieve this."

Malley quoted Biden as saying, "The time may come to activate the military option against Iran, but conditions are not yet ripe," noting that "our consultations with the leaders of both parties are continuing on Iran, and we are aware of the size of the opposition of some in Congress."

Earlier, Malley himself spoke about the possibility of the next US president leaving the nuclear agreement, noting that "there are no guarantees that this will not happen."

And at the end of last October, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said: "We believe that the American political will can help sign the agreement," stressing that his country will not wait for an agreement to secure its interests, nor will it link its relationship and foreign policy to the nuclear agreement.

Malley: A new system of sanctions against Iran has been activated

During the symposium, the US Special Envoy for Iran pointed out that the US Treasury Department took into account all the circumstances accompanying the activation of sanctions with the lowest rate of consequences, i.e. diplomacy backed by sanctions.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, last month, that the madness of sanctions against Iran has turned into a "virus" that is transmitted to countries allied to Washington, stressing that imposing sanctions on the media and journalists is a violation of part of the main rights of the Iranian people to make their voice heard in the world.

According to Malley, "a new system of sanctions has been activated against Iranian officials for their dealings with the protests," announcing that "Washington is devoting its technical capabilities to the demonstrators in order to communicate via virtual space."

Malley announced "his strong support for the demonstrators in Iran," adding that "the demonstrations come at a sensitive historical period that is reshaping Iranian history," as he put it.

Malley added that "Washington's behavior in the 2009 demonstrations in Iran should have been better, and we must deal with wisdom," saying: "We intend with our other allies to hold Iranian officials accountable for what is going on."

The spokesman for the Iranian Shura Council's presidential body, Nizamuddin Mousavi, stated that "about 45,000 people and foreign intelligence agencies are causing riots." Iran also condemned the US interference in its affairs, represented by supporting the riots that took place in Iranian cities.

Report: Half of the world's democracies are in decline, and Washington is in peril

Report: Half of the world's democracies are in decline, and Washington is in peril

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

A report published by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance revealed today, Wednesday, that half of the democracies in the world are witnessing a decline in their political system.

"We are now seeing factors that are very unfavorable to democracy, exacerbated by the consequences of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine," Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary general of the Sweden-based institute, told AFP.

He explained that this regression could appear through a review of the credibility of elections, violations of the rule of law, or the imposition of restrictions in civic space.

The number of democracies facing serious undermining, which the report classified as countries "in decline" increased from 6 to 7 in 2022, with El Salvador added to it along with the United States since last year, and Brazil, Hungary, Poland, India and the island of Mauritius.

Kevin Casas-Zamora saw the US situation as "particularly dangerous". The report warned that this country suffers from problems of political polarization, disruption in the work of institutions, and threats to civil liberties.

"It is now clear that this fever has not subsided with the election of a new administration," said the Secretary-General.

This appears especially in the levels of polarization out of control, and attempts to "undermine the credibility of election results without any evidence of fraud," according to Casas-Zamora.

The rise of authoritarianism

Of the 173 countries included in the report, 52 of the democracies included in it are in decline.

On the other hand, 27 countries moved to an authoritarian regime, which is more than double the countries that moved to democracy.

Likewise, almost half of the authoritarian regimes tightened their repression during 2022, while Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia, the Comoros and Nicaragua recorded a "regression", according to the report.

In Asia, where only 54% of the population lives in a democracy, authoritarianism intensifies, while the African continent remains "resilient" in the face of instability despite the many challenges it faces.

In Europe, about half of the democracies, or 17 countries, have suffered a decline over the past five years.

The report stressed that "democracies are striving to find an effective balance in an environment of instability and anxiety, and populism continues to spread in the world, while innovation and growth are stagnant or regressing."

He noted "worrying trends" even in countries with medium or high democratic standards.

Casas-Zamora explained that "democratic regimes have recorded a real deterioration in the last two decades, and this raises a hot issue," but on the other hand, there are "signs of progress."

_________

Sources: 

https://www.idea.int/news-media/news/global-democracy-weakens-2022

Qatari Minister to the West: LGBT people can visit our country but don't try to change our beliefs

Qatari Minister to the West: LGBT people can visit our country but don't try to change our beliefs

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

The Minister of State for Energy Affairs in Qatar, Saad Al-Kaabi, told the German newspaper “Bild” that members of the LGBT community can go to Qatar to watch the World Cup soccer matches, but the West cannot “dictate” to Qataris what they should believe.

Relations between Qatar and Germany have been troubled recently.

The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Weser, put the “One Love” badge that supports gays in the match that her country played against Japan last week, and criticized the human rights record in Qatar, but this week Germany concluded a deal to import liquefied natural gas from

In his statements, which were published by the German newspaper "Bild" today, the Qatari minister said about the LGBT community: "If they want to visit Qatar, we have no problem with that."

But he said the West wants to "dictate what it wants" to Qatar, which considers same-sex relations illegal.

He added, "If you want to change me so that I say that I believe in the LGBT community and that my family should be gay and that I accept homosexuality in my country and change my laws and Islamic teachings in order to please the West, then this is unacceptable."

Wealth and Power: Sexual slavery pursues Ukrainian women and contempt for Africans

Wealth and Power: Sexual slavery pursues Ukrainian women and contempt for Africans

    Monday, November 28, 2022   No comments

"The tendency to enslavement represented, in ancient times, a basis for prestige (the prestige of the master and the prestige of the tribe), and a kind of financial investment, which could be exploited in a period of crisis." A phrase mentioned in a book, published last year, entitled “History of Slaves in the Arabian Gulf." --a researcher and professor of history at the American University in Kuwait, Hisham Al-Awadi. 

Despite the difference in history, and the Gulf countries taking a trend keeping pace with modernity and development, the tendency towards establishing slavery still exists, albeit through disguised methods. Perhaps what the UAE is witnessing today is the best evidence of this, with the spread of “modern slavery” practices towards migrant workers, who are looking for a living outside the borders of their countries.

Human trafficking and illegal practices

Behind the towering building, which touches the clouds in the Emirates, and behind the amazing lights that catch the eye, there is a world of another kind; A world in which many of what can be considered “modern slavery” affect migrant workers, especially Africans, who are subjected to multiple types of exploitation and racial discrimination, from being forced to pay illegal recruitment fees, along with withholding their salaries, to confiscating their passports. Perhaps what is hidden is greater, in light of the documenting by multiple organizations of cases of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

The Emirati black record on human trafficking was also documented by Western media in the aftermath of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, highlighting the process of bringing girls from war and conflict zones to work in prostitution. This was revealed by the British newspaper "Daily Mail", last August, regarding the smuggling of Ukrainian women and children to the Emirates, with the aim of "trafficking in human beings and exploiting them in domestic sexual slavery in Abu Dhabi," according to the newspaper's expression.

However, in front of this scene, the voice of African workers remains the dominant one, as the most vulnerable group and subject to systematic human rights violations, and the most prominent victims in the long list of modern slavery practices in this country.

Mass deportation on racial grounds

Only because their skin is black, African migrant workers in the UAE suffer. For these people, most of whom hail from Nigeria, Cameroon and Uganda, their search for a living has turned into a bad memory that may not leave them as long as they are alive.

"They told us we were dirty. They stripped us of our clothes, confiscated our belongings, insulted us and made racist slurs against black Africans." Great suffering faced the Ugandan teacher, Kenneth Rubangakin, in the Emirates, who tried to shorten it, through limited words, after he was arrested for more than a month, and forcibly deported from there without any positive reasons. He is one of about 800 other people who were subjected to the same insults last year, and hundreds of them and others still continue to this day, according to what human rights organizations have documented, despite the UAE government's repeated denials.

This suffering was previously highlighted by Amnesty International in a report, in which it confirmed that "the UAE authorities brutally treated hundreds of people, based on the color of their skin, ill-treated them in places of detention, and stripped them of their personal property and dignity, before deporting them en masse." At the time, the organization quoted one of the victims, Kabirat Olukand, who is from Nigeria, and worked as an assistant in an international school before being deported, that she asked the police officers: “Why am I here? I am not a criminal, and I have residency documents.” It gives, and the UAE takes.” She reported being harassed by the officers there.

Dave Kenny, a researcher at Amnesty International, confirmed that the organization documented a case of grave violations against African workers in the UAE in the summer of 2021, through mass deportation that took place on racial grounds, in an organized operation that targeted this segment because of their African nationality and skin color, and the number of its victims reached hundreds. Kenny pointed out that "the 18 people interviewed by the organization were legally residing in the UAE, and this was confirmed by reviewing official documents and data for 17 out of 18 cases," stressing that "all they were subjected to, from arrest and deportation, was without a legal right,” in light of “the inability of any of them to contact a lawyer, or enter the courtroom,” and as a result of their suffering from very difficult detention conditions for months before they were later deported, saying that the “Cameroonians” were deported to a country that passes in a civil war.

Hence, the researcher at the international organization calls on the UAE government to "compensate the victims as a result of what they suffered at the hands of the authorities, especially in light of their deportation without handing over their personal belongings, and the loss of many of them all their savings, electronic devices, and personal clothes, in addition to licenses, certificates, and medical records." Even personal identities, the government has taken everything from them, and it must return everything that it took from them.”

An incubating environment for companies that violate the rights of migrant workers

Although migrant workers to the UAE make up about 90% of the workforce, the majority of them suffer hardships during their journey into the labor market, as a result of the poor conditions they are exposed to, at a time when this country is a safe haven for companies that violate the rights of migrant workers, forcing them to They have to live under harsh conditions, as documented by the International Trade Union Confederation, "ITUC", which has previously launched an international campaign against "modern slavery" to which this large segment of workers is exposed there.

In this context, the director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights, Khaled Ibrahim, sees that the Emirati authorities are primarily responsible for all the violations that African workers are exposed to, and that they are concerned with ensuring the application of human rights standards in the fields of work, while the responsibility also rests with employers, who must be held accountable for those violations that occur against workers They have, and who should be offered protection at all times.

As for the role of international human rights organizations regarding these violations, Ibrahim says, "We have no armies or weapons, we do not have political parties, and we do not promote hidden agendas. Rather, we work completely independently in defending human rights," stressing that these organizations "have The word, and its supernatural power is represented by its sincerity. As a result, we are documenting these violations and working with the international community to stop them."

Nations from the Garden of Prosperity Do not Like Losing to countries of the Jungle

Nations from the Garden of Prosperity Do not Like Losing to countries of the Jungle

    Monday, November 28, 2022   No comments

Continuing the trend of politicizing the first FIFA World Cup ever hosted by an Arab country, which unveiled the prejudice and bigotry of many Western nation-states’ leaders and their media platforms, riots broke Brussels following Belgium’s World Cup loss to Morocco.

This event shows that peoples of the Global North grew accustomed to the sense of entitlement—a deserved abundance of wealth, health, and triumphs. As such, they do not react well to losing and cannot handle not being able to gratify their “wants”. They often refer to protests and riots that may take in countries of the Global South as being symptoms of cultural deficiencies or even biological underdevelopment in "those peoples". Yet, with the first test of loss or unmet want—not need—they find themselves exhibiting even more violent tendencies that they claimed to be part of the DNA of "other cultures"--not theirs.

This event follows other incidents that showed the West’s desire to dictate the conversation on issues that help them sidestep their record poor human rights record and focus on issues that are specific to their societies.

Just days before kickoff, FIFA’s president had to make a long speech defending Qatar’s human rights record and reminding his European friends of their double standard. By the second day of the tournament, he sat next to a German minister who wore the advocacy armband, OneLove, under her jacket and unveiled it once in the stadium, to protest Qatar’s ban on political activities inside the stadiums.

Two days before the match between Iran and the United States, the official US soccer authority scrubbed the word “Allah” from the Iranian flag, claiming that it was an act of solidarity with Iranian protesters. 

This comes after Josep Borell, EU Foreign Affairs And Security Policy Chief gave a speech in which he declaraed that "Europe Is A Garden... The Rest Of The World Is A Jungle". 

U.S. soccer scrubs the word for "God" from Iran flag

U.S. soccer scrubs the word for "God" from Iran flag

    Sunday, November 27, 2022   No comments

In a move that is interpreted to mean that the US has a problem with the Islamic governing system more than with just the leaders of Iran, US soccer officials removed the word "God" from the Iranian flag ahead of FIFA's US-Iran match on Tuesday.

The action was reported by Politico, quoted below:

The U.S. soccer federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supports protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations’ World Cup match Tuesday.

Iran’s government reacted by accusing America of removing the name of God from their national flag.

The decision by the U.S. Soccer Federation adds yet-another political firestorm to the Middle East’s first World Cup, one which organizers had hoped would be spared of off-the-field controversies.

It also comes as the U.S. faces Iran in a decisive World Cup match, which was already freighted by the decades of enmity between the two countries and the nationwide protests now challenging Tehran’s theocratic government.

The U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement Sunday morning that it decided to forego the official flag on social media accounts to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”

The Twitter account of the U.S. men’s team displayed a banner with the squad’s matches in the group stage, with the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors. The same could be seen in a post on its Facebook and Instagram accounts laying out the point totals so far in its group.

Is Pakistan on a path to profound changes that can no longer be controlled by outdated systems and outside players?

Is Pakistan on a path to profound changes that can no longer be controlled by outdated systems and outside players?

    Saturday, November 26, 2022   No comments

Streets of Rawalpindi in Pakistan now. Supporters of Imran Khan gathered as part of a massive anti-government march in Islamabad.

At the moment, the former Prime Minister of the Republic Imran Khan speaks to a crowd of protesters. After his speech, the general column is expected to move to the capital.

Germany: The first cause of Europe's crisis is the rise of Asia, not the Ukraine war

Germany: The first cause of Europe's crisis is the rise of Asia, not the Ukraine war

    Tuesday, November 22, 2022   No comments

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that "the past 30 years of low inflation and stable economic growth in Europe were exceptional," stressing that "the conflict in Ukraine is not the main reason for the end of this era, but it has accelerated it."

Today, Tuesday, during an economic forum that brought together representatives of economic companies in Berlin, Scholz said: "Today we are in a new stage of globalization, and over the past 30 years, here in Europe and North America, we have witnessed stable growth, low inflation and high employment rates." And the conflict in Ukraine It hastened the end of this era, but it's not the main reason."

"The real reason is the growth of Asian economies, which compete with Europe in energy, raw materials and technology," Scholz said, warning "once again of a decline in globalization" and calling for "economic diversification."

"The real reason is the growth of Asian economies." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

He stressed that "Germany will not make the mistake of entering into an energy dependency, such as the one that has arisen in recent years with Russia with regard to natural gas supplies for the second time," and added, "What I understood after holding a number of talks with representatives of the German economy is that this mistake It won't happen to us again."

During the forum organized by the Bavarian daily "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper, Scholz explained the types of challenges facing the German economy, and his ambition to diversify its sources of energy supply in multiple regions, from now on. He promised the Germans that he would "work so that the German economy and Germany can regain its place as a place for business, and get through the hard times."

Germany: We agree with America to shift focus with Iran from the nuclear file to issues of rights and to exert pressure on Tehran to stop repression

Germany: We agree with America to shift focus with Iran from the nuclear file to issues of rights and to exert pressure on Tehran to stop repression

    Monday, November 21, 2022   No comments

Germany agrees with the United States in shifting its focus away from reviving the nuclear deal with Iran to supporting the Iranian people in the face of the country's violent crackdown on mass protests, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"We are indeed moving along the same tracks," the spokesman said at a routine government briefing.

"Currently, our focus is on supporting the Iranian people and putting pressure on the Iranian ruling regime to stop suppressing the rights of its people," he added.

This coordianted action seems to be in line with the US shift from reviving the nuclear deal it abondoned in 2018 to freeing Iran.

Germany, the state whose policy during the first half of the 20th century was the full extermination of the German Jews is now concerned for human rights in Muslim-majority countries.

Medvedev is in a direct undiplomatic response to Ukraine: Kyiv is a Russian city and it will be restored

Medvedev is in a direct undiplomatic response to Ukraine: Kyiv is a Russian city and it will be restored

    Sunday, November 20, 2022   No comments

In an strong statement posted on Telegram, the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev responded to claims by Ukrainian leaders to Crimea saying that Kyiv is a Russian city and it will be restored.

Medvedev said that what he wrote “comes in the context of responding to Ukrainian threats to regain Crimea.”

Full statement:

Sometimes the statements of the enemy need to be answered not only diplomatically or somehow allegorically.

I answer.

Here, various cockroaches that have bred in the Kiev insectarium constantly threaten to "return the Crimea." Well, the goals are clear: to cheer up the tame insects around and show the owner of the insectarium that they are still very capable of running cockroaches for a piece of food. Almost like a cockroach-favorite Janissaries in the play of the famous Kyivian Mikhail Bulgakov "Running".

Therefore, I want to remind them of the indisputable facts:

1. Kyiv is the capital of Ancient Rus'.

2. Kyiv is a large Little Russian city within the Russian Empire.

3. Kyiv is the republican capital of the USSR.

And finally, Kyiv is just a Russian city where people always thought and spoke Russian.

To make everything very clear what and how to return ...