President Ahmadinejad at Columbia University

You can comment on this along with most other posts below. -Amir

Interesting links

Hey guys.

First I wanted to say that so far I have been very impressed by your comments. You guys all deserve praise for what you have done. Secondly, this post is not for comment. There's enough to comment on all ready. Though if you would like to comment, you are welcome, it just won't count towards the requirement. Basically I am just going to post some links to some interesting stories about the fallout of Ahmadinejad's visit. He seems to have almost broken the Internet in half. I'll add more links to this post if I see anything else of worth. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts!

This is Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, on how he will deal with Iran if he becomes President.
This is the how Iran is becoming a major campaign issue in the upcoming presidential election.
This is a sampling of reactions from Iranian bloggers both inside and outside Iran to Ahmadinejad's visit.
This is from the Jerusalem post. At the end of the article seems to be Ahmadinejad's stance on Israel. Its not friendly, but its not exactly "wiping it off of the map" either.
This is about the media's "war blitz" against Iran. Its very interesting.
This is an article about how Iran, (in retaliation for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard being possibly labeled as a terrorist organization by the US), has labeled the CIA and the US Army as terrorist organizations.

And finally, this is a link to a video of Ahmadinejad at the UN.

See you all on Monday.

-Amir

Attention all new students

Most likely we've been in some sort of e-mail correspondence, but to reiterate, please purchase the reader from Copy Central on Bancroft. Amir and I tried our hardest to minimize the cost without compromising the content. It contains a lot of useful readings and all the students are expected to participate in informed (that means doing the reading) discussion during lecture.
Also, I'm happy to say that I've seen an increase in the number of postings on this site. They've been great, guys! Keep up the good work.

Have a good weekend and be prepare to expand on the information about the Shah next week.

Keyan

Mossadegh and the CIA

To learn more about the CIA overthrow of Mossadegh, and the man himself, I would suggest checking out these links below.

NY Times: Secrets of History
National Security Archive: The Secret CIA history of the Iran Coup
Wikipedia: Mossadegh Bio
Mossadegh Project: Official Site

For a posting comment, I would like you to answer any or all of these questions:

-Do you feel like you understand why Iran has acted the way it has in the last 28 years, specifically in relations to the U.S., by watching the video today?

-Do you think the U.S. was justified in taking Mossadegh out?

-Do you think Iranians share the blame for what happened to Mossadegh?

-Do you think the CIA should repeat what it did to Mossadegh to other countries, even Iran today?

You can post on any of the items we have posted so far, but make sure to do it by next Monday.

-Amir

Cold War in Iran

If you're interested about the beginnings of the Cold War in Iran, read this article by Professor R.J. Rummel (same guy who created the term "democide") and comment on it.

Ahmadinejad In America

Transcript: Ahmadinejad Interview

- Keyan

Iran's Plan for Iraq

In this article on the Iran Press Service, Walid Phares describes Iran's mounting influence in Iraqi affairs and outlines a situation in which he calls a"projected reality if U.S. forces prematurely and abruptly withdraw from Iraq."

Before agreeing with or challenging his thoughts, please read some short details on his background at this Wikipedia post. If you choose to comment on this piece, please make a reasonable, erudite connection between his affiliations listed on Wikipedia and the frame of thought that's portrayed in the article on Iran Press Service.

Keyan Keihani

First Discussion Posting Chance

Hey guys!

This is your first chance to do a discussion posting. Don't worry if you have nothing to say this time, there will be plenty of chances to come.

I have been given two links from some very nice students, I would like your comments to address both.

The first link has to do with the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has requested to see Ground Zero in New York to pay his respects. Unsurprisingly, he was rejected. However the angry reaction to his request is very interesting. Here is the link. You can approach posting on it any way you want, but if you are stuck, think about this: Do you think the reaction is justified?

Secondly, a top U.S. Army General has recently stated that the U.S. and the world could live with a nuclear Iran. The link is here. What do you think about his comments?

I do know that we haven't gone over these issues yet, and that's why I have put it up. I want to see what you guys think going into the class. By the end of the semester it will be interesting to see if your opinions have changed.

As Keyan stated before, "A response that’s thoughtful and astute will be regarded higher than something that’s rushed and out of compulsion. Remember, intelligent debate is an integral component of this course." Be sure to put your full name on the post so we have an accurate count of how many posts people have done.

Also, the slides have been approved and they are up at www.decal.org/iran.

Finally I found this amusing video about Persians from the animated comedy American Dad. Its offensive, but strangely funny. Don't watch it if you are easily offended. And don't worry, you don't have to comment on it. This is the link. Enjoy. - Amir