Hajar Amidian
The dilemma which Iran and the United states have always been in has even widened after what president elect Obama announced as the precondition for Iran as the basis to talk. Iran’s halting of its uranium enrichment program would mean giving up on the side of Iran and victory on the side of the United States which would also mean all the resistance towards the “super power “had been a futile act. Gary Sick who served as the Iran officer in the National Security Councils for many administrations was interviewed on July 1, 2008 about issues on Iran. The following is an analysis of his interview.
Gary Sick takes a very conservative position in the interview in which he tries to look down upon Iran’s position as a negotiator and the fact that the Unites States is obliged to have an unwilling talk with Iran. He believes that Iran will not reject the plan out of hand mostly due to 1) domestic pressure and 2) argument against leadership for being too soft and not taking advantage of their position. What is implied in this categorization is that the people of Iran who according to him are mostly against the government will force it to negotiate with the U.S in order to open doors of relations. But the hardliners who are supportive of the government ask for even more toughness.
The only reason he mentions as a benefit on the side of the United States is the fact that this long thirteen year sanction has done them no good and was actually in favor of Iran who was able to progress slowly.
The interview than goes on to analyzing Benny Morris’s claim on attacking Iran in the near future. The confession made at his part of the interview and which can be seen between the lines of Garry Sick is an old cliché one: The United states the mere supporter of Israel. According to him Israel will not do anything against the will of the U.S. and he U.S has clearly clarified on its position in attacking Iran after Adm. Mike Muller chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s red light. In addition Israel will not be able to act on its own since Iran’s nuclear facilities are not centered in one area and there are even underground procedures going on. The consequences of a war against Iran would be tragic to the United States and Israel, because due to such a war
1) Iran would reveal its enrichment program
2) It would simply deny inspection over its facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency
3) People would become more affiliated with the government
4) Worldwide views towards the U.S would worsen
5) U.S would be recognized as conspiring with Israel
6) The world would retaliate against the U.S and Israel
The report goes on to discuss the rumors of a U.S interest section opening in Iran. Garry Sick believes it is not just a rumor since the State Department has not denied it and also since if there was to be a kind of relation started it had to be from the U.S side according to international law. The United States broke relations in 1980 with the takeover of the U.S embassy and the 444 day holding of American hostages therefore it would the responsibility of the United Sates to begin with an interest section which would be a step towards formal diplomatic relationships.
He believes that both sides are trying to look tough but none will walk away with no benefit and “each side wants to portray itself as being in a position of strength so it can get the maximum amount of bargaining leverage.” The interview ends with mentioning a very outstanding theory: Freeze for Freeze. This theory connotes the fact that there is no upper hand and lower hand in this relation and both sides are dependent on each other. But if the whole structure of the interview and the sequence in which the questions were being asked is looked upon one will realize that the United States is still utilizing the carrot and stick approach towards Iran. It starts with the “halt” of Iranian uranium enrichment than it goes on to the threat Israel could have then it calms down and starts talking about the interest section and by the end of the interview there’s no desire for a “halt” and it actually talks about a mutual beneficial relationship.
In my view the United States has never been able to start a totally new policy and it has always repeated the same policy over and over again, which to some point is inevitable in foreign relations for any country. As a result I believe both sides can benefit from each other despite the black memories they have made for each other over years of conflict.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Dead Man-Film Review
Dead man
Dead man is a 1995 black and white western directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp as William Blake a young disciplined man seeking a job, and Garry Farmer as Nobody, a well educated Indian, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Michum and many others. The outstanding soundtrack which plays a great role in conveying the whole essence of the movie is improvised by Neil Young.
The film is shown in black and white which makes one able to understand the dichotomy of life and death which prevails the whole movie. The monotonous three note music sounds so amazingly matched with the plot that one would miss half the story if there was no such sound track.
19th century west America has a lot to reveal in this movie. The movie starts with William Blake sitting in a neat suit in a train wagon, nodding off every now and then. Every time he wakes up he sees people retrogress in terms of their appearance and behavior. It seems as though there is a direct relationship between the people inside the train and the scenes outside. As they get closer to the end, the number of women decreases and men who mostly carry guns with them appear to dominate the wagon. Blake looks afraid and sees himself in a situation where there’s no hope to what’s going to happen outside and to the fellow travelers who throw unfriendly looks at him and his bizarre outfit. Almost to the end of the trip the fireman comes and warns him about where his going. William explains that he’s got a letter from Mr. Dickinson which offered him to be the accountant of the Dickinson Metal Works. Along their conversation the viewer gets to know that Blake has lost his parents and his girlfriend in Cleveland. They finally arrive at Machine which is the end of the line and according to the fire man: the hell.
The town seems very awkward and uncivilized; Blake is eyed by every one of the residents of the town. He manages to get to the Metal Works, where he finds out that his job has been given to another person two months ago. Desperate and tired he goes to a bar where he meets Thel, a flower maker. Thel is a young prostitute and offers to take Blake home; in the morning Thel’s fiancé, Charlie, who happens to be Mr. Dickinson’s son as well finds them together. He tries to shoot William but Thel throws herself in front of him and is killed, the bullet passes through her chest and plants in William’s. William angered and nervous shoots at Charlie three times and finally his third bullet hits he target. He dresses up and hurriedly jumps out of the window and runs away with a horse stamping on all the paper flowers made by Thel.
He fells unconscious and when he wakes up he sees an Indian delving into his chest and trying to get the bullet out. The Indian is named Nobody and from this point of the movie he accompanies William who he thinks is “William Blake” the poet. On the other hand Mr. Dickinson hires three professional murderers to find William and his horse which seems to be of greater importance to him.
On their way William is obliged to kill many others and gets severely wounded. Nobody takes him to a village and promises to get him a canoe which would take him to the spiritual world where all spirits come from and should go back to. In the final scene William is put into a decorated canoe and sent into the vast ocean. Noboby waves to him and is shot by the last murderer who killed the other two; he shoots back and they both fall dead.
The train of life takes William Blake to the purgatory where he could either stay amongst the sinners and go to hell or promote himself to a position where he can be sent to a better place. He seems to have passed everything including his parents, his girl friend and his fortune in his life and started this trip. The letter seems like a weak explanation for his trip; if it had been the true reason to his trip he should have head for Machine two months before. In the wagon he keeps looking at the squeaking light above his head; it seems as though he’s trying to find a source of light in that dark sinister world. The city is filled with the atmosphere of death with skeletons all over it; even the factory itself seems futile and dead. The only person in the city who was not to stay in that purgatory and by losing her life to save Blake’s proceeded to the next level was Thel. She made flowers from paper which were something not even seen once in that wilderness. When she dies a shooting star fades into the dark sky. She’s portrayed once again in the movie when William encounters a deerlet shot on the same place as Thel. William feels so attached to it that he mingles his blood with hers and makes a mark on his forehead.
The presence of ancient Greek elements in the movie are seen by the appearance of the fireman in the train as the muses. He forecasts what is going to happen to Blake and even portrays his death scene where he looks at the sky and it seems as though it’s the sky which is moving not him. The repetition of the word tobacco must have a connotation; in my view the film illustrated two usages of tobacco. First was by the white men who used it as an addiction, and second by Nobody and Thel. Thel wanted it to get ready for her trip but Nobody wanted it to prepare William for his trip.
In addition Nobody’s intentional misrecognition of “William Blake” and the fact that he takes away Blake’s eyeglasses and sells them all remind us of the attributions related to “William Blake “ the poet. William Blake was known as a visionary and a mystic; the same which happens to Blake, he sees trees as eyes watching him. It is also said that “William Blake” was not known until his death, in a scene towards the end of the film Nobody cries out a sentence which brings to mind the same concept. He says now everyone will know William Blake, and William Blake is going to be a legend.
The film successfully manages to portrait Indians and their rituals, and the diverse ways of life they tend to choose. And it was one of the rare movies in which a white director was so successful in looking at the reality and violence of the west at that time.
There are lots of other elements especially ritual and religious ones in the film. But in my view point which is similar to a group of other film reviewers Jim Jamusch did not intend to have a meaning behind all of these symbols.
I recommend this film to anyone who’s ready to watch a film not merely as an entertainment but as a portion of reality and philosophy.
Dead man is a 1995 black and white western directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp as William Blake a young disciplined man seeking a job, and Garry Farmer as Nobody, a well educated Indian, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Michum and many others. The outstanding soundtrack which plays a great role in conveying the whole essence of the movie is improvised by Neil Young.
The film is shown in black and white which makes one able to understand the dichotomy of life and death which prevails the whole movie. The monotonous three note music sounds so amazingly matched with the plot that one would miss half the story if there was no such sound track.
19th century west America has a lot to reveal in this movie. The movie starts with William Blake sitting in a neat suit in a train wagon, nodding off every now and then. Every time he wakes up he sees people retrogress in terms of their appearance and behavior. It seems as though there is a direct relationship between the people inside the train and the scenes outside. As they get closer to the end, the number of women decreases and men who mostly carry guns with them appear to dominate the wagon. Blake looks afraid and sees himself in a situation where there’s no hope to what’s going to happen outside and to the fellow travelers who throw unfriendly looks at him and his bizarre outfit. Almost to the end of the trip the fireman comes and warns him about where his going. William explains that he’s got a letter from Mr. Dickinson which offered him to be the accountant of the Dickinson Metal Works. Along their conversation the viewer gets to know that Blake has lost his parents and his girlfriend in Cleveland. They finally arrive at Machine which is the end of the line and according to the fire man: the hell.
The town seems very awkward and uncivilized; Blake is eyed by every one of the residents of the town. He manages to get to the Metal Works, where he finds out that his job has been given to another person two months ago. Desperate and tired he goes to a bar where he meets Thel, a flower maker. Thel is a young prostitute and offers to take Blake home; in the morning Thel’s fiancé, Charlie, who happens to be Mr. Dickinson’s son as well finds them together. He tries to shoot William but Thel throws herself in front of him and is killed, the bullet passes through her chest and plants in William’s. William angered and nervous shoots at Charlie three times and finally his third bullet hits he target. He dresses up and hurriedly jumps out of the window and runs away with a horse stamping on all the paper flowers made by Thel.
He fells unconscious and when he wakes up he sees an Indian delving into his chest and trying to get the bullet out. The Indian is named Nobody and from this point of the movie he accompanies William who he thinks is “William Blake” the poet. On the other hand Mr. Dickinson hires three professional murderers to find William and his horse which seems to be of greater importance to him.
On their way William is obliged to kill many others and gets severely wounded. Nobody takes him to a village and promises to get him a canoe which would take him to the spiritual world where all spirits come from and should go back to. In the final scene William is put into a decorated canoe and sent into the vast ocean. Noboby waves to him and is shot by the last murderer who killed the other two; he shoots back and they both fall dead.
The train of life takes William Blake to the purgatory where he could either stay amongst the sinners and go to hell or promote himself to a position where he can be sent to a better place. He seems to have passed everything including his parents, his girl friend and his fortune in his life and started this trip. The letter seems like a weak explanation for his trip; if it had been the true reason to his trip he should have head for Machine two months before. In the wagon he keeps looking at the squeaking light above his head; it seems as though he’s trying to find a source of light in that dark sinister world. The city is filled with the atmosphere of death with skeletons all over it; even the factory itself seems futile and dead. The only person in the city who was not to stay in that purgatory and by losing her life to save Blake’s proceeded to the next level was Thel. She made flowers from paper which were something not even seen once in that wilderness. When she dies a shooting star fades into the dark sky. She’s portrayed once again in the movie when William encounters a deerlet shot on the same place as Thel. William feels so attached to it that he mingles his blood with hers and makes a mark on his forehead.
The presence of ancient Greek elements in the movie are seen by the appearance of the fireman in the train as the muses. He forecasts what is going to happen to Blake and even portrays his death scene where he looks at the sky and it seems as though it’s the sky which is moving not him. The repetition of the word tobacco must have a connotation; in my view the film illustrated two usages of tobacco. First was by the white men who used it as an addiction, and second by Nobody and Thel. Thel wanted it to get ready for her trip but Nobody wanted it to prepare William for his trip.
In addition Nobody’s intentional misrecognition of “William Blake” and the fact that he takes away Blake’s eyeglasses and sells them all remind us of the attributions related to “William Blake “ the poet. William Blake was known as a visionary and a mystic; the same which happens to Blake, he sees trees as eyes watching him. It is also said that “William Blake” was not known until his death, in a scene towards the end of the film Nobody cries out a sentence which brings to mind the same concept. He says now everyone will know William Blake, and William Blake is going to be a legend.
The film successfully manages to portrait Indians and their rituals, and the diverse ways of life they tend to choose. And it was one of the rare movies in which a white director was so successful in looking at the reality and violence of the west at that time.
There are lots of other elements especially ritual and religious ones in the film. But in my view point which is similar to a group of other film reviewers Jim Jamusch did not intend to have a meaning behind all of these symbols.
I recommend this film to anyone who’s ready to watch a film not merely as an entertainment but as a portion of reality and philosophy.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The World Obama Inherits: Iran’s Nuclear Challenge
Among the many international challenges facing a young Obama administration, Iran's defiant pursuit of nuclear capabilities will be one of the most difficult to resolve. Ahmadinejad sent Obama a congratulatory letter—the first such communication to an incoming American leader in the nearly 30 years since the strongly anti-U.S. Islamic revolution. But since then, Iranian hard-liners seem to be regrouping. They have charged that Obama differs little from President Bush on Iran. Indeed, some appear to be of a mind to put up obstacles to full-on negotiations with Obama's incoming diplomats, perhaps including hard-to-accept preconditions.
To put aside all the foul optimism we have to realize the fact that this is the same old United Sates but in new season, and seasons come and go. Iran should bear in mind that we have been at odds with the Unites states over major issues since the revolution and due to their depth none of them seem to have softened over the years.
How can we come to terms with the U.S. when we are considered as a thread to their national security, to their foster child Israel and a supporter of radical Islamic groups.
Therefore it is very true that Obama faces a great challenge over Iran's nuclear issue, snce he could continue the same trend taken by his predecessors or perhaps “make history” and start a seemingly new policy. But it is even truer that what our next president does will be a whole new start for Iran in both foreign and internal affairs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
