Geography of Iran--mountain ranges/swamps protect it. But--tough to connect the economy. Nuclear program . . . attack by Israel? It would be difficult for Israel to fly 1000 miles crossing Jordan and Iraq who would (likely) warn them. Strait of Hormuz gives them great power over oil supplies. Turkey . . . Europe or Asia or both . . . non Arabic, Kurdish minority . . . where does it fit? Human rights record keeps it out of EU . . . Legacy of Ataturk makes it unlikely to become a fundamentalist Islamic state . . . at odds with Russia . . . disputes with Israel backfire as Israel then cozies up with Cyprus and Greece . . . Still, this is the freest of all Middle East states with the exception of Israel.
Magnificent summary of anti-Semitism in Arab world:
"The routine expression of hatred for others is so common in the Arab world that it barely draws comment other than from the region's often Western-educated liberal minority who have limited access to the platform of mass media. Anti-Semitic cartoons that echo the Nazi Der Stürmer propaganda newspaper are common. Week in, week out, shock-jock imams are given space on prime-time TV shows.
Western apologist for this . . . are sometimes hamstrung by a fear of being described as one of Edward Said's "Orientalists." They betray their own liberal values by denying their universality. Others . . . say that these incitements to murder are not widespread and must be seen in the context of the Arabic language which can be given to flights of rhetoric. This signals their lack of understanding of the "Arab street," the role of the mainstream Arab media, and a refusal to understand that when people who full of hatred say something, they mean it." page 177
Magnificent summary of anti-Semitism in Arab world:
"The routine expression of hatred for others is so common in the Arab world that it barely draws comment other than from the region's often Western-educated liberal minority who have limited access to the platform of mass media. Anti-Semitic cartoons that echo the Nazi Der Stürmer propaganda newspaper are common. Week in, week out, shock-jock imams are given space on prime-time TV shows.
Western apologist for this . . . are sometimes hamstrung by a fear of being described as one of Edward Said's "Orientalists." They betray their own liberal values by denying their universality. Others . . . say that these incitements to murder are not widespread and must be seen in the context of the Arabic language which can be given to flights of rhetoric. This signals their lack of understanding of the "Arab street," the role of the mainstream Arab media, and a refusal to understand that when people who full of hatred say something, they mean it." page 177
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