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Saddam Tapes Released

American authorities have released tapes of conversations Saddam Hussein had with the FBI while he was in U.S. custody.

Article at the BBC

IME page on the war in Iraq

2009 07 02 Ted Thornton Iraq Comments (0) Permalink

Syrian “Honor Killing” Law Amended

Syria has stiffened penalties for so called “honor killings” of women by male relatives. 

Story at BBC

2009 07 02 Ted Thornton Syria
Women Comments (0) Permalink

New from OnlineCourses.org: Lectures About Iran

New posting of lectures about Iran at OnlineCourses.org

More about Iran

2009 07 01 Ted Thornton Iran Comments (0) Permalink

Split Inside Saudi Royal Family

A split within the Saudi royal family has come to light over one member’s media empire.

Story at BBC

2009 06 29 Ted Thornton Media
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Arab Governments Delighted With the Turmoil in Iran

Arab governments, which in recent years have worried about the growing influence of Iran in the region, are hopeful that widening internal dissent in that country in the aftermath of the disputed elections will slow the expansion of that influence and may indicate that another worrisome force - political Islam in general -  is also on the wane. 

Michael Slackman writes,

“Now, Arab leaders are looking to regain the momentum and slow Iran’s spreading power and influence, analysts said. They are also looking to use the crisis in Iran to undermine political Islam in general. The Arab world is ruled by authoritarian leaders, kings and emirs — and its greatest challenge to legitimacy and control is political Islamic movements like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Jordan.”

Michael Slackman, “Arab States Aligned with U.S. Savor Turmoil in Iran,” New York Times, June 25, 2009, A10

2009 06 28 Ted Thornton Arab World
Iran
Islam and Politics
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Elections Suggest Power Shift in Iran

Government responses to the demonstrations in Iran point to a shift in power away from the clergy and toward the military and security forces.  Nazilia Fatih and Michael Slackman quote an Iranian analyst,

“‘What has been going on since 2005 is the shift of the center of power from the clergy to the Pasdaran,’ or the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said a political analyst with years of experience in Iran who feared retribution if identified. ‘In a way one could say that Iran is no longer a theocracy, but a government headed by military chiefs.’”

Nazila Fatih and Michael Slackman, “Iran Stepping Up Effort to Quell Election Protest,” New York Times, June 25, 2009, A1

2009 06 28 Ted Thornton Foreign Policy
Iran
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Arabic Language Blogosphere Expanding Rapidly

Story at BBC

2009 06 19 Ted Thornton Arab World
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Who Wants to Resolve the Situation of the Palestinians?

This is the question Arab columnist Mamun Fandy posed in yesterday’s issue (June 15, 2009) of Al-Sharq al-Awsat (”The Middle East”).  

Read my translation  of his piece, “Men yareed hal al-Qadiya al-Filastiniya? (Who Wants a Solution to the Palestinian Cause?)”

2009 06 16 Ted Thornton Arab-Israeli Conflict
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New Books About Shia Islam and Politics in Iran

In the current New York Review of Books, Malise Ruthhven reviews three new books about religion and politics in Iran:

Malise Ruthven, “Divided Iran on the Eve,” New York Review of Books, vol. LVI, no. 11, July 2, 2009, pp. 53 ff.

More on Iran

More on Shia Islam

More on the 1979 Iranian Revolution

More on Ayatollah Khomeini

2009 06 16 Ted Thornton Iran
Islam
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Iran in the Wake of the Elections

A useful analytical piece on Iran in the aftermath of its elections includes a summary of the background and career of its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

Bill Keller and Michael Slackman, “Leader Emerges With Stronger Hand,” New York Times, June 15, 2009

More on Iran

2009 06 15 Ted Thornton Iran
Middle East
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