Monthly archive : "September, 2014"

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There’s Little Doubt That the US Was Involved in the 9/11 Attacks

There’s Little Doubt That the US Was Involved in the 9/11 Attacks

Kourosh Ziabari: Professor Diana Ralph, a retired Canadian university professor and prominent social worker says, there's little doubt that the United States was involved in the 9/11 attacks. Prof. Diana Ralph believes that the 9/11 attacks played into the hands of the US government and Israel to launch a long-awaited global war on the Middle East and Central Asia, dominate the regional countries' extensive energy resources and create a foothold for a permanent presence in the region. "The 9/11 pretext served the interests of all those who benefit from military sales and oppressing people. It effectively derailed the rising anti-globalization movement worldwide, including the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, by turning Western...

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My exclusive interview with Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak

My exclusive interview with Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak

Fair Observer - Kourosh Ziabari: The Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák was the 13th European foreign minister to visit Iran since the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani became President of Iran in June 2013. Lajčák came to Iran less than a week after the Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard concluded his trip to the country, and took part in an exclusive interview with Fair Observer. Aside from his role as the foreign minister, Miroslav Lajčák is also serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovakia in the cabinet of Robert Fico. Lajčák is a veteran diplomat who has held several high-ranking political offices prior to beginning his tenure as the Slovak Foreign Minister in April 2012. From 1994 to...

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Interview with Vijay Prashad on the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria

Interview with Vijay Prashad on the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria

Kourosh Ziabari - International Policy Digest: The rise of the terrorist group which has declared itself an Islamic State and intends to establish a caliphate over significant parts of Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey is now the most pressing and urgent matter for the international community, bringing together countries from different parts of the world together to form a coalition against it. An offshoot of Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS or ISIL, has carried out several terrorist attacks in Iraq and Syria in the recent years, especially following the fomentation of unrest in Syria in 2011. The Islamic State considers itself an Islamic authority whose ultimate mission is to govern the whole Muslim world. It...

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My trip to Iran was one of the most delightful experiences of my life

My trip to Iran was one of the most delightful experiences of my life

Kourosh Ziabari - International Policy Digest: Italy’s former culture minister, Massimo Bray, has just concluded his second trip to Iran which he believes has been one of the most delightful and charming experiences in his lifetime. When Massimo Bray visited Iran in January of this year, he was a member of the cabinet of Prime Minister Enrico Letta; however, following the growing criticism of the prime minister’s economic policies and his tensions with the left-wing Secretary of the Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi, Letta resigned and the cabinet was reshuffled. Subsequently, Dario Franceschini replaced Massimo Bray. However, Bray’s enchantment with the Iranian culture and history and his fascination with the delicacy and...

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Europe Should Salvage Nuclear Talks with Iran: Ellie Geranmayeh

Europe Should Salvage Nuclear Talks with Iran: Ellie Geranmayeh

Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: The Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard is just departing from Iran. He was the 13th European foreign minister to visit Iran following the election of Hassan Rouhani as the President of Iran in June last year. The rate of diplomatic exchanges between Iran and Europe has increased dramatically, and the continent that was literally detached from Iran for around one decade is once again seeking ways for reengagement with one of the world's most important emerging powers and energy hubs. An Iran policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations explains to Iran Review her viewpoints about the rapprochement between Iran and the European Union and the leading role the powerful 28-member bloc of...

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9/11 Attacks Were Used as a Pretext for Launching an Imperial Project

9/11 Attacks Were Used as a Pretext for Launching an Imperial Project

Kourosh Ziabari: Mathias Broeckers, a German author and journalist, is of the opinion that 9/11 attacks were carried out with the foreknowledge of the US government and the complicity of Israel to pave the way for launching the imperial agenda of dominating the Middle East. Mathias Broeckers says that the 19 hijackers who are said to have been recruited by Osama Bin Laden to crash the American Airlines and United Airlines planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon were being closely monitored by the CIA while they were in the United States, but for unknown reasons, the federal police were prevented from taking legal action against them. On the wars launched by the United States and its NATO allies against...

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Interview with Ret. Admiral James Stavridis on the Iran-U.S. relations

Interview with Ret. Admiral James Stavridis on the Iran-U.S. relations

Kourosh Ziabari - Iran Review: Although Iran and the group of six world powers (Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States) that have been working for several years to find a solution to the controversy over Iran's nuclear program failed to meet the self-imposed July 20 deadline for reaching a comprehensive agreement after concluding an interim accord on November 23, 2013, the fact that the time limit for the negotiations have been extended for another 4 months leaves room for great optimism and hope that the decade-long dispute can finally be settled, though with difficulty and intricacy. A former NATO official and high-ranking U.S. Navy officer believes that the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1...

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