Sunday, January 11, 2004

Reuters.  Iran begins a political free fall by banning reformist candidates (including 80 sitting members of Parliament) from participation in upcomming elections.  This type of trigger event can set in motion major change in Iran. Guardian Council spokesman Mohammad Jahromi, quoted by the official IRNA news agency, said 2,033 of the 8,200 aspiring candidates had been barred, but MPs said the figure was higher.  President Mohammad Khatami told journalists: "I don't view these methods as compatible with the principles of religious democracy." 6:57:26 PM    Comment_ Trackback []

Washington Quaterly (Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Iraq -- PDF -- by Steven Metz).  The US faces an intractable dilemma in Iraq: in effect, it is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't.  12:37:18 PM    Comment_ Trackback []