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	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Ahmadinejad</title>
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		<title>Iran&#8217;s Puppet Presidency</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/majid-rafizadeh/irans-puppet-presidency/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=irans-puppet-presidency</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:37:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Majid Rafizadeh]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ayatollah Khomeini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[khamenei]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=193522</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why the hope for a new direction for the Islamic Republic is futile. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ali-khamenei-6a71cbfcd6f06487.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-193539" alt="ali-khamenei-6a71cbfcd6f06487" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ali-khamenei-6a71cbfcd6f06487-450x350.jpg" width="270" height="210" /></a>Iran’s presidential election has invoked significant excitement among some liberal Western and Eastern analysts; the enthusiasm lies in the hope that the next president of Iran would be a reformist, rather than from the hardliner, traditionalist, or Islamic principlist camp. These analysts argue that as the hardliners and principlists – who are loyal to the Supreme Leader and oppose any dialogue with the United States, Israel, and the West – are unwavering in their pursuit to obtain nuclear weapons, if a reformist comes to power, they can resolve Iran’s human rights abuses, support of terrorist groups, and nuclear defiance towards the international community. However, this argument lacks logical and sophisticated depth. The premise behind these kinds of statements by analysts are flawed for the following several crucial reasons.</p>
<p>First of all, Iran’s political structure is strictly run by institutions which were established by the founding father of the Islamist state, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. These institutions include the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, the Basij (with more than 7 million members, the Basij is the largest volunteer paramilitary militia in Iran), and Ettela’at, Iran’s notorious intelligence agency. All of these institutions are directly monitored and guided by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to whom the high officials and commanders directly report. Moreover, these institutions receive a high number of benefits from the Supreme Leader and are extremely loyal to him. This kind of shrewd political apparatus can be compared to that of North Korea under Kim Jong-un.</p>
<p>Iran’s foreign and domestic policies are also controlled by the Supreme Leader, under the guidance of the aforementioned powerful institutions. As a result, Iran’s presidency can be regarded as a peripheral, shallow, depthless, and perfunctory position – a superficial political figure that is only granted the authority to set the tone in national and international platforms for the Supreme Leader. When it comes to making policies, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran – although also from the gilded circle of the ruling clerics – is a powerless figure.</p>
<p>Secondly, climbing the political ladder in the Islamic Republic of Iran requires specific personal characteristics and qualifications. If a political figure’s ideologies, policies and tendencies do not comply with those of the ruling cleric and the Supreme Leader, he/she will be thwarted from succeeding in their political career. Tactics that have been utilized to accomplish this include imprisonment, torture, blackmailing, and assassination. As a result, the political figures that have been capable of running for presidency are those who have significantly proven their loyalty and compliance with the Islamist revolutionary ideals. The most significant ideals include antagonism towards the United States and Israel, imposing Shari law throughout the country and across Iran’s borders, arming terrorist militia groups, supporting Assad’s sect-based and police regime, and seeking to become a regional and international hegemon.</p>
<p>Thirdly, and more fundamentally, even if those political figures who challenge the Supreme Leader are able to register for presidential candidacy, they will inevitably become immediately disqualified by the Guardian Council – an authoritarian body that consists of 12 non-elected members who are directly or indirectly appointed by the Supreme Leader. As Kambiz, a 24-year-old computer engineering student at Tehran University, told me: &#8220;I am not going to vote. Many of my friends will not vote too. All these candidates are the same. We trusted Khatami (the reformist), but he was one of them and did not stand for us. Rafsanjani, Mashaei and the rest [of the conservatives] are all supporters and beneficiaries of the current corrupt and theocratic regime.&#8221;</p>
<p>Fourthly, major issues that the Islamic Republic of Iran faces – such as enriching uranium and confronting Israel and the United States – have been matters of consensus across all of Iran’s political spectrum, among hardliners, principlists, centrist, moderates, and reformists alike.</p>
<p>When considering the major political and ideological spectrums, all the members of the reformist, hardliner, principlist, centrist, and moderate political camps share identical policies and strategies. The only difference lies in the shrewd political language that each camp uses. While the hardliners – such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and current presidential candidate Jalili – publicly attack the West and use inflammatory and provocative language to express their intentions, the reformists are much more sophisticated political statesmen, employing softer tones in order to manipulate the international community and achieve the objectives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Supreme Leader.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Iran Reports Saudi King’s Death: A Green Light for War?</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/ryan-mauro/iran-reports-saudi-kings-death-a-green-light-for-war/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=iran-reports-saudi-kings-death-a-green-light-for-war</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2013 04:21:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Mauro]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hidden imam]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mahdi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=191502</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Fanatical regime views Abdullah's demise as a signal to take Jerusalem and initiate Armageddon. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DF684847-575D-4A75-9B0A-7C8886FF2663_mw1024_n_s.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-191511" alt="DF684847-575D-4A75-9B0A-7C8886FF2663_mw1024_n_s" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DF684847-575D-4A75-9B0A-7C8886FF2663_mw1024_n_s-450x304.jpg" width="270" height="182" /></a>The Iranian state-controlled press is <a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/26/305584/saudi-arabias-king-clinically-dead/">bringing attention</a> to an Arabic report that Saudi King Abdullah is “clinically dead,” only holding onto life because of a ventilator. A film allegedly produced by Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s office in 2011 argued that Abdullah’s death will be a major prophetic sign signaling the “imminent reappearance of the Mahdi.”</span></b></p>
<p>The Iranian media is referencing a report in <i>ASharq Alawsat</i> that relies on unidentified “medical” sources to confirm that King Abdullah’s vital organs have stopped working. It observes that Abdullah hasn’t been seen in public and is being represented by Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz. However, the Iranian media does note that the Arabic paper previously reported Abdullah’s death in 2012 after he had intensive back surgery.</p>
<p>Ahmadinejad’s office allegedly produced a film titled <a href="http://youtu.be/WwiadYT-N9k"><i>&#8220;The Coming is Upon Us&#8221;</i></a><i> </i>and it teaches that the Islamic messiah named the Hidden Imam or as the Mahdi will soon arrive. He is prophesied to appear and bring a miraculous victory over the enemies of Islam during a final grand war.</p>
<p>The film teaches that the death of Abdullah will be a fulfillment of prophecy that sets the stage for this last conflict. It even encourages his assassination, saying, “Whoever guarantees the death of King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia, I will guarantee the imminent reappearance of the Mahdi.” It is unclear what immediately follows his death according to this interpretation of Islamic prophecy, but the filmmakers are certain it is the trigger for huge events.</p>
<p>The overall message of the film is that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah were foretold in Islamic prophecy as the ones who will wage war with the Mahdi against the “Antichrist” and “the imposters,” meaning the U.S., Israel and the West’s Arab allies.</p>
<p>Ayatollah Khamenei is said to be the fulfillment of a prophetic figure named Seyed Khorasani, also referred to as “the preparer” for his role in setting the stage for the Mahdi’s appearance.</p>
<p>President Ahmadinejad is said to be the incarnation of Shoeib-Ebne Saleh, the commander-in-chief of Khorasani (Khamenei) who will capture Jerusalem on “the threshold of the Coming.” He is to lead a coalition of Arab countries in this war and the film argues that the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood will allow this to happen.</p>
<p>Hassan Nasrallah is said to be the embodiment of Yamani, a military commander that leads a march to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>The film lists several prophecies that were allegedly fulfilled, but the death of Abdullah is the one given the most emphasis. In a possibly related development, the Iranian media is <a href="http://rt.com/news/iran-missiles-crisis-us-military-810/">reporting</a> that the government is deploying a “massive” amount of long-range missiles that can “crush the enemy.”</p>
<p>The presidential election is on June 14 but the inauguration of the new president won’t happen until August. Ahmadinejad cannot run for a third consecutive term and the candidacy of his protégé, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, was disqualified by the Guardian Council. If the film reflects the personal views of Ahmadinejad, then he only has around three months to fulfill his duties as the prophesied Shoeib-Ebne Saleh.</p>
<p>If Ahmadinejad is to carry out the agenda articulated in the film, then he must have the approval of Supreme Leader Khamenei. The two are engaged in a power struggle and it is often said that Khamenei does not share the eschatological views of Ahmadinejad.</p>
<p>There are indications that Khamenei is not at odds with Ahmadinejad when it comes to their role in prophecy. In July 2010, a senior cleric <a href="http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/28451.htm">claimed</a> that Khamenei told his inner circle that he had met the Mahdi, who promised to return while Khamenei remained alive. When mostly-Shiite protesters challenged the pro-American monarchy of Bahrain, a representative of Khamenei <a href="http://pjmedia.com/blog/khamenei-rep-bahrain-primed-to-spur-return-of-twelfth-imam/?singlepage=true">said</a> it is “the best opportunity to begin setting the stage for the emergence of the 12<sup>th</sup> imam, our Mahdi.”</p>
<p>Khamenei representatives have <a href="http://pjmedia.com/blog/pjm-exclusive-iran%E2%80%99s-supreme-leader-declared-the-mythical-figure-in-end-of-times/?singlepage=true">encouraged</a> comparisons between Khamenei and Syed Khorasani. Iranian defector “Reza Kahlili,” who released the film, said it includes about 10 minutes of senior clerics endorsing its content. However, a senior seminary school in Qom <a href="http://features.kodoom.com/en/iran-culture/iran-s-seminary-school-rejects-portrayal-of-ahmadinejad-as-companion-to/v/2654/">rebutted</a> the film.</p>
<p>Luckily, Syria’s civil war is preventing an <a href="http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/fall-assad-may-herald-dangerous-iran-brotherhood-pact">alliance between Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood</a>, who are on opposite sides of the conflict. As of right now, Iran is unable to lead the Arab coalition whose formation must precede the taking the Jerusalem and arrival of the Mahdi. However, the elements of the Iranian regime that believe in the thesis of “The Coming is Upon Us” may feel that a provocative action will unite the region.</p>
<p>The bottom line is this: If the Iranian leadership believes in the film it allegedly produced, then the reported death of Saudi King Abdullah will be interpreted as a green light for destructive things to happen.</p>
<p><em>This article was sponsored by the <a href="http://www.theird.org/">Institute on Religion and Democracy.</a></em></p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Video: Understanding UN Bias Against Israel</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/frontpagemag-com/video-understanding-un-bias-against-israel/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=video-understanding-un-bias-against-israel</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 04:06:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Frontpagemag.com]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[U.N. Durban Review Conference]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=185030</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Unveiling the false accusations.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/frontpagemag-com/video-understanding-un-bias-against-israel/united-nations-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-185196"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-185196" title="united-nations" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/united-nations-420x350.jpg" alt="" width="294" height="245" /></a>The United Nations has made the democratic State of Israel the target of incessant condemnation while neglecting its mandate in challenging the oppressive regimes around the world. The following film clip uncovers the factors behind the UN&#8217;s bias against Israel. We encourage you to view the clip, forward to friends, and partner with us to counter the hypocrisy and expose the truth:</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/j7Mupoo1At8" frameborder="0" width="425" height="325"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3dnb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank" target="_blank">Click here</a>.  </strong></p>
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		<title>The New Egyptian-Iranian Axis?</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-puder/the-new-egyptian-iranian-axis/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-new-egyptian-iranian-axis</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2013 04:25:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joseph Puder]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[meeting]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=177039</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A dangerous prospect for the West. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-puder/the-new-egyptian-iranian-axis/morsi-ahmadinejad/" rel="attachment wp-att-177219"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-177219" title="morsi-ahmadinejad" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/morsi-ahmadinejad.jpg" alt="" width="290" height="242" /></a>Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, February 5, 2013, marking the first time an Iranian president has visited Egypt since 1979, the year the two countries, Egypt and Iran, broke off diplomatic relations.  Earlier, in June 2012, Mohammad Morsi visited Iran to attend the Non-Aligned Movements (NAM) Conference.  The Muslim Brotherhood leader elected as President of Egypt is the first Egyptian president to visit Iran in decades.  The ostensible reason for Ahmadinejad’s visit was participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit was slated for February 6-7 in Cairo.  This also happens to be the first time Egypt has hosted the OIC Summit since its establishment in 1969.</p>
<p>Ahmadinejad would like nothing better than to elevate the diplomatic relations between the two countries during his visit.  Iran is eager to resume diplomatic relations with the largest Arab Sunni state as a way to break out of the regional isolation.  Egypt, under the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, is however, a bit more hesitant about resuming diplomatic relations, albeit, Morsi has abandoned Mubarak’s policy of isolating the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region.</p>
<p>In February 2011, soon after the fall of President Mubarak, Egypt allowed two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal on their way to the Syrian port of Tartous, rebuffing U.S. requests to prevent the Iranian passing through the Canal.  The following year Egypt once again permitted Iranian warships to pass through the Suez Canal on their way to the Mediterranean Sea, aimed at providing military support for Hezbollah and the Assad regime.  Egypt’s gesture towards Iran underscored Cairo’s intent of carrying out an independent foreign policy, which is to be neutral between the West and the revolutionary Islamist Iran.  Moreover, Morsi intended the gesture toward Iran as pressure on the oil-rich Arab Gulf states hostile to Iran schemes in the Gulf.  Cairo indicated that it will improve relations with Iran unless the Gulf States come through with cash for Egypt.</p>
<p>Iran broke its diplomatic relations with Egypt to protest Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.  Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran’s Supreme Leader, was additionally outraged by President Sadat for Egypt providing asylum to the deposed Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.  Iran then named a street in Tehran in honor of President Sadat&#8217;s murderer, Khaled al-Islambouli.   Sadat’s successor, President Hosni Mubarak, in turn, supported Iraq against Iran during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).  Mubarak’s toppling prompted Iran’s leaders to send several of its officials to Cairo in an attempt to break the ice between the two regional heavyweights.  These officials offered, among other things, economic assistance to Egypt.</p>
<p>One of the incentives Iranian officials have offered to Egypt is to encourage 5 million Iranians to visit Egypt annually.  This, in the estimation of the Iranians and some Egyptian officials, would warm up the relationship while revitalizing Egypt’s tourism sector following two years of turmoil.</p>
<p>Mohammad Abbas Nagi, an Egyptian expert on Iran, pointed out to ABC-News on February 4, 2013 that, ”Despite the fact that <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/egypt-irans-ahmadinejad-visit-cairo-week-18403228?page=2">restoring</a> relations is a sovereign decision fully belonging to Egypt, I don’t see that Egypt will make a decision separate from the course of its relationship with the U.S. and Israel, for whom Iran is now the main issue.” Earlier on April 17, 2011, however, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Menha Bakhour, in an interview with the Egyptian publication Almasry Alyoum asserted, “We are prepared to take a <a href="http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/403745">different</a> view of Iran.  The former regime (Mubarak’s) used to see Iran as an enemy, but we do not.”</p>
<p>Iran has hinted to Egypt the possibility of joining forces and collaborating with Egypt on the <a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3333/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-bomb">nuclear</a> level.  An Iranian-Egyptian nuclear partnership would be a game changer in the Middle East, and the impact would be felt by both Israel and the U.S.  Currently, Iran’s only close ally in the region is Bashar Assad’s Syria, which is torn by a civil war.  For Egypt, an alliance with Iran would free it from the stipulation imposed by the U.S. to maintain Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel as a condition for receiving U.S. aid.  The joint forces would potentially be able to drive out western interests from the region.  The Sunni-Shia divide constrains such an alliance at the moment.  The current situation in Syria where Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are supporting the Sunni opposition against the Assad regime while Shiite Iran backs Assad makes full diplomatic relations untenable.</p>
<p>Since Egypt depends on Arab Gulf states and the U.S. to rescue it from economic disaster, it is unlikely that full partnership will arise between Egypt and Iran beyond good prospects to break the ice.  Morsi’s economic troubles at home will discourage him from risking the alienation of his Arab Gulf states.  Egypt’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Kamel Amr stated clearly that Egypt won’t improve its ties with Iran at the expense of undermining Gulf Arab security.  He declared that, “The security of the Gulf countries is a <a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/egypt-unlikely-to-retore-relations-with-iran-1.1142">red line</a> for Egypt.”</p>
<p>Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, head of Cairo’s historic Al-Azhar, the 1000-year old supreme Sunni-Muslim institution, told the visiting Ahmadinejad that his Shiite government must refrain from interfering in the affairs of the Arab Gulf States and must give full rights to Sunnis living in Iran.  Al-Tayeb urged Ahmadinejad “to <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/iranian-president-makes-landmark-visit-to-egypt/1597318.html">respect</a> Bahrain as a sisterly Arab state and rejected the spread of Shiism in Sunni countries.</p>
<p>Another issue Ahmadinejad insinuated as a way to bridge Egyptian-Iranian differences is by unified support for the Palestinians, especially the Hamas terrorist organization based in Gaza.  In an interview with the Beirut based Mayadeen TV, on the eve of his trip to Egypt, Ahmadinejad stated that “The political geography of the region will change if Iran and Egypt take a unified position on the <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/print/440661">Palestinian</a> question.”</p>
<p>Two years of bloodletting in Syria and the revolution in Egypt that brought down the Mubarak regime and saw the election of the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas is an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood) leader Muhammad Morsi as President of Egypt, changed the orientation of the Gaza based Islamist Hamas terrorist organization.  Khaled Meshal, Hamas’ political head moved out of Damascus to Qatar and the mediation of President Morsi during the Pillar of Defense operation in Gaza, shifted the patronage of Hamas from Iran to Egypt.</p>
<p>According to Eitan Meyr, a fellow at the Institute for counter-terrorism in Herzliya, Israel, “<a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/united-by-a-common-threat-israel-egypt-and-hamas-all-fear-iran-and-its-islamic-jihad-proxy-in-gaza/">Iran</a> is using Islamic Jihad to try to take over Gaza.”  He added, “Hamas is more afraid of them (Islamic Jihad) than of us.”  Myer pointed out that Egypt, Israel, and Hamas share a common interest in denying Iran a foothold in Gaza. “We are not friends but we do have mutual interests in denying the presence of an Iranian proxy on our doorstep.”</p>
<p>Ahmadinejad, it appears, is likely to return to Tehran empty-handed, unless of course, Iran can replace American and Gulf Arabs generosity.  Iran, being squeezed economically by western sanctions, is highly unlikely to do it.  At the moment at least, Egyptian-Iranian relations are going nowhere.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Israel and the Ever-Elusive Muslim Unity</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/robert-spencer/israel-and-the-ever-elusive-muslim-unity/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=israel-and-the-ever-elusive-muslim-unity</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:55:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robert Spencer]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morsi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=176492</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad’s visit to Egypt shows again why the Muslim world will never be united -- except in hatred of Israel.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/robert-spencer/israel-and-the-ever-elusive-muslim-unity/img_606x341_0502-egypt-iran-visit/" rel="attachment wp-att-176520"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-176520" title="img_606X341_0502-egypt-iran-visit" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/img_606X341_0502-egypt-iran-visit.jpg" alt="" width="289" height="204" /></a>It was a momentous occasion: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-egypt-iran-idUSBRE9140EK20130205">the first visit to Egypt</a> by a President of Iran since the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Egypt Tuesday to an enthusiastic welcome from Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi and top Egyptian officials. Yet underneath the kisses and expressions of mutual regard, the visit revealed yet again how deep the divisions are in the Islamic world – and why Sunnis and Shi’ites may only be able to unite on the basis of their mutual hatred of Israel.</p>
<p>Then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said of the Islamic world in <a href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/2007/01/rice-theres-still-a-tendency-to-see-these-things-in-sunni-shia-terms-but-the-middle-east-is-going-to.html">January 2007</a>:</p>
<p>&#8220;There’s still a tendency to see these things in Sunni-Shia terms. But the Middle East is going to have to overcome that.&#8221; Rice’s statement, of course, was staggeringly naïve, and manifested a deep ignorance of the region, as well as of Islam. No one should be surprised that six years later, Sunnis and Shias still haven’t “overcome” their tendency to “see these things in Sunni-Shia terms,” and chances are that in six hundred more years, they still will not have done so, for the Sunni-Shi’ite divide goes back to the earliest days of Islam, and yet in fourteen hundred years has not burnt itself out, but still rages today as fiercely as ever.</p>
<p>And so it was that as Sunnis and Shias war against each other in Iraq and Pakistan, the Shi’ite President of Iran touched down in Sunni Cairo and was almost immediately scolded by Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, the foremost institution in Sunni Islam, for Iran’s meddling in Bahrain. Almost seventy percent of Bahrainis are Shias, but the king and the ruling elites are Sunnis, and in Bahrain’s version of the “Arab Spring,” the “pro-democracy” protesters were Shias who wanted either closer ties with Iran or for Bahrain to be annexed outright by the Islamic Republic, in line with Iran’s claim that it is actually an Iranian province.</p>
<p>But al-Tayeb told Ahmadinejad to back off, and to recognize that Bahrain was a “sisterly Arab nation” – i.e., within the Sunni Arab, not the Shi’ite Persian domain. And according to a senior al-Azhar cleric, Hassan al-Shafai, al-Tayeb and Ahmadinejad quickly began squabbling about Sunni-Shi’ite theological disagreements. His assessment of the meeting was far from positive: “There ensued some misunderstandings on certain issues that could have an effect on the cultural, political and social climate of both countries. The issues were such that the grand sheikh saw that the meeting &#8230; did not serve the desired purpose.”</p>
<p>However much he got mired in theological issues with al-Tayeb, however, Ahmadinejad still had another hope for Islamic unity: mutual hatred of Israel. “The political geography of the region will change,” he asserted, “if Iran and Egypt take a unified position on the Palestinian question.” He expressed the hope that the people of Gaza would allow him to pay them a visit: “If they allow it, I would go to Gaza to visit the people.&#8221;</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t they? Iran already crosses the Sunni-Shi’ite divide to fund Hamas; <a href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/01/iran-strengthens-ties-to-palestinian-islamic-jihad.html">billboards in Gaza proclaim</a>: “Thanks and gratitude to Iran.” The Sunni-Shia split, according to Islamic tradition, goes all the way back to the death of Muhammad. According to the Sunnis, he left no instructions as to who should succeed him. According to the Shia, he chose his son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was then passed over three times as caliph, leader of the Muslim community, until finally he got the job, only to be assassinated five years later. When Ali’s son Hussein was killed at the battle of Karbala in 680, the Sunni-Shi’ite split became definitive, with both sides considering the other heretics and violence remaining a constant of their interaction.</p>
<p>A few examples: In the year 754, plans to enthrone the Shi&#8217;ite Jafar As-Siddiq as caliph, thereby ending the split, were disrupted when a Sunni, al-Mansur, murdered Jafar and took the caliphate himself. In 972, Shi’ite Fatimids conquered Sunni Egypt, and continued fighting Sunnis until they ruled much of North Africa and the Middle East. In the 1040s, the Sunni Zirid revolt against Shia rule began in North. In 1169 the Sunnis Nuraddin and Saladin seized Egypt, finally ending Shi’ite Fatimid rule. But the Shias saw victory in Persia in the early 1500s, when they violently suppressed Sunni religious authorities and took control of the country. In 1514 and again in 1623, war broke out between the Sunni Ottoman Turks and the Shi’ite Persian Safavids. The Safavids captured Baghdad in 1624; the Ottomans recaptured it in 1638.</p>
<p>And so on and on, until the 1980s, when Saddam Hussein&#8217;s Sunni-controlled Iraq fought a protracted war against the Iranian Shi’ite mullahcracy, and our own day, when there is ongoing violence between Sunnis and Shia in Pakistan, Iraq and elsewhere.</p>
<p>But there are always those whom the Qur’an designates the worst enemies of the Muslims: the Jews (cf. Qur’an 5:82). Morsi’s remarks about Jews being “descendants of apes and pigs” (a Qur’anic reference, cf. 2:63-65; 5:59-60; and 7:166) has gotten widespread attention recently, and a rebuke even from the Obama White House, which has otherwise been warmly supportive of the Morsi regime, even as it becomes ever more brutal toward its opponents and ever more ruthless in its determination to hold absolute power.</p>
<p>In Iran, however, Morsi’s words would not have caused, and did not cause, any concern. Ahmadinejad reads the same (or nearly the same) Qur’an that Morsi does, and he no doubt also thinks that the Jews in Israel (and elsewhere) are the descendants of apes and pigs. Clearly Morsi, who said in the same 2010 remarks that there should be “no negotiations” with the Zionist entity, is only held back from tearing up the Camp David Accords and going to war with Israel by the prospect of losing American aid. Iran, meanwhile, has been busy forging trade agreements with states that don’t care about the U.S. sanctions (including our “ally” Turkey); thus one focus of Ahmadinejad’s visit may have been talks about how to shore up the Egyptian economy so that it could survive without American aid, and Egypt would be free to join Iran in a renewed jihad against Israel.</p>
<p>The necessity for that jihad is one thing they can agree on.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Ahmadinejad and Morsi Lay Out the Islamic Agenda</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/robert-spencer/ahmadinejad-and-morsi-lay-out-the-islamic-agenda/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ahmadinejad-and-morsi-lay-out-the-islamic-agenda</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:55:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robert Spencer]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jihad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morsi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UN]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=145866</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A Muslim wish-list at the UN.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Morsi-Ahmadinejad1.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-145868 alignleft" title="Morsi-Ahmadinejad1" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Morsi-Ahmadinejad1.png" alt="" width="340" height="245" /></a>Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mohammed Morsi, arguably the foremost exponents today of Sharia rule, both spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, and their speeches together amounted to an Islamic supremacist wish list for the world.</p>
<p>The foremost item on their list, not surprisingly, was the destruction of Israel, although both knew better in the glare of international media than to state their aspirations quite so baldly.</p>
<p>Ahmadinejad drenched his address in Islamic piety, beginning with a traditional Islamic invocation: “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. All Praise Belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and May Peace and Blessings be upon the Greatest and Trustworthy Prophet and His Pure Progeny, His Chosen Companions, and upon all Divine Messengers. Oh, God, Hasten the Emergence of Your Chosen Beloved, Grant Him Good Health and Victory, Make us His Best Companions, and all those who attest to His Rightfulness.” And then: “I thank the Almighty God for having once more the chance to participate in this meeting. We have gathered here to ponder and work together for building a better life for the entire human community and for our nations.”</p>
<p>And how can we work together for building a better life? Ahmadinejad ticked off a list of things that he posited had interfered with international brotherhood and harmony, including “egoism, distrust, malicious behaviors, and dictatorships,” as well as the Dark Ages and the Crusades (although he didn’t mention the centuries of murderous jihad warfare all over the globe).</p>
<p>His list culminated with his principal bogeys, the chief things he believed interfered with global peace: “the occupation of Palestine and imposition of a fake government”; Saddam Hussein’s “invasion” of Iran; 9/11 and the subsequent U.S. military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan; and a host of others. Among them, he complained about the supposed denial of “the right to criticize the hegemonic policies and actions of the world Zionism.” It was hard not to wonder at such moments in his speech what planet he was on, since the Palestinian jihadist propaganda machine has had such success in demonizing Israel in the world media; but of course a linchpin of that success has been to complain that the situation is exactly the opposite, and so that is what Ahmadinejad did in New York Wednesday.</p>
<p>In a speech that was heavy on Islamic proselytizing, after his survey of the world’s ills Ahmadinejad asked: “Does anybody believe that continuation of the current order is capable of bringing happiness for human society?” And further: “Who is responsible for all these sufferings and failures?” He left that question unanswered at that point, although at another point he railed against the “uncivilized Zionists,” and he went on to delineate his prescription: “There is no doubt that the world is in need of a new order and a fresh way of thinking.” Foremost this would be “an order in which man is recognized as God&#8217;s Supreme Creature, enjoying material and spiritual qualities and possessing a pure and divine nature filled with a desire to seek justice and truth.” Consequently he called upon the nations to “place our trust in God Almighty and stand against the acquisitive minority” – in other words, to adopt Sharia and stand against Israel.</p>
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		<title>This Is What Islamic Supremacism Looks Like</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/oleg-atbashian/this-is-what-islamic-supremacism-looks-like/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=this-is-what-islamic-supremacism-looks-like</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Oleg Atbashian]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jihad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Left]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[supermacism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=145873</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[An investigation into Wikipedia's claim that Islamic supremacism is an illusion. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/islam3.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-145876" title="islam3" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/islam3.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="222" /></a>President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York. According to the regime&#8217;s official <a href="http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9106240890">FARS News Agency</a>, he is &#8220;set to meet American university students, artists, intellectuals and elites, including Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist protestors, despite the ongoing efforts made by the pro-Zionist lobbies to prevent direct link between American people and the Iranian president.&#8221;</p>
<p>The irony of this announcement must be lost on all of the above, including the Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist fighters against all things supremacist: they are about to offer a propagandistic platform to a leading figure of Islamic supremacism, whose &#8220;news&#8221; agency can&#8217;t even file a short report without an anti-Semitic jab.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supremacism">Wikipedia</a> defines supremacism as &#8220;the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, belief system or culture is superior to others and entitles those who identify with it to dominate, control or rule those who do not.&#8221;</p>
<p>Whoa! Wait one oppression-fighting minute! Species? Sexual orientation? Is there an article in Wikipedia where the sneaky &#8220;progressives&#8221; haven&#8217;t laid their silly post-modernist eggs? But let&#8217;s play &#8220;which word doesn&#8217;t belong&#8221; some other time. A more pressing issue here is that the above definition perfectly describes Islam, states its goals and motivations, and explains the origins and purpose of the segregationist Sharia legal system that purports to be superior to individual equality and liberty.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/oleg1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-145886" title="oleg1" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/oleg1.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="278" /></a></p>
<p>Counter-terror experts describe Islamic supremacism as an activist, transnational ideology that seeks the transformation or assimilation of every human being, with the ultimate goal to establish a global Islamic caliphate to govern Earth. Islamic supremacism may provide the ideological basis for Jihadist terrorism, but its adherents seek to attack and undermine equality and liberty using many other tactics.</p>
<p>Not only is Islam today&#8217;s most potent, long-lasting, and threatening form of supremacism &#8211; it is also the one that is being willfully overlooked by its potential victims, who are all too busy welcoming it in New York: the aforementioned &#8220;American university students, artists, intellectuals and elites, including Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist protestors.&#8221; Might I add that deemed inferior are also those who plant words like &#8220;species&#8221; and &#8220;sexual orientation&#8221; into the Wikipedia definition of supremacism.</p>
<p>The latter themselves represent a loosely organized &#8220;religion of peace,&#8221; united by their faith that word manipulation can somehow alter reality. They may even feel superior to others due to their skills in &#8220;framing the debate.&#8221; And yet, despite their ritualistic lying to themselves and others, there is no such thing as &#8220;moderate supremacism&#8221; or &#8220;the supremacism of peace.&#8221;</p>
<p>An example of their intellectual and moral contortionism is found in the same Wikipedia article, which laughably claims that Islamic supremacism is an illusion caused by &#8220;misinterpreting&#8221; Islam&#8217;s history of invasions, massacres, oppression, and slave trade.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Some academics and writers have alleged Muslim or Islamic supremacism. The Qur&#8217;an and other Islamic documents always speak of tolerant and protective beliefs which have been misused, misquoted and misinterpreted by supremacists and anti-Islamic elements. Specific examples of how supremacists have exploited the name of Islam includes Muslim participation in the African slave trade, the early 20th century pan-Islamism promoted by Abdul Hamid II, the jizya and rules of marriage in Muslim countries being imposed on non-Muslims, the majority Muslim interpretations of the rules of pluralism in Malaysia, and &#8220;defensive&#8221; supremacism practised [sic] by some Muslim immigrants in Europe.</em></p></blockquote>
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		<title>Ahmadinejad&#8217;s Occupy Outreach</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/ben-shapiro/ahmadinejads-occupy-outreach/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ahmadinejads-occupy-outreach</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/ben-shapiro/ahmadinejads-occupy-outreach/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:50:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ben Shapiro]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[occupy wall street]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OWS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Nations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=145572</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why there is a natural affinity between the Iranian regime and Occupy radicals. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/occupy-israel-e1348499454613.gif"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-145593" title="occupy-israel-e1348499454613" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/occupy-israel-e1348499454613.gif" alt="" width="375" height="230" /></a>What’s the difference between a meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and a meeting of Occupy Wall Street? Indoor toilets.</p>
<p>That’s what we learned this week when Iranian president and genocidal Islamist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited New York. The fact that thugs like Ahmadinejad can visit America’s largest city – a city they’d love to see in flames – without being arrested for war crimes defies logic. But what defies common decency is the fact that while Ahmadinejad addressed a high-level U.N. meeting on promoting the rule of law, the American envoys sat respectfully and listened.</p>
<p>What did they hear? The usual litany of anti-Semitic bull that Ahmadinejad regularly includes in his Mother’s Day greetings. He said that Israel should be “eliminated.” He said, “Fundamentally we do not take seriously the threats of the Zionists. We have all the defensive means at our disposal and are ready to defend ourselves.” He claimed that the Jews “have no roots there in history,” referring to Israel. “We do believe that they have found themselves at a dead end and they are seeking new adventures in order to escape this dead end. Iran will not be damaged with foreign bombs.”</p>
<p>The White House promptly condemned Ahmadinejad’s words. After refusing to walk out on them, of course. Ahmadinejad will speak again on Wednesday. At that speech, the US envoys are expected to walk out. But not before having granted him the legitimacy of staying the first time.</p>
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		<title>Which PR Firm Is Writing Ahmadinejad’s Speech?</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/ronn-torossian/which-pr-firm-is-writing-ahmadinejad%e2%80%99s-speech/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=which-pr-firm-is-writing-ahmadinejad%25e2%2580%2599s-speech</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:35:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ronn Torossian]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Libya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[muslim brotherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public relations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=145249</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Manipulating media with blood money. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/un.gif"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-145268" title="un" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/un.gif" alt="" width="375" height="267" /></a>Owning <a href="http://ronntorossian.com/tag/5wpr"><strong>5WPR</strong></a>, one of the 25 largest US <a href="http://www.5wpr.com/"><strong>PR Firms</strong></a>, I am never amazed at the inquiries that we receive. Having worked for Lebanese (anti-Syrian) interests, the Moroccan Tourism Ministry, Iraqex to manage American interests in Iraq, and other Middle East concerns, over the past few months, we have received discrete contacts from official and unofficial government liaisons concerned about managing, influencing (and manipulating) media coverage.</p>
<p>This increased volume of confidential inquiries made me wonder which public relations firms are making millions working for anti-Western interests as radical Islam spreads throughout the Middle East. It wouldn’t shock me if one of my competitors is working with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he arrives in New York this weekend to an avalanche of press coverage. Ahmadinejad has shown he understands the power of the press, and my experience tells me it is surprising to have that level of understanding of media without advisors. I wonder who is assisting Syrian President Assad this time around as he remains in power in the bloodiest battle the war has seen in years?</p>
<p>In America, all public relations entities who represent foreign governments, political parties and government-controlled entities in a “political or quasi-political capacity” are required to disclose their clients due to FARA laws (Foreign Agent Registration Act).  But if the reporting is done to a 3<sup>rd</sup> party, or a non-government entity is paying the bills the laws are less clear. Many PR interests are multi-national corporations who skirt disclosure issues via international contracts – and throughout Europe there are no regulations for PR firms.</p>
<p>In time, we will find out there are many anti-West interests who are using PR agencies during these trying times. Many of the political Islam leaders, from the government of Egypt, which is now controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, to the ongoing slaughter and bloody battles in Syria, Libya (where the American ambassador was recently killed), and the ongoing human rights abuses in Bahrain – sophisticated interests are undoubtedly managing media coverage.</p>
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		<title>Iran Amps Up Its Genocidal Rhetoric</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/arnold-ahlert/another-call-for-israels-annihilation/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=another-call-for-israels-annihilation</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Aug 2012 04:28:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Arnold Ahlert]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[annihilation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jerusalem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sanctions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zionism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=139433</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Islamic Republic calls for annihilating the great "plight" on humanity, the Jewish State.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ahmadinejad5jw-764396.gif"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-139439" title="ahmadinejad5jw-764396" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ahmadinejad5jw-764396.gif" alt="" width="375" height="246" /></a>Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to push his country towards a seemingly inevitable showdown with the West. In a speech posted yesterday on his website, Ahmadinejad <a href="http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=279864">contended</a> that the ultimate goal of world forces should be the annihilation of Israel. The speech was aimed at the ambassadors of Islamic countries ahead of &#8220;Quds Day,&#8221; also known as &#8220;Jerusalem Day,&#8221; an annual Iranian anti-Zionist event established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini. Quds Day falls on August 17th. The Iranian leader illuminated its significance. &#8220;Qods Day is not merely a strategic solution for the Palestinian problem, as it is to be viewed as a key for solving the world problems,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Anyone who loves freedom and justice must strive for the annihilation of the Zionist regime in order to pave the way for world justice and freedom.”</p>
<p>Expressing many of the all-too-familiar anti-Semitic slanders, he accused &#8220;Zionists&#8221; of being “behind the scene of the world’s main powers, media, monetary and banking centers.” With a nod towards the American presidential election, the Iranian leader also labeled Jews as &#8220;the decision makers, to the extent that the presidential election hopefuls must go and kiss the feet of the Zionists to ensure their election victory.” He further <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/israel-iran-ahmadinejad-war/2012/08/02/id/447351">claimed</a> that a “horrible Zionist current” has been managing world affairs for “about 400 years.”</p>
<p>He <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158538#.UBrb4nAeu_U">lashed out</a>  at Europe as well. &#8220;Zionism is the modern times plight of the human society and when we meet the European politicians they say speak transparently about everything, but they refrain from talking about the Zionist regime, which proves that Israel is the axis of unity of the world hegemonic powers,” he said.</p>
<p>The attack comes on the heels of the latest round of sanctions imposed by Western nations attempting to persuade the Islamic Republic to abandon its nuclear development program. Iran continues to claim it is intended for peaceful purposes, but the West rightly fears it is about making atomic weapons that would inevitably be used against Israel.</p>
<p>The effectiveness of the sanctions remains controversial. There are reports that the <a href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/15/11714780-iranians-feel-the-pain-of-sanctions-everything-has-doubled-in-price?lite">sanctions</a> are crippling Iran&#8217;s economy in the short term, producing runaway inflation and high unemployment. Yet as recently as Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was forced to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501713_162-57482973/panetta-says-sanctions-havent-yet-worked-in-iran/">admit</a> that Iran hasn&#8217;t reined in its  nuclear program, even as he repeated the increasingly tiresome rhetoric about the Islamic Republic&#8217;s &#8220;willingness&#8221; to negotiate&#8211;again.</p>
<p>The House and Senate are currently working to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443931404577550823266904502.html?mod=googlenews_ws">reconcile</a> the latest round of purportedly &#8220;crippling&#8221; sanctions before breaking for recess at the end of the week. The aim is to close several loopholes by expanding the list of Iranian entities subject to sanctions. The Obama administration is also being asked to impose penalties on foreign companies doing business with Iranian energy and financial companies. Yet as reported by the <em>Wall Street Journal,</em> the Iranians &#8220;are pros when it comes to creating hundreds of new front companies to replace those on the sanctions&#8217; list.&#8221; They further note that despite congressional requests, the administration is &#8220;waging a behind-the-scenes campaign to water down existing sanctions by granting nearly every available waiver to countries that continue to buy Iranian oil.&#8221;</p>
<p>Proponents of tougher sanctions, such as Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) Rep. Robert Dold, (R-IL), and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), insist there is a better way. They have called for a blacklist of Iran&#8217;s entire energy sector, labeling it a &#8220;zone of proliferation concern.&#8221; Lawmakers have also <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/congress-pushes-finish-iran-sanctions-bill-165823596.html?utm_source=Yahoo+News&amp;utm_medium=twitter">pushed</a> for sanctions on the directors and shareholders of organizations like the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications  (SWIFT), the Belgian bank consortium that provides financial communications and clearing systems for the Central Bank of Iran. The administration is against the move, claiming individual banks would take SWIFT&#8217;s place. But as the <em>Journal</em> notes, it is unlikely too many banks would be willing to cut themselves off from the international finance system in order to &#8220;place themselves in a basket of outlaw or shady banks.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Iran Announces New Nuclear Milestone</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/davidhornik/iran-strides-toward-nukes-west-fiddles/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=iran-strides-toward-nukes-west-fiddles</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:46:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[P. David Hornik]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nuclear Weapons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sanctions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=138697</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Israel weighs taking action.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2012-02-15T152715Z_01_SIN405_RTRIDSP_3_IRAN-NUCLEAR-AHMADINEJAD.gif"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-138712" title="2012-02-15T152715Z_01_SIN405_RTRIDSP_3_IRAN-NUCLEAR-AHMADINEJAD" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2012-02-15T152715Z_01_SIN405_RTRIDSP_3_IRAN-NUCLEAR-AHMADINEJAD.gif" alt="" width="375" height="257" /></a>Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9425580/Iran-increases-uranium-enrichment-activities.html">announced</a> this week that Iran now has “11,000 centrifuges active in [uranium] enrichment facilities.”</p>
<p>That’s a thousand more than the 10,000 centrifuges that, according to a May 25 report by the International Atomic Energy (IAEA), Iran was operating just two months ago.</p>
<p>Never fear. Also this week, the P5+1 powers (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) held their second round of expert-level nuclear negotiations with Iran in Istanbul.</p>
<p>Actually that event got little coverage, reflecting an understandable boredom. But if these talks—already downgraded from the level of diplomats to that of technical experts—are now understood by all to be a transparent joke, they continue to be important: along with the sanctions imposed on Iran, they allow President Obama and other Western leaders to tell themselves, and others, that they’re doing something—rather than nothing—to stop Iran’s march toward the bomb.</p>
<p>And the sanctions? If the talks are a sham, aren’t the sanctions a bit more meaningful?</p>
<p>The answer is no, because they’re full of holes.</p>
<p>As the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> noted earlier this month (full article reprinted <a href="http://www.israpundit.com/archives/47291">here</a>): “Though economic sanctions still haven’t slowed or stopped Iran’s nuclear drive, the Obama Administration has decided to make them even weaker…so weak, in fact, that all 20 of Iran’s major trading partners are now exempt from them.”</p>
<p>What that means is that once a country has “significantly reduced” oil imports from Iran, the State Department can—and generally does—exempt it from the sanctions regime. India, for example, merely pledged to cut its Iran imports by 11%—and can keep buying Iranian oil at will. Japan stopped 22% of its Iran purchases in 2011—and is now home-free to keep buying. The same holds true for Iran’s biggest customer, China, after Beijing cut 25% of its Iran imports.</p>
<p>“To be sure,” the <em>Journal</em> acknowledged,</p>
<blockquote><p>Iran is feeling some pressure these days. The EU…has instituted a total embargo. South Korea has said it will zero out imports, too. All told,Iran’s exports have plunged 40% this year compared to last…. [T]his will cost Iran about $8 billion per quarter, or 10% of GDP. Throw in hyperinflation and stagnant growth, and Iran is suffering real economic pain.</p>
<p>But enough pain to stop the 30-year nuclear drive of a revolutionary regime built around a messianic cult of martyrdom? A regime with foreign currency reserves between $60 billion and $100 billion, and which would net more than $40 billion in oil revenue even with a 40% drop in sales?</p></blockquote>
<p>Such questions, of course, answer themselves. Neither President Obama nor any other Western leader—no matter how much they keep insisting that talks and sanctions will ultimately work—claims that they’ve made a dent in Iran’s nuclear program so far, and the reason is that there wouldn’t be an iota of truth to it.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, then, Iran shows no sign of being deterred by the West and indeed is openly contemptuous of its efforts. In addition to Ahmadinejad’s boasts about ongoing centrifuge production, Iran has <a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/06/12/245876/iran-to-build-nuclearfueled-submarines/">publicized</a> a plan to build nuclear-fueled submarines.</p>
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		<title>Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago? Yes!</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/abraham-katsman/are-you-better-off-today-than-you-were-four-years-ago-yes/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=are-you-better-off-today-than-you-were-four-years-ago-yes</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:25:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Abraham Katsman]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CIA Director James Clapper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hezbollah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Putin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=138402</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For many, Obama’s term has brought tremendous success. Here's the horrifying list of suspects.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ahmadinejad.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-138406" title="Ahmadinejad" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ahmadinejad.jpg" alt="" width="368" height="239" /></a>Ever since Ronald Reagan<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loBe0WXtts8" target="_blank"> posed the simple but clarifying query</a> to voters — &#8220;Are you better off than you were four years ago?&#8221; — Presidential challengers have dusted off the question, hoping to use it as successfully as Reagan did.  With President Barack Obama presiding over a stagnant economy, high unemployment and accelerating deficits, Gov. Mitt Romney doubtless expects this question to resonate with voters.</p>
<p>Yet, the answer is<strong> </strong>not uniformly negative.  For many, Obama’s term has brought tremendous success.  Following are just some of the big winners who would answer the are-you-better-off-today question with a resounding “Yes!”</p>
<p><strong>The Iranian Regime</strong>: Within months of his inauguration, Obama was presented with a gift&#8211;a popular uprising against America’s nuclearizing nemesis, Iran.  Given an assortment of options for helping topple the axis-of-evil’s charter member, he chose to do…nothing.  Instead, he reiterated his support for “engagement,” throwing a lifeline to the most dangerous regime on the planet even as they butchered their own people, prompting public protests chanting, “Obama, are you with us or against us?”</p>
<p>Iranian nukes?  Since April, 2009, this administration has boasted of “crippling sanctions” against Iran.  Three years later, Iran is still no cripple: CIA Director James Clapper gave Senate testimony that, &#8220;The sanctions as imposed so far have not caused [Iran] to change their behavior or their policy.&#8221;  Perhaps that is the result of Obama neutering the sanctions by liberally issuing waivers and delaying implementation.  Meanwhile, Iran crosses one red line after another in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.</p>
<p>During Obama’s term, the Iranian regime has gone from wobbly to secure.  The administration remains preoccupied with ensuring no <em>Israeli</em> attack, though Iran has stockpiled enriched uranium sufficient for several bombs and proceeds methodically towards weaponization.</p>
<p>The mullahs understand who deserves credit for their improved standing.<strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Hezbollah.</strong>  Iran’s wholly owned terror subsidiary was severely weakened by its 2006 war with Israel. Today, however, it is stronger and better armed than ever, and may soon gain access to Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.  Meanwhile, while the Obama Middle East team obsesses about where Jews are building homes in Jerusalem, Hezbollah not only has gained de facto control of Lebanon, but has set up shop in 24 countries, including much of Central and South America.</p>
<p><strong>The Muslim Brotherhood</strong>.  What a run they’ve had.  This Islamist Nazi-influenced group has advanced from troublesome subversives vaguely known to most Americans to become the dominant political force in the Middle East—all in Obama’s short tenure.</p>
<p>In Egypt, the Obama administration boosted the Brotherhood by abandoning longtime President Hosni Mubarak, naively hoping Jeffersonian democracy might follow.  Mubarak was no saint, but he was a credible counterbalance to Islamist forces, and he upheld the Camp David peace with Israel.</p>
<p>Now the Brotherhood runs the most populous Arab nation, having collected 50% of the votes in last month’s election.  (Their <em>Seriously</em>-Muslim Brotherhood Salafist allies won another 25%.)   Brotherhood factions now control Egypt, Tunisia and Gaza, and are deeply involved in Jordan, the Syrian uprising and Arab uprisings throughout the region.</p>
<p>The Egyptians have imprisoned American pro-democracy workers, and, with their affiliate Salafists, have killed dozens of Christians, wounded hundreds of others, and caused 150,000 to flee.  They’ve burned churches, and abducted Christian girls to be forced into domestic and sexual servitude.</p>
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		<title>Time Running Out on Iran</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/joseph-puder/time-running-out-on-iran/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=time-running-out-on-iran</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jun 2012 04:11:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joseph Puder]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ayatollah Khomeini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netanyahu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nuclear Weapons]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=133827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why the Israeli government believes the West is about to give in. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/zx500y290_1197706.gif"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-133831" title="zx500y290_1197706" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/zx500y290_1197706.gif" alt="" width="375" height="243" /></a>The recently held negotiations of the P5+1 (U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany) and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baghdad followed similar talks that took place last month in Istanbul – both of which produced one clear result – the enabling of Iran to buy more time in its pursuit of nuclear arms.</p>
<p>The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) reportedly found traces of enriched uranium at a 27% level in Iran’s <a href="http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/iaea-finds-higher-grade-uranium-trace-in-iran--sources/">Fordow</a> facility.  According to the Center for American Progress, which reflects the views of President Obama, “The United States and the International community have <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/05/iran_series1.html">time</a> to continue negotiations with Iran and let sanctions pressure the Tehran regime to come clean about its program.”</p>
<p>These kinds of statements and the West’s squandering of time as Iran’s centrifuges spin, has led the Netanyahu government to believe that the West is about to give in to Iran.</p>
<p>For Israel, time is of the essence.  Israelis are not only worried about the lack of concrete results from the talks with Iran; they are deeply concerned about Obama’s habitual appeasement of Iran.  Obama has tried his best to avoid imposing hard hitting sanctions (he had to be publicly rebuked by Senator Menendez (NJ) to sign the latest piece of legislation) and has been obvious in his avoidance of a military confrontation with Iran – thereby empowering the Islamic Republic, which also wants to avoid a conflict – so that it can complete its nuclear program.</p>
<p>The New York Daily News reported on May 30, 2012 that, &#8220;As a candidate Obama pledged to meet personally with Iranian leaders and predicted that Iranians would start changing their behavior if they started seeing that they had some incentives to do so.”  As president, Obama declared in his June 4, 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt of the need to “overcome decades of mistrust.”  In this narrative, according to the Daily News, “<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/tehran-outflanking-obama-article-1.1086278?localLinksEnabled=false">Talks</a> are successful insofar as they end not in collapse but in a sustained negotiating process…”</p>
<p>Earlier, on March 20, 2009, Obama videotaped a message to the Iranian people and leaders in honor of <em><a href="http://insidethemiddleeast.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/20/obamas-nowruz-message-to-iranians/">Nowruz</a>,</em> the Iranian New Year.  In the message he declared that, “My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties…this process will not be advanced by threats, we seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.”  There was no mention in Obama’s message of Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>Commenting on Obama’s gesture to Iran, the liberal New York Times columnist Roger Cohen wrote (March 23, 2009), “President Obama achieved four things essential to any rapprochement. He abandoned regime change, as an American goal.  He shelved the so-called military option.  He buried a carrot-and-stick approach viewed with contempt by Iranian as fit only for donkeys. And he placed Iran’s nuclear program within the full range of issues before us.”</p>
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		<title>Iran’s Nuclear Announcement</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/ryan-mauro/iran%e2%80%99s-nuclear-announcement/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=iran%25e2%2580%2599s-nuclear-announcement</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:44:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Mauro]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[uranium]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Is the Islamic Republic only a few short months away from bomb-grade uranium?]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/130609-Ahmadinejad-ANP-9997907_0_2.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122648" title="130609-Ahmadinejad-ANP-9997907_0_2" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/130609-Ahmadinejad-ANP-9997907_0_2.gif" alt="" width="375" height="256" /></a></p>
<p>The Iranian regime <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57378108/iran-claims-new-advanced-nuclear-centrifuges/">announced</a> yesterday that a new line of centrifuges have been activated and domestically-produced fuel rods are being used. The revelations in the state media were scarier: The underground Fordo nuclear site, clearly designed for nuclear weapons production, has become “fully operational,” potentially bringing Iran only a few short months from having bomb-grade uranium.</p>
<p>President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proudly announced that Iran had produced its own nuclear fuel rods and installed them into a medical research reactor in Tehran. Iran previously bragged that it made its own rods and the site has no weapons-related purpose. Judith Miller of the Manhattan Institute <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Miller-Iran-fuel-rod/2012/02/15/id/429597">described</a> the announcement as a “photo opportunity” and “publicity stunt.”</p>
<p>Ahmadinejad also claimed that Iran manufactured 3,000 new “fourth generation” centrifuges for its Natanz site that will have larger and faster output. They will begin making low-enriched uranium called yellowcake next year, the regime said. Experts have serious doubts about the validity of Iran’s boasts in this area.</p>
<p>The announcement on Iran’s state media is of much more concern. The underground enrichment site at Fordo near Qom, built to withstand air strikes, will become <a href="http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/95377">&#8220;fully operational&#8221;</a> in the matter of days. When Israeli Defense Minister warned of Iran reaching an “immunity zone” when military action is no longer viable, he was referring to this site specifically and others built underground and deep in the mountains. The U.S. and Europe point out that the structure of the site makes it incompatible with a peaceful nuclear energy program as Iran claims, but very suitable for nuclear weapons production.</p>
<p>Iran says it is going to enrich uranium at the Fordo site to 20% for use in medical research. A nuclear weapon needs uranium enriched to about 90% but <a href="http://pjmedia.com/blog/breaking-irans-fordow-nuke-plant-now-fully-operational/">in the words</a> of former Revolutionary Guardsman Reza Kahlili, that 20% threshold brings Iran “9/10 of the way to weaponization.”</p>
<p>David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security <a href="http://www.isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/irans-gas-centrifuge-program-taking-stock/">says</a> that it only takes about 6 months to upgrade 20%-enriched uranium to bomb-grade level using 500-1,000 centrifuges. The Fordo site can hold 3,000 centrifuges. Iran has not said how many centrifuges are at the site but an International Atomic Energy Agency report published in November <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9028412/Great-Salt-Desert-bunker-could-be-trigger-for-an-attack-on-Iran.html">said</a> that 412 were present.</p>
<p>Reza Kahlili <a href="http://www.wnd.com/2012/02/countdown-irans-finger-on-nuclear-trigger/">reports</a> that Iran just completed its first trigger for detonating a nuclear bomb, a major achievement that the IAEA knows that Iran has been working on. Last year, he was told by sources in Iran that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei ordered the construction of at least two nuclear warheads by next month.</p>
<p>If Kahlili’s sources had accurate information, then Iran is much closer to having a nuclear missile than the West believes. The director of Israel’s military-intelligence says Iran has enough uranium for four nuclear weapons but won’t have a nuclear missile for three years. Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute of Strategic Studies <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57378108/iran-claims-new-advanced-nuclear-centrifuges/">says</a> that once Iran makes enough bomb-grade uranium, it’ll still take over a year for a bomb to be assembled.</p>
<p>Iran is becoming more aggressive as its nuclear program advances.</p>
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		<title>Latin America: Iran&#8217;s New Front Against the U.S.</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/joseph-puder/latin-america-irans-new-front-against-the-u-s/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=latin-america-irans-new-front-against-the-u-s</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joseph Puder]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chávez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hezbollah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unholy alliance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[venezuala]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=121525</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A menacing axis solidifies south of our border.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/chavez-ahmadinejad.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121597" title="chavez-ahmadinejad" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/chavez-ahmadinejad.jpg" alt="" width="420" height="252" /></a></p>
<p>Appearing before The Orthodox Union Presidential Forum in a Boca Raton, FL synagogue on Monday, January 30, 2012, former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) stated that, “When President Ahmadinejad <a title="http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com2012/01rick-santorum-time--for-america-to-lead.html" href="http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com2012/01rick-santorum-time--for-america-to-lead.html" target="_blank">recently</a> toured the capitals of Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Ecuador, it was not a form of cultural diplomacy; it was primarily to increase the tempo of preparations for the war against America.”  He then added, “It is long past time for us to respond, but instead our president declares imminent victory.”</p>
<p>While Ahmadinejad is the visible figurehead representing the Iranian regime, it is Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist sub-contractor, which is creating cells throughout Latin America and, inside the U.S. as well.  Shortly after the Second Lebanon war between Israel and Hezbollah, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee held hearings on the <a title="http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/archives/109/30143.pdf" href="http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/archives/109/30143.pdf" target="_blank">Global Reach</a> of Hezbollah’s cells. The Committee heard testimony regarding the capabilities of Hezbollah to attack the U.S. and other western targets. The protocol from the hearing clearly established Hezbollah’s “wide reaches” under the military leadership of Imad Mugniyah, who was assassinated in February 2008 in Damascus, Syria.</p>
<p>U.S. Representative Ed Royce, Chairman of the International Terrorism and Nonproliferation Subcommittee, had this to say during the hearings: “<a title="http://www.royce.house.gov/News/DocumentsSingle.aspx?Document-ID=50977" href="http://www.royce.house.gov/News/DocumentsSingle.aspx?Document-ID=50977" target="_blank">Hezbollah</a> isn&#8217;t just a menace to Israel, Lebanon and the region. According to the State Department terrorism report, Hezbollah has ‘established cells in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and Asia.’ “One witness,” Rep. Royce continued, “will tell us that Hezbollah’s organizational and logistic network exists in over 40 countries; this includes a significant presence in our own hemisphere, in the tri-border region of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The network operates in West Africa, where Hezbollah has been active trading ‘blood diamonds,’ an issue the Africa Subcommittee explored when I chaired it.</p>
<p>Rep. Royce added, “Many Americans may be surprised to learn that Hezbollah&#8217;s global reach includes significant activities on U.S. soil.”  Royce characterized Hezbollah as posing a “grave threat” and, he repeated a statement made by a former Deputy Secretary of State in 2002 that, “Hezbollah may be the A-team of terrorists and maybe al-Qaeda is actually the B-team.” He added, “Hezbollah’s lethality is magnified by the support it receives from state sponsors of terrorism, primarily Iran.”</p>
<p>U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State on Terrorism Frank Urbanchik testified at the same hearings that the U.S. is particularly concerned over the close ties between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iran’s terrorist tool &#8211; the Hezbollah.</p>
<p>Addressing retirees at The Villages in FL on January 29, 2012, Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich referred to President Obama saying, &#8220;He lives in a <a title="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket-florida-retirees-gingrich-pokes-fun-obama-suggests-214752796.html" href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket-florida-retirees-gingrich-pokes-fun-obama-suggests-214752796.html" target="_blank">fantasy</a> world where there are no enemies&#8221; and, he characterized the president&#8217;s perception of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as &#8220;just misguided people with whom he has not yet had coffee.&#8221;  Gingrich went on to say, “We watched him go see Hugo Chavez and we watched him smile and be friendly while Chavez deliberately, cynically and insultingly gave him an anti-American book and Obama didn&#8217;t have a clue he&#8217;d been insulted. You know, Ahmadinejad, the dictator of Iran, says that he wants to wipe out Israel and drive America out of the Middle East. Now, as a historian, I have a pretty good sense of what that means. It means he wants to wipe out Israel, and drive America out of the Middle East. But if I were a left-wing Harvard Law graduate surrounded by really clever left-wing academics, I would know that this is actually a sign that Ahmadinejad probably had a bad childhood…”</p>
<p>The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 that “Iran’s president lauded his country&#8217;s newly launched Spanish-language satellite TV channel, saying it would deal a blow to &#8220;<a title="http://today.msnbc.com/id/46200139" href="http://today.msnbc.com/id/46200139" target="_blank">dominance seekers</a>&#8221; — remarks that were an apparent jab at the U.S. and the West.”</p>
<p>The launch is Tehran’s latest effort to reach out to Iran-friendly governments in Latin America and comes on the heels of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad&#8217;s four-nation tour of the region earlier in January, which included stops in Cuba and visits to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Ecuador.</p>
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		<title>The Final Countdown: Israel vs. Iran</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-thornton/the-final-countdown-israel-vs-iran/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-final-countdown-israel-vs-iran</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-thornton/the-final-countdown-israel-vs-iran/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:35:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bruce Thornton]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netanyahu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nuclear Weapons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Panetta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strike]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=121557</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Attacking the Islamic Republic might be bad, but a nuclear Iran will be worse.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1320256626871.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121568" title="1320256626871" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1320256626871.gif" alt="" width="375" height="252" /></a></p>
<p>The 33-year farce of Western appeasement of Iran may be reaching its denouement. For the last few months, the pace of events have quickened as the West sanctions and threatens, and Iran blusters about closing the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off oil to Europe, and unleashing its terrorist proxies. Just last week Iran’s “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei subtly suggested that Iran would step up its already considerable support of terrorist outfits targeting Israel and the U.S.: “From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this.” Indulging traditional Islamic anti-Semitic language, Khamenei said Israel was a “cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut,” and claimed that the U.S. would suffer defeat and damage its regional prestige if it decides to use military force to stop the country’s nuclear program.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has said there was a “strong likelihood” that Israel would attack Iran in April, May, or June of this year, a supposition reinforced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. And Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in his remarks at the Herzilya Conference that Iran’s “military nuclear program is steadily nearing ripeness and is about to enter the ‘immunity zone.’ From that point on, the Iranian regime will be able to act to complete the program, with no effective disturbance and a time that is convenient for it.” The backdrop of this war of words is the West’s imposition of yet more sanctions, while the Iranian regime once again rope-a-dopes the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, and rumors of American troop concentrations in the region abound.</p>
<p>A constant in all this the diplomatic fencing is the threat of military action by Israel, along with the rumors surrounding such an event and speculations about the extent of Israel’s military capabilities. More important, however, is the unsavory way the Obama administration is using the threat of Israeli military action to influence Iranian behavior, at the same time it positions itself to avoid any responsibility for an attack. Thus Panetta publicly has been warning Israel against attacking, listing all the “unintended consequences” that would follow, at the same time the U.S. demands that Israel do nothing without alerting the United States in advance. However, despite these public warnings to Israel, it has long been clear that the administration’s diplomatic efforts have all been underwritten by the implicit threat that Israel will take unilateral military action. So it is that Israel is made the Dirty Harry of the Middle East, her actions decried by Western nations too cowardly to do what they know needs to be done, as in 1981, when Israel destroyed Iraq’s Osirak atomic reactor only to be condemned by the United States.</p>
<p>For make no mistake, Iran cannot be allowed to succeed in manufacturing nuclear weapons, or even achieving “nuclear latency,” the ability rapidly to produce them when needed. Such armaments in the hands of an Iranian regime besotted with apocalyptic Twelver Shi’ism and religiously sanctioned Jew-hatred would radically reconfigure the Middle East, sparking nuclear proliferation in the region and endangering not just Israel, but a large portion of the world’s oil supply. Yet on her own, Israel can at best delay Iran’s progress for at best three to five years. Apart from the logistical challenges of such a complex attack, nuclear production facilities in Iran have been dispersed into 17 known sites, many of which have been moved deep underground into fortified bunkers and tunnels.</p>
<p>The fallout of such an attack, moreover, could hit Israel hard. By Israeli estimations, Iran’s proxy Hezbollah has stockpiled in Lebanon 50,000 missiles, which can reach every corner of Israel. Following the fall of Mubarak and the ascendancy of the Muslim Brothers, the southern border with Egypt is no longer secure, thus providing an avenue for Hamas terrorist attacks. A beleaguered Bashar al Assad in Syria could distract attention from his slaughter of Syrians by attacking Israel in the Golan. Although the United States has said it would defend Israel in these circumstances, it is not certain how reliable that pledge is in an election year, with a U.S. president who already has shown by his actions a marked dislike for Israel. After all, this is a president who counts Turkey’s Recep Erdogan as one of his closest international buddies, despite Turkey’s naked support for the genocidal Hamas, but who publicly disparages Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. Certainly, Israel would find little sympathy and support in the U.N. or the E.U. after an attack on Iran.</p>
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		<title>The Uncertain Fate of Syria’s Chemical Weapons</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/frank-crimi/the-uncertain-fate-of-syria%e2%80%99s-chemical-weapons-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-uncertain-fate-of-syria%25e2%2580%2599s-chemical-weapons-2</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:12:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Frank Crimi]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chemical weapons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=120521</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If the Assad regime falls.....]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/syria2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-120528" title="syria2" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/syria2.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="273" /></a></p>
<p>Four Syrian-bound Iranian trucks carrying raw materials needed to make chemical weapons were recently <a href="http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=254554&amp;R=R1">seized</a> by Turkish authorities as they tried to enter into Syria from southern Turkey. The contents in the trucks reportedly included cylindrical tanks, heat-resistant materials and 66 tons of sodium sulfate.</p>
<p>While the Iranian government denied that the trucks in question were carrying chemical weapon materials, it should be noted that in 2011 Turkish authorities had <a href="http://www.todayszaman.com/news-269092-iranian-trucks-carrying-missile-materials-intercepted-en-route-to-syria.htm1">intercepted</a> two previous arms shipment from Iran to Syria. One of those shipments was an Iranian plane carrying automatic rifles, rocket launchers and mortars.</p>
<p>However, the finding of chemical weapons material in the Iranian trucks &#8212; which comes as the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad edges closer to complete collapse &#8212; has renewed fresh concerns over the future security and control of Syria’s vast stockpile of chemical weapons.</p>
<p>Similar fears were raised during the collapse of the Libyan regime of Muammar Gadhafi. In that case, the United States and its NATO allies worked with Libyan rebel forces to monitor Libya’s known chemical-weapon facilities and prevent Gadhafi’s forces from seeking to use or divert chemical-warfare materials.</p>
<p>However, while Western efforts to secure Gadhafi’s chemical weapons and transfer their control over to Libya’s transitional governing authority have gone relatively well, that may not be the case with Syria if the Assad regime falls.</p>
<p>According to Leonard Spector of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, there is “a huge difference” between the Syrian and Libyan chemical-weapons programs, citing Syria’s program as considerably larger, more sophisticated and equipped with both production and delivery capabilities.</p>
<p>In fact, even though it has refused to become a member of the UN’s Chemical Weapons Convention and submit to international oversight, Syria is still widely believed to have one of the most extensive, if not the largest, chemical weapon <a href="http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=254554&amp;R=R1">arsenals</a> in the world</p>
<p>Moreover, that arsenal, which began its development in the 1970s under then-President Hafez al-Assad as a threat against Israel, has continued to grow unabated under Bashar Assad.</p>
<p>To that end, the Syrian regime is <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/12/us-closely-monitoring-syrias-chemical-weapons-stockpile/249593/">reported</a> to have at least five facilities dedicated to its chemical weapons program at al-Safira, Hama, Homs, and Latakia; two munitions storage sites at Khan Abu Shamat and Furqlus; and a chemical-weapons research laboratory near Damascus.</p>
<p>The Syrian chemical arsenal reportedly comprises hundreds of tons of sarin, mustard gas, and the deadlier VX nerve agent. Those blister and nerve agents have been <a href="http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=34218">fitted</a> as chemical warheads on Syria’s long-range Scud-B and Scud-C ballistic missiles. In fact, the Syrian government recently <a href="http://www.todayzaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=265384">armed</a> its medium-range Scud missiles with 600 one-ton chemical warheads.</p>
<p>In addition to its ballistic missile component, the Syrian government reportedly also has tens of tons of sarin agent and mustard gas stockpiled in conventional artillery shells, rockets and bombs.</p>
<p>So now, besieged by mounting threats to his regime’s survival and armed with that lethal weaponry, questions arise as to whether Assad will use his chemical weapons against Syrian protesters and army defectors; against a possible armed international intervention; or divert them to terrorist groups in the region.</p>
<p>Launching chemical attacks against Syrian civilians would certainly engender little surprise, given Assad’s already bloody crackdown on Syrian protesters and the fact his father, Hafez al-Assad, reportedly used cyanide gas in his repression of the 1982 Syrian uprising in Hama.</p>
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		<title>Wrong Move</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/alan-w-dowd/wrong-move/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=wrong-move</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:19:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alan W. Dowd]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Defense Secretary Leon Panetta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[US-Israel missile-defense drills]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The ill-timed decision to cancel the US-Israel missile-defense drills.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ahmadinejad.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119643" title="ahmadinejad" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ahmadinejad.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="294" /></a></p>
<p>Worried about aggravating Iran, the United States has announced that it is postponing missile-defense drills with Israel. Dubbed “Austere Challenge 12,” the exercises had been planned for months and were intended to send a clear message that the United States and Israel were prepared to protect themselves from Iran’s mushrooming missile threat. In fact, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last month pointed to the exercises as evidence of America’s “unshakable” commitment to Israel. Now that the exercises have been delayed, the mullahs are getting a very different message.</p>
<p>A U.S. European Command official assures us that “It is not unusual for such exercises to be postponed,” which is true. But timing is everything when dealing with aggressors. Washington’s intentions are good—to avert an accidental war—but the perception in Tehran is that Washington blinked. That means the mullahs won this round. And as with all aggressors, that emboldens them and encourages them to push harder, to take more risks and to make dangerous miscalculations that invite the very thing Washington is trying to avoid.</p>
<p>One recalls how the Carter administration reacted to Moammar Qaddafi’s unilateral claim over the Gulf of Sidra, a huge chunk of the Mediterranean Sea universally considered as international waters. Anyone who crossed Qaddafi’s so-called “line of death” in the Gulf of Sidra would face military attack. President Carter canceled annual freedom-of-navigation naval exercises in and around the Gulf of Sidra to avoid confrontation and to keep things calm in the region.</p>
<p>But the message Qaddafi heard was that America was weak, and so he pushed and miscalculated. U.S. intelligence soon unearthed evidence that Libyan agents were planning to hit Marine One with a heat-seeking missile; Libya was caught red-handed sending tons of military hardware to communist forces in Nicaragua; and Qaddafi’s army of terrorists was at work all around the globe.</p>
<p>Vowing to enforce the principle of freedom of the seas, President Reagan ordered the U.S. Sixth Fleet to resume its exercises. When the exercises began in the autumn of 1981, Qaddafi lived up to his word and sent several warplanes into international airspace to enforce his line of death. Authorized, in Reagan’s words, to pursue attacking Libyan warplanes “all the way into the hangar,” U.S. F-14s responded with deadly force and made it clear to Qaddafi that there would be no payoff for recklessly disregarding international norms—only costs. “We sent a message to Qaddafi,” Reagan said. “We weren’t going to allow him to declare squatter’s rights over a huge area of the Mediterranean in defiance of international law.”</p>
<p>The moral of the story is that in international relations, every action and non-action sends a message. The postponement of Austere Challenge 12 sends the wrong message. Just when the pressure was building on the mullahs—on the economic front, in the Strait of Hormuz, vis-à-vis European energy imports, at the IAEA—Washington put Austere Challenge 12 on hold and relieved the pressure.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that these U.S.-Israel exercises were wholly defensive. As The Washington <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/us-military-chief-to-visit-israel-following-mysterious-killing-of-iranian-nuclear-scientist/2012/01/15/gIQATTxb0P_story.html">Post</a> reports, they were “designed to test multiple Israeli and U.S. air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets.”</p>
<p>Think about that. These weren’t provocative naval maneuvers off Iran’s coast or massive air exercises feigning attacks across the skies of the Middle East. These were missile-defense exercises designed to test U.S.-Israeli forces in deflecting inbound missile threats.</p>
<p>Defense is the operative word here. To cut through all the relativistic confusion, consider this everyday example: Which one of the following would you call provocative—a cop strapping on a bullet-proof vest or a gunman loading his weapon?</p>
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		<title>Cracks in the Islamist Bloc</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/ryan-mauro/cracks-in-the-islamist-bloc/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=cracks-in-the-islamist-bloc</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:21:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Mauro]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hezbollah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[muslim brotherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunni]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=119338</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Iran &#038; Syria vs. the Muslim Brotherhood.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/mid_ahmadinejad.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-119388" title="mid_ahmadinejad" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/mid_ahmadinejad.gif" alt="" width="375" height="245" /></a></p>
<p>Last year, it seemed like an Islamist super-bloc was forming in the Middle East. Secular regimes fell and others faced uprisings. Turkey grew closer to Iran and Syria. The Iranian regime produced an <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2011/03/29/iran%E2%80%99s-end-times-documentary/">End Times documentary</a> depicting the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood as the fulfillment of prophecy. Now, pro-Western governments remain unstable but the Islamists are turning their daggers on each other.</p>
<p>The division in the Islamist ranks is most clearly seen in Syria. The Iranian regime has <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hImqgTzySPEeSLISVqKPUblCsh2Q?docId=CNG.e9d32889e6ecef495eac056f06bc7213.491">deployed</a> the Revolutionary Guards to help the Bashar Assad regime crush the uprising. Hezbollah and the Shiite-led Iraqi government are sticking by Assad’s side. On the other side are genuine secular democratic forces but also the Muslim Brotherhood, Libya, Qatar and Turkey. Turkey is demanding that Assad resign and is hosting the Free Syria Army, the rebel forces who are violently trying to overthrow him. The Emir of Qatar has just <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Qatar-Supports-Sending-Arab-Troops-to-Syria-137348168.html">endorsed</a> sending Arab military forces to Syria to stop the regime’s crackdown.</p>
<p>The Libyan government <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8919057/Leading-Libyan-Islamist-met-Free-Syrian-Army-opposition-group.html">sent</a> an Islamist militia leader to advise the Free Syria Army. There are reports that the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group has even dispatched fighters to Syria. The Muslim Brotherhood is a direct participant in the uprising. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, who is the Muslim Brotherhood’s top theologian and is based in Qatar, <a href="http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5589.htm">branded</a> the Assad regime as “heretical.” Qaradawi even <a href="http://m.ibtimes.com/muslim-cleric-al-qaradawi-calls-backed-invasion-264532.html">declared</a> that it was permissible for a U.N.-led intervention to take place and says that Assad’s soldiers are religiously obligated to defect to the Free Syria Army. “If you want the welfare of your people and intend to go to paradise after death, please join the Free Army,” he <a href="http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/178783-qaradawi-urges-syrian-troops-to-join-protesters.html">preached.</a></p>
<p>This puts Hamas in an awkward position. The terrorist group belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is fighting Assad, but Hamas has long enjoyed the generous support of Assad and Iran. Hamas’ political bureau is based in Damascus. Hamas <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/hamas-disperses-anti-assad-protest-in-gaza-1.379129">suppressed</a> anti-Assad protests in the Gaza Strip but that was not enough to satisfy Iran, which demanded that pro-Assad rallies be staged.</p>
<p>In recent months, Hamas began moving staff out of Damascus and to Egypt, Gaza, Sudan, Jordan and Qatar, presumably in preparation to break relations with Assad. Iran threatened to end all support for Hamas if it left Syria, so Khaled Mashaal, the chief of the Damascus office, stayed along with a reduced staff. After a long silence, he <a href="http://globalmbreport.org/?p=5552">endorsed</a> Assad in late December, saying he had “supported the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian people in every possible away.” Mashaal tried to tow a middle line by stating that he still supports democracy and “the rights of the peoples,” insinuating dissatisfaction with the regime’s oppression.</p>
<p>Hamas also reportedly fears Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Journalist Aaron Klein was <a href="http://kleinonline.wnd.com/2011/12/28/whats-this-iran-losing-terrorists-surprise-jihadists-may-remain-neutral-during-any-israeli-strike/">told</a> by “one of the most senior Hamas officials” that he privately hopes that Israel stops Iran from getting nuclear weapons, even if it means the use of military force. The leadership of Hamas is reportedly even debating not retaliating if Iran is attacked by Israel. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, however, remains in Iran’s back pocket.</p>
<p>There are indications that the Iranian-Syrian relationship is being tested. In September, Ahmadinejad surprisingly and hypocritically <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?pagewanted=all">called on</a> the Assad regime to end its crackdown, saying a “military solution is never the right solution.” He pressured the Syrian regime to undergo reforms in order to alleviate the crisis. At the same time, the Iranian regime <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8889824/Iranian-officials-meet-with-Syrian-opposition.html">reached out</a> to a Syrian opposition group called the National Coordination Committee that is dead-set against foreign intervention. The group rejected Iran’s overtures. It appears as if Iran was pressuring Assad to cut a deal with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. In late October, Ahmadinejad <a href="http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/3/iran-broker-syria-deal-assad-muslim-brotherhood/print/">tried</a> to convince the Muslim Brotherhood to support Assad in exchange for having its representatives appointed to four high-level positions. Iran was turned down.</p>
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		<title>The Ahmadinejad-Chavez Axis</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/ryan-mauro/iranian-provocations-unholy-alliance-ramp-up/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=iranian-provocations-unholy-alliance-ramp-up</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:21:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Mauro]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ahmadinejad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chávez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nuclear Weapons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The Unholy Alliance cements while the Islamic Republic gallops toward a nuclear weapon.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ahmadinejad-hug-chavez-2012-01-10_0.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-118777" title="ahmadinejad-hug-chavez-2012-01-10_0" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ahmadinejad-hug-chavez-2012-01-10_0.gif" alt="" width="375" height="252" /></a></p>
<p>Iranian President Ahmadinejad visited his dear friend, Hugo Chavez, this week as his regime undertook another series of provocations. The Islamist and radical Marxist embraced, joined together by their ideologies’ common hostility to America. As Iran announces that it is enriching uranium at an underground facility designed for nuclear weapons production, it knows that Islamists aren’t its only allies.</p>
<p>Iran has been acting exceptionally aggressive lately, probably with the objective of causing oil prices to spike to counter the impact of international sanctions. President Obama approved sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank, resulting in a 20% <a href="http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/dollar-texts-blocked-as-iran-rial-slides-20-1.964255">drop</a> in the value of the rial against the dollar. It <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/10/us-iran-idUSTRE8090ZL20120110">appears</a> that the European Union, which buys 17% of Iran’s oil exports, will agree to an oil embargo on January 23 when its foreign ministers gather in Brussels. Japan is also preparing for an embargo. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, enemies of Iran, are being asked to help by increasing their exports.</p>
<p>Iran started 2012 off loudly. It threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz if an oil embargo is enacted, carrying out a 10-day war game to prove its ability to make good on its threats. Iran announced that it produced and successfully tested its first domestically-produced nuclear fuel rod and then tested a new medium-range surface-to-air missile.</p>
<p>It carried out another round of challenges to the West this week. Ahmadinejad visited Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Ecuador to demonstrate Iran’s reach into Latin America through radical Marxist allies. Iran is looking to mine uranium from Venezuela and is reportedly constructing a medium-range missile base there. On Sunday, the U.S. <a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/01/08/us-expels-venezuelan-diplomat/">expelled</a> the Venezuelan consul general in Miami after undercover journalists recorded her entertaining a potential <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2011/12/23/iran-venezuela-cuba-and-the-cyber-threat/">cyber terrorism plot</a> against the U.S. The Iranian ambassador in Mexico was taped doing the same.</p>
<p>“Despite those arrogant people who do not wish us to be together, we will unite forever,” Ahmadinejad <a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL1E8C9A7P20120109">said</a> as he stood next to Chavez. The two men repeatedly cracked jokes during their time together. Ahmadinejad <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=144976897">said</a> if they are building a nuclear bomb, then “the fuel of that bomb is love.”</p>
<p>Chavez pointed to a hill and <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/big-atomic-bomb-come-ahmadinejad-chavez-joke-nuclear-072956821.html">said</a> it “will open up and a big atomic bomb will come out.” He <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=144920478">joked</a> that Iran is helping a plant in Venezuela make an “atomic bicycle” and mockingly said Ahmadinejad is in “the axis of evil of Latin America.” Chavez defended Iran’s nuclear program and referred to their mutual enemies as “devils,” as he has in the past.</p>
<p>Ahmadinejad’s trip to Latin America coincides with several other actions meant to spit in the face of the West. Iran charged an American from Arizona named Amir Mirzaie Hekmati as a spy, which carries the penalty of death. He has <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/10/world/meast/iran-accused-spy/">20 days</a> to appeal the charge. Iran <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOy-U_oPiHQwXDAJNRmYqyDUtubA?docId=18be29f3fe3d4f978d336d06931f1380">announced</a> that its annual exercises simulating a battle over the Strait of Hormuz will happen in February. They are tellingly called “The Great Prophet.”</p>
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