Monday, September 19, 2005

Reality Bites

Tagged: and

"Iranians don't think because if they did, they would not be able to sleep nights." I can't remember who told us this. Somebody at some party somewhere, no doubt.

After many sleepless nights, I have learned the Iranian art of not thinking. Every once in awhile someone or some event forces me to think, and I find myself up nights with my eyes wide open trying to replace my anxieties with the memory of an episode of the Simpsons or by immersing myself in the plot to Michael Swanwick's The Iron Dragon's Daughter ( at Amazon: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380730464?v=glance) When I am not successful, which is often, Bart and Lisa start to argue politics and predict Armageddon.

Oh well…

Predicting Armageddon

When AN arrived at the UN, the talk all over town (at least all over uptown) was of his clothing. I overheard a number of conversations about the president's appalling fashion sense. "Other leaders arrive looking clean and well-dressed, but our president looks like a mess. How could he dress that way in front of the UN?" This seemed to be the common refrain. Our friends confirmed that this was the topic of conversation everywhere they went. "If we were in South Tehran, they would probably be pleased. They're probably saying that he's just like us. He's a man of the people." Maybe.

Last night, we were up late discussing AN's speech and its possible effects. "Iran is overplaying its hand," a friend said. "They are underestimating America. They think America is weak."

And what does America think? If they think that an outside attack would lead to regime fall, than they are sadly mistaken. Does America think that we cannot let Iran get away with their nuclear shenanigans? And what does that mean?

Some Links:
(PDF file)A report from the Carnegie Endowment: (www.carnegieendowment.org/pdf/npp/iraniannuclearchallenge.pdf)

From Business Week: (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_22/b3935148.htm)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's the difference between those who just nag about Ahmadinejad appearance and Ahmadinejad? Nothing, you know why?

Cos their tiny minds just focus on simple things which aren't important at all. These are people who have caused my problems for those who really wanna have freedom and democracy.

The point is democracy is not just wearing fashionable cloths but listening to people and answering them. Democracy is freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal opportunities for both men and women, black and whites, shia and Sunnies, Muslim or Jews, equal rights for both men and women, freedom of choosing our own representatives, provoking human rights. These are our problems not the appearance of the unelected president.

Kamran and Tori said...

you have some good points. Maybe nagging about appearance is just a defense mechanism: something to relieve the strain of living in a country where you do not exactly control your own fate. It's a way of making light of an important issue. everyone needs some release.

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