Why the U.S. Should Push a Fuel-Swap Deal in Turkey Talks Next Month

In January, Iran and the P5+1 countries, which includes the United States, will sit down in Istanbul for the second of the latest iteration of talks between the West and the Islamic Republic over the latter’s nuclear program. At PBS/Frontline‘s Tehran… Continue Reading

The Leveretts, The Tea Party and Iran

The Leveretts have a piece up reacting to Sarah Palin’s USA Today op-ed. It’s a thoughtful accounting, deeply (and rightfully) scornful of Palin’s belligerence, but lacks in terms of context and framing. The Leveretts, while shrewd geo-strategists, may be engaged in… Continue Reading

NYT: U.S. Companies Don’t Like Trade Restrictions

Cigarettes, Wrigley’s chewing gum, Louisiana hot sauce, weight-loss remedies, body-building equipment, and sports rehabilitation equipment. These are just some of the items which, thanks to a lengthy investigative article published by The New York Times, we now know are exempt… Continue Reading

What Do Neocons Have Against Iranian Women Filmmakers? (UPDATED)

(UPDATED below with something of a correction.) This is typical of neoconservative aggression against Iran: It’s intellectually dishonest, utterly lacking in empathy, short-sighted, sloppy and hypocritical. Perhaps on his way to hiking in the West Bank, or whatever he does… Continue Reading