A letter from an Iranian-Jewish-American friend, Tabby-

Here in LA, I’ve been monitoring the events coming from Iran very closely, first for personal investment (I have family in Tehran), and second for SHEER AMAZEMENT at how events have unfolded. You are witnessing history!I know that it may seem like the usual…another fraudulent election in the Middle East, hijacked by the incumbent extremists. But what you are witnessing from Iran on television and the internet is nothing short of SPECTACULAR. I have become very emotional watching the scenes from Tehran, where I was born and where I would have also stood in the streets today. I’ll spare you my own political and regional analysis of what has been occurring in Iran since the June 12th elections, and I'll try to keep it light and airy, like perfectly cooked Persian rice. I will simply say that you are NOT witnessing history because of a potential regime change in Iran. A regime change, which would end the mullahs’ theocratic rule, will not be a by-product of the recent protests, strong as they are (some 5 million people taking to the streets, reportedly). I do not expect an orange or velvet or in Iran’s case, kabob revolution, from all of this. But I am no less EXCITED (yes, I put it in capitals!).Then why 'historic"? It has been amazing to see footage of so many Iranians, average people, young people like me who were born around or after the revolution, in the streets, not only demanding that their vote be counted and counted fairly, but shouting “Death to the Dictator” (Ahmadinejad). Upon seeing the news, my mother noted that she had not seen this type of public outpouring in the streets for thirty years, since the eve of the Revolution in 1979! Ironically, the youth of 1979 poured into the streets …the pictures on their thousands of signs was of none other than…the Ayatollah Khomeini, who ironically, is the antithesis of everything today’s protestors are fighting FOR (he died in the late 1980s). And so it is that the Iranians made their Persian bed in 1979 (welcoming the theocracy into the country), laid in it for 30 years (no sleep number mattresses for them), and have now decided to literally wake up and smell the jasmine tea (coffee is for the Turks). **Why are they so angry? Why do the protestors feel entitled? They are angry because their vote was seemingly neglected. All over the country, not only Tehran, but in Shiraz, Esfahan, and elsewhere, people have demanded a change, literally putting their lives at stake. In addition to feeling robbed of their vote, they cannot fathom how Ahmadinejad could have possibly been re-elected, and by such an ENORMOUS margin. The man who 4 years ago won on the promise of “putting the oil money on your dinner table” has handled one of the most mismanaged economies in the entire world. Inflation is at 30%! Just imagine how much that loaf of delicious pita an Iranian wishes to place at his dinner table costs now. Besides handling the economy with the expertise of a drunken goat, Ahmadinejad has also made the country less safe for the citizens, and they know this. Unfortunately, he has spoken for them for four years, whether they agree with him or not, denying the Holocaust, alienating regional neighbors such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, threatening Israel, the U.S. and the West, and wearing an unforgivably ugly jacket. **Who is the other guy?Moussavi, the “reformist” and “moderate” candidate, claims that he received 25 million votes (Iran’s population stands at 67 million), but that these were swept under the rug. The Interior Minister boldly rejects this claim, but he was appointed by none other than Ahmadinejad. Mousavi even claims that fraudulent final vote results showed that he did not secure the vote even in his own province! How is it possible, he demands? We must also understand that for Iranian leaders, the term “moderate/reformist” means something different than our term in the West. Tabby's Thought of the Day: Do you remember “The Princess Bride”? When they took Wesley to the healer (Billy Crystal), it was official that Wesley was “mostly dead,” instead of completely dead. So it is that a “moderate” Iranian leader is “mostly fanatic,” as opposed to completely fanatic (thanks, Mahmoud). Does the moderate candidate (Moussavi) support Iran having a nuclear weapons program? Yes. Does he spout anti-Israel violent rhetoric? Yes. The main differences, for our purposes, is that Moussavi, had he been elected, may have proven more willing to discuss the possibility of renewed talks, dialogue, and relations with the West. The key word here is “mostly.”It has been reported that over 8 people have been killed so far in the protests. Iranians have a very long memory. My grandmother may recount to you an experience that she had in April 1965, or any other date. These people have now become martyrs in the eyes of the Iranian people, to the chagrin of the regime. No one knows this better than the real man in command, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who will address the nation on Friday and has just asked the ‘Guardian Council’ to review the final election results. The OSCE, it ain’t. The regime has banned all international coverage of the protests and election results. Why? It banned Facebook and Twitter. Ahmadinejad also has his share of supporters…they may clash more and more with those supporting Moussavi in the streets. Police have violently clashed with students at Tehran University…many will remember protests in 1979 at Tehran University SUPPORTING the mullahs (not me, I was not alive then, thank you). Moussavi has declared today a national day of mourning. If he makes it out of his public street speeches among hundreds of thousands (and a few sharpshooters) alive, I will drink to this “mostly fanatic” fanatic for having merely survived. And so we wait and watch with anticipation. Mostly likely, the protests will fizzle down, the West will condemn the election results, but something very important has occured...the wheels have been set into motion. What can the U.S. do to support Iranians seeking democracy? Will Israel sneak in a swift and clean attack of Iranian nuclear sites amidst the distraction of the domestic instability? If the protests continue and Iran finds itself with more dangerous political instability, a desperate regime would impact the entire region, perhaps even ordering proxies Hezbollah or Hamas to begin a new distracting war. But as mentioned, I am highly dubious of any notable regime change, including for individuals. People have been protesting all over the U.S. as well…Iranian Americans from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. I believe that at the end of the day, something snapped in the Iranian people last Friday, upon realizing that they may be faced with four more years of Ahmadinejad and even worse, 12% unemployment, 30% inflation, and nothing to show for their greatest natural resource…their youth…other than instability and misery for 30 years. In the end, the public outcry is more than “mostly” good. It’s phenomenal!

Thoughts?

Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish wrote in his blog posting "Neocons For Ahmadinejad":

"Danielle Pletka insists she doesn't want the coup to succeed, she's just making "a sad observation about reality." Now? As the revolt reaches a critical phase? Instead of waiting to see what might happen? Here she pronounces the resistance over:

'The uprising is little more than a symbolic protest, crushed by the elite
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.'

She could write that yesterday? Pletka is a hard-right neocon, very close to the Kagans, and a former aide to Jesse Helms. Her support for Ahmadinejad is the same as Daniel Pipes' and the Mossad's. What we're seeing is how much of the neocon agenda really was about freedom. I have long since stopped believing that, having observed them closely for the past few years. They are about warfare against Israel's perceived enemies, and extending US hegemony to eclipse any rival regional or global power. That is the prism through which you have to watch their every statement. But why is the New York Times giving a platform at this moment to people who got the Iraq war so terribly wrong? Are there no consequences for total neoconservative failure?"'

Actually...

"So far the only clear winner in this tangled morass is Twitter. And this is illusion. Aside from cute but trite quotes borrowed from historic soundbites like "The revolution will not be televised, it will be Tweeted," (and the annoying tendency to capitalize "Tweeted" (who capitalizes, who ever capitalized "televised"?) Twitter is not the revolutionaries' best friend. Even as I type this Iranian organizers are struggling with inauthentic messages from "the revolution" urging supporters to meetings organized by the secret police, wrestling with proxies to circumvent the secret police's internet blocking efforts, warning of "honey pot" proxies designed to lure in dissenters and record their IP address for later handling by non-cyber means, honing in on Twitter accounts with Iran locations in the profiles and generally using Twitter to spread disinformation. Unlike the anonymous flier, a political Tweet points right back to the Tweeter. Somewhere, someone has a long, long list of IPs to take a look at when (if) all this quiets down."

-Marla Singer

Democracy is...

As one of our assignments for PubD 504: Global Issues and Public Diplomacy, probably the most fun class in the Masters in Public Diplomacy program at USC, we were instructed to create of video submission for the US State Department DemocracyChallenge. My group and one other group in the class won the class "pre-challange." The winners got funding from our program director Nick Cull to actually produce the video and submit it for the challange. I couldn't participate because it was a "conflict of interest" due to my internship here. Anyway, the winners for the contest have been announced. Thought it would be cool to see which one's won. Check it out here.

"What I have witnessed"

A powerful note from a female medical student in Iran, translated from Farsi by a trusty reader.

Hello,

It's painful to watch what's happening.
I don't want anything to do with what has been said this far, as I neither have the strength nor the resilience to face all these unfathomable events.
I only want to speak about what I have witnessed. I am a medical student. There was chaos last night at the trauma section in one of our main hospitals. Although by decree, all riot-related injuries were supposed to be sent to military hospitals, all other hospitals were filled to the rim. Last night, nine people died at our hospital and another 28 had gunshot wounds. All hospital employees were crying till dawn. They (government) removed the dead bodies on back of trucks, before we were even able to get their names or other information. What can you even say to the people who don't even respect the dead. No one was allowed to speak to the wounded or get any information from them. This morning the faculty and the students protested by gathering at the lobby of the hospital where they were confronted by plain cloths anti-riot militia, who in turn closed off the hospital and imprisoned the staff. The extent of injuries are so grave, that despite being one of the most staffed emergency rooms, they've asked everyone to stay and help--I'm sure it will even be worst tonight.
What can anyone say in face of all these atrocities? What can you say to the family of the 13 year old boy who died from gunshots and whose dead body then disappeared?
This issue is not about cheating(election) anymore. This is not about stealing votes anymore. The issue is about a vast injustice inflected on the people. They've put a baton in the hand of every 13-14 year old to smash the faces of "the bunches who are less than dirt" (government is calling the people who are uprising dried-up torn and weeds) .
This is what sickens me from dealing with these issues. And from those who shut their eyes and close their ears and claim the riots are in opposition of the government and presidency!! No! The people's complaint is against the egregious injustices committed against the people.

Trafficking in Persons Report

I got to the grind early this morning due to the rollout of the 2009 Trafficking In Persons Report. I went to the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to pick up the reports and bring them back to the Foreign Press Center (FPC) to distribute to foreign media who were already waiting for the anticipated report. I spent the morning preparing for the Press Briefing that we hosted later that afternoon. The breifer was Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Director of the Trafficking in Persons Office who discussed the report as well as the "Three P's" that they rate countries on: Punishment, Protection, Prevention. He cited the ILO estimate that about 12.3 million people being held in bondage worldwide, of whom they estimated about 1.5 million are for sexual slavery, sexual servitude. He stated that about 25% of countries have not prosecuted any traffickers. He also emphasized that the term "trafficking" didn't just include sex trafficking, which several countries still fail to focus on. This includes debt bonded migrant workers, involuntary domestic servitude and child soldiers. Ambassador CdeBaca stressed that while protecting citizens is the states job, working with civil society and others is critical because often NGOs reach victems in zones the government does not have access to. The report outlined 8 "2009 TIP Report Heroes," people who stood out in the battle against trafficking from across the world and were recognized by Secretary Clinton today.

"Inacio Sebastiao Mussanhane, a Mozambican lawyer, was studying in South Africa
when he heard overheard men talking about high end call girls available in Pretoria. In 2008, he met 3 of the sex slaves of a powerful organized network that lures young girls from Mozambique for sexual exploitation. Posing as a client, Mussanhane went to the brothel and gained the confidence of the girls. Despite attempts by the criminal gang to bribe him, threaten his life, and kidnap him, Mr. Mussanhane began to work closely with the South African police, a local trafficking shelter, the Mozambican embassy, and the South African Ministry of Justice. Police freed the
girls and arrested the network’s organizer. The case went to court in October
2008 and is ongoing. Throughout the case, Mr. Mussanhane has been educating the
Mozambican and South African governments, police, and courts on the nature of
human trafficking. He continues to risk his life to protect the Mozambican
girls, ensure the prosecution of the perpetrators, bring international attention
to the issue, and disrupt a profitable multinational criminal organization."

He also talked about the effects of the current economic crisis on workers, especially foreign guest workers, which become particularly vulnerable "because of the way in which recruitment is often – is too often done, we see a problem in the guest worker programs both abroad and here in the United States, and a number of the tier rankings are affected by countries having large guest worker programs that do not have any safeguards built into them."

Two of the Heroes joined Ambassador in CdeBaca for the briefing, Vera Lesko from Albania and Mariliana Morales Berríos, from Costa Rica. They told their stories of how important their work is and the challanges they have in their home countries. Both spoke of either corruption or neglect in their governments regarding trafficking. Columbia moved up to Tier 1 and Albania is now a Tier 2 country after being a Tier 3 for many years. The Ambassador talked about the consequences for countries who are on the 3rd tier or continue to be on the 2nd tier. Apparenlty, those on tier 2 for 2 years in a row are bumped to tier 3, and those on tier 3 are sanctioned by the U.S.

"There are a few very positive countries that I’d like to single out. I can’t talk about Nigeria enough, actually. It's a country that within five years has gone from Tier 2 Watch List on the cusp of Tier 3, and because of political will, because of some talented detectives, because of a willingness to work with NGOs and actually do cases, has seen an upward trend in their prosecutions, has seen an improvement on how they treat victims, and as a result is a welcome addition to the list of Tier 1 countries."

I suggest everyone at least read the Victims' Stories of the report. Sad stuff.
Coincidentally, I watched the documentary Born Into Brothels last night. Sad and interesting film about a women who gives camaras to children born to prostitutes in red light district of Calcutta. The film can be watched here. I suggest it if this topic interests you and especially if you don't realize how bad a problem it is.

New Iranian Revolution?

"Forget CNN or any of the major American "news" networks," says The Nation's Ari Berman, "If you want to get the latest on the opposition protests in Iran, you should be reading blogs, watching YouTube or following Twitter updates from Tehran, minute-by-minute." And there are some crazy things out there covering Iran's disputed election.

"119 members of Tehran University faculty have resigned en-masse as a protest to
the attack on Tehran University dorms last night. Among them is Dr
Jabbedar-Maralani, who is known as the father of Iranian electronic engineering.
They have asked for the resignation of Farhad Rahbari the appointed president of
Tehran University, for his incompetence in defending the University's dignity
and student lives."

Here's some I've been following;

Nico Pitney

http://twitter.com/smileofcrash

http://twitter.com/StopAhmadi

http://twitter.com/IranElection09

http://twitter.com/Shahrzadmo

Youtube of the rally: http://Bit.ly/exprally
Tweets from people near Tehran: http://Bit.ly/expiran

Elections in Iran

I am listening to the news coming in about today's Iranian elections and hearing contradicting reports about incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his reformist challenger, Mir Hussein Moussavi.. this is making me nervous. I am really hoping that Moussavi wins even though I do realize the Supreme Leader runs things and probably not a whole lot will change. Maybe I am being naive about it mattering who wins. I just get the feeling it would be a good sign for future Iran-US relations. It's too soon to tell for sure, most likely we won't know for sure til after the weekend. It seems Iranian youth have rocked the vote, which is great. Though, it's hard to tell how free and fair the elections actually are. I don't know why I am so anxious about this. Anyway, an Iranian friend of mine sent me this short interview with Mr. Mosavi with Al Jazeera English for anyone interested.

CNAS, Petraeus and my first encounter with Under Secretary for PD McHale

Today my colleagues invited me to the Center for a New American Security’s third annual conference, “Striking a Balance: A New American Security”. The conference was at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, which- as I learned- was where "Lobbyists" got their name by lingering in the lobby of the Willard Hotel during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. The conference offered recommendations on how to strike a balance between immediate and long-term national security challenges facing the United States, including topics such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The agenda consisted many interesting speakers, including General Petraeus, whose remarks can be read here. The panel entitled "Triage: The Next 12 Months in Afghanistan and Pakistan" was very insightful. It talked of the need for a population centric approach to our actions there needed to be instated. Also, according to the recommendations presented at the panel, it must be remembered that Afghanistan is not Iraq. The report also stressed the importance of measuring progress not in terms of enemies killed but rather in #s of civilians shielded. One of the panelists, Andrew J. Bacevich, a Professor of International Relations and History at Boston University, said a minimalist approach should be taken in Afghanistan. He proposed that the US should build schools, build security measures, and fight corruption and crime in Mexico but added that anyone who suggest this is laughed at, while anyone who suggests such in Afghanistan is held as a savior. He concluded that as long as the US maintains moderate defenses, Al Qeada "in their caves, only pose a moderate threat." This was obviously a heretical statement, but the audience audience of Generals, military, research analysts, and scholars applauded his ideas. Another speaker, a General in the Army, stated that Afghans are more frustrated with US incompetence than their presence in their country.

An interesting anecdote;
A TV producer bought the rights to broadcast the American TV show "24" in Afghanistan. An army solider explained that in the show all the villains were Muslim. The Muslim producer said that he polled Afghans and apparently no one cared as long as they weren't Afghans.

The highlight of the conference for me was the keynote speaker, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale. She talked of how governments normally inclined to support US policies back away if their publics don't trust the US. She stressed how public diplomacy can help in these situations. She also talked about how PD cannot be seen as only wearing combat boots. There also needs to be a civilian force. She noted that sufficient financial resources are not available from the State Department and stressed her full commitment to reaching out to other departments for resources. She spoke of how enhanced PD is a key part of Presidential strategy in the Middle East, including providing a platform for moderate Muslims in the region. Her full transcript can be found here.

To Do's on Day Two

My office asked me for a good web resource that showcased public diplomacy tools that could be used by the Foreign Press Office. I referred them to the USC Center on Public Diplomacy website since, of all the web searches and online research I have done, is the most comprehensive site of its kind out there. The site has events, blogs, research, reports, media monitors, book reviews, etc. I also referred them to PD Corp a new Facebook resource for any one interested in PD tools, resources and networking. I am proud to be part of both these organizations and encourage any one who wants to know more to visit their sites.

My first day at the Foreign Press Center

So my first day and the Foreign Press Center (FPC) in Washington, D.C. has been as exciting as hoped. After getting my cubicle set up and all that good stuff, I sat in on a briefing by Tom Korologos, former U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Strategic Advisor at DLA Piper. He spoke to foreign press about the Senate confirmation process from his experience as one of Washington’s most experienced and prominent political advisers.

Then I joined my first FPC staff meeting in which we discussed upcoming briefings, press tours and events. My job over the next few months will be to assist in such tours and briefings which this department organizes for foreign media. I am very excited because I already see where my public diplomacy training will come in and it will be great to use what I have learned at school. I then sat in on a press tour meeting to help plan an upcoming event which will be announced soon.

This first day went by pretty quickly, I am excited to be here. My new colleagues, which consists of foreign service officers and civil service officers as well as producers and film people, are all very welcoming and ensure me I will have plenty of "real" and interesting work to do. It's good to know that it won't be all getting coffee and making copies. The worst part is trying to figure out what they heck everyone is talking about with all the acronyms they use here. But people are happy to explain things to me so that's nice. The USC Master's in Public Diplomacy program is well known here so I am in good company. It's refreshing not to have to explain what PD is and be surrounded by those who speak the language.

The State Intern program in general has set up several events each week for interns to attend pending their office work allows it. Such events include brown bag lunches with diplomats and other experts in the department, and tours of places like the White House and the Supreme Court. My supervisors have encourage me to attend the events I am interested in and also let them know if there are others that they can help set up for me or let me tag along with them. I am very excited! Keep following to hear more. I got approval to blog much of what I am doing so I'll try to keep up with all my exciting events.

US wants to play friendly with Iran

Ah.. another one for sports diplomacy. ... according to CBS, Ali Kafashian, Iran's Football Federation chief said he received a proposal from his U.S. counterparts to play a friendly game of football (or soccer- for you Americans) in Tehran later this year. Apparently, he is considering the offer.

"It wouldn't be the first time that sport has cut through the nearly 30-year diplomatic freeze. Weightlifters, basketball players and other athletes have taken part in exchanges between the two countries in recent years.

A new chapter..

So I have really neglected this blog bc I figured, I'm back from my adventures in Israel and Palestine, so I don't really have anything to write about. However, I think I am wrong. The first year of my public diplomacy program was really interesting and now I am embarking on another exciting adventure at the State Department in the Foreign Press Office. So, anyone interested in my experience there please feel free to read, comment and such. I will share as much as I am allowed divulge in all the State Department secrecy.

Apologies from California: Wow, did we ever botch the gay marriage thing! Sorry, world

I just had to repost this article by Mark Morford bc it is so fabulous and funny and.. well.. true.

This article really speaks to me in many ways but it reminds me most of a conversation I had with a group of Arab visitors we had to the USC Master's of Public Diplomacy program last week. These visitors are cast members of the 2nd season of a Arab reality TV show called On the Road in America in which young Arabs come to the US and go on a road trip across the country. They started in LA and came to talk with us about Public Diplomacy. A group of the USC MPD students talked with them for what should be the first episode of the season. (My Arab TV debut) The MPD director Nick Cull was telling the visitors how the rest of the US views California as a bunch of liberal freaks with men sleeping with men and women sleeping with women.. which is pretty true. I feel this is the role we play for the country and this article attests to just that. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like a fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'"
-Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Apologies from California

Wow, did we ever botch the gay marriage thing! Sorry, world