Iran 1, Netanyahu and Trump 0
The Israelis and Trump have miscalculated in carrying out this murder. The assassination of Dr. Fakhrizadeh was a really boneheaded, stupid stunt. The crime was undoubtedly conducted by Israel with the complicity of the United States. This assassination will not slow Iran's nuclear program (which by the way, is completely legal under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty--the NPT). It was a symbolic execution pure and simple. It was also designed to make it more difficult for President-elect Biden to negotiate with Iran. It was a failure on both counts. Whereas Dr. Fakrizadeh was historically important as a nuclear scientist, the Iranian nuclear program is by no means crippled by this. Iran has a large coterie of nuclear scientists and a robust infrastructure. Eliminating one person, no matter how "important" will not stop it. Second, rather than retaliate with some kind of military attack, the Iranians merely pushed the hot button they know will work--increasing their absolutely legal enrichment of uranium. Yes, the enriched uranium stockpiles exceed the limits specified in the JCPOA, an agreement (not a treaty) to assure that Iran would adhere to the NPT, which they still are doing. We should remind ourselves, that Trump withdrew from the agreement, The Europeans have also not been able to independently maintain the provisions of the agreement. The United States has not been attacked. Biden will be able to return to the JCPOA.Wednesday, December 02, 2020
Monday, November 09, 2020
William O. Beeman--The US election has created a lot of ambiguity--Interview with Iranian Mehr News Agency
The University of Minnesota professor said in an
interview with Mehr;
The US election has created a lot of ambiguity
A professor at the University of Minnesota believes that the 2020
US presidential election has created a lot of ambiguity in the country and
there is a possibility that post-election unrest will spread.
Mehr News Agency , International Group - Amir Mohammad Ismaili: The
recent US election has been marked by many ups and downs, and while both
candidates consider themselves the winners of the presidency, the media is
reporting on Joe Biden's victory. This is
despite the fact that Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed election fraud and
theft of popular votes.
On the other hand, tensions, conflicts and unrest have occurred
in the United States following the escalation, which has further increased the
likelihood of internal riots. We
spoke with Professor William Beiman to investigate the scale and nature of the
unrest.
Professor William Bayman is Professor and Head of the Department
of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, USA. He is a
well-known international researcher on the Middle East and the Islamic world,
especially Iran, the Persian Gulf region and Central Asia. Bimen
also chaired the Middle East Division of the American Anthropological Society
from 2005 to 2008. The
text of the conversation is as follows:
How do you assess the current turbulent situation
in the United States?
Joe Biden has already won enough electoral votes (in the complex
process of our election) and can be called President. Trump
is trying to challenge the election in court, but it can almost be said that he
will not win. This
weekend we will see if there is a strong public reaction from Trump supporters
or not, but for now we have seen some reactions.
Joe Biden won the most popular votes in history and received
more than 74 million votes. This
removes many ambiguities about the future of the United States, but leaves many
ambiguities unanswered.
* Some
experts believe that the United States is on the verge of internal unrest and
insurgency. what is
your opinion?
Riots can still happen, but no real riots have taken place since
Tuesday's election. Trump
supporters have tried to protest the vote count. They
are protesting against the millions of votes sent by mail instead of in person.
How long does it usually take for challenged
votes to be approved?
It takes about two weeks or more to approve these votes. During this time, Trump supporters may be
trying to create unrest, so we have to wait and see how things go.
Q: How do you think the political and security
structure of the United States will react to any possible unrest?
The United States has unusual restrictions on the use of the
military. The
National Army (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard) is legally barred
from interfering in internal affairs unless requested to do so by state
governments. Each
state has a section of the National Guard that can be mobilized by state
governors; Therefore,
any military intervention is in the hands of the state governors, not the
president. There
are also local police, police stations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
that can only intervene in federal crimes. Trump
may try to enlist in the military, but he will not succeed.
News ID 5066542
Professor William Beeman: Biden could lift Trump's sanctions on Iran immediately
https://www.tahlilbazaar.com/news/52777/Professor-William-Beeman-Biden-could-lift-Trump-s-sanctions
Professor William
Beeman: Biden could lift Trump's sanctions on Iran immediately
TEHRAN(Bazaar) – William O. Beeman,
Professor Emeritus of University of Minnesota, says If the United States
returns to the JCPOA they will have to also lift the sanctions relief specified
in the JCPOA.
In an interview with the Bazaar, Beeman also says, “There must be talks about
whether the U.S. will return to the JCPOA or not in advance of this.”
Following is the text of
the interview:
Bazaar: Joe Biden, in an
article published on CNN, presented a three-stage policy against Iran.
Accordingly, he presented the three phases of nuclear talks, regional issues,
the missile issue and human rights under one package. The important issue here
is timing. That is, whether Biden considers the nuclear issue independent or
links it to missile and regional issues. If such a connection is made, the
probability of reaching an agreement with Iran is close to zero. On this basis,
it is argued that he may seek to consider each issue separately and
independently in possible negotiations with Iran. What is your assessment of
Biden's policy toward Iran?
Beeman: We can't know
exactly what Joe Biden will do. But it will have to be a political calculation.
He can't just reverse Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA without creating an
issue that Republicans will use against him. Therefore if he does anything with
regard to Iran, he must show that he has “improved” on the agreement. If I were
advising him, I would suggest that he condition returning to the JCPOA and
eliminating sanctions on Iran firmly agreeing to additional talks on the other
two issues. But he hasn't asked me. Nevertheless that would be, I believe, the
safest course for him politically.
Bazaar: Biden has
repeatedly spoken of returning to the JCPOA during his election campaigns. But
there has been no talk of lifting sanctions on Iran. What is the reason for
this, and will it lift nuclear sanctions in return for Iran's return from
reducing its JCPOA commitments?
Beeman: If the United
States returns to the JCPOA they will have to also lift the sanctions relief
specified in the JCPOA. So there must be talks about whether the U.S. will
return to the JCPOA or not in advance of this. There were additional sanctions
imposed by Trump after the U.S. withdrawal. Biden could lift those immediately.
If I were in his position, I would claim that the additional sanctions were not
achieving anything, and that they created a humanitarian crisis in Iran and in
the region, so lifting them would be a wise move.
Bazaar: The Democratic
Party announced in a statement during the presidential election campaign that
it would no longer pursue a policy of regime change in Iran. Is this policy
still pursued when Biden came to power or was it just a propaganda issue?
Beeman: Yes. The policy of
regime change has been a part of the Republican Party platform since George W.
Bush. I believe the Democratic Party should stick to their promise and
specifically abandon this policy.
Bazaar: In general, what
changes will Biden's Middle East policy have compared to Trump?
Beeman: There may be more
pressure on Israel to abandon the settlements. There will be a movement away
from MBS and the Saudi Arabian regime. The United States has military
facilities in Qatar and Bahrain, and there will be continued efforts to protect
them. The United States will also likely continue withdrawal from Iraq.
۱۹ آبان ۱۳۹۹ - ۰۹:۴۳
Wednesday, October 07, 2020
William O. Beeman: Europeans have to deal with U.S if Trump re-elected
| 9:34 AM (3 hours ago) |  | ||
| ||||
https://www.ilna.news/Section-
Europeans have to deal with U.S if Trump re-elected; Expert
The United States has threatened to punish any nation that uses dollars or dollar transfers to aid Iran," an American scholar whose specialty is the Middle East told ILNA.
William Beeman who is professor of anthropology at the University of Minnesota talked about the U.S Presidential election and the results of that election to the international community. He says “Everyone is waiting for the U.S. presidential elections before taking definitive action.” Adding that if Trump wins, European has to find some way to deal with him. Right now the JCPOA is in stasis, and it could stay that way, but it would be rendered useless.
Below is Beeman's interview with ILNA news agency:
Q: Can US diplomacy head off conflict between the US and Iran?
A: There are many things that can lead to war, but not these futile "Snapback actions" on the part of the United States. These have been completely rejected by every other nation, and the UN has ruled that the United States cannot make them incumbent on other nations, because Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA. So the United State has failed in trying to enact these actions. Additionally, the United States had already sanctioned everything possible in Iran, so there was no room for Trump to do more.
Q: Europe has not fulfilled its obligations of JCPOA. Why did this happen?
A: The Europeans would like to fulfill their obligations, but they are hamstrung by the United States because of the dominance of the U.S. Dollar in international trade. The United States has threatened to punish any nation that uses dollars or dollar transfers to aid Iran. The Europeans tried to create another financial transfer system to bypass the U.S. restrictions, and it was implemented, but it was so minuscule that it had no effect. Russia and China are also trying to develop alternative transfer systems that would bypass the dollar.
Q: EU Chief reaffirms commitment to keep JCPOA alive. Will the EU Keep the JCPOA Alive?
A: It is still alive, and if Biden is elected, it will be available to be renewed. Everyone is waiting for the U.S. presidential elections before taking definitive action. The United States has done all it can, and has been rebuffed by the International Community.
Q: Some believe that with Trump's victory, we will see Europe turn to the United States and destroy JCPOA. What is your opinion?
A: If Trump wins, this might happen, but only because four more years of intransigence on the JCPOA will render it effectively ineffective. If Trump wins, Europeans will have to find some way to deal with him. Right now the JCPOA is in stasis, and it could stay that way, but it would be rendered useless.
What people continually forget is that Iran and all other nations (except Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea and South Sudan) are bound by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which is a real treaty, not just an "agreement" like the JCPOA. Iran is in full compliance with the NPT, and so Iran cannot proceed to any kind of nuclear weapons development without withdrawing from the NPT. This has been talked about in Iran, but I don't see it happening.
Foreign Minister Zarif has just laid out a set of conditions for Iran to return to discussions with the U.S. over the JCPOA. If Biden wins he will have a similar set, and discussions could begin again. If Trump wins, nothing will happen.
Q: Is Donald Trump going to win the US election?
A: At present he is losing. The question remains whether he would leave office if he lost, or would try to retain power through some kind of coup. We are worried about this in the United States. Our strange election system makes it possible for Trump to win the election even if he loses the popular vote. So the calculus of voting is very complex, usually coming down to the vote in a very few selected states where the vote will be close. Those are the states to watch.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Trump's utter and complete incompetence
Trump is incompetent. Period.
We elect presidents to lead our nation, to protect us, and to solve national dilemmas. It is perhaps bad luck that presidents encounter disasters, wars, economic collapse, disease and other dangers to the nation. But presidents are supposed to have the skill and experience to extricate the nation from these terrible events.
Trump is simply incapable of managing this task. The nation chose badly. We chose someone who was a bomb-thrower, a huckster, and first and foremost, someone who put his own personal interests above the needs and concerns of the nation.
What is worse, Trump dithers and shuck-and-jives his way through this terrible mess by claiming that no one could do better, asserting loudly that he is superior to any alternative, present or past, as if these empty proclamations actually solve our national dilemma. It is such a juvenile strategy, it defies imagination, and drives me and others to weep in rage that such a ridiculous person holds our fate in his hands.
I'm certain that anyone else could have done a better job in the current crisis. I am certain that Hillary Clinton would have put all chicanery and personal interests aside to do what was effective. I even believe that Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, or John Kaisich to name a few competent Republicans would have had better control.
We will be generations trying to clean up Trump's complete mess. He has blown his presidency, and God help us if he is given four more years of chaos
https://nyti.ms/2VL0nS1#permid=106612171
https://nyti.ms/2VL0nS1#permid=106612171
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