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In Brief... World News ReviewContributors: Cecil Maranville and Ken AulettaIran Opts for Hardliner In June, Iran elected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be its new president. Largely unknown outside Iran (reportedly, he has never even traveled outside the country), he's being called "an ultra-conservative." The White House immediately expressed its skepticism about the honesty of the election. Spokesman Scott McClellan also relayed Washington's doubts that Britain, France and Germany would be able to succeed in dissuading Iran from its pursuit of nuclear weapons technology. Prime Minister Blair promised to continue a firm approach with Tehran. For its part, Tehran tried to allay international concerns following Ahmadinejad's election. Who is he? Why do Western nations look on him as a hardliner? He is a 49-year-old man of humble beginnings, the son of a blacksmith. His commitment to the Islamic cause began with his university days when he was drawn to the Khomeini revolution against the shah. He was the university student's representative in the OSU, an organization set up by Khomeini's principal confidant to organize Islamic students. "The OSU played a major role in the seizure of the U.S. Embassy and its diplomats in Iran in November 1979," reported UPI's Claude Salhani in "Analysis: Who Is Ahmadinejad?" published June 27, 2005. The hostages were held for 444 days. As we go to press, a story is breaking on the possibility that Ahmadinejad was one of the hostage takers, if not one of the leaders. Former hostage Charles Scott, 73, told The Washington Times, "The new president of Iran is a terrorist" (Joyce Howard Price and David R. Sands, "Iran Leader Linked to '79 Embassy Crisis," June 30, 2005). Salhani said Ahmadinejad assisted Khomeini in cracking down on universities, purging dissident lecturers and students, many of whom were arrested and later executed. Ahmadinejad then worked in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corp's Internal Security, where he "earned notoriety as a ruthless interrogator and torturer." In 1986, as a senior officer in the Revolutionary Guards' headquarters in western Iran, he planned and oversaw terrorist operations in other countries. "He was, according to Iranian opposition sources, the mastermind of many assassinations in the Middle East and Europe, including the assassination of Iranian Kurdish leader Abdorrahman Qassemlou, who was shot dead by senior officers of the Revolutionary Guards in a Vienna apartment in July, 1989. This claim was confirmed to United Press International by Western intelligence sources" (Salhani). Then he was twice appointed mayor of towns in northwestern Iran, and the minister of Islamic Culture and Guidance made him his cultural advisor. The minister had been a fellow officer in the Revolutionary Guards. Ahmadinejad was also appointed, not elected, to his most recent responsibility as mayor of Tehran. His Islamic superiors have commended him for handling the job "efficiently." Even if the presidential election was not manipulated by Iran's hardline clerical leaders - many believe that they did - they can still overrule any presidential or parliamentary decision. For a detailed report of Iran's tangled web of bureaucracy, see "Keep Your Eyes on Iran" in our July 2004 issue (www.ucg.org/wnp/wnp0407/eyesoniran.htm). The prospects are indeed dim for an agreement on the nuclear issue that would be satisfactory to the international community. Tehran appears to be resolutely committed to developing nuclear weapons. India Moving Toward China? While the rise of China as an economic power is beginning to be noticed in the West, another rapidly emerging power, India, has been quietly making moves toward a constructive partnership with its old enemy Beijing. Could an alliance between these two "Nuclear Club" nations become a lasting reality? What would be the economic and military results of such an alliance? What makes this such an astonishing development is that China and India have had a recent history of military conflicts, starting in 1962 and 1967, with numerous skirmishes into the 1990s over ownership of the borderland. China's armament of Pakistan (which India believes gave Pakistan its nuclear weapons capability) as well as India becoming a military client of the old Soviet Union (a rival of China) were great sources of distrust and fear between the two nations. China had also backed Pakistan during India's wars with Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir territory, while India allowed the Tibetan government-in-exile to exist there, much to China's consternation. But in 1999 China declared itself neutral in the Kashmir dispute, making an important gesture to India. And since 2003 India has reciprocated by turning over new Tibetan refuge seekers and escapees to the Chinese government. These and other diplomatic efforts have allowed India and China to become important business partners. "It is in this context that the interactions between India and China have resulted in increasing mutual trust making India the largest trading partner of China from South Asia since 1993," said Indian political commentator, Dr. Swaran Singh (in.rediff.com/news/2002/oct/28chin.htm). Both India and China supply cheap labor to U.S. companies seeking to outsource their production and customer service. An economic alliance could have powerful effects on the markets. China, in particular, is flooding the United States with inexpensive goods, much to the long-term detriment of the U.S. economy. Militarily, China has the largest active-duty army in the world. The United States is second, but India is third, and also has the world's seventh-largest navy. An Indian alliance with China would make them the undisputed superpower in Asia! One reason for this shift in alliances can be attributed to the post-9/11 world and the radical Islamic revolution. Both countries have large Muslim minorities. Another is that China has as its goal to overtake the United States as the world's superpower, and cooperation with India would further that objective. Bible prophecy warns of a future great army of 200 million (Revelation 9:13-16). Could this be the beginning of that enormous military buildup? Sources: Rediff.com (Mumbai, India); Asia Times Online (Hong Kong). |
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Origin of article "World News Review July 2005"
Keywords: Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud Iran China India
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