______ Extends Emergency Laws

Can you fill in the blank? ______ “has extended controversial emergency laws giving the security forces broad powers to arrest and detain people without charge. Parliament agreed another two years of the legislation on Sunday. ” “But opposition groups said the law failed to combat terrorism and was used to violate the rights of [citizens].” …

Excellent Iran resource

The BBC has posted an excellent resource on their website. It’s a map of Iran which details it’s population, ethnicity, major cities, and infrastructure including roads, nuclear sites, and oil and gas fields. Go check it out. (Broadband connection required… or it may be slow). And remember… “Persian” is not the same as “Arab”. Also… …

Assessing the Iranian Threat

Last week, the prospect of a showdown with Iran at the United Nations Security Council seemed inevitable. This week, the rhetoric has been toned down somewhat, and today the Chinese delegation expressed it’s support for a possible Russian solution to Irans nuclear problem. All that said, there still seems to be plenty of talk about …