What's Going On in Iran?

The political and geopolitical context, and what we can do

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I’m no geopolitical expert, but have found a few that I’ve come to trust.

One of those people is Iranian Professor Marandi, and he’s had a number of interviews since Israel bombed Iran today, June 13th. You can listen to them here, here, here, here, and here. They were hard to find on youtube, and it appears that they are being scrubbed from that platform.

Some of the important points he made were that the USA hasn’t been negotiating for peace with Iran in good faith, since Trump was aware of the attack and the USA provided the weapons used to carry it out. Also there is a lot of false information on the internet about what happened including AI generated imagery, and Iran is expected to retaliate massively. I hope you’ll check some of them out, since he gives a lot of nuanced information and insights.

Rachel Blevin’s interview with Brian Berletic was also very interesting. Mr. Berletic is one of the few people who has consistently been able to predict what the west was going to do, and he’s not a psychic. He gets his information from a well documented strategy from the Brookings Institution from 2009 that both the Republicans and Democrats have been following. It outlines the wars they wanted to wage on countries in South East Asia, and in Russia and China, in order to advance American hegemony. It gets very detailed, outlining specific strategies such as Americans pretending to negotiate peace with Iran in good faith, and then accusing Iran of non-cooperation, before Israel bombs them. That report can be found here, and I will be studying it closely to see what comes next.

So what can ordinary people like us do?

To make good decisions, it’s vital that we base them on correct information. Western countries are considered to be the most propagandized in the world. So it’s essential that we do all we can to make sure we get our news from trustworthy sources. Here are some sources I trust, and I know there are many more.

But, please, if your media sources have lied to you before — if, for example, they convinced you that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, or that invading Afghanistan was going to give women rights — don’t believe them now. These are the same people who will tell you that Russia’s attack on Ukraine was unprovoked, that Iran didn’t negotiate in good faith, and that China is a threat to the west.

If your sources are trying to convince you that Israel isn’t committing genocide in Gaza, they’re not trustworthy. And if you believe it’s not genocide, I encourage you to look more deeply into this issue. What will you tell your kids and grandkids in ten years from now when they ask you what you did to stop it? I would be ashamed to tell them that I got sucked into fake news and did nothing.

And let’s overlay this with what is happening in western countries. Over the past decades we’ve had austerity measures that have led to homelessness, increased unaffordability and a tattered social safety net. Much of this has been caused by increased privatization, which funnels money to the very wealthy, and increased military spending which also benefits that group, while causing needless death and destruction in other countries.

With the support of news sources, social media, Hollywood and video games, this has led to an increase in far right movements that also benefit those profiting from our neoliberal economies. How? They deflect the blame from the system that impoverishes us and places it on immigrants, people of colour, women and other groups.

And the increase in military spending and resulting wars does enormous damage to our physical environment. As an example, here’s the environmental damage Israel’s assault on Gaza has caused, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. When you consider all the other military operations going on in the world, we realize that the damage it causes is astronomical.

When we look at the arrests and deportations of immigrants by ICE agents in the USA, the targeting, killing and harassing of journalists and the general heavy handedness of western governments, we can see that our democratic rights are being violated.

It’s important to connect the dots between what’s happening in our countries and what our countries are doing to the rest of the world. The leaders we are supposed to respect don’t care about our interests, the environment, or relationships with other countries. The genocide in Gaza has exposed their motives, and they have nothing to do with human rights, democracy or the welfare of the people they govern. It’s a colonialist land grab. I recently read an article about Ukraine being the birthplace of Zionism. It’s interesting that both Israel and Ukraine can be seen as proxy wars for the west, and that many consider their current governments to be fascist. There are lots of dots to connect when you start noticing them.

We are in a global class war. We have more in common with ordinary people around the world than we do with the leaders of western countries. Our leaders’ interests are not our interests, and they don’t represent us. And most people around the world want to live in peace and have a decent standard of living.

There are a few things we can do, and the first is to stay well informed, and not fall for the propaganda we’re constantly exposed to. Here again are some news sources I trust.

Locally, we can support each other and our communities through whatever comes next, whether its environmental emergencies or political turmoil. We can create informal gift economies and support networks. We can boycott, join co-ops and credit unions and write letters to the editor, sign petitions, or post online. We can join with others to make our voices heard, and amplify the counter narrative.

We can familiarize ourselves with the report Brian Berletic shared and heighten the next steps laid out. If enough of us reveal western strategies before they’re implemented, it will take the wind out of NATO’s sails, might force them to change strategies, and will give the accurate narrative credibility. What would have happened if, before Israel’s attack on Iran, a chorus of voices said “So now is the USA going to pretend to negotiate peace, and then back Israel as it attacks Iran with American made weapons?”Could this attack have prevented it? We should try it with the next step and see what happens.

We can also wear symbols of resistance to make our support visible and let others know they’re not alone. Pins, keffiyehs, watermelon themed clothing, peace signs — they all convey an important message.

And, if we’re able, we can join a march to Gaza, or in support of Gaza. Here’s an interesting and inspiring interview with an organizer of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign. So let’s get to a march, or hop on a boat and head to Gaza with food and aid.

This is a historic moment. It is a make or break time, and we have to use our collective power to get this right.

We have the resources, money and knowledge for everyone to live in an absolute paradise. But in order for that vision to be realized, we need to stop the genocide in Gaza, stop the senseless wars, get our facts straight and do all we can to change the direction of our economies and governments.

It’s up to all of us, and we owe it to our ancestors and future generations to change course for the better.

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I love the BDS campaign and the effect it’s having on Israel’s economy.

Here's an excellent list of products from Israel: https://boycott.thewitness.news/browse/1

Here's a way to help others not in your bubble to boycott Israel: https://www.cjpme.org/stickies_2024_en

And here's where you can support Palestine by buying a keffiyeh: https://www.hirbawi.ps/