kactus

Well have to admit I was quite surprised to see the Germans defeated by Mexico!! Apparently, there were reports of mini earthquake in Mexico after the match! Was pretty impressed by the belgians today playing Panama. Last I heard was that the russian authorities will stop sales of alcohol during this match (quite rightly so) With all due respect to english football supporters but some of their football fans have a terrible record of turning into animals after a few pints of beer... Prediction: England may just pull a win against Tunisia.

Indeed...Unfortunately, they are incapable to differentiate sports players from politicians.... Ordinarily, Nike would offer their products to sportsmen from other countries free as a promotion. Iranian football players have to buy their own trainers. It is also very difficult for Iranian fans to purchase football shirt of their favourite player as it is not standard. Interestingly, Nike slogans in black and white writing that usually comes up with slogan: "Just do it" has been slightly modified now

Inclined to say Germany due to their technical abilities and perseverance in delivering in every game. Also fancy Spain as second favorites for playing exciting games.

Great news on Canada! Well done Trudeau! He does get a lot of criticism here but his humility and care is commendable... Although getting the sneaky brits on board to cut ties with mullahs is a big challenge. UK has akways had an “island mentality” which explains why Brexit is happening and is s complete mess...This closed mentality is never forthright with expressing anger/ emotions and their love of mullahs shows the their true colours. Same for the french government. Biggest hypocrite and ass kissers imo...

Yes....A very powerful and invincible one too. Yes, it would appear that might is right is exactly the right argument when talking about a country that has the world's second largest economy and world's third strongest army! Agreed....I buy Chinese stuff too. They are cheap and don't last me long... If by definition singling out one tyrannical country for trade sanctions you are referring to Iran then the comparison does become arbitrary. Iran is not China! Neither economically nor militarily...However, the mullahs have left a legacy of tyranny in that country just like communism in China. For the West it is easier to apply the trade sanction on a country like Iran rather than China. Heck, the western countries do not even have consensus on Iranian nuclear deal as was evident by US unilaterally pulling out of the deal. The French are like prostitutes and literally open their leg for anyone that offers them a business deal and the Brits...well they are desperate for business with anyone post Brexit whether it is China, Iran or Saudi Arabia, etc, How do you expect these countries to take the moral high ground and condemn China for its past as it "remains an awful place for dissidents" when there are huuuuge business opportunities for europeans that could be lost??

I think it would be a gross misrepresentation if you are suggesting I am not acknowledging the crimes committed by one country...Afterall, I did point out the past history of China.... Whilst I agree with you on the assertion that buying stuff from China is supporting an awful regime I think your view stems just from an academic standpoint and has no real bearings in realpolitik. The reason is China is just too powerful for many western countries to stop business. Infact they are quite happy to overlook the poor human rights atrocities of China for the sake of business. It’s the same reason that some western countries support certain awful regimes in Iran for money!!! Look, we can argue over semantics and disapprove the past crimes of a country. The reality is it will never stop certain western countries to deal with China. Especially now with the prospects of Brexit looming in UK the brits and others are ever more dependent on chinese goods....(Just look up some of the biggest nuclear installations projects the chinese are implementing in UK)

Regardless of the past history and the mass killings by Mao and the likes the reality is very different today in China! China today is the second largest economy with a GDP surpassing the GDP of many those “acclaimed countries” that speak of democracy in the West and are the biggest hypocrites.... I think the point of reference by Citizen was to those countries like Iran that used to flourish under Shah and now has been following a backward trend. China despite her communist history has followed a path to growth, encouraging business and investments. Whilst Iran’s leaders have followed a path of destruction and misery by taking Iranians hostage. Problem lies with countries like UK that by doing business with Iran is like the blood vessel for the survival of mullahs. All this at the expense of indiginious population at large. Bunch of fucking hypocrites is the british government that has long ensued the policy of destabilising the countey for their own benefits....

Theresa May will take a hard look at whoever offers UK the best deal post Brexit. It’s all about money.... Today the Iranian courts have resurrected a charge against Nazanin Radcliffe a British/Iranian female held captive in Iran since 2016. She is alleged to have been kept in prison on the basis of espionage to help overthrow the regime (thanks to inept intervention of Boris Johnson who uttered in the house of commons that she is training journalists...) The UK government so far has remained mute on what to do after the announcement by the court today. Given that Theresa May held a telephone conversation with her Iranian counterpart president Hassan Rouhani it is unlikely that she wants to piss off the Iranian government over this matter and where doing “business as usual” with Iran takes precedence....

I read this piece today: President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was working directly with God, “as well as with several of His best right-wing pastors,” to hasten the “end-times” events prophesied in the Bible. The apocalyptic prophecy, popular with white evangelical Christians who also happen to be the president’s base, states that the world will turn black with evil, people will descend into a swamp of immorality and violence, and the boastful, arrogant, and unholy will reign. At that point, Jesus Christ will appear, scold the masses, then whisk all true believers up to heaven with him in what conservative Christians call “The Rapture.” https://extranewsfeed.com/trump-works-directly-with-christians-to-fast-track-end-times-prophecy-6001a7bafad8 This is quite scary times. According to this prophecy the non-believer non christians place is in hell. Apparently evangelical christianity in US is a big business worth $1.2 trillion.

Since you asked me and have an inclination to know my religious belief I tell you straight so there’s no ambiguity. I do not have a religion. I do find it absurd you want to expose me as a muslim by having a ‘foreign name’ as if that is a crime..... As for Marcus or Hudson Jones I cannot speak on their behalf. Why would it bother me what they say as it is their opinion but it is clearly bothering you and have accused me time and time again to be the same person!? But let’s set aside my religious or political motivations for now rue. What exactly is your issue with my last post stating my opinion!?

I have pointed this out before and I will say it again that democracy in the middle east does not correlate to the value system that is inherent in the western society. This is simply due to the fact that what we in the West preach about moral ethics, democracy and human rights in those countries that does not match our actions in helping to promote democratic values in those countries. Take Saudi Arabia for instance. Americans don’t give a hoot for a sheikh with no money yet whilst these sheikhs are rich it doesn’t stop the US government to sell billions of dollars of arms to their despotic regime. And to those who suggest that only China and Russia are the biggest allies of the Iranian mullah regime I say this. Either you are misrepresenting or just trying to exonerate the West because regardless of the US and Israel’s vested interest to isolate Iran, the three European powerhouse (UK, Germany and France) are going to carry on doing ‘“business” as usual with Iran’s mullahs....With UK there is even more incentive to do so with the Brexit ramifications looming...Theresa May spoke to Iranian president on the phone yesterday and today she is hosting Erdogan who is on a state visit to UK and meeting the Queen... It would be foolish to think why would Theresa May the leader of a country with democratic values want to meet with a dictator killing and arresting intellectuals and kurds in his own country other than getting some lucrative deals signed!!! It is these selfish and short sighted moves by western countries that emboldens leaders in Iran snd Turkey and else where! One would argue that of course the Western governments are there to serve their own interests and don’t give a damn about drmocracy in those countries. Therefore it gives no one in western countries any rights to moan about human right issues when such double standards and hypocrisy exists.

The coin indeed has the photo of Cyrus the great. A monumental moment when he allowed the passage for jews through Babylon and rebuilding temple of Jerusalem... He was also the founder of human rights charter... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great_in_the_Bible https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.slideplayer.com%2F34%2F10226853%2Fslides%2Fslide_4.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fslideplayer.com%2Fslide%2F10226853%2F&docid=EfPxkpuq31yllM&tbnid=Suo1YQ3FqKfb6M%3A&vet=1&w=960&h=720&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim

Whilst that may be true there are those misinformed ones that cannot distinguish between the Iranian people and their government. Oh even Trump made that distinction recently in his speech just to make himself not look like one of those misguided individuals hell bent to fabricate fake news.

It has to be said that everytime Iranians have revolted against the government whether due to the elections of Ahmadinejhad in 2009 or the recent peaceful protests by courageous women removing their headscarves in public it met with the brutal force of the regime. Alot of people in the west do not simply understand the bravery these people show risking their lives for what they stand for against this alien corrupt regime that has invaded Iran. Added to this complexity is dealing with a misogynist, racist and narcissist currently residing the Whitehouse hell bent to undo everything Obama has done. The withdrawal from the nuclear deal and imposing sanctions by this orange buffoon will only hurt ordinary Iranians and not the apparatus of the regime. This has been the case time and time again.... Nevertheless, three of the biggest US allies namely UK, France and Germany and also another two members Russia and China have expressed their commitment to stay with the deal. This is a heavy price to pay by these European countries knowing fully well that any company that deals with Iran would be subject to sanctions by the US....However, they will endeavour to stick to their end of the bargain. Whether Trumps end game before his speech about withdrawal from nuclear deal is ultimately sending a signal to the the clerical estsblishment that their time is up remain moot. However, this is far from over yet....

Stop baiting and start debating... When you learn this simple fact I am happy to discuss.... Hypothetically, Suppose I were a muslim. (which I am not) In your fantasy world am I not allowed to have an opinion enjoy having a ‘quaint’ english sounding name like kactus or is that just something confined to likes of rue having the entitlement to have a french sounding name!? Do you realise how pathetic you sound when you think it’s OK to label and categorise other people and accuse them as muslim extremists hiding behind english sounding names when they do not conform to your view of the world!? There is a name for that rue or whatever you are...That name resonates with hypocrisy aligned with this kind of behaviour.... Focus on your own deeds and talks instead of judging and preaching others...

...Stop baiting and start debating.... Linking me to muslims and terrorists is not gonna get you brownies. On the contrary it is a personal attack and you are blatantly being provocative!

As much as one detests Assad’s policies and his cronies an attack on Syria by western allies to topple him would be a grave mistake IMO.... The power vacuum that it would create if US decides to send troops home in six months will pave the way for other notorious groups like ISIS, Al Nusra etc, with far worse consequences. Assad is what is holding Syria together just like it did with Ghadaffi in Libya and Saddam in Iraq.

Democracy comes at a prize and every country that genuinely wanted paid that price. Whether it was Europe during middle ages with the separation of church from state or post war countries like Germany and Japan. So to reiterate that point that change for democracy in Iran comes with the blood of Iranians fighting for their freedom not a western style democracy interjected into the culture.... Personally, I think a sub section of the Iranian society conforms to the norms of dictatorship. Despite the huge sub section of the society comprising young, affluent and educated population some of the older and more conservative tyoes only see dictatorship as a way of managing the country and daily lives. Wheyher they get paid or supported by the regime remains moot. This worked well when the late Shah of Iran became more autocratic during the last few years of his reign and certainly true with the current drakonian measures applied by islamic theocracy that has absorbed all the learnings from failures of previous government and does not let people enjoy/ experience genuine democracy. The system applies force to silence the opposition for its own survival. This system has learned that it is only through chaos and instability that it can possibly steal a country’s wealth and deprive people from their freedom. This instability by the way is something the western governments have been meddling and still do in Middle Eastern countries to profit the corporates and arms dealers....Lest to say that the western governments do not want to see Iran either flourishing in democracy or their future government take reaponsibility and ownership of their natural weath/ resources. Just oil alone brings Iran’s democracy in conflict with western government’s interests.

100% agree with this sentiment and that doesn’t mean support for the mullah regime.

Indeed Carter knew that the situation in Iran was volatile but he was giving Shah the false hopes. Carter was part of the reason for Shah's downfall. There is a theory that Shah has served the interest of the West and it was time for him to go. Khomeini's transport by the plane from France was just a vehicle for this transition and minor detail... Look, I am with SpankyMcFarland on this one. We are where we are now.... The foundations for change in Iran has to come from within to bolster the democratic values. You cannot import western style democracy and hope miracles are achieved as we have witnessed in Iraq and Libya. Frankly, the absence of credible opposition right now provides a vacuum and I am reluctant to see the removal of the current system in Iran when the unknowns can have far more devastating consequences thereby creating divisions between ethnic groups and religions. The history tells us that the western intervention recently created more instability and wars in the region than peace. It's good business for arms manufacturers and employment. That's no brainer! But it isn't good for Iran. The balkanisation of former Yugoslavia, Iraq WMD and divisions of Shia, Sunni and Kurds and Libya are just a few legacies the West has left behind and still carrying on....

Independent yes but they are Shia and that's where it becomes political...

Agreed....The last thing Iranians want is yet another intervention in their affair by the West. The 1953 coup against the democratically elected prime minister of Iran is a clear example where the British and Americans had violated the thriving democracy for the sake of their own greed and oil interests....That ultimately led to the 1979 revolution and the rise of islamists....Some people here even admit that it was all because of oil and some just wash it off that Iran was getting closer to communist Russia through Dr. Mossadegh and exonerating MI6 and CIA involvement which saw the demise of democracy in Iran. Whichever way you look at it that era of intervention has played in the psyche of many Iranians and created mistrust of motives of foreign powers vis a vis oil and opportunity for genuine democracy flourishing. History taught us that and quite rightly so.

The connection of Mossadegh to communism to this extent because of Tudeh party is highly disputed and is used as a cover up for the US and british involvement to orchastrate the 1953 coup against Dr Mossadegh....It is a known fact that british interests i.e BP was compromised by prime minister Dr Mossadegh, who wanted to nationalise the Iran oil. The british were pissed off at this decision and decided to topple Dr Mossadegh under the pre text that he is turning Iran into communism and cosying up to Russians! Go figure....

Non-sequitur..... I do not think anyone disputes the the involvement of Anglo-Soviet invasion... It is rather your bizarre connecting the dots by linking Shah to Stalin that is questioned by Citizen and myself time and time again.... If anything, Shah was an ally of US and the West!

You do realise that Bahrain used to be part of Iran? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain–Iran_relations