I spoke to BBC West Midlands this afternoon about President Obama's State of the Union speech. The BBC focused on Obama's calculations in presenting tax rises on the wealthy; I wanted to get further with the politics. The take-away line? Obama, in a "safe" speech, put out message, "I killed Osama. I saved the economy. I am Competence, Control, and Command."
To deal with the loud chatter of "war with Iran", which in my opinion has obscured attention the significant developments inside the country, we post a series today:
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:
Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought — and several thousand gave their lives.
We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. (Applause.) For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. (Applause.) For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. (Applause.) Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
2359 GMT: We close today's coverage with the news that a fourth person has died in Bahrain in two days. Mohammed Ebrahim Yaqoob, a 17-year-old from Sitra,, died this evening in hospital whilst under police custody, from injuries sustained earlier today.
As we noted earlier, police action in Sitra was especially reckless, endangering many lives. The following video, where Bahraini security forces drive aggressively at defenceless citizens, allegedly shows Mohammed fleeing from the Toyota manufactured jeeps. This detail is unconfirmed, but many activists are claiming that Mohammed was subsequently run over by police and that is how he sustained his fatal injuries:
Cartoon: Nikahang Kowsar1755 GMT: Elections Watch. Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei says about 80% of the 5400 applicants to stand in March's Parliamentary elections have been approved.
1750 GMT: Oil Watch. French oil refiner Total has stopped buying oil from Iran in line with new European Union sanctions, according to Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie.
De Margerie said Total had been buying about 80,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil.
1740 GMT: The Government Moves --- But Will It Make a Difference? The currency website Mesghal is claiming that the Government's steps (see 1730 GMT) have made a difference to exchange rates and gold prices. Old gold coin has plummeted almost 20% in price to 820,000 Toman (about $400) while the Iranian Rial has supposedly recovered 20% of its value to stand at 19000:1 vs. the US dollar.
There are other claims, however, that the effect has not been so marked. Hamshahri reports that the open market was actually trading Rials for dollars at 21700:1, with vendors on the streets and foreign exchange offices displaying official rate but selling the dollar at a higher rate.
I spoke with BBC West Midlands Radio on Tuesday about Iran and the international situation. The presenter sets up the scenario of impending military action against Tehran, and I knock it back, trying to point out the issues that should be in the headlines instead.
We are at the cusp of another calamitous event. Even though Iraq is still warm from the withdrawal of US troops, after almost nine years of war and occupation, some politicians, pundits, and "experts" set their sights on the next target of Iran. This steady push for an attack is in its early stages, manifesting itself in the form of advocacy of "a limited strike" against Iran's nuclear enrichment sites. Make no mistake, though: even the "limited" of bombs and missiles will have catastrophic results. This being said, the utter dishonesty displayed in the arguments in favor of such a strike is stunning.
The discussion surrounding Iran's nuclear programme, and a possible US/Israeli preemptive strike against Tehran's facilities has grown in the last 6 months into a front-page narrative. Among those feeding the appetite for war is Matthew Kroenig. Many readers may have noticed his "5 Reasons to Attack Iran," published in the Christian Science Monitor, and Kroenig's article, "Time to Attack Iran" was set against Colin H. Kahl's "Not Time to Attack Iran" in the latest edition of Foreign Affairs.
2102 GMT: Everything in Syria isn't about the death tolls, however. Because it's been such a busy day, we've neglected to report that there have been a large amount of peaceful protests across the nation. And many of those protests have lasted into the night.
This video was taken in Duma, Damascus, a city that has hosted some of the most impressive protests in the entire uprising in recent days:
This video was taken in Anadan, an important suburb of Aleppo and a stronghold for anti-government protests.
Protesters chase security forces --- who had earlier dispersed a funeral, arresting youth and pushing away women --- out of AlEker village on Sunday
Continued violations by the security apparatus suggest that the State’s talk of reform is disingenous. The Government are fully aware that continued repression will only antagonise the opposition, and contribute to the radicalisation of youth, whose adoption of violent tactics will create a subsequent desire for law and order to be restored. A similar situation was seen last year immediately after 15 March, where despite the presence of the Peninsula Shield, the Bahrain Defence Forces, and public security vigilantism took hold of Bahrain and generated considerable panic.
So not only does activist violence plays into the hands of the regime, but it also undermines attempts to garner broad-based popular support for a social movement, especially in a society where loyalties remain divided. This somewhat paradoxical situation underpins a conundrum faced by social movements around the world who are dealing with intransigent regimes. These regimes know that by using violence to radicalise opposition that might otherwise be peaceful, they are creating more violence, which simultaneously bolsters support for the regime amongst existing loyalists or moderates.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 21:10 | 
I spoke to BBC West Midlands this afternoon about President Obama's State of the Union speech. The BBC focused on Obama's calculations in presenting tax rises on the wealthy; I wanted to get further with the politics. The take-away line? Obama, in a "safe" speech, put out message, "I killed Osama. I saved the economy. I am Competence, Control, and Command."
;)