Voice from the Commonwealth Commentary, World Views and Occasional Rants from a small 'l' libertarian in Massachussetts
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
.
Praise for Voice
"A smart fellow...I do like, recommend and learn from Barbera's blog." -Roger L. Simon
"Your blog is bullshit"- anonymous angry French reader.
An analysis of the political situation in Iran. I'm not encouraged by the solution they see.
In a Faustian bargain with what it once called the 'Great Satan', Iran could concede to Washington on issues like terrorism and the Palestinian question in return for non-aggression.
A key figure in this calculus would be former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has been variously cast as reformer, pragmatist and conservative.
Analysts note that Mr Rafsanjani could well find a 'third way' between Iran's reformers and conservatives.
The business-savvy politician is a chameleon: When he was president in the 1980s, he introduced liberal economic reforms and invited American companies to explore Iran's oil fields.
Rafsanjani is the man who said that the day Iran becomes a nuclear power is the day Israel ceases to exist. He points out that one nuke will destroy Israel and the Jews whereas the Israeli nukes may take out a mere 100 million or so Arabs. This is the man that is seen as bringing a 'third way'. Excuse me for not feeling hopeful. I think the only hope is that the concessions forced by the students and youth so far will form the cracks that can be used to destroy the theocracy and men like Khamenei and Rafsanjani.
The Western Civilization and Democracy Net Ring celebrates Western civilization and its universal values of individual freedom, political democracy and equal rights for all. All sites promoting human rights and democracy are welcome.
