Dear friends--
This morning, Iran time, the long-feared U.S. and Israeli bombs started falling on Tehran and many other cities and locations across Iran. Pres. Trump has made clear that his goal is to destroy the whole of military missile capability and navy that form the core of Iran's national defense. In the same statement he called on the people of Iran, once the bombs have stopped falling, to "take over your government," adding "It will be yours to take."
On Wednesday Just World Ed launched our "Iran Crisis" project. On our blog you can find summaries of the first three, deeply informative conversations I've held in this series, along with links to the full video and audio versions (which run 33 - 48 minutes long):
These three experts each brought different sets of skills and experiences to the conversations; and there were several thought-provoking differences between the arguments they made. All were very much worth listening to or watching.
Over the days ahead, I'll be conducting several further sessions, according to the schedule I posted above. In addition, I'm hoping our board member Rami G. Khouri can be with me for a convo Tuesday and I have some other future (or repeat) guests in mind. Probably the best way to catch these is to Subscribe to our YouTube channel or our channels on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And when you watch or listen to our convos please press Like, put in your Comments, and Share the episodes with your friends.
We have also started building a single Online Learning Hub where we'll be presenting the records of all the conversations in this series. be sure to bookmark it.
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Today and tomorrow I'm planning to write a new essay of my own, on Globalities.org, in which I reflect on the key takeaways from the three convos I've conducted so far and offer my own assessment of what is at stake in this conflict that Pres. Trump and PM Netanyahu have now launched.
The stakes are massive. The geopolitical (and most likely also geo-economic) fallout from this quite illegal U.S.-Israeli "War of Choice" will be felt for many decades to come. If the Islamic Republic of Iran is "obliterated", as Trump and Netanyahu seek-- but which I very strongly doubt is possible-- then the anti-Zionist and anti-colonial forces right across West Asia and worldwide will suffer a very serious blow. If the IRI is able to stand its ground and survive, then that too will have consequences for Zionist/Israeli and U.S. designs right across the region and the world. * * *
Just before I send this, I want to draw your attention to these other resources:
** The video of the excellent discussion on the Iran crisis and Gaza that Massachusetts Peace Action presented last Tuesday, featuring Rami Khouri and Dropsite co-founder Jeremy Scahill.
** The video of the convo that Prof. Nazari Ismail of Kuala Lumpur's Hashim Sani Centre presented last night (DC time), in which he and I discussed the Board of Peace (!) and the Iran crisis.
![]() ** This summary of the latest PalCast episode, in which the guest was Shams Mazen Rajab, a Palestinian graduate in English Language and Teaching Methods from Al-Aqsa University,She spoke from Gaza about the horrors and indignities of her life in Gaza under Israel's still-punishing siege and frequent bombardment. Listen to the whole episode on Apple or Spotify.
** This excellent assessment that Elijah Magnier wrote this morning of what is now at stake in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. It is behind a paywall but Elijah's blog is well worth subscribing to, and I shall try to figure a way to get a discount from him for JWE's supporters...
His very sobering conclusion runs thus:
Wars defined by regime change and existential threat rarely remain contained. They reshape alliances, redraw strategic maps and leave enduring consequences far beyond the initial battlefield."
** This poster which I invite you all to click on, download, and display wherever you can:
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Sorry about the primitive design of that. It's all I could manage right now.
You stay well and stay strong for what will be some very harrowing days ahead-- And please be sure to look out for all our timely and informative offerings as we release them--
~ Helena |