Category Blog

In category Blog on  June 25, 2006 

Unfinished tribute to Vietnam
June 2006

Halong Bay is one of the world heritage sites designated by UNESCO in 1999. It is located in the Northern part of Vietnam and within the vicinity of Hanoi. It covers, and hosts some    caves, some as large as a small village.

It was only a few days ago that I visited this marvelous and peaceful site for the first time. It seemed a perfect day for such a memorable visit. The divine rays of sun picking through patches of playful white clouds reflecting on the velvety surface of the Bay created a mysterious picture...

In category Blog on  April 18, 2005 

Re: “A Pipeline to Peace” by, George Perkovich and Revati Prasad
April 18, 2005

The article argues in favor of the projected oil pipeline between Iran, Pakistan and India. It suggests that its value is in contributing to a safer environment, giving hope for overcoming decades of mistrust between the two rivals, India and Pakistan, and creating a deterrent in the further development of WMD by Iran. The authors nevertheless express disappointment with the Bush Administration for not recognizing the pipeline’s obvious attractiveness and for the Administration’s “obsession with Iran”. The threat to block this initiative was articulated by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her recent trip to India on 16 March 2005: “We have communicated
to the Indian government our concerns ...

In category Blog on  March 30, 2005 

Date: March 30, 2005

Letter to MAXIMS News Agency Regarding an Article published on Kofi Annan

Despite your disclaimer on your Web site that, “The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews® LLC.” , by reflecting on the tone,direction and substance of the selected articles on
your web page, the readers could be led to an understanding of your position on issues.

Let me back up this statement by exemplifying today’s selection of articles about the UN Secretary-General and his sense of having been cleared from all wrong doings by the Volcker report. Well, good for the SG and good for his far reaching PR capability to drum up such a unanimous support from all concerned...

In category Blog on  March 17, 2005 

Date: March 17, 2005

The following was a response to Mr. Kristof’s Op-Ed Piece for the New York Times entitled “Who gets it? Hillary”

Dear Mr. Kristof,
I was a bit miffed at the thrust of your article on “Who gets it?..Hillary”. It seems to me the only fair game in your mind is how to win the White House, regardless of the price! Following such advise will cost the Democratic Party a heavy sacrifice for years to come: A centrist policy based on God and its attributes for a mighty country who is to be the Empire of the 21st century is probably too myopic. If these are the only
concerns, then the billion dollar question is why should any American voters opt for an imitation of a real thing!! The innovation of the Center-right politics is the prerogative of the Republicans...

In category Blog on  December 23, 2004 

Dam is threat to Iran’s heritage 
Unesco appeals for help as ancient sites face being flooded
By John Vidal – The Guardian
Thursday December 23, 2004

More than 100 of Iran’s potentially most important but least examined archaeological sites, including fringes of Pasargadae, the city built by King Cyrus the Great, will be flooded in the next two years according to the UN, which appealed yesterday to international scientists to try to record what they can.

The flooding of the eight-mile Tang-e-Bolaghi gorge because of the construction of a dam will destroy ancient Persia’s imperial road which ran from Persepolis to Pasargadae.

The Sivand dam has been planned for 10 years as part of a project to provide irrigation water for farmers in the parched south of the country.

But the speed of its c...

In category Blog on  November 29, 2004 

The following letter was sent to UNESCO on Nov 29, 2004 and the article in the Guardian was published based on this letter a couple of weeks later.
Subject: Imminent danger of disappearance of Pasargad-Iran

Dear Mr. Director-General,

It is with great anxiety and despair that I decided to write to you and seek your urgent attention to the immediate danger facing a number of historic cultural sites in Iran. Among these, mention must be made of Pasargad that was selected as one of the World Heritage sites by UNESCO in July 2003.

In a few months, Pasargad will be submerged under tons of mud, as a result of the Sivand Dam constructed at the Polvar River in Teng-e-Bolghi, four kilometers from the ancient capital of the Achaemenids. The dam is scheduled for completion on 21 March 2005.

In addit...

In category Blog on  October 21, 2004 

October 21, 2004

(Paris) – Listening to a locker attendant in my Paris health club talking about her shocking experience watching a television program on the role of evangelists in America was an aberration for me. As a somewhat educated “European” she could not accept the whole story and believed that it was a gross undermining of American voters’ intelligence. She asked me sunken in a deep surprise, how could the Americans permit that somebody – looking so greedy – play with their faith and dictate to them how they should worship God and how to select a President? She noted that she was born a Catholic and believed in Jesus...

In category Blog on  February 6, 2004 

Subject: A letter to the Editor: Geopolitical Diary
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004

I read your stated justifications and reasoning concerning past stratfor misinterpretation of developments as unfolded in Iraq. This is what I think. With all due respect, in my humble opinion, staging war of such magnitude and costs (both in financial and human terms), just based on a set of misinformed information is so surreal in 21st century that it makes us all wonder. I still vividly recall with what firmness the Secretary of State appeared before the UN Security Council and told the world that “America can go it alone” if the old Europe is so reluctant to help the US and still interested in pursuing a path of diplomatic negotiations and solutions...