Despite the fact that there is an outstanding warrant for his arrest, Egypt welcomed Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, with open arms Wednesday. According to the charter of the International Criminal Court, which issued the warrant, any member is required to execute a warrant if the target sets foot in their country. Obviously, Egypt has not done that. The Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, made a statement saying that not only Egypt, but also the Arab and African communities reject the way the ICC has handled the situation in Darfur. The human rights group Amnesty International responded in turn by condemning the actions of Egypt and called for the arrest of Bashir. Shortly after the announcement was made the warrant had been issued, Bashir and the Sudanese government made the decision to expel 13 foreign aid organizations and the dissolve 3 local organizations. Violence has actually increased in the Darfur region since the announcement. Similarly, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number 2 of Al Qaeda, released of video claiming that the crisis in Sudan has been manufactured by the West in order to take over another Islamic land.

Last month, Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan dictator, was elected as the chairman of the African Union. This is a big step for Qaddafi and Libya who were formerly known for sponsoring terrorists and killing civilians. After Qaddafi agreed to give up on nuclear weapons, Libya’s relationship with the West has seen vast improvement. However, the Qaddafi has recently made statements blaming Israel for the crisis in Sudan and defending Somali pirates. Not only has he recently reverted back to his usual outlandish statements, but also the quality of life for Libyan citizens has barely seen any improvement. Freedom of speech and religion is still restricted throughout the country, and, although Libya has a wealth of oil, the citizens very rarely reap its reward. Also, many illegal immigrants have begun to pour into Libya hoping for a better life. They are treated horribly and are called “animals and slaves”. The situation is getting out of control and the Libyan citizens are largely unhappy with the amount of immigrants, which fuels the abuse.

A senior U.S. official, Stephen Blake, recently made a trip to Myanmar in order to discuss U.S. policy towards that country with its leaders. Blake, a diplomat from the State Department, met with the foreign minister and a few other officials, but did not meet with the leader of the military junta, Than Shwe. Shwe is known for being reclusive and rarely meets with anyone. The junta lost an election in 1990 but has refused to acknowledge the results and has fueled anger throughout the world. The U.S. has multiple sanctions on the country, and still refers to the country as Burma, a sign that it does not recognize the junta. Myanmar is known for its brutal human rights abuses, most recently in 2007 with the violent crackdown on Buddhist monks. According to the article, the regime has pledged to hold free and fair democratic elections by 2010. This is the first visit by a senior U.S. official to the new capital, Naypyidaw.

It bothers me that Egypt so openly taunts the ICC and other Western powers by refusing to arrest Omar al-Bashir. There is no doubt that the government of Sudan has committed atrocities and the ICC has done its research to pinpoint their architect. The members of the ICC have a commitment to uphold its charter, yet Egypt completely disregards it. They might disagree with the warrant, but they should not be so crude as to invite Bashir to a formal meeting and publicly denounce the organization of which it is a member.

I am happy for the progress that Libya has made since its years of sponsoring terrorism, but the U.S. and the rest of the world still needs to be wary of Qaddafi. He has shown time and again that he is unpredictable, and this relative peace may not last long. Not to mention, the country is still ranked among the worst in the world for human rights abuses and shows no signs of improvement. It may be one of the most stable African countries, but it still needs to make progress. Lest the world forget that Qaddafi is still an oppressive dictator and, at one point in time, openly sent his agents to kill civilians.

Finally, it is good news that the Burmese are willing to meet with American officials, especially in the new capital, but, again, the government must be wary. The junta has made no real steps toward democracy, but still insists that it will hold elections in 2010. If the crackdown in 2007 is any indication, I’d say that free and fair elections are not likely.

 

Iranian Intelligence

      Iranian intelligence today is kept tightly under wraps. No one outside of the Iranian government knows specifically what the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security or VEVAK does. The intelligence community in Iran is one of the most feared organizations because of its tendency to eliminate any and all of its opponents. To fully understand Iranian intelligence today, one must first examine its beginnings.

            The first real intelligence agency documented by the government was known as SAVAK and is the predecessor to VEVAK. VEVAK was meant to be a continuation of SAVAK, but no one in positive whether this is the case. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi formed SAVAK in 1957 with the primary duty of eliminating threats to the Shah. The CIA supported the organization when the Shah was reinstated in 1953. Basically, SAVAK became a tool for eliminating the opponents of the regime through brutal methods. Over the years it became one of the most, if not the most, hated organizations in all of Iran. SAVAK was eliminated in 1979 and replaced with VEVAK in the early 1980s. However, it has not been seen that VEVAK has deviated from the brutal tactics of SAVAK.

            The minister of Intelligence is currently Gholam-Hussein Mohseni and he has served the whole term under president Mahmud Ahmadinejad. VEVAK is now known for quickly silencing any critic of the government. Opponents seem to disappear or are easily assassinated. VEVAK is under the control of Grand Ayatollah Khameini.

            The interests of Iranian intelligence are unknown, as are the interests of many state intelligence communities. However, one is able to easily speculate the important issues. There are four main issues that the government of Iran pursues: nuclear productivity, Islamic law (Sharia), Oil, and Arab dominance/Israeli destruction.

            The first topic is the one most widely seen in the news today. Although the government of Iran swears that it is seeking to produce nuclear technology for the sole purpose of energy, the state is under heavy suspicion of seeking the capability to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the U.N. many times but continues to pursue a nuclear agenda. Although already a strong country, the power of nuclear weapons would propel Iran further into the spotlight. Naturally, the intelligence community in Iran is most likely seeking any sort of technological advance it can find. There have been recent news articles pertaining to the sale of U.S. nuclear technology to the Iranians, and it has been reported and is highly likely that VEVAK and the other intelligence agencies were involved.

            The Iranian government also has a strong interest in preserving the Sharia within its borders. In the past few years, there have been some outspoken critics of the government. The calls have been for an end to Islamic law by the critics because of the suppression of human rights that goes along with it. However, the government has seen this as a ploy by the West to get Iranian citizens to modernize and has chosen to have them eliminated. Any citizen educated in the United States or who has had contact with the West is under heavy suspicion. Allegedly, VEVAK has carried out the arrest, torture, and executions of the critics in the name of Islamic law.

            Oil was a huge part of Ahmadinejad’s campaign for the presidency. He promised that every Iranian would see some sort of profit from oil come to their home. However, this has not happened and more criticism of the government has begun because of that. Again, although it is not necessarily supposed to, the task of silencing critics falls to the intelligence community. Also, because of VEVAK’s place as the ministry of national security, it is responsible for doing what it can to ensure the success of Iranian oil. Whether they coerce other states through covert means or use other deceitful tactics to ensure that success is unknown, but it is clear that oil is a major priority.

            Lastly, Iran is an extremely outspoken opponent of Israel, and, in turn, is a proponent of Arab dominance in the Middle East. Allegedly, the government supplies the terrorist organization (so designated by the U.S. and other Western powers) Hezbollah with arms and other means to “liberate” the Palestinians and destroy Israel. Ahamdinejad and former Grand Ayatollah Khomeini have both publicly suggested that Israel should be “wiped off the face of the map”. While Iran does not see itself as dealing with terrorists, much of the world thinks that to be the case, so many of the dealings are covert or under the table. Any effort to end Zionism and the Israeli regime is most likely performed by the intelligence community.

            As one can see, the Iranians, naturally, keep information about their intelligence community tightly under wraps. However, from examining the government and what it perceives to be national security issues, it is relatively easy to discern what VEVAK does. The organization is no longer supported by the CIA, as the U.S. has no diplomatic ties with Iran, and is a hated organization within the state because of its retaliation against government opponents. There is no question though that the intelligence community plays a large role in the execution of governmental duties, both above and under the table.

In recent times, Iran has begun to dominate western concerns in the Middle East. From the abuse of human rights to an alleged nuclear armament program, Iran has certainly established itself as a force in international politics and a burden for western powers.

            Officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has been an empire for thousands of years. Until 1935, it was known as Persia.

            Mahmud Ahmadinejad is now the president of the country, but the supreme leader of the government is the Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei. Iran is theocratic republic, and the majority of its citizens are Shi’a Muslims, as is the government. The President of Iran is technically, as labeled by the constitution, the second in command of the government, but Ahmadinejad and his predecessors have still had to answer to the Council of Guardians. The Council is a group of jurors selected by the Ayatollah to interpret the constitution and approve of elected officials. In essence, there is a system of checks and balances somewhat like the one in the United States.

            The legislature is a unicameral body composed of 290 members. There is also a body called the Assembly of Experts comprised of Islamic scholars whose sole responsibility is to appoint and oversee the Ayatollah. As one can see, the government is composed so that no branch can exert complete control.

            The economy of Iran relies heavily on profits from oil. Iran is one of the founding members of OPEC. Oil revenues are the main sustaining factor for the government. With oil prices dropping, the Iranian government has had to prepare a new budget that figures in a lower amount of money. Inflation has increased to twenty-six percent overall and there is a high underemployment rate for Iran’s educated. This has caused a “brain drain” in the country.

            For some time, Iran has pursued a nuclear enrichment program that has caused concern throughout the world. Although the government maintains that it is developing nuclear energy program only, many states believe that the country is developing nuclear weapons. Five resolutions have been passed by the UN Security Council calling for an end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, and the government has also been sanctioned, but the Iranians refuse to put a halt to their program. Iran holds diplomatic ties with all the countries in the UN except for the United States and Israel.

            Iran does not recognize Israel as a country and Ahmadinejad has, recently, publicly questioned the existence of the holocaust. Iran has also been accused of supporting terrorist, particularly the Lebanese organization Hezbollah. UN and US sanctions are also in effect upon several Iranian entities because of their support for terrorism.

            The United States has not held diplomatic talks with Iran since the Revolution in 1979, and although President Obama has “extended his hand” no talks are currently expected. Ahmadinejad has increasingly isolated his country from the west and has angered many throughout the world.