On Sat, 3 May 2008 02:33:39 -0700 (PDT), Ira IRa IRA Humperdink MD
<markdemer15@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>hey, bum boy ! just because you are a homo doesn't make everyone else
>in the world homos. homos are outcasts, and deep inside even you know
>that.
One thing that puzzles me is that you always stick your head out every
time I expose these stupid Han traitors, yet J. venning never
mentioned your name in his email. I wonder why.
>
>
>
>On May 3, 11:02?am, Raymond <ni...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> On Fri, 2 May 2008 19:39:12 -0700 (PDT), pg <pen...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >ooooooh, stupid **** spake again !! we all better listen carefully
>> >now.
>>
>> For your information, rst0wxyz, J. venning, Papapeng, and Charlesliu
>> belong to the same "close circle". The four of them always kissing
>> each other's smelly butts and eating each other's ****. Just take a
>> look at the way they post if you don't believe me.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> >On May 2, 1:14 pm, rst0wxyz <rst0w...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> >> I think Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad will be a powerful
force
>> >> in the Middle East for the next 10 - 20 years.
>>
>> >> On May 2, 1:07 pm, PaPaPeng <PaPaP...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>
>> >> > Bush and Chenney, far from frightening Iran into submission, has
>> >> > instead focussed Iran's attention to its place in the bigger
scheme of
>> >> > things. ?The article below outlines compelling reasons for an
>> >> > energized Iran ?as the linchpin for pan regional co-operation and
>> >> > therefore regional power and a major player in the global power
>> >> > league. ?Such a development will of course greatly diminish US
Israeli
>> >> > power in Arab affairs. ?It will certainly reduce China's clout in
>> >> > dealings with Arab countries (should they band together as
described
>> >> > below).
>>
>> >> > The empowerment of peoples who have little if any power now can
only
>> >> > be good. ?It is not a development China fears for China has always
>> >> > maintained correct diplomatic and economic realtions with every
>> >> > country. ?China treats them all as independent countries and
respects
>> >> > their sovereignity and independence by not interfering in their
>> >> > internal affairs. ?China pays a fair price for everything she buys
>> >> > from them. And China does not impose onerous and insulting
conditions
>> >> > on the trade, the aid and the loans she provides. ?Its a very
simple
>> >> > policy rich countries should make an effort to emulate.
>>
>> >> > Iran moving into the big league
>> >> > By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
>> >> > May 3, 2007http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JE03Ak03.html
>>
>> >> > Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's three-nation tour of
Pakistan,
>> >> > Sri Lanka and India and the welter of agreements and
understandings
>> >> > reached between Tehran and these governments serve notice beyond
the
>> >> > mere issue of energy security and Iran's expanding role in the
>> >> > sub-continent's energy market; rather, these developments signify
a
>> >> > new stage in Iran's foreign policy that is best described as
>> >> > "pan-regionalism".
>>
>> >> > From the Persian Gulf to the Caspian region, the Caucasus, Central
>> >> > Asia, South Asia and beyond, thanks to its unique geographical
>> >> > location, Iran is in many ways an ideal connecting bridge that has
not
>> >> > until now fully exploited its advantageous "equidistance" from
India
>> >> > and Europe.
>>
>> >> > Straddled between the two energy hubs of the Persian Gulf and
Caspian
>> >> > Sea, Iran is a suitable conduit for trade, energy and non-energy,
>> >> > between the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, which are members of
the
>> >> > Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the landlocked Central Asian
>> >> > states. The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia
>> >> > and the United Arab Emirates.
>>
>> >> > Also, with ambitious trans****tation links projected under the
veneer
>> >> > of a "north-south corridor", Iran, Russia and India have conceived
new
>> >> > areas of cooperation that connect northern Europe to the Indian
Ocean
>> >> > via Iran and the Russian Federation [1] . Already, Iran is an
energy
>> >> > ex****ter to Europe through Turkey, funneling through
Turkmenistan's
>> >> > gas and swapping oil with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
>>
>> >> > Also, Iran has plans not to lag behind the so-called new "Silk
Road"
>> >> > project that involves China, India and the GCC states first and
>> >> > foremost and yet for every conceivable reason must be considered
>> >> > Iran-inclusive because of the country's proximity, its expanding
trade
>> >> > and economic cooperation with the GCC, and its own trade
>> >> > liberalization policies, reflected in the expansion of free-trade
>> >> > zones.
>>
>> >> > This is one reason why Iran is modernizing its Persian Gulf
islands of
>> >> > Kish and Qeshm, hoping to turn them into tourist hotspots as well
as
>> >> > hubs for trade and even finance in the near future [2].
>>
>> >> > The $7.6 billion Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline (IPI), meanwhile,
has
>> >> > the potential more than any other existing Iranian project to
extend
>> >> > the purview of Iran's "pan-regional" approach, by organically
>> >> > connecting Iran to the sub-continent on a long-term basis and by
>> >> > providing a new Iran-Pakistan-India nexus that could in turn be
used
>> >> > for addressing what is lacking so far, that is, more than paltry
>> >> > inter-regional trade.
>>
>> >> > The 2,600-kilometer IPI pipeline, which was conceived in 1994,
>> >> > envisages trans****ting Iranian gas to Pakistan and then on to
India.
>> >> > Following Ahmadinejad's visit to India this week, Iran re****ted
the
>> >> > three countries were close to signing a "final agreement".
>>
>> >> > The poor state of Iran's trade with South Asia is reflected in the
>> >> > sub-optimal trade between Iran and Pakistan, as is the case
between
>> >> > Iran and other members of the region's 10-nation Economic
Cooperation
>> >> > Organization (ECO) [3].
>>
>> >> > Attempts to make the ECO a fulcrum of regional cooperation have by
and
>> >> > large failed and the ECO's struggle to achieve a major
breakthrough in
>> >> > terms of regional cooperation has not brought significant tangible
>> >> > fruits.
>>
>> >> > Yet that may change, particularly if Iran (a) is inducted in the
>> >> > Shanghai Cooperation Organization, at which it is presently an
>> >> > observer [4], and (b) the IPI project finally gets underway, in
which
>> >> > case Iran's greater integration into larger entities will bolster
its
>> >> > attempt within the ECO to make this regional organization, which
is
>> >> > headquartered in Tehran, more effective.
>>
>> >> > With respect to the Persian Gulf, the GCC, which continues to shun
>> >> > Iran's olive branch of cooperation, is under new pressures to
rethink
>> >> > that attitude as a result of the ****'ite-led government in Iraq, a
>> >> > potential Iran allay in the politics of the Persian Gulf. It is
not
>> >> > far-fetched to think that Iran and Iraq will one day join the GCC
>> >> > states in a new regional cooperative framework.
>>
>> >> > Certainly, that is how Iran wants it today, as seen in the recent
>> >> > unveiling of Iranian plans for cooperative security and the like
put
>> >> > forward at their hitherto recalcitrant GCC neighbors [5], perhaps
>> >> > better pitched as part of an Islamic common market.
>>
>> >> > Certainly, significant hurdles confront Iran's "pan-regional"
approach
>> >> > that seeks to make the country an integrative, nodal point of
>> >> > cooperation between and among various regions, ranging from United
>> >> > Nations and US sanctions out of fear of Iran and its pur****ted
>> >> > "nuclear ambition", as well as a host of purely economic and
technical
>> >> > difficulties, such as poor trans****tation links and ***bersome
custom
>> >> > regulations.
>>
>> >> > Regarding the latter, one of the ECO's key contributions has been
in
>> >> > the area of prioritizing a customs agreement, as well as tariff
>> >> > reduction schemes, between the member states that would facilitate
>> >> > trade in the ECO region. Still, the low level of trade between the
ECO
>> >> > states is a harsh reminder of the long road ahead before Iran's
lofty
>> >> > objective of "pan-regionalism" can be fully realized.
>>
>> >> > Irrespective, the tangible gains mentioned above illustrate the
>> >> > viability of Iran's "pan-regional" approach that could conceivably
>> >> > elevate its status beyond a mere regional power and add to the
cluster
>> >> > of values in its arsenal as a global power.
>>
>> >> > In fact, as reflected in a recent statement by Iranian National
>> >> > Security Advisor Saeed Jalili regarding Iran as a "global power",
>> >> > Iran's self-image and self-understanding is global-looking and
fuels
>> >> > an activist foreign policy that is fully within the camp of the
>> >> > Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and which constantly prioritizes
"global
>> >> > justice".
>>
>> >> > Economically, however, for Iran and other NAM states seeking a
>> >> > redistribution of global wealth, concentrated in Western hands
today,
>> >> > there is no alternative but to push for greater cooperation
between
>> >> > themselves and achieve better coordination at international
>> >> > institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), in light
of
>> >> > the WTO's ongoing trade wranglings known as the Doha rounds.
>>
>> >> > Although Iran is not yet a WTO member, it will be directly
impacted by
>> >> > the final agreements of the Doha rounds, due later this year,
which is
>> >> > why it is in***bent on Iranian policymakers to focus on the Doha
>> >> > rounds and to scrutinize the agricultural and non-agricultural new
>> >> > policies of the WTO that distinguish between developed and
developing
>> >> > nations. Yet these fall short of addressing the adverse impacts of
>> >> > globalization and WTO-induced trade liberalization for a whole
host of
>> >> > Third World nations.
>>
>> >> > One thing is clear, the greater the impetus for Iran's
"pan-regional"
>> >> > goals and objectives, the more Tehran will find itself entangled
in
>> >> > complex regional, extra-regional and global issues and
controversies
>> >> > that impact the country's foreign policies, trade, and security
both
>> >> > directly and indirectly.
>>
>> >> > One of the understudied aspects of Iran's "pan-regionalism" is,
>> >> > indeed, how it connects to the issue of globalization that, so
far,
>> >> > has been a mixed blessing for the developing world. After all,
>> >> > regionalism and globalization have unhappy kindred relations, with
the
>> >> > former simultaneously strengthening and weakening it.
>>
>> >> > Notes
>> >> > 1. For more information on the International North-South Trans****t
>> >> > Corridor, click here.
>> >> > 2. For more on the free-trade zones, click here.
>> >> > 3. For more on the Economic Cooperation
>>
>> ...
>>
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