Category: Foreign Affairs

Frank Crimi in FrontPage Fearful of the growing unrest spreading throughout the Mideast, Iran’s leaders increase executions to intimidate the country’s reform movement As political unrest continues to spread throughout the Middle East, two of Iran’s top opposition leaders have accused the Islamist regime of rapidly increasing the number of executions in a deliberate effort to intimidate the country’s reform movement. Specifically, the increase in executions is seen as a direct attempt by the Iranian government to stifle opposition by those who feel empowered by the ongoing upheaval in Egypt and Tunisia. The accusations were levied by Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, both former Iranian presidential candidates. In a statement released on Iran’s reformist website Tagheer, the men wrote that the Iranian government was increasing executions in order to “intimidate the nation and further isolate Iran on the international stage.” Both men lost the June 2009 presidential election to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a vote fraught with allegations of fraud and vote rigging. The subsequent public outcry spawned a wave of open protests against the Islamist regime, dubbed

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Frank Crimi in FrontPage The appointment of the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005 comes at an inopportune an unwarranted time In a move that some say rewards Syria for its past and continued involvement in sponsoring terrorism, President Obama recently used a recess appointment to name Robert Ford as the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005. The US ambassadorial post had gone unfilled since the Bush administration recalled Ambassador Margaret Scobey in protest for what it said was Syrian involvement in the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in February 2005. Fueling speculation that Ford’s appointment is undeserved is the news that a UN tribunal is now preparing to indict members of the Syrian-backed Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah for its involvement in al-Hariri’s assassination. Read Entire Article Here

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Frank Crimi in FrontPage The unrest in Egypt over its parliamentary election is the first sign of a deeper political problem Amidst accusations that their government was engaging in rampant acts of voter intimidation and electoral fraud — allegations that sparked violent encounters between police and protesters nationwide — Egyptians went to the polls on November 28 to vote in the nation’s first round of parliamentary elections. While it took several days to certify the results, the country’s ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is headed for an overwhelming victory, claiming the majority of seats in the Egyptian People’s Assembly. The NDP won 209 of the 508 seats being contested, with a December 5 run-off scheduled for seats where no one received more than 50 percent of the vote. The NDP will run candidates in 275 of the 283 scheduled run-off votes, mostly against other NDP candidates. Despite charges of widespread electoral malfeasance, the Egyptian government has claimed the election was a “success.” While acknowledging some electoral irregularities may have occurred, the government described them as minor in both nature and in

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Frank Crimi in FrontPage While most Western intelligence agencies and independent experts have long accused North Korea of selling its nuclear and ballistic-missile technology to other rogue regimes, a new report released by the United Nations gives added affirmation to that claim. The release of the report, whose publication had been delayed by China for six months, coincides with the meeting of world leaders at the G-20 economic summit in Seoul, South Korea. Compiled by a UN panel of experts, who had been charged with monitoring North Korean compliance on imposed UN sanctions, the 75-page report outlines North Korean involvement in supplying banned weapons material to Syria, Iran and Myanamar (Burma). Specifically, North Korea is alleged to have violated UN resolutions 1784 and 1874, which had been imposed on North Korea for setting off two nuclear test devices in 2006 and 2009. According to the UN report, “Evidence provided in these reports indicates that the DPRK (North Korea) has continued to provide missiles, components, and technology to certain countries including Iran and Syria since the imposition of these measures.” North

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