Scott Horton Interviews Barbara Slavin
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Barbara Slavin, author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S. and the Twisted Path to Confrontation, discusses her article “Mass Tragedy Feared as Closure of MEK Camp Looms;” how MEK leader Maryam Rajavi is using the camp residents as pawns while pressuring the State Department to remove the group’s terrorist status; the proposed 2003 prisoner swap (MEK for al-Qaeda) between the US and Iran that was scuttled by Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz; and how UN interviews with MEK members (to arrange relocation after Camp Ashraf’s closing) could reveal brainwashing and other unflattering cult-like behavior.
MP3 here. (21:27)
Barbara Slavin is an expert on U.S. foreign policy and the author of a 2007 book on Iran entitled “Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S. and the Twisted Path to Confrontation.” A nonresident senior fellow at The Atlantic Council specializing on Iran, Ms. Slavin is also a contributor to AOLNews.com and Foreignpolicy.com among other media outlets. Ms. Slavin was Assistant Managing Editor for World and National Security of The Washington Times in 2008-09. Prior to that, she served for 12 years as senior diplomatic reporter for USA TODAY where she covered such key issues as the U.S.-led war on terrorism and in Iraq, policy toward “rogue” states and the Arab-Israeli conflict. She accompanied three secretaries of State on their official travels and also reported solo from Iran, Libya, Israel, Egypt, North Korea, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Ms. Slavin, who has lived in Russia, China, Japan and Egypt, is a regular commentator on U.S. foreign policy on National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting System and C-Span. She wrote her book on Iran, which she has visited seven times, as a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2006 and spent October 2007-July 2008 as senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where she researched and wrote a report on Iranian regional influence, entitled “Mullahs, Money and Militias: How Iran Exerts Its Influence in the Middle East.”
John Ellis
December 25th, 2011 at 4:12 am
TEARS FOR BABY BOMBERS
Barbara Slavin
“The MEK (terrorists) have wanted to keep this (terrorist training) camp, and for that reason it has been very difficult for the Obama Administration to resolve it. The Obama Administration has been trying, certainly within the last year or so Obama has been trying to resolve it, I know that for sure.”
Yes of course, even thought the Bush-Obama Administration continues to pay the MEK to bomb Iran military bases and sticky-bomb Iran scientists, even though Obama the heartless uses collateral Drone murder to waste babies, comes now Barbara Slavin with her sweet illusion of good to hide Obama’s criminal intent to inflict much misery upon the innocent people of Iran.
John Ellis
December 25th, 2011 at 8:06 am
'Israel prime culprit in 9/11 attacks'
“The latest US allegation against Iran accusing the country of being involved in the 9/11 incident is utterly ‘preposterous,’ as numerous independent probes have established Israel's key role in the deadly attacks, a political analyst tells Press TV.
“James Fetzer, founder of Scholars for the 9/11 Truth, questioned the legality of a Thursday ruling by a US federal judge in Manhattan, alleging Iran's involvement in the terrorist attacks, describing the judicial ruling as ‘quite preposterous on its face.’
“In an extraordinary move, the court also withdrew Saudi Arabia from the ten-year-old case, even though 15 of the 19 September 11 attackers were Saudi nationals.
“Fetzer pointed to multiple investigations on the 9/11 incident by independent journalists, including Alan Subrosky, Christopher Bolyn, Wayne Madsen as well as other websites exclusively devoted to probe into the issue, insisting all those researches have revealed that “Israel, the MOSSAD, have played a key role on 9/11.” http://www.presstv.ir/detail/217635.html
rick
December 25th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
"[had] weapons storage". we totally disarmed them and destroyed all of their munitions.
John Ellis
December 25th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
TERRORIST CAMP — NOT HARDLY RULED BY A WOMAN
The MEK like al-Qaeda was created by the CIA, and since then has always been funded and ruled by cold blooded and most corrupt killers that America so worships called the CIA.
Surely, for if a do and die terrorist were to be ruled by a woman, it would emasculate his deadly force and turn him into a gutless wonder void of deadly force.
John Ellis
December 26th, 2011 at 8:35 am
VOTE RON PAUL — DOWN WITH SOCIALISM
Now if you want a fake morality, then go for socialism as it offers mutual gratification unequaled. For it is the deadly force of government forcing the rich to give half their wealth to the poor, generating much hatred toward the poor and a most ingrate and arrogant attitude among the poor.
For socialism is equal wealth to all, which makes love obsolete as who needs the emotions of compassion, pity, charity and a heart warming grateful response — when you can have mutual gratification the most self-gratifying and self-glorifying pleasure generator known to man. For it is equals giving equal to those in their class, expecting equal gratification in return.
Comes now the light of Ron Paul to force such darkness to give way. For we are all born with a different ability to generate wealth, as this is what true happiness is all about. For to experience compassion, pity and charity in a way that produces a heartwarming grateful response, surely without this the pleasure of happiness would be an unknown thing on the entire face of the earth.
Stevie
December 27th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Over the Christmas weekend I heard an NPR newscast about the MEK camp situation which reported that "Tehran considers the MEK a terrorist group" completely failling to mention that according to our own government (the US) they are also officially a terrorist group. Looks like NPR is looking ahead to the MEK being taken off the terrorist list.
John Ellis
December 28th, 2011 at 11:31 am
GUTSY IRAN — GUTLESS WONDER USA
Yesterday Iran gave satanic USA fair warning: To block sales of our oil to world markets, this is a red line that if passed will automatically block a forth of all oil from getting to markets, as we will blockade our Straits of Hormuz.
So, today gutless wonder USA had a nobody 2nd Lieutenant, a Navy women with no title, make a quiet as a mouse squeak that went like this. “U.S. Navy is always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation."
A Lieutenant being one who has been a commissioned officer for about a year, what is this compared to Iran who has had democracy destroyed twice by a US backed dictator named the Shah?
For Iran has a right to keep all foreign ships out of its sovereign waters, the Straits of Hormuz. So, if Iran does not defend this right, then sanctions will surely starve to death the people of Iran like Iraq, and bombed back to the stone age will be Iran.
John Ellis
December 28th, 2011 at 11:31 am
And so, Empire USA has not fought a real war since 1945, as it has won a single of its make believe wars since then, surely Iran will be elevated to a high level of honor as gutless wonder USA cowers back in a weak and helpless stupor.