Stories of war

Telling stories about fighting in Afghanistan.

"Aid" flotilla - supported by terrorist organizations

A documented conclusion and report - here.

The prisons of Iran

The account of the foreign journalist who was imprisoned during the last year's events in Iran.

Inside the Mavi Marmara

The Standard Weekly published a very intersting investigation inside the Islamist organization IHH, who masterminded the Mavi Marmara flotilla plans. Many details about the current political connections from Turkey, in the electoral but as well as geopolitical perspective.

The extensive footage of the interviews is here.

And a couple of information about Neturei Karta.

Was it a "revolution" in Iran? With or without the help of Twitter?

Two recent articles about the effect of Internet networks in the case of the last year events in Iran. For time reasons, I will not enter too much into details, but my opinion is that this kind of mobilization played a limited if not a very limited one.

First of all, it was used both sides: for protesters to get organized and widespread information to the wide world, as for the opressors, who obtained up-to-date details about their plans. When they were in full control, they blocked the access. This type of social networking cannot supply the lack of a real world network. What happened in Iran is a good example. The oppressive regime intervened in force, stopped the disidence and kept the power.

Media is the message and information is power. But the depositaries of power are always real and with full control of institutions, people and resources.

The real revolution is in the people's minds. What will happen next in Iran and when it is a matter of human resources. What should be done, in my opinion is that the West (to be read the democratic countries) are smart enough to identify in due time the right persons able to produce change and to encourage them - by prompt reactions against perpetual human rights violations by the authorities in Tehran.

The articles:

Foreign Policy - Misreading Tehran

Here there are some observations I made by myself: most part of the coordinators of the current campaigns regarding Iran are based outside the country, by people with low interest to ever return in the country. I could understand very well the reasons, but it is better to know instead of dreaming. Mostly in foreign policy.

The Atlantic Monthly - Evaluating Iran's Twitter Revolution

It is a more optimistic perspective, which I support in some respects, about the huge potential of change presented by social networks.

A new power broker in the Middle East?

is this Canada? The current political and geopolitical configuration is so confuse and intricate - and more to follow in the next days, probably - than it is hard to say. What remains to be discussed is the availability and consistence of such friendships.

Flotillas and the war on public opinion

a Stratfor analysis about the situation in the Middle East. I watched carefully the news and footages during the events, as well as the reports from the international media.

There are still many events on the run - including the Arab League meeting from today, with impressive pressures against Egypt to give up being part of the blockade against Hamas.

The distance between the facts and their interpretation is huge. And, from many point of view, the communication plan was a failure. There are military regulations and not all the information could be released instantly to the public. Meanwhile, the volume and frequence of communication from the other side of the story was amazing. Millions of people - including with fake IDs and accounts - were involved with actions of supports all over the web - on Facebook, Twitter, comments to foreign media. In this case, despite the facts, the result is an increased condemnation of the state of Israel. And, in Sderot, the missiles continued.

Was it an intelligence failure or of an evaluation failure? I am asking why the negative perception of Israel in the media, increased significantly in the last years, is not still considered a fact you have to work on. Maybe hasbara should be redesigned according to the realities and not relying on situations no longer available.