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AIC
UPDATE - November
2006 | Vol. 3 | No. 54
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| Islam in the Contemporary West - Hooshang Amirahmadi |
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A Lecture Presented at the:
Stuart Day School of the Sacred Heart, Princeton,
New Jersey, USA
December 2, 2006
Good Afternoon!
It is an honor to speak at this distinguished forum of
administrators, teaches and students of Stuart, for
which I am grateful. Allow me also to take this
opportunity to extend Merry Christmas and Season’s
Greetings to you all. This is that special time of the
year when people of all religious persuasions should
and do converge to acknowledge their shared destiny
in peace and human happiness...
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| Iraq Study Group Report |
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On December 7, 2006, the Iraq Study Group (“ISG”)
released its recommendations to the U.S.
Government for its future involvement in the Iraq
conflict. The report begins by stating that “[t]he
situation in
Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that
can guarantee success, but the prospects can be
improved.” The Group makes 79 recommendations for
diplomatic
and political efforts, as well as suggestions to enable
U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq “responsibly.”
A few of the suggestions are:
- For the United States to engage Iraq’s neighbors,
particularly Iran, to help Iraq achieve stability.
- The U.N. Security Council’s efforts to handle Iran’s
nuclear programs should remain a separate issue from
the Iraq situation.
- The U.S. must deal “directly with the Arab-Israeli
conflict and regional instability.”
- “The Iraqi government should accelerate assuming
responsibility for Iraqi security by increasing the
number and quality of Iraqi Army brigades.”
- As the Iraqis assume control, the U.S. must also
increase the number of military personnel present in
the country in order to help train and advise the
Iraqis.
In response to the report, the German government
offered its help to initiate and mediate talks between
the US, Iran and Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he
disagreed with the ISG’s linkage of efforts to stabilize
Iraq with Israel's conflict with its neighbors.
Most U.S. senators broadly endorsed the
commission’s report. Their skepticism focused mainly
on two of the recommendations: a diplomatic
approach to Iran and Syria, and an acceleration of
the U.S. military's work to train and advise Iraqi
forces.
U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister
Tony Blair were critical of the proposals to withdraw
troops and to engage in dialogue with Iran. Blair said
Iran had “been basically arming, financing, supporting
terrorism.” Bush ruled out talks with Iran saying, “we
have made it clear to the Iranians that there is a
possible change in U.S. policy...if they would like to
engage the United States, that they've got to
verifiably suspend their enrichment program.
However, former Secretary of State James A. Baker
III who co-chaired the ISG, stated that there would
be no harm in approaching Iran, and if it were to
decline to help, “then we will hold them up to public
scrutiny as the rejectionist state they have proven
to be.”
IRAQ STUDY GROUP REPORT
http://w
ww.usip.org/isg/iraq_study_group_report/report/1206/
iraq_study_group_report.pdf
United States Institute of Peace
http://www.usip.org/isg/ira
q_study_group_report/report/1206/index.html
Report: Iraq conditions 'grave and deteriorating'
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washi
ngton/2006-12-06-iraq-report_x.htm
Washington veterans make up bipartisan ranks of the
Iraq Study Group
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washi
ngton/2006-12-05-iraq-study-
group_x.htm
Read the report (Warning: Large PDF file)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/pdf
/2006-12-06-studygroup.pdf
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| News and Analysis - Sharon R. Delshad, J.D. |
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This issue’s “News and Analysis” highlights the
following headlines:
• 6 World Powers Fail to Agree on Iran
Sanctions Plan
• Ahmadinejad's Letter to “Noble Americans”
• I.A.E.A. Snubs Help Request From Iran
• Iran Switches From Dollars To Euro For
Foreign Trade
• Bolton Resigns
• Iraqi President Visits Iran; Iranian Leaders
Ask U.S. to Leave Iraq
• Bush Meets with Iraqi Leaders
• FIFA Suspends Iran for Government
Interference With Soccer Federation
• Iran to Sign Security Agreements With Four
Neighbors
• Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan Visited
Iran
• Palestinian Prime Minister in Tehran
• Gates Nomination Approved
• Military Plane Crashes in Tehran
• Iran to Host Conference on the
Holocaust
• Tehran to Protest to UAE Over Anti-Iran
Activities
• The Louvre Deletes Persian from Description
of the
Gulf
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| Human Rights Day |
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On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the
United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which
appears in the following pages. Following this historic
act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to
publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it
to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded
principally in schools and other educational
institutions, without distinction based on the political
status of countries or territories."
http:
//www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
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| Season’s Greetings |
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The American Iranian Council sends its warmest
Season’s Greetings to all Americans, Iranian-
Americans, and Iranians as well as to its Honorary
Board of Directors, Board of Directors, Advisors,
Members, Sponsors, and Supporters in the US, Iran
and throughout the world. We wish them all a new
year filled with peace, joys, and prosperity. We also
hope that in the New Year we will witness the
beginning of a serious dialogue between the two
countries for better understanding and improvement
in relations.
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If you are interested in translating any of the original
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fact, we
encourage you to translate and distribute our original
writings!
You may publish them in the medium of your choice
or we will be
pleased to publish your translations in AIC Update.
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| About Us |
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Vision
The vision of the American Iranian Council is that the
United States and Iran will work together, since their
common interests far outweigh their differences. AIC
also envisions the Iranian-American community
playing an increasingly significant role in American
society, and Iran becoming a democratically
developed member of the global community with full
respect for human rights.
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Mission
The mission of AIC is to be a constructive force, in
cooperation and partnership with other organizations,
in bringing the United States and Iran together,
involving the Iranian-American community in the
dialogue, and bringing attention to social and political
conditions in Iran.
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Goals
The three
interrelated goals of the American Iranian Council
are:
1.
To serve as a platform for sustained dialogue on U.S.-
Iran relations.
2. To serve as a catalyst to educate all Americans,
including Iranian-Americans, regarding this
dialogue.
3. To serve as a forum for discussion of issues of
importance in Iranian society.
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American Iranian Council | 20 Nassau Street, Suite
111 | Princeton | NJ | 08542
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