Book Review : Plan of Attack

Plan of Attack

Plan of attack is a book written by Bob wood ward, a very famous journalist and reporter .he is known as one who revealed the Watergate scandal he is a reporter in Washington post.

The book provides the reasons of President Bush to invasion to Iraq in 2003 and removed Saddam Hussein from power by military force. He wrote three books connected with war in Iraq respectively “Bush at War ´in 2002,”plan of Attack “in 2004 and “The State of Denial “in 2006.

In Plan of Attack  the writer tries to look at what happened in white house secrecy and closed door policy, discussions ,plans and decision making process; decisions which led the US  to war in Iraq. The book tries to show a realistic picture of what happened behind the curtain.

A private meeting of Bush and Rumsfeld is the begin of the book ,they talked about searching for mass destruction weapons in Iraq, then the writer in his book describes some of the prominent decision makers like vice president Dick Cheney ,defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld ,secretary of state Collin Powell and General Tommy Franks. The policy of changing regime in Iraq had been chosen by President Bush shortly after September 11 and this decision became unchanged afterwards.

The writer mentions that the information of the book comes from 75 key people directly involved in the event including war cabinet members ,the Whitehouse staff and officials at various levels of the department of defense ,he spent more than a year researching and interviewing to take the documents and evidence; in the book Collin Powell is depicted as being more and more  at odds with members of the Bush administration and even goes as far as to reject some evidence mentioned on WMD or Weapons of Mass  Destruction ,besides  Condoleezza Rice who was United states national security advisor at that time in this book emerged as a very important figure.

Based on the book it seems as if decision taken by the president do not appear to have been deeply examined or even strongly discussed, it seems the war and its consequences was a destiny planned before Bush’s inauguration because the vice president had decided on “topic A “of the president’s first national security case and it can be paraphrased as Iraq problem.

Bob Woodward tried to say the story unbiased and his book gave a clear picture in the case of war.

The book has been published by “Simon & Shuster “ publishing  in April,19 2004.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American film based on a novel by Winston Groom ,the genre of film is comedy Drama  and Robert  Zemeckis is the director of film. The main actors are Tom Hanks ,Robin Wright and Gary Sinisie .the film was nominated for thirteen Oscars and swept six of them including ,best leading actor Tom Hanks, best director ,best film editing ,best picture, best visual effects and best adapted screenplay. The film in box office could take near $ 700, 000,000 worldwide. The film is production of Paramount pictures.

Summary and plot

A man with low IQ waiting in a bus station tells his life story to a women sitting near him. he recounts all events in his life , about his mother ,his military service ,being sent to Vietnam ,saving his commander ‘s life and coming back home like a hero ,he remembers visiting some presidents of the US ,and getting rich in shrimping industry. he finds his lost  love , jenny but he is too stupid to understand the importance of his action in his life.

Making films about retarded people is not a new case, at least we have three movies which theirs heroes are people with problem in IQ Forrest Gump, Rain Man and I am Sam .the common fact about three films starring success to taking awards. the director Robert  Zemeckis made one on of the his best films in his career and tom Hanks played one of the most  praised acting in the world.

Forrest joins  to  the army randomly and without seeking to be hero becomes a national hero similarly when he plays ping pong he doesn’t have any motives ,we can see this when he goes to university ,In Beijing ,china , Forrest  saves   Mao  from drowning .

Forrest Gump has several messages, some of which are less obvious than the others. The most frequently recurring theme is not to give up on life. Why surrender when you don't know what lies ahead? By contrasting Forrest's life with the lives of those around him, and by showing how the passage of time brings solace to even the most embittered hearts, the movie underlines this point.

Tom hanks was the only actor who could play this role , after watching the film I  can’t imagine somebody other than Tom hanks could show this modesty ,outspoken simplicity as he did. The film is the mixture of tragedy and comedy and lots of significant truths are hidden in it.

Forrest Gump has lots of memorable quotes for example “I am not a smart man ,but I know what love is  “ or “ stupid is as stupid does “ !

Iran Venezuela: Strategic Ties

Hugo Chavez Venezuelan president has ended a two day visit in Iran  ,the two countries has signed eleven contracts in cooperation in Energy ,oil ,textile  industry and mass house making as IRNA says .

The two presidents called their unity as a “new world order “.

In this special situation which Iran is confronting UN sanctions, what makes Venezuela to support Iran?

The relations of two countries go beck to nearly fifty years ago in OPEC.

Despite the far distance between two countries,  Iran is located in Middle East and Venezuela is in the northern part of South America, Venezuela is very supportive.

After Islamic revolution in 1979 lots of economic sanctions imposed to Iran and consequently the Iranian government decided to diversify of its trade partners and as a result Iran concentrated on Latin American countries based on their economical capacities and foreign policies.

To find  the importance of Venezuela  to Iran ,the first issue which comes to mind is oil ,Venezuela has the largest oil reserve outside of Middle East and can be a good partner for Iran.

The reactions of Israel and United States  are another issue , in their views Iran has influence in Latin America which has been  considered as a backyard for US but it seems as if everything is changing ,for example Hugo Chavez says : we both are stand  against  the united states imperialism .

The third issue is economic relations, in this issue some countries like Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and equator have reached to high economic relation with Iran.

The Iran – Venezuela relations have been consolidated in Ahmadinejad’s presidency, first direct flight from Tehran to Caracas, two automotive automobile factories which can make 24 thousands in a year, the dairy production factories and other small industries are some examples of their relations.

Iran and Venezuela are going to reach to 20 billion dollars in common trades.

Hugo Chavez has defended Iran’s nuclear program by insisting it is for peaceful uses.

Four rounds of UN sanctions and the US and European broader embargoes couldn’t stop Iran’s nuclear program.

Chaves has also plan to develop nuclear energy program in Venezuela and because of that has signed an agreement with Russia last week.

Chavez had nine trip to Iran, before coming to Tehran, he had visited Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

It seems a new definition of  international relations

is coming out and we have to look forward to future.

Ahmadinejad in Lebanon

President Mahmood Ahmadinejad is now in his first state visit in Lebanon . Lots of Lebanese  gathered in a 6 km way from Beirut airport to  lebanon presidential palace or Baabda .

Ahmadinejad in the third day of his trip is going to visit  Bint jbeil   which was  among the hardest-hit areas during the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war .

This trip is concerned important in some aspects ; the two countries relations are traced back to many years ago in  Pahlavi's dynasty.

They are not neighbors but there is s strong solidarity based on religion and beliefs between them.

The importance of Imam Musa Sadr's  role in Lebanon  in making connection  between followers of Islam and Christianity is undeniable.

Lebanon is an unusual country; the majority of people are Muslims but the president is selected from Christians.

Apostles of various religions ,cults and ethnical groups live with each other peacefully .

the assassination of Rafic Al Hariri  - the former Lebanon prime minister - was a turning point ,it means everything has changed in Lebanon political arena ; the investigation into his assassination is still ongoing by The Special Tribunal  for Lebanon which is an international criminal court .

the tribunal convicted Lebanese and Syrian officers and also Hezbollah in Rafic Al Hariri's killing , bur Syria and Hezbollah condemned what has alleged by the court.

Within a couple month before a crucial event has happened in Lebanon; for the first time King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Bashar Al Assad - the president of Syria - arrived in Beirut on the same plane.

Ahmadinejad's trip has caused lots of attentions and reactions, mostly negative in the United States and some countries, the US and GB have expressed concerns about that and Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns to American citizens against travelling to Beirut in these days.

But what memorable is that contrary to expectation lots of political parties ,groups and factions welcomed to this trip ,Iran is going to invest almost 450 million dollars in Lebanon power and water industries .

The advantages of Iran's policy in Lebanon are covering all the Lebanese not just Shias and it is a very effective and profitable trade for both countries.

It shows Iran's power and influence in Middle East.

Globalization : Iran and the United States Relationship

The concept of Globalization  is traced back to sixties when a Canadian Sociologist " Marshal Mcluhan " popularized the term of global village.
Globalization explains internationalization of thoughts and communication .
the results of standardization in methods of products and marketing is Globalization ,in other word there is a great link between the territory of economy and Globalization .
A good example is Mcdonald , you can buy its food products with same qulaity in every region in the world from New York to Mumbai !
Massmedia which distribute information , audios and videos are in the direct connect with globalization.
The invention of the Morse codes was the first step in instantaneous communication , and the next steps respectively are Telephone , Satelite , Internet and so on .
This era has been named Space ,Electronic , Solar , Atom and finally a globe village.
Although globalization is a common idea in the world the role of western culture is not deniable and its role can affect every part in countries relationship.
In this issue , for example , relationship between Iran and the US is manipulating by globally decisions , however their relations is long story and had and has a lot of ups and downs since two countries had begun theire relationship in mid of 19 century.
The very important leader's meeting in WW2 was held in tehran in 1943 ,the movement of oil in iran , Coup d'état led by Americans , Iran's revolution in 1979 , Iran hostage crisis in 1979 for 444 days ,war between Iraq and Iran and lots of events show that theire common concerns cant be detached.
In 1989 the Soviet Union colappsed , thia year seems to be a turning point in the world , the US became the only superpower in the world ,the Internet became the most popular and revolution in communication has happened , infact we can see the changes which we couldnt even imagine before.
In Middle East in South and West of asia , in Dubai ,Turkey , India and especially in China all of these countries try to improve theire economiy , making facilities for investment and so on .
Iran must pay attention to its opportunities ,iran is located in the most strategic and the most important area in the world .
The connection between globalization and being an economic power is very complicated , for example World Trade Organization ( WTO ) ,which has been formed since 1995 , tries to establish a unified system in global trade ,Iran's request for membership in WTO have been rejected by the US and WTO have just accepted iran as an observer , it means that iran should act in the world based on it's national interests , if we don't avail ourselves of this opportunity the others will definitely take it.
References :
Globalizations  : Concepts and Theories by Dr Ameli
Cultural Studies   Chris Barker
Key Concepts of cultural Theory   Andrew Edgar
wto.org

Oman seeks release of U.S. hikers still jailed in Iran CNN

(CNN) -- A delegation from the Persian Gulf state of Oman is in Iran to seek the release of two American hikers jailed there for more than a year, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.
"The Omanis pledged to continue to help with the release of the two hikers, and we're very grateful for their efforts," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
He said U.S. officials are staying in "close touch" with the Omanis and with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, but referred questions about the details to Oman's government.
Hikers Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were arrested after straying across the unmarked border separating Iran from Iraq's Kurdistan region in July 2009. Shourd was released on humanitarian grounds September 14 after Omani authorities posted $500,000 bail, but Bauer and Fattal remain in  Prison on accusations of spying.
Iran's Foreign Ministry downplayed the Omani visit, according to remarks on the ministry's website.
"Many delegations come to Iran from many countries, and Iranian delegations visit other countries as well," ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said. "These visits are signs of friendly relations between countries."
Shourd met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday while he was in New York to attend the United Nations. She told CNN's "American Morning" that she wanted to make a personal appeal for the freedom of Fattal and Bauer, her fiance.

"I have no animosity towards him or the government," she said. "I want it to be resolved. I want it to be finished."

Controversy :
what has happened in this issue is not a new one , on 23 March 2007    15 British Royal Navy were arrested by Revolutionary Guards accused of passing the Iran's territorial waters , on the 4 April and after 14 days being in detain Mahmood Ahmadinejad the president of Iran in a press conference  declared that the navies  will be released , finally they had been given gifts and presents and freed .
The matter was going to be a real crisis between Iran and Britain but they solved the problem.
One of them ( Faye Turner ) sold her memoires to THE SUN -  a very famous tabloid -  as 50000 pounds.
Although the three hikers were not militaries  it seems as if we can predict the end of the story .
At the begining Iran's government accused them of espionage and announced they are going to be on trial because of that, after one year there were a rumor that the President of Iran will take them with himself to New York - because of  the UN summit - but Mr Jafari Dolatabadi ( the prosecuting auttorney ) denied , just two  days after that one of them -Sarah Shourd - freed and came back home.
Contradiction decisions can be problematic , we must notice to our national concerns .
Releasing the americans could be  a good opportunity to give the world a new aspect of Iran and consequently it was a way to improve our relationship with the  United States but at this time the issue of the hikers is not important anymore.