Middle East Thread: Clarissa Explains the Fall

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread: Clarissa Explains the Fall

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Is it possible this is a statement from the Saudis intended to intimidate the Lebanese government to do something about Hizbullah or to do whatever else it is the Saudis want, similar to what happened with Qatar?

# ¿ Nov 6, 2017 22:50

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 12:00

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Human Grand Prix posted:

The Lebanese government is not stupid enough to fight Hezbollah.

Doesn't mean the Saudis aren't too stupid and/or arrogant to ask for it.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2017 03:36

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Cease to Hope posted:

there was just an earthquake apparently

https://twitter.com/seismo_steve/status/929785771216834561

this has apparently killed over 100 people, mostly in Iran

# ¿ Nov 13, 2017 07:41

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Toplowtech posted:

Now this is a middle east thread by the previous thread standart

to be fair, the presidency rotates every month. Still, though.

# ¿ May 29, 2018 19:21

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

The UN is withdrawing its staff from Yemen's main aid port because the UAE say they're about to attack it.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2018 18:53

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Speaking of Pakistani elections, there was a suicide bombing at a polling station today, at least 30 dead.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2018 22:23

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

That pastor imprisoned in Turkey is getting released today.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2018 18:29

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

When I said 'Will no one rid me of this meddlesome journalist' I didn't actually mean someone should rid me of this meddlesome journalist

# ¿ Oct 18, 2018 21:53

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

How did Hariri react?

# ¿ Oct 24, 2018 17:36

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

This is an NYT article on CIA-sponsored militias in Afghanistan

The summary is basically that they are more effective than the official forces against the Taliban but also torture and kill people for no reason. In addition because they're operating under CIA command basically, they're basically an extrajudicial force.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2018 16:35

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Turkey had municipal elections yesterday. Amongst other things, it looks like the opposition won Ankara and probably eked a win out in Istanbul(though the AKP may be cheating to get their candidate over the finish line) and several other less significant but still significant cities.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2019 22:46

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

does anyone know if there's any truth to the rumors that Khamenei is sick/dead?

I suppose if someone did know they wouldn't be posting it on the something awful forums but I figured I'd ask anyway

# ¿ Oct 3, 2022 06:13

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

This is where I first saw it https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-crisis-update-september-28

# ¿ Oct 3, 2022 06:39

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Dr Kool-AIDS posted:

Like the article said, Raisi's probably the frontrunner since he's both the current president and a hardliner who's well regarded by Khamenei. In a country remotely responsive to the people they'd obviously steer away from him after the protests resulting from his enforcement of strict hijab policies, but hardcore aligning himself with the Basij probably matters more if he wants the promotion.

His main drawback other than being a polarizing figure is probably that he's not the religious scholar that Khomeini or Khamenei were.

according to this reuters article, the main contenders are Raisi and Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba

relevant blurb:

quote:

But the fact that the unrest coincided with rumours about his ailing health -- he is 83 -- has only made matters worse, since the faction-ridden elite has been preoccupied with his eventual succession, the analysts and official said.

Although in theory an 86-member body known as the Assembly of Experts will choose the next leader, high level negotiations and jockeying for influence have already begun, making it difficult for the establishment to unite around a set of security tactics.

"This race has caused disarray inside the leadership. The deepening rift is the last thing we need when the country is in turmoil," said a hardline official.

"The main issue right now is the Islamic Republic's survival."

Khamenei himself has been silent about the protests, which quickly grew into a revolt against what protesters said was the increasing authoritarianism of the ruling clerics.

The two names that come up most often in speculation about the succession are President Ebrahim Raisi and Khamenei's second son Mojtaba, said Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Neither of them has popular support, but what keeps the Islamic Republic in power is not popular support, but repression. Both men are deeply experienced in repression," he said.

TOUGHER MEASURES
Brazen protesters have directed anger at Mojtaba Khamenei, risking the wrath of his all-powerful father.

"Mojtaba, may you die and not become Supreme Leader," could be heard in videos from protests on Twitter.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2022 17:19

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/14/world/middleeast/iran-zahedan-crackdown.html

quote:

Some of the wounded tried to crawl away to escape the gunfire. Others bled to death on prayer mats as people tried to drag them to safety.

But the snipers and officers kept pulling their triggers, firing bullet after bullet into men and young boys at a worship area where Friday Prayer had been underway.

The horrific scene unfolded on Sept. 30 in Zahedan, a city in southeastern Iran that is home to the ethnic Baluch minority, after a small group of worshipers emerged from the Great Mosalla prayer complex to confront security forces posted at a police station across the street.

The protesters chanted antigovernment slogans and threw rocks at the officers, prompting the security forces to fire indiscriminately into the crowd, according to witnesses. As the demonstrators scattered, the gunshots stalked their retreat back toward the complex, where thousands were still praying.

�It was a massacre I had only seen in movies,� said Jamshid, 28, a worshiper, who was reached by phone and identified himself only by his first name to avoid reprisals. �They started shooting as people still had their heads bowed in prayer.� Young men threw themselves in front of children and older people to shield them from the bullets, Jamshid said. �People had nowhere to go.�

The massacre, called �Bloody Friday� by residents, represents the most lethal government action since a crackdown began against nationwide demonstrations a month ago. Sixty-six to 96 people were killed over the course of the next several hours, according to local and international human rights groups, including Amnesty International.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2022 06:59

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

mllaneza posted:

It looks like something is being launched into the prison. You can make out something rising up from about 3/4s of the way across the frame, go up pretty high and come down with a small explosion and flash of light.

The BBC article agrees with you

quote:

Another video appears to show objects being fired into the prison from outside its perimeter, and an explosion is then heard, according to BBC Persian.

it seems more likely to be protestors to me but apparently the government dumped hundreds of protestors here so they could be murdering people they don't like and blaming it on others

# ¿ Oct 16, 2022 01:54

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

Absurd Alhazred posted:

Are they blaming it on anybody else?

according to that article, they're blaming "criminal elements" and are saying that it's unconnected to the protests

in unrelated news, the article also says that there's a video where you can hear people chanting "death to the dictator" outside

# ¿ Oct 16, 2022 02:02

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

ISW's been releasing a daily Iran update to go along with their Ukraine updates, that's how I've been trying to follow things. They also link to various Twitter and Telegram and other miscellaneous posts in their reference section. Scrolling through today's, https://twitter.com/1500tasvir seems like a big one.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2022 15:21

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

I don't have a ton of news, but the protests are still going.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63648629

quote:

At least 348 protesters have been killed and 15,900 others arrested in a crackdown by security forces on what Iran's leaders have portrayed as foreign-backed "riots", according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which is also based outside the country.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2022 00:08

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1593399948753739777

I took this from the GBS thread, which seems quite a bit more active

# ¿ Nov 18, 2022 03:15

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/magnitude-7-earthquake-strikes-morocco-gfz-2023-09-08/

There was an earthquake yesterday 50 miles out from Marrakesh, so far 2000 dead

# ¿ Sep 9, 2023 23:04

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 12:00

Elyv: Jun 14, 2013

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/13/africa/libya-flooding-storm-daniel-wednesday-intl-hnk/index.html

Flooding in Libya up to 6000 dead with 10000 missing.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2023 19:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread: Clarissa Explains the Fall