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The Iranian Chess Game Continues
August 6, 2008
Foreign Policy In Focus
Diplomacy between Iran and the United States has entered the opening gambit stage and Iran appears to be winning at this point.
The game began on July 19, when Iranian nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili met with European negotiators with an American diplomat, Under Secretary of State William J. Burns, present for the first time at such a meeting since the Iranian hostage crisis.
The presence of William J. Burns riled many anti-Iranian forces resulting in a flurry of pronouncements and articles about American "capitulation" to Iran. The recriminations continued. Even now, on August 5, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, a notorious anti-Iran detractor, wrote a fulminating article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "While Diplomats Dither, Iran Builds Nukes."
The Bush administration clearly found itself in a difficult situation, needing to placate hawks like Bolton and Vice-President Dick Cheney while seeming to allow diplomacy to have a chance, so they made the talks not about substance, but about power – which side could compel the other to toe the line.
So the Bush administration started with a big lie. At the time of the July meeting the press and the State Department announced that Iran had a two-week deadline to respond to the European proposals, (the exact details of which remain secret, but which are presumed to include an extensive basket of technology, economic, and trade incentives).
There was no such deadline. It appears to have been a fiction. However, this falsehood gave Washington and the press the opportunity on August 2 to announce that Iran had "rejected" the deadline. The New York Times went so far as to call it an "informal deadline," a head-scratching concept.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki was reported by Agence France Press to have said, "The language of deadline-setting is not understandable to us. We gave them our response within a month as we said we would, now they have to reply to us."
Even the State Department itself had to back down from the fictional deadline. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack threatened further sanctions if Iran did not respond on Wednesday, July 30. But he had changed his tune on Saturday, August 2, the putative deadline. "I didn't count the days. It's coming up soon," he said. And when asked when Washington would pull incentives off the table designed to persuade Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program, said "there is no indication of that.
So little happened at the July 19 meeting, it could hardly be called a diplomatic encounter. In fact, Iran has been pursuing a productive diplomatic course. Rather than responding to deadlines and ultimatums, Iran has steadily put forward proposals for resolving its differences with the European and American governments over its nuclear energy program. It is clear that Iran will not give up its "inalienable right" to peaceful development of nuclear energy, as enshrined in Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it (but not India, Pakistan or Israel) is a signatory. It seeks other means, short of suspending uranium enrichment, to assure the world that it has no active nuclear weapons program.
Iran's proposal for negotiations presented to the European Nations is titled "The Modality For Comprehensive Negotiations" and sets out three stages of proceedings:
Preliminary Talks. Overall determination of the negotiating timetable.
Start of Talks. Actions against Iran would be suspended and common ground matters would be discussed.
Negotiations. Actual negotiating stage which the Iranians envision should last two months, but could be extended by mutual consent.
Iran does not agree in this document to suspend uranium enrichment. The document states in the negotiation stage that determinations regarding Iran's compliance with the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty would be "concluded in the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] and fully and completely returned to the Agency [The International Atomic Energy Agency]."
This is a reasonable blueprint for forward negotiations, and it represents a real diplomatic effort on Iran's part. By contrast, the United States seems to have acted with a combination of bluff and muscle, and has gotten nowhere for their efforts.
This has not stopped the United States and its European allies for calling on August 4 for more sanctions based on Iran's violation of the "informal deadline." This is an astonishing exercise in diplomatic audacity – calling for punishment where there could be no violation, there being no mutual agreement of the conditions under which actions would be declared a violation. Unfortunately, the political climate against Iran being what it is, such an unwarranted bellicose move will likely go unquestioned.
Except by Iran.
Iran had its own gambits in mind to retain control of the process. After the accusations and the threats by the European and U.S. consortium, they countered with a grim reminder that they could close the Strait of Hormuz, through which two-thirds of OPEC crude oil passes. They tested some new conventional missiles. Then they announced that they would indeed answer the European proposals – but in their own time and on their own timetable, according to their own agenda. They were clearly working through their own negotiation plan step by step, catching the United States off guard, and throwing everyone in Washington off their game, leaving them to continue their slow burn.
The question is whether, out of frustration or pique, the impatient Washington detractors will upset the table.
Foreign Policy In Focus contributor William O. Beeman is professor and chair of the department of anthropology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He is president of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association and the author, most recently, of The "Great Satan" vs. the "Mad Mullahs": How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
William O. Beeman --The Iranian Chess Game Continues (Foreign Policy in Focus)
Posted by William O. Beeman at 1:28 PM
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Labels: Bolton, deadline, diplomacy, Iran, McCormack, Mottaki, nuclear, U.S. Iranian relations, William J. Burns
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O's hit four homers to crush Blue Jays
Baltimore blasts Toronto 9-5 on Wednesday
Ryan Flaherty hit a pair of two-run homers, Jonathan Schoop had a solo shot in his big league debut and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game skid and clinch their second straight winning season.
Steve Pearce also homered for Baltimore and Chris Davis doubled in a run to increase his RBI total to 137 -- tied with Miguel Cabrera for the major league lead, pending Detroit's late game in Minnesota.
The Orioles were eliminated from playoff contention one night earlier, so manager Buck Showalter rested Adam Jones, Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters and moved Davis from first base to designated hitter.
With a lineup that included Jason Pridie, Schoop and Steve Clevenger, the Orioles ended a streak of 21 straight games of scoring five runs or fewer. Schoop, a 21-year-old prospect, contributed two hits -- including the homer in the sixth -- and scored three runs.
Flaherty connected in the third and eighth innings. It was his second career two-homer game, both of which came against Toronto this season.
After a run of 14 straight losing seasons, Baltimore (82-76) is assured of having a winning record in successive years for the first time since 1996-97.
Munenori Kawasaki and Josh Thole both had four hits for the last-place Blue Jays, who stranded 14 and went 4 for 22 with runners in scoring position.
T.J. McFarland (3-1) pitched one inning of relief for Baltimore and Jason Hammel worked 2 1/3 innings for his first save since 2011. Starter Bud Norris allowed three runs and seven hits over four innings and needed 96 pitches to do so.
Esmil Rogers (5-9) yielded six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings for Toronto.
An RBI single by Jose Reyes put the Blue Jays up 1-0 in the second inning, and Toronto added two runs in the third when Anthony Gose tripled in a run and scored on a single by Thole.
Baltimore closed to 3-2 in the third. After Schoop singled in first major league at-bat, Flaherty homered to right. One inning later, Pearce hit a solo shot to tie it.
The Orioles used an RBI single by Nick Markakis, a run-scoring double by Davis and an RBI groundout by Pridie to go ahead 6-3 in the fifth.
In the sixth, Schoop ripped a 2-1 pitch from Kyle Drabek over the wall in center field. Two batters later, Drabek was struck in the right ankle by a line drive and left the game. X-rays were negative.


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The Holidays are upon us; Chanukah is underway, Christmas is almost here, and it's time to get those last-minute gifts. We've given you ideas for people who already have all the games they want, for people who like science and other thinky pursuits, and for your teenage son who seems pretty normal but who you don't talk to. All those lists, and so many more.
But what about that person you just can't stand? What do you get for the nemesis in your life, that jerky brother-in-law, that horrible passive aggressive co-worker? What are some good gifts that subtly (or not so subtly) say "Here, I got you this because I was required to get you something, but actually, fuck off."
Never fear! I have polled the staff at Kotaku and come up with a list of spectacularly terrible gaming gifts for people you hate.
We've been over this before: the prices for in-store HDMI cables are insane and offensive. So what better way to say "I don't give a crap about you" than giving an obviously online-ordered HDMI cable? The one pictured to the side will set you back a whopping three dollars and one cent, and sends a clear message: "I don't care if you need an HDMI cable; in fact, I don't care if you live or die. I had to get you something, and so I got you this. Enjoy, asshole."
($3.01 from Amazon. Why break the bank?)
You knew this one was going to be on here. Duke Nukem Forever was easily the most flatly bad game I played this year; a blandly offensive, dispiritingly dull, boring game. Hype up the giftee on it—"It's finally here! It's for hardcore manly men only! Prove your mettle and beat it!"
Then, they'll be forced to sit through hour after hour of terrible combat, infuriating puzzles, bland dialogue, and soul-crushingly unfunny jokes, all the while wondering when it will get good. Which it will not, not ever.
($9.99 at Newegg.com.)
Strategy Guides for Games They Don't Own
"Hey, I bet you like video games! What about a guide for this game… you don't even own?" There are few more worthless gifts than the gift of unnecessary information—a strategy guide for an old Game Cube game, maybe a complete walkthrough of Final Fantasy XIII or the like… or you could go insidious and find a first-edition copy of Prima's Mortal Kombat guide, which contains a bunch of incorrect fighting moves.
Imagine your frenemy mashing the controller in frustration, trying to figure out why Cyber Sub-Zero's finishing move won't work, even though they're doing the exact right button combination. Imagine that, and smile.
(Most guides around $15, Mortal Kombat $13.59 from Amazon. Appears corrected.)
In a near-unanimous nomination from our other editors, Ubisoft's follow-up to the surprisingly good Bound in Blood is one of the worst, most sloppy games of the year. We didn't actually review it, but our friend Justin McElroy at Joystiq summed it up thusly:
"The Cartel heartbreakingly not only fails to build upon Bound in Blood's momentum, it spits in the face of everything that made it worthwhile. It doesn't feel like a misstep for the series, it feels like an epitaph."
Give this game, and maybe it'll be an epitaph for your already doomed relationship.
($21.95 from Amazon)
If you looked at our list of gifts for the guy who only plays sports games and decided you didn't like this person enough to get him or her any of those, then try the EA Sports season pass. It sure didn't fare well upon launch, and with good reason: as our own resident sports-game expert Owen Good puts it:
"Give your frenemy the gift of five games that they have to download (at at least 6GB each) and can only enjoy for three days."
Some gift.
(24.99 Online from EA)
The Green Lantern Movie and Game
Imagine the contempt conveyed by giving not one but two Green Lantern gifts. Not only are you gifting one of the worst superhero movies in the history of forever, you're also gifting its wretched video game tie-in. "Here," you are saying, "This is the kind of thing I think you would like."
Honestly, this gift is worth giving just for the looks on everyone else's faces. "Oh, what a… nice gift! Aren't those based on comics? Comics are cool, right?"
($14.99 for the Blu-Ray, $28.99 for the Game)
The Ugliest Gamepad Ever Crafted by Man
Gaaah! Just look at it! Behold the incredible ugliness of the USB Fire Dragon Gamepad. This shit has got to be the ugliest gamepad ever created by a human; it's like it was focus-tested to be as aesthetically offensive and physically revolting as possible. It's worse than the Samurai, it's worse than the Ninja (though not by much).
There is no space in a person's house for something this ugly. It cannot be hidden away, it cannot be put in a box. Its ugliness will radiate outwards and infect the world around it. It is so ugly it will make you worse at whatever game you're playing, if only because the laser-lights that shine from it are so distracting. Truly, the USB Fire Dragon Gamepad is the Cadillac of hideous gaming peripherals.
($29.99 online.)
Now, let's be clear: I'm not talking about gifting the super-fun music game Rock Band 2 or the all-encompassing, best-in-class experience of Rock Band 3. I'm talking about the original 2007 game Rock Band. More specifically, I'm talking about giving an entire living room's worth of crappy, now-obsolete plastic music-game peripherals.
Forget about the re-padded, wireless Rock Band 2 drum set—give your hated friend the clacky, wired, prone-to-malfunction Rock Band 1 kit. They don't deserve the smooth, wireless guitar controllers that came with later games; give 'em the wired, tangly, weak-whammy-barred Rock Band 1 controller. As all of us who bought, retired, and eventually junk-heaped our Rock Band peripherals know, it can be very difficult to get rid of the damn things once they've invaded your house.
For bonus nastiness points, just re-gift your own old set.
($219 from Amazon. This is A) ridiculous that it's still on sale and B) an intensely expensive way to say "fuck you.")
I feel certain that there are plenty of terrible gifts that we've left off, and would love to hear more suggestions in the comments.


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Asparagus – These vegetables thrive in areas with winter ground freezes and dry seasons. Essentially if you're living in anywhere other than Florida and the Gulf Coast, go ahead and plant in October. While it takes some time until harvest, crisp asparagus stems smothered in butter is well worth the wait.
Beets, Turnips and Radishes – Root crops can take a little frost, but be sure to continue protecting them from the extreme cold to extend the season if you plant in October.
Broccoli – This versatile vegetable not only likes cool weather, it tends to taste better when grown in down right chilly weather. Cloth cover these guys on the coldest nights, but don't fret too much if your region has moderately cold winter weather.
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Onions, Scallions, Shallots? – Depending on the variety of Allium, there are quite a few to choose from that will hold up well during frost and can be planted safely in areas with moderate winter climates.
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The week in review
Worst slaying: Clark Elementary third-grade teacher Dawn Reddick is gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Newark July 29, shielding a seven-year-old boy she didn't know from flying bullets, the Newsplex reports.
Worst flashback: Three teen girls attending a camp at Virginia Tech report seeing a man who possibly was carrying a gun August 4 around 9am, leading to a cancellation of classes at the university that was the scene of the worst campus mass murders in 2007. No one fitting the young women's descriptions, which police deemed credible, was found, and the alert ended around 3pm, WSLS-TV reports.
Sharpest dispute: Carey Hicks, 47, of Crozet is found knifed in the stomach and crouching in bushes August 6 on Harris Road, according to NBC29 reports. Police say he was stabbed during an altercation on nearby Bent Creek Road, and they've arrested Linda Doig, 50.
Worst trend: A woman is stabbed in the shoulder early August 8 in Southwood Mobile Home Community, NBC29 reports.
Most horrifying day at the beach: Free Union teen Matt Mina, 17, is buried under six feet of sand August 3 while digging a trench on Newport Beach, where he was visiting California relatives. The recent Western Albemarle High grad was under the sand for 20 to 30 minutes, and recounted his ordeal on NBC's Today show.
Most lost is found: The location of the Charlottesville time capsule buried in 1962 that no one could remember quite where has been pinned down to the Charlottesville Circuit Court, thanks to film footage Tom Hartsell discovered that his parents had shot. NBC29 has the story.
Latest in the Fairway Ave slaying: Jada Dickerson is sentenced to 16 years in prison for her role as an accomplice in the 2008 minivan shooting of Shawn Luck. Dickerson led police to the weapon used by Curtis Montague, who got 88 years. Candace Williams received 18 years.
Latest in Mount Solon's Gommorah: Kimberly Crilley, the 48-year-old woman convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old boy (who was shot in the leg by her husband when he broke into the couple's home) is sentenced to three years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender, NBC29 reports.
Most horrifying: Recently-hired Buena Vista football coach Joseph "Matt" Wheeler is among the 72 arrested in the international "Dreamboard" child porn ring, according to the Roanoke Times. Over the course of two years, Wheeler, 31, allegedly posted 78 offending images, but he denies producing any of the invitation-only site's 123 terabytes of violent pornography.
Biggest deal: SNL Financial is acquired by private equity firm New Mountain Capital, which has assets of $9 billion, according to a release. SNL founder Reid Nagle says he is the second largest stockholder in SNL after New Mountain, but he did not translate terms of the sale into a dollar figure.
Biggest blow to the Nelson economy: Virginia State Police swoop in with ABC agents August 2 to confiscate 5,400 pot plants in Nelson County worth an estimated $16 million. A "significant" plot of 5,204 plants is seized, along with another couple hundred here and there, according to a release. The effort was part of the Governor's Initiative Against Narcotics Trafficking– GIANT– to thwart marijuana agriculture in the state.
Best pizza: Crozet Pizza's white mushroom pie makes it onto Food Network Magazine's top 50 in the country in its September issue, the Newsplex reports.
Better late than never: Cismont resident Sissy Spacek, 61, finally gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame August 1, ABC reports, nearly 40 years after she burst onto the big screen in Badlands in 1973. Her star is number 2,443, and she was accompanied by her family and Hollywood buddies David Lynch and Bill Paxton.


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