Goodbye Nuclear Weapons, See You in Iran!

Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council, with President Obama as its chairman, voted to strengthen the restrictions on nuclear technology, making it more difficult to convert peaceful applications into weapons programs.  This, however, is still a matter of enforcement which has been a persistent problem for the United Nations in the past; its coffee and doughnut budget has been exceeded for every year of its existence.  Iran is at the heart of this matter, even though President Obama was very general in his comments during the meeting, but glared at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because "he knows what he did." 

One Quarter of the Afghan Vote Was Cast by Pack of Wild Monkeys; Situation Dire

Well, Afghanistan, you've got a mess on your hands.  A lot of mess.  A quarter of your votes could be tainted!  That's Chicago bad.  The good/bad news is that this isn't the worst of your problems.  The top general in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has essentially stated that the situation is dire in the remote nation. 

Imma Let You Finish Afghanistan, but Iran Had the Craziest Election of All Time

In what we can only imagine as a scene out of Michael Jackson's Bad, clashing rallies erupted in Iran.  Today, in Iran, is Quds Day which is a major day for the Iranian regime (not unlike ten cent wing day).  It is an occasion for people to show their support for the Palestinians and opposition to Israel.  This rally by the opposition is the first major one since July and there have been reports that former president Mohamad Khatami was attacked by the paramilitary group the Basij. 

Health Care Reform Protests: Send Me Your Tired, Ignorant and Stupid.

With the recent town hall events of August and the bill that came out of the Senate Finance Committee, health care reform is as contentious as ever.  People are mad and dammit, they aren't going to let ignorance get in their way!  So what are the critiques of universal health care?  People are claiming all sorts of things.  A big one is that this is socialism.  Socialism!  Just when you thought we'd defeated that back in the 80s, it rears it ugly head.  Another critique is that it will cost too much and another is that well, Obama is a fascist. 

Sarah Palin Resigns, Butchers Public Speaking...

Well, last Sunday, Sarah Palin has quit.  She gave a rambling, disjointed speech as a farewell to the people of Alaska.  She attacked the media, Hollywood, and her opponents.  The speech was so bad that Vanity Fair decided to copy edit it.  You can see the results here.  They are bad.  Very bad.  Red ink is everywhere and they even did fact checking.

Update: Iran Still Pissed About Election

Well, it looks like the rage of 1000 Suns in Iran over last month's election is still smoldering.  Top cleric Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani criticized the hard liners in the Iranian government and called for the release of those arrested in the aftermath of the election.  He also said that doubts over the election have been raised and those doubts need to be resolved in order for this issue to be settled.  Since the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decreed that the election was valid, raising the spectre of doubts over the election is tantamount to challenging him.

You Leave for Two Weeks and So Much Happens....

First, before Puggling went on vacation Michael Jackson died and then while we were mourning our loss, Sarah Palin up and resigns from her post as governor of Alaska.  She must have been a personal friend of MJ and is now using this time to reflect on life and loss.

We here are not interested in necessarily what Ms. Palin's motives were, however we are more interested in what this means to the 2012 Presidential race.  While according to a Gallup poll, a good many Americans still see a political future for her.  However, the ethics complaints, the spat with David Letterman (while it appeared at the time that he lost this battle, he may have won the war) and the Baby Daddy drama with Levi Johnston have taken away from her appearance as a serious political entity. 

Michael Jackson: Hell, Even Iran Has Stopped Going Apeshit for a Minute...

Well, Michael Jackson has died.  In case you didn't hear.  He has always done his best work as a zombie so it is only natural to think that he will have a huge comeback now.  The news of his death has been everywhere.  It even appeared on CNBC's Kudlow Report with notorious bad tie wearer, Larry Kudlow.

Auto-Tune the News: Maddeningly Addicting

Puggling has recently discovered Auto-Tune the News and it is hilariously addictive.  One of our writers has been listening to this all day and still has not gotten tired of it.

Scandal! S.C. Governor Mark Sanford Ups the Bar

In a departure from our ongoing Iran coverage, Puggling is taking a look at the shenanigans of the South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford.  Sanford first made national news when he tried to refuse taking money from the stimulus package.  Most recently he was absent from S.C. for five days while apparently no one knew where he was.  What happened?  He was on a booty trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  For five days.  Over Father's Day weekend.  A perfect example of douchebaggery.

Iran Protests: What Do You Love About Your Police State?

While admitting (and then denying) election fraud has quickly become passé, crackdowns, beatdowns, and shutdowns are the new rage in Iran.  Today protests were stopped by masses of riot police and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that Iran will not yield to the pressures of the protests.  All this got us at Puggling wondering just what are the best things about living in a police state?

Dick Cheney Signs Book Deal: Confessions of a Powerholic

With the news that Dick "Vader" Cheney has signed a book deal for his memoirs, people are clamoring for any hint at what actually went on during the Bush years.  Well, the wait is over.  We here at Puggling have gotten an advanced copy and here are some excerpts:

Iran Still Going Apeshit; Pakistan Jealous

In a not so shocking development, the Guardian Council of Iran has stated that no voting irregularities occurred before the election not during or after.  They have also stated that there was not enough evidence of voter fraud to overturn the election results and Ahmadinejad will be re-sworn into office sometime between July 26th and August 19th.  All the while, leaders of the opposition and people with ties to candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi are steadily being arrested and detained. 

Kyrgyzstan to Allow Use of Air Base

In a reversal of its previous decision, Kyrgyzstan is going to allow the use of an air base to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan.  Previously, Kyrgyzstan had given the U.S. six months to get out, but many believe that this was just a move to increase the rent that the U.S. currently pays.  Annually, the U.S. pays about $17.4M in rent and another $150M in aid.  While the rent will be increased, this is likely to be a deal of "bases for vowels." 

Iran Election: They Admitted It!?!?!

In a flash of stupidity, the Iranian Guardian Council stated that more people voted than were eligible in at least 50 regions.  However they claim that the discrepancy is not enough to affect the outcome of the election, but admitting that there were shenanigans in the election will likely not placate the protesters.  Too many votes were cast?  Apparently the voting in Iran is run by this guy →.  The Iranian regime could at least have stuck to its story.  There are middle school cheating rings with greater message discipline. 

Iranian Election: We Call Shenanigans

Just in case you haven't been paying attention, something smells funny in Iran and it's not just the thousands of people in the desert heat.  In the recent Iranian election, there was a reported 85% turnout and incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a surprising 62.6% of the vote.  While this might not be in itself a strange result, the fact that his victory was announced before some of the polls closed, and before many of the millions of paper ballots could possibly have been counted.

This week the Ayatollah went on national television to declare that the vote was not rigged.  Thousands of Iranians are still planning on protesting on Saturday despite the despotic decree that protesters be "held responsible" if these protests continue which sounds like code for "crackdown."  In something eerily out of the plot of V for Vendetta, Iran is blaming outside threats for the internal turmoil and is basically threatening violence on the populace if they don't stop expressing their dissent.  Hell, Iran has its own secretive shock troops called the Basij.

So, when the crowd shows up looking like this → the Iranian regime will need to run for the hills.  While the approach the protesters are taking is mirroring that of Ghandi, the power of peaceful protest is still great and it is doubtful that the Iranian country would react well to a crackdown on peaceful protesters.  The longer these protests continue, the greater the threat to the Ayatollah and the mistake of effectively giving the election to Ahmadinejad could be the turning point and potentially bring about change in the country.

Iranian Protests: Twitter Now Used for Something Other than Talking About Your Cat

The spotty reports coming out of Iran are showing what appears to be a massive protest against the recent elections.  Many of these reports are coming through on social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook.  The Iranian regime is attempting to block access to these sites with very limited success.  There have been thousands of posts on Twitter of video and photos of the protests as well as the violence that has accompanied some of these.  The normal usage of Twitter, blabbing about your stupid cat, is being overshadowed as the amount of these posts grows. 

Much of the organization of these protests is being run through Twitter and today a massive rally was organized in Iran's capital, Tehran, by the opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi.  If these protests continue to gather strength, this will force the regime into a corner and the reaction will likely not be pretty.  The real power in Iran does not rest within the president or with the prime minister, but with the supreme leader, the Ayatollah.  Think of him as one of the crazy cat people on Twitter.  He's getting madder and madder that his tweets aren't being heard over the din of the protesters.  Once he is threatened enough, he is likely to use force to quell this movement. 

Once it gets to the point of force, the situation can become very destabilizing to the entire country.  This will become a power struggle and the entire country could very easily delve into a civil war.  However, if these protests slowly peter out, it is likely not much will change in Iran, and this is how the regime would like this all to end.

U.S. Mulls Intercepting N. Korea Shipping; Seeks More Kimchi

The Obama administration is considering in effect a blockade of North Korea.  In a report from the New York Times, Secretary of State Clinton indicated that this option was still on the table.  Shipping that is suspected of containing materials used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons would be confiscated.  (We here at Puggling believe this is what is referred to as "kimchi.")  The hope is that China would assist the United States in this effort, allowing the use of its ports and airfields.  However, there has been no indication so far that China would be willing to help.

This effort would likely be highly confrontational to North Korea which has already threatened retaliation if such actions are taken.  (N. Korea takes its "kimchi" seriously.)  Currently, its Taepodong-2 missile can potentially threaten South Korea and Japan and North Korea has one of the largest militaries in the world.  These threats underline how seriously North Korea wishes to become a nuclear power.


Stopping the arms trade, which is one of the most profitable enterprises in North Korea, would cripple its already ailing economy.  (The dark area on the map is North Korea.  The lone light is from Kim Jong-Il's night light.  No word on his blankie.)  Analysts suspect that North Korea pumps up to 40% of its GDP into military efforts, leaving its population in abject poverty. 

Obama's Muslim Outreach: A Step in the Right Direction

Today, President Obama begins his tour of the Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  This tour is in part designed to improve America's image in the region, which as the release of a new audio tape by Osama bin Laden shows is still needed.  However, the mere fact that the President is making the effort to have a dialog with the Muslim world goes a long way towards improving relations with the U.S.  On Thursday, Mr Obama is expected to deliver an address in Cairo, one that he promised to make during his campaign last year.  

But that is not to say that there isn't a large gap to overcome.  One of the primary issues facing Mr Obama is the issue of Israeli settlements which are one of the sticking points in the Isreali-Palestinean peace process.  The Arab community wants a statement from the U.S. on these settlements which can potentially drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel, a long time ally.  Walking this balance will be a difficult path, but opening this dialog is the first step down the right direction.

Rice and Ray-Bans: North Korea Redux

 On May 25th, North Korea tested a nuclear bomb which was estimated to be the same destructive force as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II.  In addition to the nuclear test, North Korea tested short range missiles which can potentially be used to deliver a nuclear attack on South Korea or Japan and involve the U.S. in the battle.  The world must react with speed and solidarity in order to keep North Korea from embroiling the region, and even world, in conflict.

According to a report in The Economist, this nuclear test may be the result of internal changes in the influence of hardliners from the armed forces.  One of these hardliners, Kim Yong-chol, is advocating the end of cooperation and contact with South Korea and further isolating the North.  This increase of hardliner influence is coming with the blessing of Kim Jong-Il who may have suffered a stroke last year.  Due to the extreme difficulty in determining the internal politics of North Korea, much is speculation.

While on an international level, North Korea’s actions appear to be irrational, on a state or domestic level, this saber rattling has a very rational goal.  These tests are an attempt to increase the internal control of the communist regime in North Korea.  According to Wendy R. Sherman, who coordinated North Korea policy during the Clinton administration, “they care about external matters only insofar as it helps ensure the survival of the regime.”  These tests are likely designed to appeal to the nationalist sentiment of the North Korean people and the media there is heaping of praise on the tests and the government.  Maintaining their power is a huge motivator for the ruling class in North Korea.  They are keeping their country in effectively the 17th century while living a life of luxury.

Their struggle to maintain power causes actions that baffle the rest of the world community.  It provokes responses from the outside world that damage the economy and well being of the country as a whole.  In the game of international relations, it can be counted on to make the play that will ensure the survival of the regime, not what is best for the country as a whole.  Its population is living in abject poverty and incentives do not appear to have had any affect on how North Korea conducts its international business.

Since maintaining power is the motivator for North Korea, taking actions that will prolong, or threaten, the regime may be the only way to get compliance from North Korea.  According to a New York Times article, “North Korea is not likely to be receptive to incentives. And it may have concluded that having nuclear weapons is a necessity for its own preservation.”  Possessing nuclear weapons is the regime’s trump card in fending off potential threats to the regime.  Further economic sanctions may be the only peaceful step toward getting North Korea to comply and give up its weapons.  However, because of the importance they have placed on weapons, it is highly unlikely that they will give these up without a fight.  Yet, that does not mean that war cannot be avoided.

The key in the world response may lie in China.  Of the limited international trade with North Korea, much of it is with China or flows through China.  China is the closest thing to an ally that North Korea has.  The U.S. can use its relationship with China to garner support in these sanctions.  In the past, North Korea has ignored U.N. resolutions and the sanctions have not been strictly enforced, but with China’s cooperation, these can be effective.  Creating internal pressure via sanctions is the most effective, and safest, route to get the North Koreans to change.

Creating an economic situation where maintaining the regime in its current form is untenable is the only hope for North Korea to have a permanent change – similar to the situation in the Soviet Union.  By quickly implementing strong and solid sanctions and preventing the North Korean regime from acquiring more nuclear weapons material, North Korea could step down its threatening actions.  Eventually, with a build up in internal pressures, the North Korean regime can begin to change and open the society in a process that will take many years.