The World is Talking. Global Politics

The online video posted by the Century Foundation regarding the relations between Israel and Iran and the geo.political forces that are behind this situation has several bloggers discussing their ideas on who is really pulling the strings.

The discussion, Iran and Israel: An Irreversible Enmity?, is held by Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council and author of Treacherous Alliance - The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States (Yale University Press 2007); Khaled Dawoud, New York correspondent for Al-Jazeera; and Daniel Levy, Senior Fellow and Director of the Prospects for Peace Initiative at The Century Foundation. The following video with Highlights of the talk can also be seen on YouTube, uploaded by the Century Foundation

Ali Eteraz posts the video and says:

I think one comment of note is from Riyad Mansour, a Palestinian expert, who reminds that the US runs the show, not Israel.

But pay attention, very close attention, at 3:30, at the geo-political game Iran is playing.

You can also see the video on video aggregator and discussion site FORA.tv

FORA.tv enables a new, global media opportunity by aggregating a daily range of events, produced and electronically shipped by institutions or freelance producers, from around the world.

On Fora.tv you can see the different sections of the talk, or see it as a whole. There are also links to background information on the speakers, the possibility of having transcripts and download capabilities.

The interest in discussing the possibility of mending relations between Iran and Israel is reflected in the blogosphere as well: Lisa Goldman translates Notes from the Underground: Iranians and Israelis connect online from Hebrew to English. The article, written by Ido Hartogsohn for Nana, an Israeli entertainment portal, speaks about the role blogs have taken in bridging the gaps in communication and information, providing a more humane connection between people of these two different nations. From the article:

Goldman, too, sees blogs as a tool for creating understanding between peoples. “We must find a way to get past the pre-conceived notions and one-dimensional portraits presented by the mainstream media,” she says. “They just perpetuate conflicts. I think that if you hear a human voice from the other side, that’s the beginning of the way.”

However, there is still a bit of apprehension:

As a means of illustrating the extent to which Iranian bloggers must be careful to avoid contact with Israelis, Kamangir offered an amusing-yet-sad anecdote about an incident that occurred last summer. This incident also shows how ordinary people who are citizens of enemy states find themselves making contact - albeit of a hesitant, groping kind.

The rest of the story can be read here.

Patriotic Shadow photo by said&done