Third Saturday Seminar 2019-2020
Return of the Elders, Unleash your Wisdom
“Humanity at a Crossroads”
Session 4
“Iran and the United States of America”
To help put recent Middle Eastern events into perspective
and give some hint about what to expect as a result
By Mehdi Noorbaksh, PhD
Saturday, January 18, 2020, 9:30AM to Noon (3d Saturday)
Room B-102, Lone Star College – Montgomery
3200 College Park Drive – Conroe, TX – 77384 – 936.273.7000
This is the first meeting in 2020 and the first time we have used Skype technolog
We are fortunate to have Professor Mehti Noorbaksh of Harrisburg University, an expert in Middle Eastern affairs to help us understand the whirlwind of events that were set off with the recent killing of Iran’s General Qassem Soliemani, the commander of the Quds Force (IRGC, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.)
He will be addressing us via a Skype connection from Harrisburg, PA and will review the phases of the development of the current relationships between Iran and the United States of America beginning with the with the CIA organizing the unseating of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953 to satisfy Britain’s desire to secure the shah’s power and for Britain to regain control of the Anglo-Iranian Oil company. It was the first covert action of the United States to overthrow a foreign government during peacetime . The Shah and his family are forced into exile in January 1979. Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran on February 1, 1979 in triumph after 15 years of exile. In November 1979, a hardline group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. … Its legacy is felt even today; President Trump recently threatened to attack 52 Iranian locations to mirror the 52 Americans taken hostage at the embassy. The embassy takeover leads to the resignation
The Iran-Iraq war was from 1980 to 1988, ending in a draw negotiated by the UN. Saddam Hussein did not secure the mantle of Arab leadership he aspired to, even though the Saudis and the Gulf states bankrolled the war effort. Iran, with a population of 50 million to Iraq’s 17 million, mobilized to defend the revolution. … The death toll, overall, was an estimated 1 million for Iran and 250,000-500,000 for Iraq. “Iran and Iraq Sep 23, 2010.
We are all more or less familiar about more recent activities of the Quds Force: Supporting proxy forces such as Hezbollah, attacking ships carrying Saudi oil, shooting down million dollar drones, precision missile attacks of Saudi refineries.
At the moment things are momentarily paused, as the world processes the shooting down of a Ukrainian Airliner killing everyone, Iranians and Canadians, setting off protests within Iran
Mehdi Noorbaksh, Ph.D. , Professor of International Affairs
Dr. Noorbaksh specializes in several areas, such as international politics, global energy and health, and democratic movements and processes in Middle East politics. Dr. Noorbaksh has published extensively on the Middle East politics, including the Foreign Policy Association, Middle East Policy Journal, and the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Dr. Noorbaksh’s most recent academic achievements include receiving his master of business administration and master of health administration (MHA) in 2006 from the University of Houston. Previous to these degrees, Dr. Noorbaksh earned his B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Texas in 1979 and M.A. in political science from the University of Houston in 1986. In 1996, Dr. Noorbaksh earned both his Ph.D. in government studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a position at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies as a Post-Doctoral Fellow before joining Harrisburg University in 2006. He is currently working on a number of articles on the Middle East and Iran, and a book on the interaction of Islam, nationalism and democratic change in Iran.
Research Interests: International management and business, Strategic management, Global organizations, Healthcare systems and Global health, Energy and alternative sources, Risk management, International relationship issues
As usual, our world is still in “interesting times.” We will start the session with current events led by Curt Gibby
Disclaimer: Due to the fluctuating state of our government; anything written here can be inaccurate by Saturday or sooner.
President Donald J. Trump will have been in office for 1,093 days by Saturday. There are 290 days to the next General Presidential Election, 3 November 2020. Texas holds its Primary Elections on Super Tuesday, 3 March, 2020 in 45 days. First day of early voting in the Primary is 18 February 2020 (31 days)
For those who like to read ahead:
The following listing of current events usually includes just the top lines or phrases from the sources. This hopefully will get your attention and inspire further reading.
Finally, Foreign Policy entered into the debate on the 14th, but then devolved into who supported the Iraq War …
Democratic debate highlights: Candidates on foreign policy, health care and electability
Foreign policy: In light of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, the debate launched headfirst into foreign policy. For more than half an hour, candidates fielded questions about why they were best prepared to be commander-in-chief, whether they would bring combat troops home, how to prevent the spread of ISIS terrorism and international trade agreements. Almost right away, Sanders called Biden out for his support of the Iraq War in 2002, saying both of them listened to arguments Republicans like then-President George W. Bush, then-Vice President Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were making for entering the Iraq War.
“I thought they were lying. I didn’t believe them for a moment,” Sanders said. “Joe saw it
Pelosi says House will send Trump impeachment articles to the Senate Wednesday(What about witnesses???)
Published Tue, Jan 14 20209:49 AM EST
- House will vote Wednesday to send two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate, Pelosi says.
- House resolution will do 3 things: Transmit articles of impeachment to the Senate, name the impeachment managers and fund the trial.
- Roster of impeachment managers likely to include House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff and House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Are we surprised that Soleimani would be instantly replaced???
Iran general replacing Soleimani vows revenge for U.S. killing
Is it God or is it Ghaani ….?
Ghaani said: “God the almighty has promised to get his revenge, and God is the main avenger. Certainly actions will be taken.”
By ASSOCIATED PRESS,01/05/2020 11:10 PM EST
TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian general who replaced the leader killed by a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad vowed Sunday to take revenge as Tehran abandoned the remaining limits of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in response to the slaying.
Esmail Ghaani’s threat comes as the blowback over the U.S. killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani mounted Sunday with Iraq’s parliament calling for the expulsion of all American troops from Iraqi soil.
The three developments could bring Iran closer to building an atomic bomb, see a proxy or military attack launched by Tehran against America and enable the Islamic State group to stage a comeback in Iraq, making the Middle East a far more dangerous and unstable place.
Adding to the tensions, President Donald Trump threatened to demand billions of dollars in compensation from Iraq or impose “sanctions like they’ve never seen before” if it goes through with expelling U.S. troops.
The Iranians in the insanity of the moment deliver a “proportionate response” to the attack on Soleimani. They attacked Iraqi bases. And, destroyed structures. The occupants went to bunkers and luckily lived. The missiles were apparently well targeted. Then they shot down the Ukrainian airliner, killing everyone.
Iran’s U.N. Ambassador: Strike On U.S. Bases Was ‘Measured, Proportionate Response’
Iran’s U.N. ambassador tells NPR that Tehran has no plans to step up a confrontation with the U.S. after it fired missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq in “a measured, proportionate response” to the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
However, Majid Takht Ravanchi, speaking to Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, says Iran is prepared for further action if the U.S. renews its aggression. He also denied the Trump administration’s assertion that Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, had been plotting an attack on U.S. persons or interests.
21 Saudi military trainees in the US are being sent home for anti-US media and child porn
More than 20 Saudi military students who have been training in the United States are being sent home today after a counterterrorism investigation found they possessed “derogatory material” — including child pornography and anti-US media.
That evidence came to light as part of the Justice Department’s investigation of the mass shooting at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, last month that killed three and wounded eight others.
And whatever current events you might bring to class. …
Bring your insights and your concerns to Third Saturday Seminar and we will share.
Academy for Lifelong Learning: LSC-Montgomery , http://www.lonestar.edu/all-montgomery.htm
Registration: Download the form and submit it to ALL
in person: LSC-Montgomery (3200 College Park Dr., Conroe, TX 77384), Continuing Education/ALL Office Building E (Room 205)
- Phone: 936.273.7446
- Fax: 936.273.7262
- Steve Gorman is the ALL Director (936) 273-7259),
Third Saturday Seminars – Spring, 2020 – 5 Sessions
The first 45 minutes of the seminar is a review of current events often followed by a guest speaker on a noteworthy topic.
The Third Saturday Seminar is about demystifying what is going on around us. Topics have included health care, internet safety, and, providing medical care to civilians in Iraq.
Meets the third Saturday of Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr and May 2020: 1/18, 2/15, 3/21, 4/18, 5/16.
16088 3rd SA 1/18-5/16 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. B 102 Curt Gibby
Campus Map
“Some part of our being knows this (the universe) is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us; We’re made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. “Carl Sagan
2020 will prove to be an “INTERESTING” year! We will keep you informed to the best of our ability. See you on Saturday. Curt Gibby