C.I.A. FRONT FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE(OVERTHROW) OF DEMOCRACIES HOSTS  2012 FORUM :DICTATORS AND DISSIDENTS... http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/conference-mulls-the-hard-choice-between-dictators-and-dissidents/
Conference Mulls the Hard Choice Between Dictators and DissidentsJames Woolsey, Reuel Marc Gerecht, Ammar Abdulhamid
Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey kicked off the conference with some sobering observations. Historically, he noted, the "Act One" of revolutions looks promising. "Life seems to be headed in a new and positive direction," he said.But then comes the second act, which often brings "the first signs of violence."Act Three is often very ugly," he added. "Those who support totalitarianism ... come to the fore."While the ultimate outcome in Syria and Egypt isn't clear, he said, "we need to make wise choices." Throughout its history, the U.S. "on balance has made remarkably fine choices." Lively debate during the first panel: Islamists and Elections: Where Do They Lead?Reuel Marc Gerecht, an outspoken former Iran specialist for the CIA, now a senior fellow at FDD, took the lead on what could be called the realist view of where democratic elections will probably lead in the Middle East. In this view, a public debate will be therapeutic, and anyway, trying to keep Islamists out is trying to block centuries of history.But Brett Stephens, a foreign affairs columnist for The Wall Street Journal, offered a more pessimistic take: "The truth is, we're not going to have a democratic outcome in the Middle East, and we might as well prepare for the consequences."Poignant comments from former Iranian political prisoner Marina Nemat during the panel on Iran's Human Rights Record brought a hush to the crowded conference room. Ms. Nemat, whose memoir "Prisoner of Tehran" described her arrest and torture as a 16-year-old in the wake of the 1979 revolution, told the audience that after the revolution, "we had hope... that Iran would become a democracy." She said she had grown up wearing short skirts and Western hair styles, and suddenly Iran's religious rulers banned everything that was "fun". She couldn't even walk down the street holding hands with her boyfriend.She wasn't the only one who was affected, she added."How political can a 14-year-old get?" she asked. "If you ban fun, then a 14-year-old can get very political."Ms. Nemat now lives and teaches in Canada. Asked if things have gotten any better in Iran since she lived there, she did not hesitate. "No, they are not." Like others on the panel, she said she was glad to see some focus on the issue of human rights, rather than Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons, which gets most of the attention these days. "I'm here," she declared, "to make sure that the story of Iranian political prisoners is heard."
[ed notes;exiled Iranian and  famous so called  ''political prisioner'' hanging out at CIA functions with hardcore zionists and neoocns!!!priceless!!!
Ali Alfoneh,[ed notes:pro israhell zionist from neocon think tank] of the American Enterprise Institute, said the Revolutionary Guards' use of "show trials" has had a chilling effect on Iranian citizens. When they see even Mir-Hussein Mousavi, the former Iranian Prime Minister who had been a favorite of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, being put on trial, "then all regular Iranian citizens feel at risk."Said Ms. Nemat: "I don't think any Western country can change the behavior of the Iranian regime when it comes to human rights." But she added that when the United States speaks out on behalf of human rights, it gives political prisoners hope "because news does get into the prisons."[ed notes:how laughable is that,considering u.s. has hundreds of political prisioners in prison?
"All I am interested in is just giving hope," she said. "If I can save just one life, then I can die in peace."
Alfoneh joked that no Western country can ever win a negotiation with someone from the Middle East. But the conversation turned serious again when panelist Emanuele Ottolenghi of FDD said recent crackdowns in Iran were evidence that "the regime is increasingly on the defensive." [ed note;emmanuele ottolenghi is a zionist jew,a rabid neocon fraud he's a  former executive director of The Transatlantic Institute (appointed 28 August 2006), 'an American Jewish Committee initiative of international diplomacy'... From the Magna Carta Foundation (where Italian neocons meet the American neocons): Fragments of Zion, his monthly column in Rome’s Jewish magazine Shalom, is dedicated to Zionist thinkers and the relevance of their work to present day Israel. also see... Emanuele OttolenghiAlfoneh criticized U.S. academics — "do-gooders" — who are always calling for the U.S. to close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but are silent on the issue of Iran's notorious prisons. "Where are these good people?" he asked. They have "totally forgotten Iran."Ms. Nemat had the last word on the panel. She implored officials who believe they are dealing with "moderates" in Iran to never forget "the true nature of the regime.""The enemy of your enemy," she said solemnly, "is not necessarily your friend." [ed notes:who are the iranian reformers?the cia backed green party leaders,who promote neoliberal policies to the detriment of poor!!!  IRANGREENMOVEMENTEXPOSED
Career diplomat Robert S. Ford, the current U.S. Ambassador to Syria, spoke about the situation in Syria. The Free Syrian Army, the main opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, has made "substantial gains," he said, and the regime no longer controls most of Syria's border with either Turkey or Iraq. "It's very clear that the regime forces are being ground down and are losing." But, he added, "they still have some fight in them."Meanwhile, Ford noted, "extremist groups" are gaining ground in the opposition.As for the path forward, Ford said the U.S. still "strongly supports" a political solution, but Assad "and his clique must go... He does not have a role in this political transition." Their "days are numbered" and "the regime needs to step down now."A question from the audience: When the ambassador said Assad's "days" were numbered, did he mean Assad has only "days" left? Ford quickly replied that he would not be pinned down to a timeline.Another questioner asked about the Alewites, Assad's privileged Muslim minority sect. Ford said the Alewites "must understand that they have a place" in Syria... "not with special privileges, but also not with special discrimination."He said those who have committed crimes would be held responsible, and Syrian investigators were now being trained to investigate war crimes.Fear of genocide is "certainly present," Ford conceded, "but there does not have to be a genocide in Syria... It is incumbent on us to bolster moderates in the opposition, which is what we're trying to do."
[ed notes;amb robert ford,besides being a pro israhell zionist lackey,and cheerleader for torture in algeria,also has ties to military industrial complex... ZIONIST NEOCON EXTRAORDINAIRE ''US AMBASSADOR TO SYRIA ROBERT  S.FORD'' ADRESSES THE ''BALTIMORE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS'' ON ''SYRIA AND THE ARAB SPRING'' http://thenakedfacts.blogspot.com/2012/04/zionist-neocon-extraordinaire-us.html also read..Older Post - THENAKEDFACTS  Older Post - THENAKEDFACTS Older Post - THENAKEDFACTS
[ed note:there is nothing more satisfactory to me then seeing so called dissidents in bed with the biggest purveyors of human rights abuses in west,speaking about freedom and human rights..it just makes my day!!!thanks for discreditting yourselves and anyone who even dares cite your stories and propaganda!!!