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10 Jul, 22 tweets, 6 min read
It's that time of the year when the MeK, a thuggish cult based in Albania with zero support inside Iran, has its annual summit, where well paid western politicians show up to pretend they support democracy in Iran.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper among the speakers at the MeK summit (not for the first time):

Reminder: you are not supporting the actual cause of democracy and human rights in Iran - a noble cause - by endorsing the MeK, a group that is not democratic by any stretch of the imagination and that has no legitimacy beyond aging Iranian exiles
Not surprisingly, the MeK summit also attracts the Trumpists:

It would be too easy to dismiss this as corrupt, opportunistic or well-intentioned but naive western politicians. US foreign policy in recent decades has clearly shown that too often it trusts the wrong partners, with negative and unintended consequences.

And of course, it would not be an MeK summit without the worst secretary of state in American history:

"not a cult" Image
Support for the MeK comes primarily from Republicans in the US, and conservative politicians elsewhere in the west, but also from a good number of Democrats (and the occasional Liberal in Canada):

MeK happy that it gets coverage in the Fiji Times:

MeK summit, day 2: we have reached the stage where obscure European parliamentarians sing the MeK's praise. It's non-sense, but it allows the MeK to maintain the fiction it has international backing. Totally irresponsible for these politicians to do this.

To many's surpise (and disappointment), Michele Flournoy, who reporteldy was considered as Secretary of Defense by Biden, spoke at the MeK conference. She now says she was "unaware". Is that plausible?
-well yes, but that would mean she agreed without...

thedailybeast.com/biden-pentagon…
...doing due diligence to speak to a former terrorist group. Stunningy irresponsible and amateurish.
-But more likely: she knew who the MeK was (as a former nat sec official, she should) but agreed to do it to burnish her anti-Iran credentials. So, opportunistic - not better.
(and, needless to stay, it has also been widely reported that the MeK pays its speakers handsome fees)
As he has done in the past, Canada's former foreign minister John Baird also addresses the MeK summit:

Day 3 features the other usual suspects, like John Bolton:

(you'd think public servants are running the agenda for the MeK summit, someone somewhere has in his or her performance agreement some kind of indicator of success based only on quantity)
And of course, back by popular demand, because he is increasingly barred from practicing law, the sleaziest of the sleaziest, Mr Four Seasons himself:

Another Canadian politician, former conservative minister Tony Clement, also addresses the MeK summit:

this is accurate:
Reminder that prominent Democrats in the US, including sitting senators, also speak at the MeK summit:

MeK summits feature dozens of morally or financially corrupt western politicians. But this is especially disappointing: I had assumed that Garry Kasparov was a true human rights defender - which should imply opposing both the Islamic Republic and the MeK:

More fallout from the MeK summit: After Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, who holds the rotating EU Council presidency, spoke at he MeK summit, the bloc’s diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said Monday that he “does not represent” the EU in foreign policy.
politico.eu/article/borrel…

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Thomas Juneau Profile picture
13 Jul
Every year Canadian politicians (Harper, Baird) attend the MeK summit. The media then quote them as attending an "international conference" of an "opposition group". But the MeK is a former terrorist group and a cult hated in Iran, not a partner in the fight for democracy there.
Supporting democracy/human rights in Iran and opposing the Islamic Republic is the right thing to do. But to partner with the MeK is counter-productive. Yes, it allows these politicians to tick the "tough on Iran" box for domestic purposes.
cbc.ca/news/politics/…
(It also reportedly pays well, according to multiple media stories).

But history should teach us that allying with the wrong groups, like the MeK, does not advance the cause of democracy and can backfire. There are real democracy activists inside Iran - they deserve support.
Read 6 tweets
Thomas Juneau Profile picture
27 Feb
Insane story by @SarahDadouch, of a Saudi dissident who vanished in Canada.
-This is part of a pattern of pressure on and kidnapping of exiled Saudi dissidents - including, not for the first time, in Canada
-Al Harbi has a lot of information... (1/4)

washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…
...on other Saudi dissidents in Canada and elsewhere - phone numbers, identities, etc. This can be useful for Saudi security services to try to hack their phones and pressure their families inside Saudi Arabia.
-Not that there was serious doubt, but this story shows that... (2/4)
... the growing foreign policy assertiveness under MbS may have toned down a bit since its peak in 2017/18 (Qatar blockade, kidnapping of Lebanese PM, dispute with Canada, Yemen war...) but clearly continues... (3/4)

For background on Canada-Saudi ties:
washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-ca…
Read 4 tweets
Thomas Juneau Profile picture
25 Feb
So - Biden finally spoke to Saudi King Salman today. Excerpts, with quick take (1/6):
1. "...address the longstanding partnership": this is meaningful - the statement is full of signals from Biden that this is a deep relationship that will continue.

whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…
2. "they discussed regional security, including the... efforts led by the UN and the US to end the war in Yemen": two things here, an emphasis the US is leading these efforts (which it was not before), and, by saying this is as the 1st item, a signal it is the top priority.
3. "and the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups": another clear signal - that the US remains committed to its role as the extra-regional guarantor of Saudi security.
Read 6 tweets
Thomas Juneau Profile picture
28 Aug 20
Canada needs to seriously plan for the possibility that the US will not be a liberal democracy anymore. This is not fear-mongering, but a real prospect. A Trump victory in November would be a generational game changer for our security, stability, and prosperity.
And, just to stay on the gloomy side, even if Biden wins, Canada (and the rest of the world) will have to live with the reality that at least 40% of Americans support, and will no doubt continue to support, his Trumpist agenda. That shit is not going to just disappear.
A couple things.
- if you equate Trudeau with Trump, you are blinded by partisanship and are part of the problem. Absolutely fair to be critical of Trudeau, but they are not on the same planet in terms of venality, corruption.
-same if you equate Canada's conservatives with Trump
Read 4 tweets
Thomas Juneau Profile picture
2 Jul 20
I have a new article in Comparative Strategy: was Obama a realist? many have said this, approvingly or critically; I evaluated his policies in the Middle East to test the claim.

Answer: Only partly. His policy was somewhat prudent and restrained... (1/5)

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
..., especially in comparison with his immediate predecessor, but it also featured much continuity with the past.

He exercised restraint in the use of force, notably in resisting pressure to intervene in Syria. His policy towards IS was mostly sound. He recognized the threat...
as complex but far from existential; in response, he progressively ramped up until he reached a calibrated and proportional response, keeping a light footprint. His achievement of the JCPOA with Iran was also consistent with realism. In other areas, however, the gap between...
Read 5 tweets
Thomas Juneau Profile picture
3 Jun 20
There is growing attention to the case of Saad al-Jabri, a former high ranking Saudi official who has fled to Canada. Two of his kids are apparently jailed in Saudi to pressure him to return. Here is a quick recap of what we know with links to key articles.
-The first piece to raise the issue back in March is this by @daniaakkad (his name had come up in the media before, but this is the first to link him to Canada as far as I know, though I may be wrong).

middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive…
Then, @NYTBen discloses that two of his children have been jailed in Saudi Arabia to pressure Al-Jabri to return. Al-Jabri was very close to former Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, who Crown Prince MbS has aggressively pushed aside.

nytimes.com/2020/05/21/wor…
Read 22 tweets

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