Here we are again. Different problems, different actors, the same old solution. The mainstream media are on the spot again, fueled by the same publicity stunt we have seen in the last ten years.
Russia is a big player and our “friend” Putin likes to put his finger in every pie, worldwide. I have no doubts at all about it. Think about Crimea, think about Abkhazia and Ossetia, remember the Syrian agenda still in action.
In the previous post I’ve left you with a question: what will be the outcome of the Paris attacks for ISIS?
It’s a question with more than an answer and tells us something about cultural differences between Western audiences and the public in the Middle East countries.
Please consider for a moment this infographic. As you may see, that comes from a news network, in order to show us how the Palestinian territories has been shrinked thru the decades. The message delivered is quite clear, isn’t it? It’s easy to see how the Arab population of that area has been overcomed by the Israelis in a matter of a century. What do I ask you today is: is this the truth?
Because I have another map to show you. Same area, almost the same date. It’s a representation of the Middle East in 1922, when all this area was under European control after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in WWI. Ready?
In the continue effort to show its muscles to the West, Iran recently present the Qaher-313, no less than a stealth fighter. What happens next is a bright demonstration of the differences between a modern propaganda campaign and Iran’s efforts.
A number of photo has been released by the Iranian government, images like this:
It is clear that the Qaher-313 is nothing but a model, not even in the 1:1 scale. If you look at the pilot, it’s quite evident that he’s too big for the cockpit. You don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to understand that.
A front view of this aircraft shows the promises of an interisting machine. But even in full scale, it will be a small fighter, useful at best for defensive purposes. An airplane like this one should be highly manouvrable, with a small payload given size and structure. As a single engine aircraft will not reach high speed or top level flight ceiling.
So, what could be the purpose of such a public stunt? Two-bit propaganda? An attempt to gain any quota in the aircraft markets? In terms of internal political issues it’s a strong move from the conventional armed forces in the face of Guardians of Revolution, a show of knowledge useful to undermine their opponents in the internal power struggles. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will step down from his position soon and the Qaher-313 could be a point for some group.
Even if Iran can develop the Qaher-313 in the next few years this plane is not enough to boost the air defense capacity of the country. A little fighter, no matter how stealth can it be or how good could be its VTOL characteristics, is not able to face a massive attack from air superiority aircrafts. The Qaher-313 could be useful for small time attacks in a conventional war but it will pose a great danger if it could be used against civilian ships in the Persian Gulf.
Ormai ci siamo, le presidenziali americane del 2012 stanno entrando nel vivo. Tra pochi giorni ci sarà il primo confronto televisivo tra Obama e Romney (*) e le procedure di voto sono già partite. I sondaggi impazzano su qualsiasi supporto mediatico (**) e le mappe del territorio americano suddivise in territori blu e rossi (democratici e repubblicani) sono le immagini più diffuse.
Per la destra americana, sia quella compresa nel partito repubblicano che per chi rimane fuori dal dualismo delle principali forze politiche statunitensi, Ronald Wilson Reagan rimane una figura di riferimento, una sorta di icona a cui ci si appiglia per trarne qualche briciola di carisma. Come tutte le figure storiche anche quella del 40esimo presidente va messa in prospettiva con gli anni dei suoi due mandati (1981-1989) e la sua esperienza politica vista nel complesso.
Questo tipo di analisi pare essere sfuggito di mano ai commentatori di destra e ai vertici del GOP (Great Old Party, i Repubblicani) che raccontano da anni una sorta di parabola del buon presidente che stride parecchio con la storia. Qui un link per riepilogare la vicenda umana e politica di Reagan.
Qualche giorno fa su Facebook il buon dottor Mana ha segnalato questo articolo, apparso sulle pagine in rete di Think Progress a firma di Alex Seitz-Wald. Ho pensato valga la pena di tradurlo, sia per evidenziare quanto la distanza dalla verità in politica non sia un’esclusiva italiana che per mettere in luce quanto da un modello falso si voglia arrivare a cose vere, come le idee alla base del progetto politico di Mitt Romney.
Suggerisco in ogni caso di leggere la versione originale, sia per annullare i deficit della mia traduzione (mi sono preso diverse libertà, in generale NON traduco in maniera letterale) che per farsi un idea di altri articoli sullo stesso sito che parlano della politica americana. Qui il link.
Angelo Benuzzi 