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Something rotten in the State of Iran

That the Iranian President is at the very least a maverick is almost beyond doubt. On many levels unpredictable too. Where his nation is headed is a moot point especially given the elections a few months back and all the unrest in their wake.

Now, in a sign that the country is taking a giant leap backwards, the appointment of a Cabinet Minister wanted by Interpol. The Australian reports:

"Iran's parliament strongly backed a cabinet proposed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that includes the Islamic republic's first woman minister and a man wanted for bombing a Jewish community centre in Argentina.

The conservative-dominated assembly approved 18 of 21 nominees, propelling Mr Ahmadinejad into his second term at a time when the Islamic republic is battling its worst crisis since the hardliner's re-election in June.

The candidates who failed to secure the required majority of votes were the two other women proposed and the would-be energy minister.

In a move highlighting Iran's often maverick status in the world, nearly 80 per cent of the delegates approved Ahmad Vahidi - who is wanted by Argentina for a 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires - as defence minister.

Following the vote, Mr Vahidi said his election, which was by a far greater margin than any other, was a "decisive slap to Israel", an arch-enemy of Iran."

What this all means in the scheme of things is most likely problematic. It certainly won't do anything to enhance the chances of settling things down in the Middle East. In fact, from a piece by a Yale Senior Research Scholar, on Middle East Online, comes a dire warning of a firestorm ahead in the Middle East:

"There is a firestorm ahead in the Middle East for which neither the US government nor the US public is prepared. They seem scarcely aware how close it is on the horizon or how ferocious it will be. The US government (and therefore almost inevitably the US public) is deluding itself massively about its capacity to handle the situation in terms of its stated objectives. The storm will go from Iraq to Afghanistan to Pakistan to Israel/Palestine, and in the classic expression "it will spread like wildfire."

Read the complete analysis here.

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