Ahmadinejad Iran unaffected by Financial Crises - News - English
Iran hails world financial crisis as 'end of capitalism'
Oct 15, 2008
TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranian leaders say the world financial crisis...
Iran hails world financial crisis as 'end of capitalism'
Oct 15, 2008
TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranian leaders say the world financial crisis indicates the end of capitalism, the failure of liberal democracy and divine punishment -- marking the superiority of the Islamic republic's political model.
"The school of Marxism has collapsed and the sound of the West's cracking liberal democracy is now being heard," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday, recalling the fate of the Soviet Union.
Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is backed by Khamenei, said on Tuesday that "it is the end of capitalism."
Such convictions can be traced back to the ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution, which Ahmadinejad has sought to revive since he rose to power in 2005.
The firebrand president, who has not missed a chance to denounce Western "decadence" since his election, has exploited the scale of the global crisis to play up his argument.
He benefits from the luxury that the Tehran stock market has been unaffected by the losses that bourses in neighbouring Gulf states have suffered. That stability is attributable to the absence of foreign investors and to the government's firm grip on economic activity.
Several Iranian newspapers, regardless of their reformist or conservative leanings, have also blamed the global economic crisis on excessive liberalism.
And some officials, such as the head of Iran's electoral watchdog body, have come up with less conventional theories and branded the turmoil as "divine punishment."
"These people see the outcome of their bad deeds. This problem has spread to Europe now which makes us happy. The unhappier they are the happier we become," Ayatollah Ali Janati, who heads the Guardians Council, said in last Friday's prayer sermon.
Ahmadinejad has recently echoed that, saying "the reason of their defeat is that they have forgotten God and piety."
The financial crisis should be a divine sign that "the oppressors and the corrupt will be replaced by the pious and believers," he said, adding that "an Islamic banking system will help us survive the current economic crisis."
Ahmadinejad's administration favours such a system, based on interest-free lending, but the system has not been widely implemented and faces criticism by economists.
Elected on a justice campaign, the president has gone on a spending spree to "bring the oil money to the tables" of Iranian people.
But the cash injection to the economy has fuelled inflation, which has risen from around 10 percent at the time of his election to nearly 30 percent.
For Iran's supreme leader, the crisis particularly signifies the superiority of the Islamic republic's political structure, which combines elements of democracy with those of a theocracy.
Khamenei hailed the "victory of the Islamic revolution" in the face of Marxist and liberal ideologies. "Now there is no sign of Marxism in the world and even liberalism is declining," the all powerful leader said.
The Iranian regime deems the concepts of democracy and human rights as "imperialist" tools to dominate other nations.
The Islamic republic thus defends its electoral practice of vetting candidates running for public office according to their religious adherence and its judicial system, which resorts to the death penalty for serious crimes more than any country in the world except for China
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[Must Watch] Wars could cost over $4 trillion - English
Although a new study has doubled the US war costs, it does not account for the enormous subsequent expenses for the injured troops, a US analyst...
Although a new study has doubled the US war costs, it does not account for the enormous subsequent expenses for the injured troops, a US analyst says.
"The cost of taking care of [the injured troops] … has not really been taken into account seriously, either by economists or by political figures in the United States," historian and investigative journalist Gareth Porter told Press TV on Thursday.
The new study, conducted by the Nobel Prize winner for economics Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard University Professor Linda Bilmes, shows that the long-term costs of the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq doubles initial estimates, suggesting the revised six-trillion-dollar figure.
The analyst also warned that "the institutional interests of the military itself [is] so enormous that the [US] military is absolutely determined to avoid an end to this war any time soon."
Porter called on the people and the politicians in the United States to take action to make their government bring the wars to an end.
http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/144762.html
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Wars could cost over $4 trillion
Authors of the book The Three Trillion Dollar War now estimate that the total cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could top $4 trillion over time. A lagging economy, increases in the cost of medical care, higher than expected expenditures on post-combat medical and psychiatric care, and a surge in disability benefits are likely to place a significant strain on the federal budget.
House Veterans Affairs Chairman, Bob Filner (D-California), stated:
"This may be more of a crisis than the Medicare and Social Security problems we have looming...It rivals both in the potential impact. This is another entitlement we've committed ourselves to, and it could break the bank."
Filner aims on utilizing the latest cost estimates to propose a "veterans trust fund" to pay for the long-term war expenses, a proposal that has so far found minimal support in the Democratic-led House due to the startling price tag associated with it.
Having already blown past original cost projections, combat operations alone in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have cost nearly $1.1 trillion in nine years. With well over 30,000 maimed for life, a PTSD epidemic, and record suicide rates (in the military), an estimated price tag of at least $4 trillion over the next several years appears to be reasonable.
As a result, those who claim to be fiscally conservative should take a long hard look at the immense cost of open-ended, overseas wars, especially at a time when America could be facing a debt crisis in the not-too-distant future. Vague objectives, shifting benchmarks, imprecise definitions of victory, and unclear exit strategies inevitably lead to costs that far exceed initial budget estimates.
In addition, those who claim to espouse a more progressive, anti-war stance should take a long hard look at the current war policy, as the trillions being spent could be better invested in infrastructure, health care, education, alternative energy, and other domestic programs. Perhaps the strategy of electing leaders who espouse peace, fiscal responsibility, and change in U.S. foreign policy, yet intensify wars, spend even more on the military, and adopt much of their despised opponents' previous platform, should be more critically examined.
http://caivn.org/article/2010/09/30/wars-could-cost-over-4-trillion
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World Awakens To Criminal Banking Cartel -English
Business leaders across the world are continuing to lash out at the US decision to print an additional 600 billion dollars in new stimulus money....
Business leaders across the world are continuing to lash out at the US decision to print an additional 600 billion dollars in new stimulus money. Central bankers and economists warn of inflation, new bubbles and hot money inflows. And Russia could be on the receiving end of them all - as Tatiana Polyakova reports
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US approaches $15 trillion debt limit - English
Within days-- the US will hit 15 trillion dollars in debt. That's fifteen with 12 zeroes behind it. The numeric milestone comes at a time when...
Within days-- the US will hit 15 trillion dollars in debt. That's fifteen with 12 zeroes behind it. The numeric milestone comes at a time when Americans as a whole have a distrust of Congress for how it spends their money.
Across the country protests and public discontent is rising over federal spending from conservatives and liberals. Occupy protests that started at Wall Street in New York have spread across the country.
They're angry with banks that received federal funds but insist on charging customers extra fees. They call it bank transfer day.
In the Eurozone, President Obama spends time in Cannes, France, for the G-20 summit that takes place as Europe is trying to determine a bailout package for debt-ridden Greece.
But while the president is overseas-he has to fight for a reelection battle back at home. republican rivals are pointing to the
country's crawling economy and describe it as a result of weak leadership.
And the US' struggling recovery was dealt another blow this week with a lackluster jobs report. U.S. employers hired an estimated 80,000 people last month, worse than economists expected. The unemployment rate only dropped a tenth of a percent down to 9 percent.
Congress is still so divided that President Obama is trying to find ways to get the country moving by using executive orders instead of a preferred legislative process. Meanwhile, as lawmakers squabble the US debt steadily rises with the national poverty rate and the number of dissatisfied Americans.
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[15 July 13] China economy slowing down - English
China\'s national Bureau of Statistics has released new figures on the country\'s economic outlook. The figures show China\'s economic growth was...
China\'s national Bureau of Statistics has released new figures on the country\'s economic outlook. The figures show China\'s economic growth was 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013-down from 7.7 percent in the first quarter of the previous year and the slowest pace in 23 years. Figures also show China\'s GDP has been staying under 8% for five straight quarters, which is a clear sign of distress. The government is now setting 7.5 percent economic growth target for 2013. Some economists have warned that China could face economic problems because of over-investment in its industries. But Sheng said that in terms of urbanization and consumption, and levels of development in its interior, China still has enormous potential.
Steven Ribet, Press TV, Beijing
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[17 Dec 2013] Iran Today - Iran next year budget bill - English
On the 8th of December 2013 Iran\'s president Hassan Rouhani, submitted the budget draft for next Iranian fiscal year to parliament, a draft that...
On the 8th of December 2013 Iran\'s president Hassan Rouhani, submitted the budget draft for next Iranian fiscal year to parliament, a draft that reflects the new government\'s stance on the economy.
Hassan Rouhani has been Iran\'s president for a little more than five months. Back in June 2013 when presidential campaigning was going on, Iran\'s television network made it possible for candidates to offer the analysis of the country\'s current situation and make their case for fixing what needs fixing in other\'s presence.
And it was Hassan Rouhani who managed to win the people\'s votes with his staunch criticism of the previous administration\'s economic and foreign policies and his promise to make his government based on trust and wisdom and one that will cultivate hope.
He also vowed to turn the economy around, something he seems to have done in his first five months in office. The team he put together to make good on his economic policies, all seasoned economists and budget planners, has shown the nation that as well as talking the talk, Rouhani can also walk the walk.
Members of parliament have given the president\'s economic cabinet members the vote of confidence, even though the new administration must adhere to the economic policies of the previous one until March 2014 when Iran\'s fiscal year ends.
In this addition of the show we focus on the budget draft submitted to parliament, and what\'s been going on since it was drawn up.
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