Drugs and Kids > More Scary Research into the Effects of Marijuana on Teenagers

Research published in The Lancet confirms what I have been saying about marijuana for decades.

At a time when states and countries are racing to legalize marijuana, the real effects are just beginning to be understood.

Thirty-five years ago I observed a peculiar phenomenon from neighbours who smoked pot. They were a nice couple, mid-thirties, both worked, drove an immaculate '65 Mustang, and seemed to lead a normal life except that both had hair down to their backside. They had probably not cut their hair in 15 years. In the late 1970s, this was certainly not in fashion. 

 It was what happened on the weekends that I found so interesting and that laid the foundation of one of my theories on marijuana. Both would come home after work on Friday, change into long gowns like one might have seen in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in the mid-sixties. They would both put on headsets plugged into Walkmans - the 70's version of an ipod, and they would listen to music. They would also light up their first joints of the weekend, but certainly far from their last.

One day I asked him what music he was listening to and he told me that it was mostly Beatles music. I'm thinking Yellow Submarine, Revolver, the White Album - Beatles drug music. He shocked me when he said he didn't like that kind of music, he listened to the pre-druggy song of the early Beatles. Sometimes they would listen to the Beachboys, Jan & Dean, Everly Brothers, etc., but mostly Beatles.

This intrigued me for a long time until I came to realize that those two people were stuck in 1965. Everything about them shouted 1965 - their car, their clothes, their music, the way they talked, perhaps even the fact that they weren't the least bit interested in having children despite both of them liking children.

My neighbour on the other side behaved similarly although in a much less dramatic way. Since then I have seen many examples of people stuck in the age, or maturity level they were at when they started smoking pot. For instance, a 25 year old man still acted like, talked like, and thought like he was 15 years old, the age at which he started with weed. He still watched the same kind of shows he used to and he had a difficult time holding a job.

After I told him my theory he stopped smoking and remarkably began to mature within months, although he continues to have some issues as a consequence of 10 years of moderate pot use.

My theory in short is that some, perhaps most people who use pot regularly stop maturing almost immediately and don't resume maturing until after they stop using.

The research announced today and published by the CBC in Canada includes these extraordinary statements: "Study findings suggest that adolescent cannabis use is linked to difficulties in successfully completing the tasks that mark the transition to adulthood," 

and, Increasing evidence shows that brain development during adolescence can be harmed by frequent cannabis use and cognitive functions can be permanently reduced.

Young people need to develop and mature and prepare themselves to meet demands in adult life.

"Cannabis use, especially frequent use, impairs this development and reduces the likelihood that a young person will be able to establish a satisfactory adult life,"

I've been waiting for 20 years for research to verify my theory and finally it has come, or at least has begun to arrive. 

The study also linked the use of pot by teens as correlating well with such things as:

60% less likely to graduate

Not attending college

18 times more likely to become dependent on pot

8 times more likely to use harder drugs

Suicide attempts

Depression

More likely to need welfare

Heavy marijuana users generally report:

lower life satisfaction, 

poorer mental and physical health, 

more relationship problems, and

less academic and career success.

Poorer mental health, aside from depression, can include permanent schizophrenia or paranoia as documented in this post from more than a year ago, and confirmed by later research.

While this study was restricted to people who started smoking pot in their teens, I strongly suspect that results would not be dramatically different for people who started when an adult.

Teens should be strongly encouraged to stay away from pot, it could completely mess up their life. Maybe get every teen you know to read this.

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IAEA Report Makes It Obvious That Iran is Developing Nuclear Bombs

The Int’l Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has failed on two obligations to which it agreed: to give up work on nuclear warheads and detonations.

By Ryan Mauro:

A new report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the group tasked by the United Nations with monitoring nuclear activity, says Iran has failed to meet two obligations to prove its nuclear program is not for weapons. The IAEA also admitted that it is unable to know if Iran has hidden nuclear activities.

There were five obligations that Iran committed to as part of its agreement with the U.S. and the IAEA. Two of them, related to evidence of work on nuclear warheads and detonations, have not been met.

Iran missile test

A 2011 IAEA report detailed Iranian activity that cannot be credibly attributed to a nuclear energy program. This includes tests of explosives necessary for nuclear weapons, development of neutron initiators that trigger nuclear detonations, construction of underground sites for uranium enrichment and research on nuclear warhead development.

Iran even reviewed logistics for an underground nuclear weapons test. The report concluded, “The information indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.”

That was from the 2011 report, yet the US keeps playing footsies with Tehran while they are working furiously at building atomic bombs to destroy Israel and America. The US has to get very real with the insane government in Iran. They are building nuclear weapons, and they will use them!

The new IAEA report says Iran is not adequately answering inquiries about work on technologies related to causing nuclear explosions and developing nuclear warheads for its ballistic missiles.

Inspectors are denied access to the Parchin site where a test of high-powered explosives is believed to have been carried out in 2003. Iran has been cleansing the site since at least 2012 and the IAEA says construction there continues.

The Iranians also denied a visa to a specific IAEA inspector for a third time so he could not visit the country.

Iranian nuclear facility

Page 14 of the document includes an important admission by the IAEA. It states that Iran has not diverted the declared and monitored nuclear material. However, “the Agency is not in a position to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.”

The IAEA knows it lacks the capability to detect secret nuclear activity inside Iran. In addition, we know that Iran and North Korea work closely together on their nuclear and missile programs. Iran’s activities inside its territory could be frozen or even rolled back but continue unabated in North Korea.

Read more at Clarion Project

Britain's Lost Freedom of Speech: 'We're Living in a Madhouse'

LONDON - America owes much of its freedom to its British heritage. But today, Britain is losing its freedom.

Many Americans were stunned when British authorities arrested Liberty Great Britain party leader Paul Weston in April for publicly reciting Winston Churchill's criticism of Islam.


The calendar might say it's 2014, but in Britain it's starting to feel like George Orwell's "1984" because "Big Brother" has decided that certain things can no longer be said. 

Weston quoted from Winston Churchill's book, The River War, in which he wrote:

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia (rabies) in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. 

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. 

Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the faith: all know how to die but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith."

Churchill as a young officer
who would have thought he would be that
good-looking?

As a young officer, Churchill fought Muslim jihadists in Sudan and believed Islam was a dangerous religion.

Weston chose to publicly quote Churchill because he thought that in today's politically correct Britain, comparing Islam to rabies--as Churchill did--would likely get him reported to police and arrested.

It did.

"I wanted to make the point that, if it's really become so bad in this country that you can no longer quote the words of the greatest living Englishman, (I'm sure he knows Churchill is no longer alive) then we really need to look seriously at what we can still say in this country," Weston said.

"We don't have (America's) First Amendment. And speech is rapidly becoming a no-go area if you talk about certain issues. We are living in an absolute madhouse in this country with our free speech laws at the moment," he said.

'You Can't Say That'

In today's Britain, pastors, street evangelists, and political activists all risk being hauled into police stations and either being arrested or warned for speaking out against Islam, immigration, or homosexuality.

British evangelical Pastor James McConnell was questioned by Belfast police for a possible hate crime after a controversial sermon. He spoke about the danger to Britain from radical Islam in which he said, "Islam is heathen. Islam is Satanic. Islam is a doctrine spawned in Hell." Truth is no defense against political correctness.

McConnell said he went to the police station voluntarily, and he also apologized. But should he have had to?

"He was expressing a view about a particular religion. You can't have freedom of religion without the freedom to have religious views about particular religions," George Igler, with the Discourse Institute, said of the McConnell case.

It's clear that British pastors have to watch what they say.

Simon Calvert, with The Christian Institute, a legal defense organization, assured CBN News that pastors are still able to preach the whole Bible without being arrested. But he still had some concerns to add.

"There have been some distinct problems in recent years. We have seen a number of cases, typically involving street preachers, of people being told by the police, effectively, 'You can't say that,'" Calvert said.

Law Against Insults

American street evangelist Tony Miano was arrested in Scotland earlier this year for allegedly using 'offensive' language while preaching against sexual immorality.

Police eventually dropped the charges against Miano. Police also dropped the charges against Weston.

But arrests and warnings still have what legal experts call "a chilling effect" on free speech.

Calvert said the speech situation in Britain improved greatly this year with the reform of Section 5 of the Public Order Act, in which insulting someone could be a criminal offense.

He said the law is "every bit as crazy as it sounds. And that law against insults was being used to clamp down on street preachers preaching the gospel."

The law against "insult" was removed from Section 5, but other laws against offending people remain.

"We've made such a big deal out of causing offense," said Anne Marie Waters, a UKIP candidate and head of the website, Shariawatch UK.

"What if you deserve to be offended? Self-censorship is a big problem in Britain. People are afraid to speak. So, in that respect, freedom of speech has been seriously compromised. (Britons are) afraid to say what they think," Waters said.

Britain 'Free' or No?

The experts we interviewed disagreed over whether Britain still has "free speech."

Calvert said it does. However, Weston and Igler agree that when important political and religious speech is blocked, there is no free speech.

"We're ultimately moving toward a situation where, necessarily, the state will have to tell us what kinds of opinions are acceptable and what opinions are not," Igler said.

Weston said he will continue to test Britain's speech laws, to show that speech is longer free.

"You are not going to shut me up. I am going to say it," he said. "If you put me in prison, fine. That's how bad it is now."

Do you live in a country that claims to have free speech? Have you had any experience with free speech being denied? 

French Far-Right 'At Gates of Power' - PM Manuel Valls

France's far-right National Front (FN) party is "at the gates of power", Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned.

He said his Socialist government had to act and speak "differently" to counter the threat from FN.

That, in itself, is a victory for FN, as the government tries to implement some of their proposed reforms. 

His comments came after an opinion poll showed that FN leader Marine Le Pen would beat incumbent Francois Hollande in presidential elections in 2017.

Marine Le Pen's popularity among voters is rising

Meanwhile, a far-right rally held in Calais, in the north, demanded that the port city be "saved" from migrants.

Large numbers of migrants have arrived there in recent months. Many of them have been trying to cross illegally into the UK, a country they see as providing generous benefits to refugees.

French police have boosted their presence in the port after dozens of migrants tried to storm a ferry bound for Dover.

Emergency reshuffle
"In France, the extreme right of Marine Le Pen is at the gates of power," Mr Valls said at a gathering of fellow left-wing politicians in Bologna, Italy.
"We have to act differently. We have to speak differently. In order to be listened to and to be heard.

"And I, as a man of the left, will never be able to resign myself to that because it will be the weakest who will be the first to suffer. And it will also be a terrible, perhaps fatal, blow to Europe," Valls added.

His warning comes as President Francois Hollande's ratings remain at an all-time low, and the government faces a confidence vote later this month.

The number of people looking for a job in France has climbed to more than 3.4 million

Mr Hollande has vowed to kick start growth and create jobs, but the economy has floundered, prompting last month's revolt against austerity by three ministers.

Mr Hollande replaced them and named a new cabinet in what was described as an emergency reshuffle.

In July, the number of people looking for work in France rose to a new record of 3,424,400.

FN - The Colourful, Inclusive, Far Right of France

Black and brown faces are not a rarity at events of France's National Front (FN) these days. Their presence may seem odd amid chants of "On est chez NOUS" ("This is OUR place").

Why would these people support a right-wing, anti-immigration group like the FN?

To hear them, it is the most natural thing in the world.

"You can be French by birth or French at heart," said a man marching with his Taiwanese wife at the front's May Day rally, their young mixed-raced daughter waving a tricolour on his shoulders.

The defence of national identity, one black FN supporter shrugs, has nothing to do with race.

But it was not always thus. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the FN was widely perceived as bigoted. Some of its leaders had links with wartime fascism. Its founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, was given to outbursts many regarded as anti-Semitic.

Jean-Marie may have started the party for racial reasons, or, perhaps he was visionary enough to see the day coming when France would become part of Islam simply through population growth and immigration. Regardless, the party now has momentum, not just from the working class, but also from those who don't want to be under Shariah law within a generation or two. The left wing parties are completely oblivious to the threat.

Over the past two or three decades, however, the front has sought to shed its xenophobic image and turn itself into a mass party. "De-demonisation" has been the watchword under the current leader, Mr Le Pen's daughter Marine.

She remains virulently opposed to immigration, but has directed her ire at Europe's open borders. Her message that the influx of Romanians or Poles is destroying jobs has resonated with French workers of all races.

Tough on crime
The same is true of her claim to represent the struggling people of France betrayed by "globalised elites".

Jean-Philippe Virapin, a Paris municipal employee from the French Caribbean island of Martinique, says that what drew him to the front was "the defence of the modest, forgotten people".

Another FN member, Elie Chabot, a 22-year-old of Aramaean (Syrian) origin, says: "People of foreign origin suffer all the ills highlighted by Marine Le Pen - insecurity, mass migration and poverty."

National Front

1972: founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen
1983: First big election success in local poll
1986: Enters parliament
1980s: Gains votes from both nationalist right and hard left
2002: Le Pen comes shock second in presidential poll, beating socialist
2011: Marine Le Pen succeeds her father at head of the party
Key policies: Opposed to mass immigration and free trade; seeks exit from euro

How FN won in socialist heartland

Far right or hard left?

Mr Chabot says that in the multi-ethnic high rises of Bondy, the Paris suburb where he lives, he "would not be surprised if there were more immigrants voting for the National Front than whites".

The FN's emphasis on crime is striking a chord among middle-aged people. Mohammed Ayad-Zeddan, 40, lives in Henin-Beaumont, a northern town captured by the National Front in local elections in March.

He "does not care too much" about the front's stance on immigration but supports the new mayor's pledge to strengthen the local police force. "There is more and more crime here," he says.

Karim, 37, another Henin-Beaumont resident of North African origin, likes the idea of more security cameras. "That's good for everyone," he says.

Charm offensive
The FN's increasing appeal among minorities is part of a deliberate strategy, according to blogger Octave Nitkowski, who has written a book about the FN.

In the old days, he notes, the French far-right used to frown upon any group that deviated from country's white, Christian, patriarchal tradition. Religious, sexual, or ethnic minorities were treated as suspect.

Now, Mr Nitkowski says, the FN has only one scapegoat: radical Islam. "They champion the rights of Jews, women, homosexuals and others by presenting them as victims of Muslim fundamentalists," he says. "The image of a single mother at its head is also a powerful symbol of openness." Republicans, are you reading this? 

The FN's ethnic constituency projects a benevolent face, to be contrasted with the intolerance attributed to Islamism.

It may also reflect a strong desire to assimilate on the part of older immigrants, and a rejection of identity politics that is rising among the young.

"We will neither ban pork nor impose halal food” Laurent Brice, FN councillor, Henin-Beaumont

"It does not shock me that they should vote for the National Front," says Ahmed, a 30-year-old social worker from Henin-Beaumont.

"They have done everything to make sure their children are French, and the kids reject France!" he says.

The appeal of the National Front among people of foreign origin, of course, remains marginal. Many interpret its strong anti-Islamist stance as sign of hostility to immigrants themselves.

Last month, following its breakthrough at local elections, Ms Le Pen controversially said that FN municipalities "would not accept religious demands over school meals".

Ines Balia, a Muslim 19-year-old who goes to school in Henin-Beaumont, worries that students might be forced to eat pork in canteens.

More generally, Ms Balia says she has increasingly been hearing racist remarks around town in the two months since the FN won. "It looks as though it has become acceptable not to like Arabs," she says.

Under Marine Le Pen, the FN has projected a more inclusive image

Nour, a 27-year-old Henin resident of Moroccan origin, also doubts that the front has cast aside prejudice. "I don't feel I fit their idea of a French person," he says. "In recent years they have tried to sound moderate, but I think this is just a facade."

This is fiercely denied by the FN. Laurent Brice, a senior figure in the new council, insists it is working for all residents regardless of religion or ethnicity.

Regarding school meals, he says, the front's stress on secularism simply means canteens will offer a choice of dishes. "We will neither ban pork nor impose halal food," he says. "This is not a problem."

In Henin-Beaumont, as elsewhere, politics is driving the FN towards a moderate stance. As one African-born resident puts it: "The front cannot afford to antagonise immigrants. If it wants a majority, it has to be inclusive."

France's National Front will never be as multi-ethnic as its national football team.


But as it seeks to establish itself as the true voice of the working class, you should expect to see more non-white faces at its rallies.

Rev. Graham: “As I Read the News, I Can’t Help but Wonder If We’re in the Last Hours”?

From Joel C Rosenberg:

"Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the international Christian aid group Samaritan’s Purse and son of world-renowned preacher Billy Graham, said that given all the 'bad news' about the killing of Christians by Muslims in some countries, and attacks on Christians by the media and the government even in America, he cannot 'help but wonder if we are in the last hours before our Lord Jesus Christ returns,'" reports CNS News.

Rev. Franklin Graham
Samaritans Purse

“As I read the news, I can’t help but wonder if we are in the last hours before our Lord Jesus Christ returns to rescue His church and God pours out His wrath on the world for the rejection of His Son,” said Rev. Graham in a post on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) website.

“I don’t know if we have hours, days, months, or years—but as Christians, God calls us to take the truth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” said Graham.  “Our job is to warn sinners of the consequences of sin and show them that God is loving and gracious, willing to forgive if we come to Him in repentance and faith.”

I wonder that myself.

Like Franklin, I have no idea if we have a very short time or if we have many more years before the Rapture. I strongly oppose setting dates or speculating on certain days or hours or any of the sensationalistic nonsense that people like Harold Camping and others have peddled over the years.

Rather, I embrace the teachings of Jesus who warned us to be ready because His coming for us could appear at any moment.

Joel C Rosenberg
Joshua Fund

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone," the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:36-44. "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."

Are you ready?

Here is the full article on Rev. Graham's thoughts. I encourage you to read it and share with others.

"The BGEA was founded in 1950 by Rev. Billy Graham, and Franklin Graham is vice chairman and CEO of the evangelical organization," noted CNS News. "In his remarks, Rev. Graham talked about the spread of Ebola in Africa, noting that just in 2014 'the virus has already claimed the lives of over 1,000, making it the deadliest outbreak in history.' One of the American doctors, Kent Brantly, infected with Ebola in Liberia and flown back to the United States for treatment last month was 

Samaritan's Purse Christmas Child

working with Samaritan’s Purse."
 "As for the religious 
persecution in the Middle East and elsewhere, Rev. Graham questioned whether 'the world is coming apart at the seams,' adding, 'There appears to be no end to the bad news. The killing of Christians by Muslims from Indonesia to Bangladesh to Pakistan. China tearing down church buildings. Christians tortured, beheaded, and crucified in Iraq, with villages burned and churches destroyed, and much the same in Syria.'

“American pastor Saeed Abedini is still imprisoned in Iran for his faith,” said Rev. Graham.  “Throughout Northern Africa, the Middle East, and many parts of the world, the church of Jesus Christ—and anyone or any group who bears His Name—is under attack.”

 “In our own country as well, there is great opposition to the church of Jesus Christ,” he said.  “We see this throughout the media, the entertainment industry, government, and politics.”

Rev. Graham continued, “Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 24 when they asked Him about the signs of the end of the age. He said there would be wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, and pestilence. He told them, ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.’”

"Franklin Graham is married, has five children, and lives in Boone, N.C.," noted CNS News. "His father, Rev. Billy Graham, 95, is in poor health and not expected to live much longer. Over the years, Billy Graham preached to more than 215 million people in 185 different countries, and he wrote 31 books. For more than 50 years he has regularly been ranked among one of the most admired people in the world."

There is great opposition in North America to Christians but it is mostly because we have earned it. American Christians are fixated on politics rather than Christ and support Republican candidates who claim to be Christian but don't act anything like Christ.

Christians need to either abandon politics altogether (best solution), or demand much more Christ-like behaviour from their politicians. The problem is, the way politics in America works now runs counter to Christian values. 

Me - Gary Wm Myers
Northwoods Ministries

What the Republicans have defined as Christian values are so often completely off the mark. From the NRA, to big businesses insatiable greed, their ownership of most politicians, their treatment of the poor and immigrants, their need for a war somewhere to keep moving the inventory of death: guns, jets, missiles, napalm, Humvees, Blackhawks, etc, etc. so they can get rich regardless of the cost in young American lives.

These are not Christian values. Neither is the vitriolic criticism of the President of the US. God said it was He who put leaders in place and one only needs to remember Hurricane Sandy and Obama's response so impressed Governor Christie that he had to share that with the country. 

It was that event that took Obama from 2nd place in the polls to first just a couple days before the election. It was an act of God that put Obama back in the Whitehouse. Any Christian railing against God's anointed stands in opposition to Christ and ought to be very concerned about that.

I agree with Rev Graham that it seems likely that we are in the end times with limited time left. I disagree with a universal pre-tribulation rapture of the church. I believe Christians, or at least most Christians need to have their faith tested and proven before they are approved worthy of their calling. More on this tomorrow.

'Iran is Closer to Nuclear Capabilities Than Ever'

An Israeli delegation is to travel to Washington DC next week to petition US officials to take stronger stance in renewed talks between major world powers and Iran, in which the sides will discuss the Islamic regime's nuclear program.

"I will travel to Washington next week at the head of an important delegation, in light of what could be the last round of negotiations between world powers and Iran before a November deadline for an agreement," Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said Wednesday.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz

"If a bad agreement is reached, this will be unacceptable for us," added the minister, who presented the status of Iran's nuclear program before members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Steinitz noted "we are summarizing today 11 years of negotiations between Iran and world powers. And as of today, I am sorry to say that after a year of talks, Iran is closer than ever to achieving nuclear capabilities."

"What we see today is a very troubling picture. While Iran has agreed to several small concessions, on all the issues touching the heart of the (nuclear) program, like uranium enrichment in the centrifuges, Iran hasn't agreed to budge even a millimeter," added the intelligence minister.

"We oppose not only the possibility that Iran will be a nuclear-armed military state, but also to the very possibility that Iran will be a nuclear-threshold state," continued Steinitz.

Speaking about the dedication of Iran to its nuclear program, Steinitz revealed "to our estimations until today, Iran has directly invested in its nuclear program around $50 billion dollars, and in addition the indirect damage it has absorbed as a result of sanctions placed on it totals an additional $150 billion dollars."

Steinitz concluded by emphasizing there is no meaningful difference between the world-view of Iran under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and current President Hassan Rouhani, despite the West's perception of him as a "moderate."

The US and other world powers reached a controversial interim deal with Iran over its nuclear program last November, leading to the current negotiations over a comprehensive agreement. During the talks Iran agreed to limit some of its nuclear activities in order to receive sanctions relief.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

However, Iran has been taking an increasingly aggressive line in demanding its "right" to enrich uranium, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently saying Iran "needs" 19 times more nuclear centrifuges than the amount being offered by world powers.

Many have warned about the danger of a nuclear deal being reached in the negotiations which does not remove the centrifuges, arguing that such a situation would leave the Islamic regime with a sudden breakout capacity of six to seven weeks in which it could enrich uranium quickly and achieve a nuclear bomb.

Negotiations have been leading to a July 20 target date, but they were recently extended until November 24, giving Iran more time to slowly advance its nuclear program. Talks are to open in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly opening on September 16.

While Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday voiced optimism that an agreement can be reached by the November deadline, Zarif just the day before on Monday warned of “unpleasant” responses to new US sanctions against it.

 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif 

It is worth noting that Khamenei back in January publicly revealed that the negotiations with the US about Iran's nuclear program are part of a tactic to stall international pressure and gain time to continue Iran's nuclear program. Hmmm. How many of us already knew that? It seems the Whitehouse didn't, or did they?

Arutz Sheva - Jan 9, 2014
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei publicly revealed on Thursday that negotiations with the US about Iran's nuclear program are part of a tactic to stall international pressure and gain time.

"We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the US) to deter its evil," said Khamenei in Qom. He further claimed "the nuclear talks showed the enmity of America against Iran, Iranians, Islam and Muslims."

The statement comes after negotiations ran into rough waters this Wednesday over a dispute regarding Iran's desire to develop new highly advanced centrifuges, in opposition to the November 24 deal prohibiting new centrifuges. Officials from both sides are reportedly meeting for two days of discussions to try and bring talks back on track.

Al Arabiya reports that Khamenei's statements are tantamount to a confession of employing the Islamic deception tactic of "taqiyya," a strategy of concealing one's beliefs or intentions at a time of danger to create later opportunities.

Also in January, Iranian lawmaker, cleric, and Majilis (council) member Mohammed Nabavian said "having a nuclear bomb is necessary to put down Israel."

Iran has also been active in attacking Israel, with a senior Iranian official revealing last month that the Islamic regime is arming terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and vowed it would continue supporting “the resistance” against Israel.

An IDF source revealed last month that in addition to supplying weapons, Iran also launched a cyber war on Israel during Operation Protective Edge.

More Wonders of the Dizzying World of Middle East War Financing

Many Gulf states have been accused of funding Islamic State (IS) extremists in Iraq and Syria.

But as Michael Stephens, director of the Royal United Services Institute in Qatar, explains, not all is clear-cut in war.

Islamic State outperformed all other militant rebel groups in Syria
 and continues to claim ground

Much has been written about the support Islamic State (IS) (or, as I call it, Hell) has received from donors and sympathisers, particularly in the wealthy Gulf States.

Indeed the accusation I hear most from those fighting IS in Iraq and Syria is that Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are solely responsible for the group's existence.

But the truth is a little more complex and needs some exploring.

When insanity and stupidity merge:

It is true that some wealthy individuals from the Gulf have funded extremist groups in Syria, many taking bags of cash to Turkey and simply handing over millions of dollars at a time.

This was an extremely common practice in 2012 and 2013 but has since diminished and is at most only a tiny percentage of the total income that flows into Islamic State coffers in 2014.

It is also true that Saudi Arabia and Qatar, believing that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would soon fall and that Sunni political Islam was a true vehicle for their political goals, funded groups that had strongly Islamist credentials.

Liwa al-Tawhid, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam were just such groups, all holding tenuous links to the "bad guy" of the time - the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's wing in Syria.

The new emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
with French President Francois Hollande

Qatar especially attracted criticism for its cloudy links to the group.

Turkey for its part operated a highly questionable policy of border enforcement in which weapons and money flooded into Syria, with Qatari and Saudi backing.

Gulf funds have flowed to opposition groups since
the early days of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad

All had thought that this would facilitate the end of Mr Assad's regime and the reordering of Syria into a Sunni power, breaking Shia Iran's link to the Mediterranean.

Yet as IS began its seemingly unstoppable rise in 2013, these groups were either swept away by it, or deciding it was better to join the winning team, simply defected bringing their weapons and money with them.

Only al-Nusra has really held firm, managing a tenuous alliance with its more radical cousin, but even so it is estimated that at least 3,000 fighters from al-Nusra swapped their allegiance during this time.

So has Qatar funded Islamic State? Directly, the answer is no. Indirectly, a combination of shoddy policy and naivety has led to Qatar-funded weapons and money making their way into the hands of IS.

Saudi King Abdullah
Saudi Arabia has been accused of funding Islamists under the banner of IS,
an accusation it staunchly denies

Saudi Arabia likewise is innocent of a direct state policy to fund the group, but as with Qatar its determination to remove Mr Assad has led to serious mistakes in its choice of allies.

Both countries must undertake some soul searching at this point, although it is doubtful that any such introspection will be admitted in public.

Light years ahead
But there are deeper issues here; religious ties and sympathy for a group that both acts explicitly against Shia Iran's interests in the region and has the tacit support of more people in the Gulf than many would care to admit.

The horrific acts committed by IS are difficult for anybody to support, but its goal of establishing a caliphate is certainly attractive in some corners of Islamic thought.

The goal of IS militants is to create an independent Islamic State
stretching from Iraq across to the Levant

Many of those who supported the goal have already found their way to Syria and have fought and died for Islamic State and other groups. Others express support more passively and will continue to do so for many years.

The pull of IS, a group that has outperformed all others in combat and put into place a slick media campaign in dozens of languages to attract young men and women to its cause, has proven highly successful.

In every activity - from fighting, to organisation and hierarchy, to media messaging - IS is light years ahead of the assorted motley crew of opposition factions operating in the region.

'War economy'
Islamic State has put in place what appear to be the beginnings of quasi-state structures - ministries, law courts and even a rudimentary taxation system, which incidentally asks for far less than what was paid by citizens of Mr Assad's Syria.

IS has displayed a consistent pattern since it first began to take territory in early 2013.

Upon taking control of a town it quickly secures the water, flour and hydrocarbon resources of the area, centralising distribution and thereby making the local population dependent on it for survival.

Militant Islamist fighters from IS take part in a parade in Raqqa, Syria 30 June 2014

Dependency and support are not the same thing, and it is impossible to quantify how many of Islamic State's "citizens" are willing partners in its project or simply acquiescing to its rule out of a need for stability or fear of punishment.

To understand how the Islamic State economy functions is to delve into a murky world of middlemen and shady business dealings, in which "loyal ideologues" on differing sides spot business opportunities and pounce upon them.

IS exports about 9,000 barrels of oil per day at prices ranging from about $25-$45 (£15-£27).

Some of this goes to Kurdish middlemen up towards Turkey, some goes for domestic IS consumption and some goes to the Assad regime, which in turn sells weapons back to the group.

"It is a traditional war economy," notes Jamestown analyst Wladimir van Wilgenburg.

Indeed, the dodgy dealings and strange alliances are beginning to look very similar to events that occurred during the Lebanese civil war, when feuding war lords would similarly fight and do business with each other.

The point is that Islamic State is essentially self-financing; it cannot be isolated and cut off from the world because it is intimately tied into regional stability in a way that benefits not only itself, but also the people it fights.

The larger question of course is whether such an integral pillar of the region (albeit shockingly violent and extreme) can be defeated.

Michael Stephens

Without Western military intervention it is unlikely. Although Sunni tribes in Iraq ponder their allegiances to the group, they do not have the firepower or finances necessary to topple IS and neither does the Iraqi army nor its Syrian counterpart.

Michael Stephens is Director of the Royal United Services Institute, Qatar, and is currently in Irbil