NEWS US Steps up Attacks on iran International campaign asks, “Is this the next Iraq? Nicole Burton, News Editor In a push led by the United States, world powers, including Britain, France, and international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) are stepping up attacks against Iran as a “threat to stability in the Middle East.” _ Since November, Iran has held talks with France, Germany, and Britain over the use of nuclear facilities to enrich uranium. The government of Iran has not violated any international laws. In a statement made last week, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said, “The Iranians need to live up to their international obligations,” threatening the Middle Eastern country with sanctions through the UN Security Council. Only days later, French Foreign Minister, Phillipe Douste-Blazy, said that France would now be putting their foot down as well. “No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear program. So it is a clandestine Iranian military opnewseditor@gmail.com nuclear program. “The international community has sent a very firm message by saying to the Iranians: ‘Come back to reason. Suspend all nuclear activity and the enrichment of urani- um and the conversion of uranium,’ “They are not listening to us.” But critics of this battle over popular opinion are say- ing there’s no threat at all—at least no more than there is a threat of US-manufactured nuclear weapons, which are proven to exist. A new campaign launched in the United States has released a petition demanding that the US not attack Iran, relating the situation closely to the propaganda drive against Iraq shortly before the invasion in 2003. “The media is filled with reports of an alleged nuclear threat posed by Iran and the assumed need for the US to take military action,” the petition reads. “These reports recall the ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ stories issued in the months leading up to the war on Iraq.” British journalist John Pilger writes, “Bush and Blair are gearing up for it, and they are preparing us, too—just as they did before attacking Iraq. But where is the threat?” “Listen to Blair in the House of Commons: It’s impor- tant we send a signal of strength against a regime that has ‘forsaken diplomacy’ and is ‘exporting terrorism’ and ‘flouting its international obligations’. Coming from one who has exported terrorism to Iran’s neighbor, scandalous- ly reneged on Britain’s most sacred international obliga- tions, and forsaken diplomacy for brute force, these are Alice-through-the-looking-glass words.” US White House advisors have also announced that Bush plans to push a bill through Congress that would authorize an extra $75 million for “democracy building” in Iran, a combined effort of US-controlled radio and TV programming aimed at influencing Iranian public opinion. “The Iranians just need to know that the free world is working together to send a very clear message,” said US President Bush. “Don’t develop a nuclear weapon.” How to ‘Turin’ a Phrase JJ McCullough, Investigative Reporter This week, Denise Chinn asks, “Is it Turin or Torino?” Denise, of course, is referring to the name of the host city of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Different sources use different names, leading to much confusion over which is the “correct” one. Basically, whether you use Turin or Torino depends on how much of a linguistic purist you want to be. Many cities around the world offer two different spellings for their city names, one in English and one in the native tongue. Rome, for example is called “Roma” in Italian, India’s Bombay goes by “Mumbai” in Hindi, and Quebec City is known as “Ville de Québec” in French. Sometimes, this even applies to entire countries. For exam- ple the Japanese call Japan “Nihon,” while the Germans call their country “Deutschland.” In other words, whether you call it Turin or Turino depends on whether or not you want to be a good internationalist, and show off your knowledge of Italian. The name debate has polarized many media outlets across the continent, with TV stations like NBC and CBC going with “Torino,” while other voices like the Globe and Mail and the New York Times clinging to “Turin.” Most offi- cial Olympics merchandise can be bought with either name. It would be nice, however, if the people who go around calling it Torino could at least be consistent. After all, when’s the last time you heard someone mention the “Shroud of Torino?” Got a question that needs investigating? Send it to wart_mamu@yahoo.com