In early May 2009, an Iranian couple telephoned the US Consulate in Barcelona requesting to go to the United States as refugees because they feared for their lives. The husband and wife told diplomats that because they both worked as doctors, they had extensive knowledge of Iran’s nuclear program but the US officials informed Washington that they doubted their story. This episode is detailed in a May 19, 2009 classified cable written by Todd D. Robinson, the principal officer at the US Consulate, and released by Wikileaks. "The couple, who claim to have information on Iran's terrorist activities, say they've been in Spain since March and believe their lives are threatened by Iran," … [Read more...] about Iranian odd couple claimed nuclear program insider knowledge
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American breakfast and prayers for Zapatero
The decision by Spanish leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to accept Barack Obama’s invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on February 4 has sparked plenty of controversy and even outrage on the political right, as critics accuse the “lay” prime minister of hypocrisy. The Prayer Breakfast is seen as a meeting place for political, economic and social figures and while it does have a clearly religious dimension, Zapatero’s decision to attend has nothing to do with prayer and everything to do with his relationship with the US president. Putting aside the Spanish political furore over the breakfast, the invitation itself looks like a significant development as Zapatero … [Read more...] about American breakfast and prayers for Zapatero
Naked but (probably) no safer
Ever since Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to blow up a plane on Christmas Day with explosives hidden in his underwear authorities in the United States and Europe have been touting the benefits of installing body scanners at airports. It may be a new technology, but it is just the latest embodiment of an old debate pitting security against privacy - one in which Spain, as the current EU term president, has chosen to sit on the fence. The privacy concerns raised by these machines are understandable: if they can be used to spot a bomb in someone’s boxer shorts they can also detect prostheses, the results of plastic surgery and evidence of transgender. But while the thought of … [Read more...] about Naked but (probably) no safer
Spain, Europe and the world: Zapatero’s moment
The six-month rotating presidency of the European Union passed on 1 January 2010 from Sweden to Spain. At the formal ceremony of transition in Madrid on 8 January, the Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero outlined a bold agenda: he reaffirmed that his country’s tenure would be one of action and initiative in which financial recovery and the boosting of the EU’s place in the world would be his foremost priorities. It sounds like the expression of confident leadership that a Europe buffeted by the economic crisis, the failure of the Copenhagen summit and its shrinking global role badly needs. But what are the prospects of Zapatero fulfilling his lofty aims? The centre-left … [Read more...] about Spain, Europe and the world: Zapatero’s moment