US looks to Europe to sanction Iran
Washington's
latest sanctions on Iran up the pressure on America's European allies
to follow suit and tighten the screws on the Islamic state or see it
attacked, analysts say.
"The principal intention of the announcement was to send a signal as
much to the Europeans, the Chinese and the Russians, as well as to the
Iranians," said Karim Sadjapour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think-tank.
US efforts to get tougher on Iran are frustrated by China and
Russia's reluctance. But Sadjapour said the new sanctions sent a
message to the Europeans that if they do not support the US stance,
they heighten the risk of the United States taking military action.
"China and Russia are more concerned about the prospect of the US bombing Iran than of Iran getting a nuclear bomb," he added.
Iran is accused of enriching uranium in order to make fuel for a
nuclear bomb. It insists its uranium activities are aimed solely at
generating power for civilian purposes.
The fresh sanctions announced by Washington on Thursday target the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accused of spreading weapons of mass
destruction, and its elite Quds Force, which was designated as a
supporter of terrorism.
The United States also stepped up efforts to squeeze Iran out of
global banking, blacklisting three Iranian state-owned banks, along
with companies controlled by the guards, and the logistics arm of
Iran's defense ministry.
The six major powers involved in talks about Iran's nuclear program
will meet in Europe in early November to discuss strengthened UN
sanctions against Tehran, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
announced Friday.
As well as the United States, these powers include Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
The European Union is meanwhile mulling its own possible sanctions,
called for by France with British support. But Germany and Italy -- key
trading partners of Iran -- are reluctant to back them.
The EU measures would step up pressure on Tehran without having to
overcome the unwillingness of China and Russia, heavyweight diplomatic
players and also major trading partners with Iran, to back a third UN
sanctions resolution.
"We talk to them (the Europeans). I wouldn't put it in the vein of pressuring them," McCormack said Friday.
"We have talked to them about how working either together or in a
complementary fashion, we might increase the pressure on the Iranian
government to come to the table," he added.
"Certainly, that could have a very powerful effect."
Before the sanctions were announced, another expert said the United States needed the EU to apply more sanctions.
"The United States has not significantly traded with or invested in
Iran for nearly 30 years," said Philip Gordon of the Brookings
Institution, a research institute in Washington.
"It is only by persuading other major countries not to do so that it
stands any chance of convincing Iran that the economic and diplomatic
costs of developing nuclear weapons are greater than the perceived
benefits."
"The Europeans have already taken significant steps in this
direction, but there is much more they could do," for example canceling
credit bonds, which were worth 18 billion dollars in 2005, he added.
"There is of course no guarantee that escalating political and
economic sanctions will succeed in changing Iranian behavior or
contribute to a change in the Iranian regime," Gordon said.
"But given the alternatives -- acquiescing to Iranian nuclear
capabilities or a military strike that could prove costly and
counterproductive -- it makes sense to find out
法新社, Sunday October 28, 2007
表現與執著
我們介意別人怎麼看我們，因為我們還未對自己建立足夠的信心。 ─ 黎智英許久沒寫職場文章，因為這方面的題材，與其由思哲班門弄斧，大家倒不如移玉步到博客《人在中環》，博主CK乃真正的中環老闆，他的文章才最值得打工仔參考。
思哲今天想要分享的，是自己工作生涯的一點心得。想當初，剛踏足社會，最初的兩份工，收入雖然微薄，但畢竟是自己喜歡的職業，自然是全情投入，日夜搏殺，時刻想要爭取更好的表現。
那時候的我，因為太在意自己的表現，工作雖充實卻不享受。我要跟對手公司鬥銷量、跟合作公司併效率、跟其他部門鬥賺錢、跟同事們鬥工作表現，每一天就像跟時間鬥快一樣。
我把工作表現視為一切，但結果事與願違。我不是表現最好的人，專責開發的產品，銷情也不見怎樣。最弊的是，自己的能力彷彿停滯在某個水平，再沒有寸進。
後來我才發現，原來我將所有注意力放在表現上，而不是專心做好工作。若一切不以自己為中心，不要太在意別人的看法，工作節奏便馬上輕快起來，我們也會有接受和包容別人意見的虛懷。剛好相反，時刻想爭取表現的人，是很大機會把自己絆倒的。
以上的想法，若套用於產品開發，或許就是Google凡事以User Experience放在首位的原則；套用於藝術表演，或許就是大歌星上台獻唱，以表達歌曲意境為先，進入渾然忘我的境界；套用於財經專欄，或許就是誠實表述自己的想法，不計算寫甚麼去保住自己名聲。
老闆黎智英在某篇《事實與偏見》寫道：「我們介意別人怎麼看我們，因為我們還未對自己建立足夠的信心。所謂形象，其實便是對別人眼光有所恐懼而作出的條件反射。」
思哲現在時刻自我警惕，我不是要超越別人，而是要超越自己。我要想有最佳表現，就得先放開對表現的執著。
尹思哲, 2007年10月30日刊於《蘋果日報》
1 comment:
整容嗎,,,,,個xanga??
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