Word: pretexts
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...branch of the government. Before Iraq launched its war against Iran on Sept. 22, the ruling mullahs had been vulnerable to charges from the left that any compromise with the U.S. would be inconsistent with the "anti-imperialist struggle." But the war gave Khomeini and his followers a valuable pretext: to stress instead the immediate threat of Iraq and to bill American concessions as a "defeat for the Great Satan." The clergy-controlled press and broadcasting have been harping on these two themes ever since it became apparent that a deal was possible...
...sudden, precise blow (hat was to change the course of Chinese history. Four powerful members of China's ruling Politburo were lured into the Chungnanhai compound of Peking's Forbidden City on the pretext that an urgent meeting was about to be convened. There, they were abruptly arrested and jailed. Quickly, newspapers and radio stations were seized; key universities, where the four had influence, were surrounded by troops. With one stroke, the four leaders who had dragged China through the horrors of the Cultural Revolution had been disposed of and the way had been cleared for others...
...Three are based on the Afghanistan experience-"invitations" to Moscow by secessionist Azerbaijanis in northwestern Iran, or by Baluchis in southeastern Iran, or by an embattled leftist government in Tehran that eventually might take over from the mullahs. The fourth possibility is a Soviet thrust into Pakistan, under the pretext of hot pursuit of Afghan rebels. In each case, the U.S. would have to contend with an overwhelming Soviet advantage: geographical proximity. "When you talk about projecting combat power 7,000 miles and then sustaining it over the long haul," says Kelley, "it boggles the mind. That...
...being towed to a new location in stormy seas, apparently against technical advice, collapsed. In an "obvious deception," the People's Daily charged, Song had blamed the disaster on the weather instead of bad judgment. Some foreign analysts suspect that the rig disaster could serve as a handy pretext to purge the Petroleum Ministry. A so-called "oil clique" that included Song had concentrated on petroleum at the expense of a more diversified energy policy favored by Deng...
...Freshman's Dean's Office, at Morton Prince House, will be open. A good excuse to talk to Hank Moses, dean of Freshman. He's heavy into Outward Bound and orienteering, so read up in advance if you need a pretext for discussion. Go easy, though: Moses is a low-key fellow. Very Ivy League, very laid back. He wears cool penny loafers or topsiders. Ask for the brand name then go buy a pair...