WSJ:  [Turkey] A Nation of Conspiracies The same can be said of Iran and Iranians.  Too often, we are fatalistic, project our own mistakes onto others, don’t believe in self-criticism, and wallow in self-pity. The solution to all this is transparency which only comes with a genuine democracy.

Conspiracies flourish when citizens fear punishment for open political expression, when power is seen as illegitimate, and when people have no access to healthy channels of influence. They give rise inevitably to counterconspiracies that fuel the paranoia and enmity, a self-reinforcing cycle. Throughout Turkey is the pervasive feeling that no one beyond family can be trusted.

AFP:  Abbas blames Iran for blocking Palestinian reconciliation Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas lashed out at Iran on Friday, blaming Tehran for being behind the latest failure to reconcile his secular Fatah movement with its Isalamist rival Hamas. “Iran doesn’t want Hamas to sign the Cairo reconciliation document,” Abbas said during a meeting in the Tunisian capital. Fatah and Hamas struggled for months to reach a unity deal under Egyptian mediation, but the efforts collapsed late last year when Hamas refused to agree to a proposal that was signed by Fatah. Abbas said that while Hamas’ leaders had initially indicated their approval of the document, they later began putting forth excuses to refuse to sign. The Fatah leader said his goal was to “pull our people out from Iranian tutelage”