Archive for December 19, 2006

I have been quite unfair in everything I have written about Khalilzad. In fact, I take what I had written back. I read this interview and found wisdom that has been eluding me in everything that I read about Iraq. Here, he offers the most specific and most sensible plan for Iraq: “There is no [...]

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

“Israel’s Defence Ministry said that by the end of November arms firms had sealed $4.1 billion in new foreign orders for 2006, surpassing the previous peak of $4.02 billion reached in the same period in 2002.”

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

Blair’s last “peace tour” of the Middle East. “Government officials urged Tony Blair to use the final leg of his Middle East peace tour to lobby on behalf of the British arms industry, The Times has learnt.”

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

So I don’t understand. What does Peter Sluglett want? If I read it correctly, he wants an American occupation of Iraq, but he wants a better American occupation of Iraq. A very wishy-washy piece. (He made no mention of Macedonian troops in Iraq).

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

“The FBI agreed Tuesday to make public the final 10 documents about the surveillance of John Lennon that it had withheld for 25 years from a University of California, Irvine historian on the grounds that releasing them could cause “military retaliation against the United States.””

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

Bush can’t help himself. He keeps on bragging about progress in Iraq: “we killed or captured nearly 5,900 people.”

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

I have noticed that the goal in Iraq has changed; it has been substantially reduced. Listen to Bush: “new way forward to achieve an important objective, which is a country that can govern, sustain and defend itself.” What? This grandiose and massive war was in order to have a “country that can govern, sustain, and [...]

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

Another boo hoo hoo leader out there: “”We’re not as strong as the foreigners … We can’t prevent the terrorists coming from Pakistan. We can’t prevent the [Nato] coalition from bombing terrorists. And our children are dying because of that,” Mr Karzai said. “Cruelty at the highest level. The cruelty is too much …” Western [...]

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

The Palestinians have not been permitted to have their own state. But of all the trappings of statehood, their puppet president can roll out the red carpet for Tony Blair. How wonderful.

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

“His desperate attempts to play the statesman have made him a laughing stock in friendly Arab capitals and Baghdad’s Green Zone.”

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

Please accept my apologies. My last two posts were not–repeat, not–caramelized. My caramelization device was not working. I fixed it. Please enjoy.

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

The brilliant Middle East experts of this administration has come up with ANOTHER brilliant scheme: “US considers naval build-up as warning to Iran”

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

“Mossad chief: Iran will not get nuclear bomb before 2009″ (Angry Arab chief: Israel has a nuclear bomb NOW. I said NOW.)

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

Well. You may like this. The brilliant minds of the US government–the Middle East experts at the White House–the same folks who cooked up the great success story in Iraq, now have a plan. A brilliant new idea, if you will. You see, they want to send Ahmad Chalabi to Damascus to see if he [...]

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

“Annan: It would be ‘disastrous’ to take military action against Iran” (Angry Arab: It would be disastrous if you stay one day longer in your job. Go away. NOW.)

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

What do you know about Kobina Annan?

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

“U.S. calls on Syria to open diplomatic relations with Lebanon” (Angry Arab calls on US to open diplomatic relations with Palestine, and asks for a beverage too. Is there something ironic about the US offering lessons in diplomatic reason? And what business is it for the US to tell two ostensibly sovereign countries how to [...]

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

Lousy manifestations of media globalization. AlJazeera (the Arabic one) aired an interview with George Clooney on Darfur. I kid you not. Clooney on Darfur. Tomorrow, AlJazeera will host Tony Danza for a discussion on the Western Sahara conflict.

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

On the Maronite Patriarch’s call for gender segregation.

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad

I have not written on the sudden resignation of Prince Turki Al-Faysal (he wanted “to spend time with his family”, an official statement said–the same excuse that US politicians use when they resign for reasons that have nothing to do with the sudden love of one’s family). I am waiting to learn more about it. [...]

Posted on December 19, 2006 by As'ad