Archive for May 11, 2008
The Hariri (non)Militia: “For a year, the main Lebanese political faction backed by the United States built a Sunni Muslim militia here under the guise of private security companies, Lebanese security experts and officials said. The fighters, aligned with Saad Hariri’s Future movement, were trained and armed to counter the heavily armed Shiite Muslim militant [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Postscript to the Arab Mind: “You might find it odd that a Hebrew word for “interesting†is used regularly in Israeli Arabic. I once asked an Arab friend of mine about this and was told, to my surprise: “That’s because we don’t have our own word for ‘interesting.’ The closest we can come is either [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
This article in Al-Akhbar about (pro-Syrian politician) Wi’am Wahhab is just unrealistic: it represents the wishful thinking of the opposition side: of Hizbullah and its allies. They need to know that Walid Jumblat represents 90% of Druze public opinion, just as Sa`d Hariri represents some 80% of Sunni public opinion. Hizbullah “military” successes in Lebanon [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
For those who don’t care, I will speak live about Lebanon’s development tomorrow (Monday morning) at 5:10AM (Pacific Time). You may listen live.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
“Lahd was granted asylum in Israel after the withdrawal. He currently runs a restaurant specialized in Lebanese food in Tel Aviv.”
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
“John Bolton, who as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 2005-2006 became a conservative icon, has not connected with Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, though he desires to help out. Friends say Bolton was puzzled when his offers of assistance got no response from the McCain campaign. He did receive a late request to [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
For you, o Sanyurah: “A US warship, which was deployed off Lebanon in February amid concern over Beirut’s political crisis, crossed Egypt’s Suez Canal on Sunday on its way to the Mediterranean, an official with the canal authority told AFP.” (If you enlarge the picture, you may see Sanyurah and Sa`d Hariri waving from the [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
“Since he lost the hold he had in the White House through his good friends Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution and the Saban Forum have become his levers of influence on political Washington and on Jerusalem…History proved that Sharon was right and I was wrong. In matters relating to [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Did you see the propagandist of the House of Saud, Jamal Khashuqji (a former Bin Ladenite–and he even knew him–turned a “liberal” Wahhabi), on LBC-TV? Those Saudi advocates speak as if they now speak on behalf of the US government. He almost was directing the US to bomb places in Syria and Iran.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Can somebody explain to me what Walid Jumblat is trying to say here?
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Sectarian solidarity. You can’t analyze the situation in the Middle East only in pure sectarian terms. For example: NBN TV (Nabih Birri TV) yesterday reported that `Adil `Abdul-Mahdi (a leader of the pro-US, pro-Iranian Badr sectarian militia which, among other crimes, largely orchestrated the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Iraq) called Nabih Birri (the leader [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
This is a really bad week for the Bush Doctrine. You may have noticed that the (allegedly) US-backed, (Islamist) Justice and Equality Movement of Darfur failed in its attack on Darfur. And the Sanyurah government is tottering. There is a rumor in Beirut that Sa`d Hariri called Muhammad Dahlan and the two cried for 2 [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Sectarian analysis. I heard a former Lebanese communist say on Al-Arabiya TV that the “Sunnis of Lebanon were orphaned” with the death of Rafiq Hariri.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Propaganda? What propaganda? We have read about the Lincoln Group: that outfit in DC which received a Pentagon contract to plant stories in the Arabic press. Just read this article in the mouthpiece of Prince Khalid Bin Sultan: notice that it is clear it has been translated from English (some phrases may have been google [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Somebody has embezzled, it seems. A Western reporter in Lebanon tells me that Hariri (non)militia men have been complaining that they have not been fed, as promised by Hariri Inc. This is odd because Hariri Inc has a contract with Suqrat restaurant in Beirut to prepare 3000 meals a day for Hariri (non) militia men.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Some parts of the Saudi propaganda war raging are quite amusing. AlArabiya TV rolls out advocates for Husni Mubarak and House of Saud and Hashemite Kingdom who state (without irony) that they are opposed to Hizbullah because the latter is not democratic.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Hariri school students in Sidon were bussed in to hear Bahiyyah Hariri speak in Sidon. The average age of her audience was 4 years old.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
You visit some pro-Hariri, pro-Saudi websites and realize that the only hope left for the Hariri camp is Al-Qa`idah. They have not heard that Al-Qa`idah is on the run, and that all its members can fit in a cave or two.
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
“President George W. Bush stressed his commitment to a Palestinian state and applauded the American Task Force on Palesinte (ATFP) for its work in supporting Mideast peace in a letter to the American Task Force on Palestine and to those attending ATFP’s second annual Gala.” If that does not boost the credibility of the task [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad
Pro-US Arab regimes wanted the Arab League to send Arab troops to Lebanon. That could calm things down, no? I mean, if they were to send Jordanian or Saudi or Egyptian troops, people in Lebanon would regard them as neutral. What? You are now going to imply that Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia are biased [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 by As'ad