Archive for August 17, 2008
My article in Al-Akhbar: “The Demise of the Fath Movement: the phenomenon of Muhammad Dahlan”
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
Muhammad Dakrub writes on the communism of Mahmud Darwish (read how Arab censors deleted a line from one of his most famous poems because it talked about communism). Of course, Marxism clashes with Abu Mazen and Yasir `Abd Rabbu, with whom Darwish was aligned. (thanks Mirvat)
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
My position on Georgia has been misunderstood. It appeared as if I was supporting Russian military actions, which I don’t. Also, as somebody who believes in expertise and training, I in no way promote myself as an expert on Georgia and I have in fact referred those in the media who asked for my opinion [...]
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“Defense officials favor forcefully blocking two boats which a group of U.S.-based activists plan to sail to Gaza to protest what they call “the Israeli siege on the Strip,” Haaretz has learned.”
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
The Economist did not distinguish itself in its coverage of Georgia.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“Nato-led soldiers operating in southern Afghanistan “accidentally” have killed four civilians and wounded three others in a rocket attack intended for armed groups.” (thanks Olivia)
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
More than anything, Russian forces in Georgia needs to find a very useful priest. He is Grand Priest Vladimir Sistanishvili, and he is willing to support an indefinite stay for Russian troops in Georgia.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“At the center of the debate are the military’s behavioral science consultation teams, informally known as biscuits, made up of psychologists and others who assist in interrogations. Little is known about these units, including the number of psychologists who take part. Neither the military nor the team members have disclosed many details.” (thanks Maryam)
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
In response to my post (Angry David) below, I received this email: “As’ad, I am Tunisian and I know that Oussama Mellouli goes by the nickname “Ous”, his own wiki page says this. It was not ignorance or worse on behalf of NBC to call him that. AS for not giving him a lot of [...]
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
Saud media like Lebanese women, but only as sexual objects, even in news shows.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
Based on vague references in the Saudi media, it looks like Prince Muqrin is in Pakistan ensuring he safety and exit of Musharraf.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
To generalize: I have always found the Syrian people very likable. You can tell that when you watch Syrian TV serials. Compare that to the obnoxious and unwatchable Lebanese TV serials for example.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“After eight years, the president’s gut remains gullible. He’ll go out as he came in — ignoring reality; failing to foresee, prevent or even prepare for disasters; misinterpreting intelligence reports; misreading people; and handling crises in ways that makes them exponentially worse. He has spent 469 days of his presidency kicking back at his ranch, [...]
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
It has become clear to me that the Qatari-Saudi reconciliation is incompatible with my appearances on Al-Jazeera TV. Today, they asked me to appear on Al-Jazeera (Arabic) to speak about…Georgia.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
Comrade Fawwaz remembers Mahmud Darwish.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
Palestinian scholar, Anis Sayigh (who lost his eyesight and some of his fingers to an Israeli letter bomb because he dared to head the Palestinian Research Center), who disagreed with Mahmud Darwish’s politics as I did, remembers Darwish.
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“Neither the opposition nor key civil society figures in Georgia nor EU structures have yet investigated who did what before and during the war.”
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“The other reason is that American reporters are so fearful of being criticised by Israel that their work is bland to the point of incomprehension; if you want to know what The New York Times or The Washington Post knows, you’ve got to talk to one of their correspondents.”
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“Initially Israel balked at accepting their claim of Jewishness, but relented after American Jews led a campaign for the Falash Mura.” (thanks Nabeel)
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad
“Israel’s embassy in Amman and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem received an unusual requested this week: A Jordanian artist expressed his interest in visiting Sderot and building a statue of peace in the southern city along with local children.” Typical. All those Arab friends of Israel are people nobody has ever heard of although MEMRI [...]
Posted on August 17, 2008 by As'ad