Archive for March, 2009

Return of the Ba`th

“In a Green Zone restaurant NEWSWEEK recently overheard a U.S. diplomat asking Iraqi officials to help set up a meeting with one of the most extreme elements of Saddam’s old regime. The diplomat suggested Amman or another “neutral” city. A U.S. Embassy official, asking not to be named because of the issue’s sensitivity, had no [...]

Posted on March 31, 2009 by As'ad

Remembered

Palestine. (thanks Hussein)

Posted on March 31, 2009 by As'ad

When members of Congress disagree with Ariel Sharon

“Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, spoke of his strong friendship for Israel and respect for many of its former leaders, adding, that he “had a couple of disagreements with Ariel Sharon. I know there were many reasons why they [...]

Posted on March 31, 2009 by As'ad

Hitchens on Beirut: to Hariri family with Love

Read the first line and the last line of his article in Vantiy Fair and you realize that the man who has not had one insight in foreign policy (unless you count his monkeyish cheerleading for Bush and Cheney as foreign policy insight) in years, is not worth reading. His first sentence is: “As Arab [...]

Posted on March 31, 2009 by As'ad

Qadhdhafi’s remarks in English: my translation

“I say to my brother [King] `Abdullah: six years and you have been fleeing, afraid of confrontation. And I want to reassure you that you should not be afraid, and I tell you after six years that it has been proven that it is you who have lies behind you and the grave ahead of [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Ajami and Netanyahu

Arabist restored the video.

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Qadhdhafi’s remarks

Arab media are covering up Qadhdhafi’s insults to the Saudi King. The pro-US dictator (i.e., Qadhdhafi) ended his remarks by listing his glorious titles. The Libyan news agency printed the remarks: “أخ حمد أهنئك بتوليك رئاسة القمة. وبهذه المناسبة أقول لأخي “عبد الله” ست سنوات وأنت هارب وخائف من المواجهة ØŒ وأريد أن أطمئنك بأن [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Qadhdhafi

So Qadhdhafi in his talk at the Arab summit included both insult and offer of reconciliation to the Saudi King. Six years later, he responded to the insult of the Saudi king had made to him and told him that it was him who “was made by Britain” and that he is “protected by the [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Boycott works

“21% of Israeli exporters have been directly affected by the boycott movement since the beginning of 2009. So reports today (29 March) The Marker, a Hebrew-language economic newspaper. This number is based on a poll of 90 Israeli exporters in fields such as high tech, metals, construction materials, chemistry, textile and foods. The poll was [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Another Lebanese genius

“Wataniya Restaurants dished up a Wataniya Pasta weighing an enormous 4,300 kilograms at Golf Club Doha on Saturday to set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘Biggest Pasta in History’.” Do you notice that people in the Arab world think of the Guiness World Record as if it is some scientific or glorious achievement? [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Prince Sultan

“More independent information about the prince’s condition has been suppressed, however. Last year, the long-serving Reuters bureau chief in Riyadh, Andrew Hammond, was told to leave the kingdom after reporting that Prince Sultan had cancer.” (thanks George)

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Major Zionist Leagues

“When former Vice President Dick Cheney learned that Obama had been putting pressure on the Israelis, he angrily disparaged him as “pro-Palestinian” and described him as someone who would “never make it in the major leagues.””

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Isabel Kershner

Look how the Kershner (typical of her propaganda writings from Israel)–and I will ignore the token Arab whose name appears only to lend indigenous credibility–totally misrepresents the issue and make it sound as if it is about Holocaust denial. The issue, Ms. Kershner, is the boycott of Israel and not this particular concert. Get it? [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

This is Zionism

“The Hashmira Israeli Railways project sent on Sunday letters to some 100 Arab workers informing them that their contracts with the company would be terminated because they did not serve in the Israeli military.” (thanks Olivia)

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Mamdani on Darfur

“In Uganda, long one of Washington’s closest African friends, Mr. Mamdani traces the history of ethnically targeted “civilian massacres and other atrocities” against the brutal insurgency known as the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 1996, under President Yoweri Museveni, a second phase of that war began “with a new policy designed to intern practically the entire [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Fame

“Indeed, the only consistent predictor was fame — and it was an inverse relationship. The more famous experts did worse than unknown ones. That had to do with a fault in the media. Talent bookers for television shows and reporters tended to call up experts who provided strong, coherent points of view, who saw things [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Palestinian garb

“Israeli police dressed in Palestinian garb who have gone under cover to catch violent Jewish settlers got a taste of what Palestinians routinely confront as Jewish settlers attacked undercover officers thinking they were Arabs, Israeli press reported. Six Jewish settlers who mistook under cover Israeli cops for Palestinians attacked them Thursday, throwing stones and damaging [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Boycott

Lebanese academic boycott of Israel. Oh, yeah.

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

AUC

“Al-Masry Al-Youm has obtained an official US document issued by the White House on the 2007 budget. For the first time, the document reveals that the American University in Cairo (AUC) won a LE 3.4 million contract to provide the US Pentagon with information about Egypt.” (thanks Phar)

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad

Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah

I have explained this many times. Can somebody tell Fouad Ajami and the Wall Street Journal that they are woefully ignorant of Lebanon and its affairs and that Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah has no ties whatsoever with Hizbullah, and he was detested by Party leaders and members for much of the 1990s and the beginning of [...]

Posted on March 30, 2009 by As'ad