Archive for August 28, 2009
Arab Rulers
My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: “Arab Rulers: the Second Generation.”
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Wasn’t he your favorite Iraqi?
“The U.S. military authorized the arrest and interrogation last year of a top aide to Ahmed Chalabi on suspicion that the aide served as a liaison to a Shi’ite group thought responsible for the 2007 execution-style slayings of five U.S. Marines and …
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
The dumb Lebanese government
So the dumb Lebanese government (aided by dumb Lebanese opposition) decided to return the Israeli man who snuck into Lebanon and pretended that he was mentally disturbed. The dumb Lebanese government could not consider the possibility that the was act…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Dahlan will replace them
“Palestinian authorities in the West Bank have begun replacing Israeli-installed road signs bearing Hebrew script with new signs in just Arabic and English, according to a U.S. international aid agency.” Don’t worry. Dahlan would reinstall Israeli …
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Sex tourism in Lebanon
“It’s a place where Arab tourists can watch beautiful women from Belarus, Ukraine, and Romania performing naked on stage. A night out with one of the dancers can cost $1,000. One pimp in Maameltein, who asked to be identified as Carlos, told said…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Priorities
“When it comes to health, drinking the recommended daily amount of water is more important to women than having enough sex, according to a national survey conducted by our magazine. When asked to prioritize behaviors related to their overall health …
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
UAE’s censors
“First it was Dubai, now it’s Abu Dhabi. British academic Christopher Davidson’s latest book on the flagship member of the United Arab Emirates, “Abu Dhabi: Oil And Beyond,” seems to have met the same fate as his previous book, “Dubai: The Vulnerab…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Sign language
“Khamaisi’s own research for the case indicated that for decades, police officers who had questioned hundreds of thousands of Palestinian suspects and witnesses in spoken Arabic (after their initial questioning by the Shin Bet security services) wer…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
The three Americans missing in Iran: a new twist
I have written before about the three Americans who were missing on the Iran-Iraq border and are now held in Iran. I have mocked claims by the US government and media that they were mere hikers. Of course, I was mocking the media and government and n…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
A smart US military official
Finally some one got it. ““To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate,†Admiral Mullen wrote in the critique”.
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
The occupiers are sensitive
This is the headline: “Afghan civilian deaths decline under new U.S. tactics”. This is the text: “However, the data cover a relatively short period of eight weeks, and make it clear that civilians are still dying in large numbers…” (thanks Dina)
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Reading List of Thomas Friedman
“Among Friedman’s 17 most-favoured publications and blogs, there isn’t a single Arab source, not even one published in English. Google’s compilation, which includes reading lists from other prominent US media figures, is throughly depressing. …
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
New York Times’ language of terrorism
“… because Israel has been a favored target of terror.” It would be more accurate and truthful to say that Israel has been the originator and pioneer of terrorism in the Middle East.
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Mourning
They are mourning the death of a Palestinian fisherperson whose head was severed by an Israeli bomb. (Reuters)
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
She was turned away
This Palestinian girls waited for a meal at the doorsteps of a charitable organization in Hebron, but was turned away. She cried. (Reuters)
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Prince Muhammad Bin Nayif Survives an assassination attempt
Something fishy about the announced assassination attempt on Prince Muhammad Bin Nayif’s life. First, he is now running the Ministry of Interior on behalf of his father. He was brought in because the Americans could not deal with Prince Nayif especia…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Syrian workers in Lebanon
On the plight of Syrian workers in Lebanon.
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Lebanon versus Israel
I must say that Lebanese ambassador at the UN, Nawwaf Salam, gave a good speech at the UN against the Israeli ambassador. He gave a good summary of Israeli crimes in Lebanon. I say this although Nawwaf is part of the Hariri team in Lebanon.
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
How innocent
“Israel Defense Forces troops spotted the man touching the border fence on Tuesday morning, but he was no longer visible when an IDF patrol arrived at the location where he was seen.” Oh, I am sure that this was innocent. It seems that he was sent to…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad
Prince Nayif’s University
“Also, it strives to consolidate relations between University and other Arab security organizations. In addition, it strives to facilitate the tasks of the University community and University guests. Further, it maintains direct link with the Universit…
Posted on August 28, 2009 by As'ad