Archive for March 2, 2011
My upcoming talk in Anaheim
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Yes, the victims were civilians but they were not children, damn it
“The alliance confirmed that nine civilians had been killed, but did not address the assertion by the Afghan government that the dead were children. A NATO statement said a communications error led to helicopter and artillery attacks on the wrong target.”
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
A model tyrant
“King Abdullah and Queen Rania are the West’s idea of what Arab leaders should look like: They’re young, smart and attractive, and they speak perfect English. They campaign for women’s rights and broadband Internet connectivity…”
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
That is funny
It is official. The Arab League has just announced that the Arab summit (originally scheduled for March) has now been postponed to May. No Arab leader dares leave his country.
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Is this an article on Oman or a piece from Oman’s tourism bureau?
“With only three million people stretched over a large territory of mountainous desert, Oman has been able to harness its modest oil reserves to build schools and hospitals. The average life expectancy of an Omani, which was 49 when the sultan came to …
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Notice that NYT did not say a word about Israeli expenditure on lobbying in the US
“The United Arab Emirates spent $5.3 million in 2009 for lobbying American officials — second only to the Cayman Islands, which has lobbied to retain its status as a tax haven, according to an analysis by Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit research gro…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Tunisia
Egypt is not Tunisia. And Libya is not Egypt. And Yemen is neither Tunisia or Egypt. And Oman is not Tunisia. And Bahrain is not Egypt either. Syria is not Egypt either. And Saudi Arabia is the closest to Al-Farabi’s…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Husni Mubarak and Sharon
“Mubarak’s iron-fist rule and the outbreak of the dirty war between the regime and Islamist militants in the 1990s meant the death of street dissent. Public gatherings and street protests were banned and if they did take place, confronted by force. Liv…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Pro-Qadhdhafi chant
Now they are showing a different pro-Qadhdhafi demonstration. In this one, I counted more than 30: so it is huge by standards of Libyan regime TV coverage these days. They are chanting:الشعب يريد معمّر العظيم(People want…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
So if only “genuine free-market competition” came to Egypt all would be well
“But, as a recent study by the political scientist Oliver Schlumberger shows, reform did not, for the most part, aim at introducing genuine free-market competition, the most important feature of a healthy capitalist system. Instead, it strengthened…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Libyan demonstration in support of Qadhdhafi
Libyan regime TV is showing a pro-Qadhdhafi female demonstration. I kid you not. I counted them: less than 20. I kid you not.
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
that clown Chavez
Libyan state TV is delivering the news of a call of support from Chavez to the “brother leader”.
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
a Zionist trying to not freak out
“First, these rebellions fit into the context of a regional chessboard, what I call the Middle East cold war. On one side stands the “resistance” bloc led by Iran and including Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Qatar; it seeks to shake up the existi…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
shoes in Arab culture
Libyan regime TV is showing a live interview by Western journalists (they say ABC News) and Qadhdhafi. He is talking while his shoe is placed on the table facing the journalists. (As is known, shoes are offensive in Arab culture).
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Meet an American liberal
To readers outside the US, this guy (who in the past had written that jewelers in Georgetown neighborhood in DC have the right to refuse service to young African-Americans) is considered a liberal–I kid you not. Here his reaction (and …
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Meet Zionism
“Maj. Gen. (res. ) Yaakov Amidror, a leading candidate for the national security advisor post, told a conference last year that soldiers should kill anyone who gets in the way of completing their mission – and that soldiers who refuse to attack shou…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
US endorses Bahraini tyranny
“The U.S. is stepping up its support for Bahrain’s beleaguered ruling family, throwing a lifeline to a key ally and signaling Washington’s willingness to vary its approach depending on its strategic interests and the willingness of autocratic leader…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Sayf Al-Islam the plagiarizer: now LSE notices
“Analysis of Saif Gaddafi’s thesis, which investigated arguments around “soft power,” different voting systems and civil society, suggests 16 instances where he had plagiarised academic texts. Entire passages were lifted from International Monetary …
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Take your micro-credit hero and go
“Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been forced from his position as head of the microfinance lender he founded, Grameen Bank, a central bank official said Wednesday. Yunus’ firing caps a string of problems the outspoken activist has been facin…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad
Comic relief: Thomas Friedman as an analys–kid you not
So he is “analyzing” the sparks that triggered the Arab uprisings. Here is one: ”I’m convinced that listening to Obama’s 2009 Cairo speech — not the words, but the man — were more than a few young Arabs who were saying to themselves…
Posted on March 2, 2011 by As'ad