Archive for February 5, 2012

Please help find a missing person in Iran

I received this email and was asked to post:  ”Dear Professor AbuKhalil, I am a student at UC Berkeley and have met you and hear you talk on several occasions including the Arab Spring Teach In and yourpresentation at the Arab Youth Symp…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Theater at the United Nations

My latest blog post at Al-Akhbar English: Theater at the United Nations Security Council.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

From Jadaliyya: history of US vetoes

A history of US vetoes at the UNSC. (thanks Laleh)

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Smiling Nasser

It just occurred to me yesterday.  In many of his official pictures as president of Egypt, Nasser would be smiling widely.  Contemporary Arab leaders would never do that: they want to project firmness and seriousness.  

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Condoleezza Rice

Reading her “No Higher Honor” only confirms my impression of her.  Nothing original about her and she has a most uninteresting personality.  You can read hundreds of pages and not find one insight at all about anything.  Just plane tedio…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Syrian regime TV

It is quite a spectacle.  Let us face it: coverage of Syria on Arab TVs (with the exception of New TV in Lebanon which upsets both sides) is pure trashy propaganda.  But Syrian regime TV was celebrating yesterday: it offered the Chinese and R…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Not in the US press–not in the lousy US press

A former Jordanian member of parliament has been arrested because he merely called for a republican form of government.  Such news that is damaging to the client King of Jordan does not make it in the Western press.  (thanks Shihadeh)PS My ch…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Hamah massacre of 1982

Several readers pointed out the irony: that the commander of Hamah massacre of 1982, Rif`at Al-Asad, is now received with open arms in UK, France, and Saudi Arabia.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Saudi king shows solidarity to the Syrian people

He canceled a musical in support for the Syrian people, and then added that all proceeds at brothels patronized by Saudi Princes would go to support Saudi policies in Syria.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Dirty games between Syrian regime and US

“”Abu Musab al-Suri had been held in Syria for six years after being captured by the CIA in 2005 and transported to the country of his birth under its controversial extraordinary rendition programme….But he is now said to have been released as a warn…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Double boycott of KFC is in order

“Palestinians said Israeli franchise owners had demanded that Palestinians who wanted to open branch restaurants in the West Bank should get them through the Israeli company and not get their own franchise.”  

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Amb Haroon

A colleague in Pakistan sent me this about the Pakistani ambassador at the UN:  ”Pakistan’s UN ambassador in NY is Haroon, from the wealthy Haroon family of Karachi that owns DAWN newspaper. Yes, the family has longstanding links with the British …

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

dirty crimes of the Egyptian Military Council

“Twin brothers who play for the football team Al-Masry, whose match against a rival team in Egypt ended in a massacre, claim the violence was encouraged by the police with the backing of the army.Captain Karim Zekri and his brother, Mohamed, told the w…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

A movement that has the support of Joe Lieberman does not get my support–even if it calls for the liberation of Palestine–and this one does not

“The United States should look at providing weapons and other aid to Syrian rebels if Russia and China refuse to reconsider their vetoes of a UN resolution against Damascus, a top US senator said Sunday. Senator Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic presi…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

saboteurs?

“Saboteurs on Sunday blew up a pipeline in Egypt that supplied gas to Israel, the 12th such attack in a year, security officials said.”  Do those saboteurs have a political agenda or they just enjoy sabotage?  Also, for the 12th times, I…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Outrageous

The US found the use of veto powers by China and Russia to be “outrageous.”  The US government explained that the veto power was designed only to protect Israeli war crimes.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

International Crisis Group

““It’s quite clear — this is a license to do more of the same and worse,” said Peter Harling, an expert on Syria at the International Crisis Group. “The regime will take it for granted that it can escalate further.”  If a staffer at the …

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad

Burgan Ghalyun wants an alliance of countries that are friend to the Syrian people

After the Russian and Chinese veto at the UN Security Council, Burhan Ghalyun called for an alliance of countries that are “friendly to the Syrian people”.  Which countries would this alliance comprise, o Mr. Ghalyun?  US and UK and Israel an…

Posted on February 5, 2012 by As'ad