Archive for February 7, 2012
Bashshar Ghalyun
Burhan Ghalyun has refused to step down as president of the Syrian National Council and said that he insists that his son, Bashshar Ghalyun, succeeds him as president.
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Sectarianism
This is from Ilyas Khuri’s last article in Al-Quds Al-`Arabi: “”خطاب وممارسة تخاطب ضمير العلويين والمسيحيين والدروز، وترسم افقا لوطن لا مكان فيه للطائفية”.(Discourse and pra…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
If the political labels were reversed, the UNSC would have met over this case
You won’t read about this case in any of the US newspapers. If an opponent of the Syrian regime was shot by supporters of the regime, this murder would have been made famous around the world. Make no mistake about it. ”Ali Ibrahim was…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Israel’s existence
“On Sunday he told his cabinet that for Israel, living in the Middle East required self-sufficiency and toughness. “In such a region,” he said, “the only thing that ensures our existence, security and prosperity is our strength.”” Let me …
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
To Bashshar Al-Asad
I was expecting the Syrian people (known for their biting humor and sarcasm) to really excel in political satire during the uprising but I think that the Egyptian people have been unbeatable. But this is one is pretty good:It says: (To Bash…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Iraqi universities
“Until the 1990s, Iraq had perhaps the best university system in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein’s regime used oil revenues to underwrite free tuition for Iraqi university students — churning out doctors, scientists, and engineers who joined the count…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Sympathy for the Syrian people
I would regard the sympathy expressed by Western academics over the plight of the Syrian people to be sincere if any of those academics ever dared to express sympathy over the plight of the Palestinian people; if any of them ever dared to write a…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Supreme Revolutionary Military Council
There is a new Syrian military opposition outfit. For some reason, it has not been reported in the Times. It is called Supreme Revolutionary Military Council. Early indications are that this and the Free Syrian Army may be battling it…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
security for the "Palestinian territories"
“Until now, the State Department has declined to restrict aid, including military assistance to Palestinian security forces that totaled $450 million last fiscal year. The department has argued that the prospect of a Palestinian unity government that i…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
How Bush AND Elliott Abrams promoted democracy in the Middle East
“Elliott Abrams, who was a State Department official in the Reagan administration when the Democratic and Republican groups were created, said it was expected that pro-democracy work might provoke complaints from the likes of Vladimir V. Putin of Russi…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
US just wants democracy in Egypt–is that not nice?
“But Paul J. Sullivan, a Middle East expert at Georgetown University who has long studied the Egyptian military, cautioned against interpreting the criminal charges as a result merely of high-level machinations. He said Egyptians of all affiliations ar…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
A brown American in Saudi Arabia
A Pakistani-American colleague wrote me this (I have his permission to cite): ”I just wanted to share my experience in Saudi with you. I had a long layover stay in Jeddah on my way back to Lahore, about 14 hours. The official Saudi policy, and as…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
blatant racism of the Zionist usurping entity
“Army Radio reported on Monday that a street naming committee in the Jerusalem Municipality voted against renaming Eshkol Street to Rachmo after some residents complained the change could lead authorities to think they are Arabs. “If you name o…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
We the invaders: loss of appeal for US constitution around the world
“In 1987, on the Constitution’s bicentennial, Time magazine calculated that “of the 170 countries that exist today, more than 160 have written charters modeled directly or indirectly on the U.S. version.” A quarter-century later, …
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Who is your threat?
“A poll of Arab public opinion (pdf) by the University of Maryland and Zogby International, which included Egypt, asked respondents to “name two countries that are the biggest threat to you”: 88% named the United States, and 77% named Israel; only 9% c…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
GCC is now officially running the Arab (NATO) League
“Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Ahmad Bin Hilli said in a statement that the League received a note from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states requesting postponement of the two meetings for 24 hours. Bin Hilli said that the request came…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
guests on Syrian regime TV
Do you get the feeling that Syrian regime TV stations are running out of guests, and that available guests are running out of steam?
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Bahrain on Syria
I am glad that the oppressive government of Bahrain is expressing opposition to the oppressive government of Syria. People should remember that the Syrian regime had supported the repression in Bahrain and even supported the Saudi military intervention…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Planes over Syria
“Activists said that Syrian security forces used tanks and heavy machine guns in a push to recover the rebel-held districts.” Yesterday, the BBC interviewed a “protester” who insisted that Syrian regime forces are bombing Homs from the air.  …
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad
Hizbullah TV
I read the news yesterday on the website of Hizbullah’s TV, Al-Manar. They basically insist that almost all is well in Syria with the exception of “terrorst” groups roaming the country. The only news item yesterday was a citation of a (lyin…
Posted on February 7, 2012 by As'ad