Archive for March 27, 2012
Yemeni president meets with the Yemeni president
Yemeni president (left) meets with Yemeni president (also left). The man to the right is unidentified.
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Aljazeera leaks
These are internal memos from Aljazeera’s news director, Ibrahim Hilal. Read from below so that you can see how his tone has changed over time: he started by trying to bring in some professionalism to coverage but later clearly followed the trend…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Syrian death estimates
Today, AFP carried a story that the UN issued a new death estimate for Syria. But the UN only a month ago said that it will no more make any estimate of casualties because the process is not reliable. It also added that Syrian (Qatari-funde…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Dubai police chief is now an official buffoon
“ Muslim Brotherhood tweeters who insulted Emiratis defending their nation on the social network should be prosecuted, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Dubai Police, said. Lt Gen Dahi yesterday called on the federal attorney general to ta…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Look at this dumb headline from the Times
“Chávez in Cuba for Treatment, but Hasn’t Sought Visit With Pope”. And why should he seeks visit with the Pope, why? And they write that headline (and story) as if it is so damaging to Chavez. When the Times goes after enemies of U…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Putin and the cement factory
This is a very funny news clip about Putin and the about-to-close cement factory. (thanks Raed)
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Voices of hate versus voices of reason
You never hear it when Arabs condemn bigotry and hate. Just the other day, the former communist party of Tunisia, known as Tajdid, issued a statement condemning the anti-Jewish threats made by the kooky Salafites of Tunisia.
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Bahrain not an issue
Arab summit won’t mention Bahrain.
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
More of the secular opposition in Syria: not cited in the press
“For instance, only last week an al-Qa’ida-inspired group called the Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant claimed responsibility for two recent suicide bombings in Damascus that killed more than two dozen people. “We tell the [Syrian] regime to stop th…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
French colonial jingoism
“This is how France has become the leader of the ugly wave of anti-immigrant European racism. No, it’s not only Le Pen. It’s also President Nicolas Sarkozy. The man who served as interior minister, and in 2005 dubbed African antipoverty demonstrators a…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
While Rome burned?
“”One could similarly ask what Mrs Netanyahu was doing while her husband’s army attacked defenseless Palestinians in Gaza, or whether the Obamas were serving lavish dinners while US troops strafed civilian homes in Afghanistan. What kind of music were …
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
But why Islamic studies, damn it?
“After looking over Pascal’s U.S. passport and customs declaration, Officer Tulip asked two simple questions: Where do you live, and why? Pascal answered that he lived in Canada. He lived in Canada because that’s where he was pursuing a PhD i…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
The dumbest analysts of the Middle East
There is a group of people who are dumber in their analysis of the Middle East than the Israeli experts of the Arab world: they are the analysts of Stratfor. I mean, I have been too embarrassed to cite their documents. They are so devoid of…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Syrian National Council meeting in Istanbul
Kurdish representatives just left. Why not give a new name to the council: “the Sunni Sectarian Ikhwan Council that hides behind Western Syrians-in-exile who wear Western clothes”?
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad
Covering Syria: no difference between one day and another
I have noted to you that coverage of Syria in the Western and Arab (read Saudi and Qatari-funded) press is so propagandistic that the premise of the coverage is that every day is like the day before, or even protests are more more massive. They don’t a…
Posted on March 27, 2012 by As'ad