Al-Jazeera Video: UN rights chief urges Syria war crimes probe

"The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has told Al Jazeera the situation in Syria has deteriorated. 

Attacks in Aleppo on Friday killed at least a dozen people and activists say a refugee camp was attacked in Deraa. 

Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from New York."

Mali:France’s war for uranium! By Carlos Latuff

Palestinian citizens wearily eye Israeli elections

Jonathan Cook

The Electronic Intifada

Nazareth

18 January 2013

".....

Dilemma

Polls suggest that on 22 January, Israel’s Jewish majority will elect the most right-wing Knesset in Israel’s history, returning prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power in a coalition packed with ultra-nationalists. For Israel’s Palestinian citizens, comprising nearly a fifth of the total population, the dilemma has been how to respond to this all-but-inevitable outcome......"

Criticising the President no Laughing Matter

By Cam McGrath

".....The shifting political landscape and new climate of freedom set the stage for Bassem Youssef, a cardiologist turned comedian who became a household name in early 2011 after posting clips on YouTube lampooning state television’s fumbling take on the revolution.
He now hosts a slicker weekly show, Al Bernameg (The Programme), which is aired on a private satellite channel and is consciously modelled on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in the U.S. In it he mocks biased local news coverage and irreverently satirises public figures, taking shots at politicians, Islamists, members of the old regime, and even his own network heads.
But Youssef’s acerbic wit touched a nerve when during a recent episode he spoke sarcastically to a red pillow stamped with the image of Mohamed Morsi, ridiculing the Egyptian president’s purported authoritarian tendencies. The comedy show presenter is now under criminal investigation on charges of “insulting the president” and “undermining his standing.”
While rights lawyers think it is unlikely that Youssef will serve time for his jokes, the case has underlined the limits on free speech that insulate Egypt’s new Islamist president from criticism. In the six months since Morsi took office the country has seen unprecedented use of a Mubarak-era law that mandates custodial sentences for those whose comments are deemed “to affront the president of the republic.”
Heba Morayef, Egypt director of Human Rights Watch, describes the “rise in criminal defamation cases, whether it is on charges of defaming the president or the judiciary” as the “greatest threat to freedom of expression” now facing Egypt. She says the cases are likely to increase “because criminal defamation is now embedded” in the constitution that was passed last month in a highly divisive referendum.....

“We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of defamation cases in the six months under Morsi when compared to 30 years under Mubarak,” Eid told IPS.....

ANHRI’s Eid says that rather than reforming Mubarak’s repressive media laws, the Morsi Administration is using them to intimidate and silence its political opponents. Article 179 of the Penal Code criminalises insulting the president without defining what constitutes an insult, permitting broad room for interpretation.
“It is the right of any citizen to criticise the president,” says Eid. “The president is a public servant whose conduct and performance directly affect the lives of millions of Egyptians.”
He adds that granting the president immunity from critical opinions – whether expressed through commentary, caricature or satire – leaves the door wide open for dictatorship."

Algeria: the slaughter of the good and bad at the In Amenas gas plant was utterly predictable

The real rulers in this country are a military who were "blooded" in a civil war that taught them to care as little for the innocent as they do for the guilty

By Robert Fisk

"........It is a largely secret story which even today has never been fully revealed. Desperate to stem their losses, the Soviet government asked their socialist Algerian allies for intelligence help; and the Algerian intelligence services dispatched their own men to Afghanistan to pose as “mujahedin” alongside real Algerian Islamists fighting for Osama bin Laden.

Information from these Algerian military spies allowed Soviet forces to fight back.

But when the Russians left and the Algerians came home, the army ordered their own men to remain undercover with the Islamist groups. So when the terrible civil war began, individual officers to keep their cover participated in the massacre of civilians. And thus became contaminated by atrocities. This is not a tale which the Algerian government admits to. Nor will the West examine this grim history....."

Egypt: Don’t Force Palestinians Back to Syria

Two Syrian Refugees Unlawfully Returned to Syria Last Week

January 18, 2013

"Two Palestinians being held at the Cairo airport, apparently refused entry to Egypt, are at risk of deportation to Syria, Human Rights Watch said today. The man and his son would face indiscriminate violence and possible persecution if returned to Syria. The Egyptian authorities should not return anyone to Syria at this time.

It appears that some asylum seekers arriving from Syria in Egypt are at risk of refoulement, forced return to Syria, Human Rights Watch said.  Egyptian airport officials deported two Syrian men back to Syria on January 13, 2013, in violation of Egypt’s non-refoulement obligations. In mid-December, immigration officials halted an attempted deportation of 13 Syrians at the last minute.

“Egypt may have a right to detain people temporarily or investigate them on grounds of false documentation but it may not under any circumstance return them to Syria,” said Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director at Human Rights Watch. “Egypt is obligated under international law not to return anyone, regardless of status, to a place where they would be persecuted.”......"

Real News Video (with Transcript): Arab Spring in 2013

Phyllis Bennis: The revolutions of the Middle East are far from over in spite of reversals and manipulations 

Coming soon! Mubarak trial, Part 2: Farce CONTINUES! By Carlos Latuff

Burn, burn - Africa's Afghanistan

By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

"For French neocolonial interests, for United States' plans to dominate Africa militarily and for jihadis formerly known as NATO rebels, the fighting in Mali feels like an excuse to party with Mirage jets and Kalashnikovs. Washington and Paris seem unaware that the fatal hostage crisis at Algeria's Amenas gas field is just an hors d'oeuvres for blowback likely to convulse the area across Niger and the whole Sahara-Sahel......"

Al-Jazeera Cartoon

Real News Video: Prosperity Under Occupation?

Inside Palestine's besieged Areas "A" - how the Ramallah bubble was created and how it might burst 

COMMENT

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS VIDEO TO REALIZE HOW THE PALESTINIANS ARE SUBSIDIZING THEIR OCCUPIERS AND COLONIZERS! EVEN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN THE WEST BANK ARE FROM ISRAEL. SOME OF THE PRODUCE IS GROWN ON THE ISRAELI COLONIES WITHIN THE WEST BANK ITSELF.

WATCHING THIS MAKES ME MORE AND MORE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PALESTINIANS. WITH THIS ATTITUDE THEY ARE DOOMED AND PALESTINE WILL BE NOTHING BUT A MEMORY AND SOMETHING TO WRITE POETRY ABOUT.

ENJOY YOUR ISRAELI APPLES AND ORANGES IN RAMALLAH!

Ali Ferzat: Leader's speech

المفكر العربى عزمى بشارة للديمقراطية: الربيع العربى صرخة وجودية من أجل الحرية والكرامة

AN EXCELLENT, LONG INTERVIEW

16 يناير 2013

"تنطلق الثورات بعد أن تتوفر شروطها، وليس بالظلم فقط تنهض الاحتجاجات، لكن بالوعى بالظلم والقهر. ولم يكن البوعزيزى إلا اللحظة التى انكسر فيها تراكم الخوف العربى ، فانزاح الحاجز، وصرنا قبالة ثورة جماهير تأبى التدجين أو القولبة، جماهير سكنت إلى الشوارع وسكنت الشوارع إليها، وعلى أفق الطموح تبقى التساؤلات مشروعة ، هل ماعايشناه ثورة ؟ أم حالة ثورية ؟ إلى أى عمق وصل التغيير ، وإلى أى مدى وصل الحلم ؟ ما الذى تغير ؟ وما الذى بقى ؟ سقط نظام الحكم فماذا عن نظام القيم والعقل ؟ عامان على الربيع العربى والأزهار لا تزال تقاتل من أجل التفتح،  والأنسام مازالت تتجادل مع روائح الغاز والبارود ،عامان من السؤال السياسى الحاضر بغزارة، وانحسار لتساؤلات التحديث والتجديد.

ضيف الحوار المفكر العربى البارز الدكتور عزمى بشارة - مدير المركز العربى للأبحاث ودراسة السياسات، لا يقدم فقط إضاءة للتفاعلات الثورية العربية، بل ويطرح تنظيرا مركبا لماهية الثورات العربية ومراميها الaتحررية فى ضوء مشروعه التنظيرى المشدود، وفى القلب منه قضايا المجتمع المدنى، والديمقراطية والدولة الوطنية الحديثة، والمواطنة، وحقوق الأقليات، والتنويعات الثقافية، ومنذ اللحظة الأولى لانطلاق الثورات العربية شرع فى  طرح أسئلة جديدة حول القابلية للثورة، ومفهوم الاحتجاج، والخروج فى الثقافة الإسلامية، وأنزل ضوضاء الميادين فى متون الدرس المعرفى من خلال خلاصات بحثية علمية تقبل بالاختلاف والاتفاق، ولكنها تحظى باحترام الجودة والمبادرة. وهنا يقدم تأملاته عن الثورات العربية ، تأملات معرفية وتأسيسية لحالة لا تزال سائبة من ربيع قلق.......

....."

Real News Video (with Transcript): Syria a Humanitarian Disaster - People Demand a Political Settlement Without Assad

Omar Dahi: External powers are manipulating the struggle, Jihadist forces are increasingly prominent, but most Syrians believe a settlement is not possible with Assad in power
 

Real News Video (with Transcript): Israel Uses Control of Birth Registry and ID Cards to Control Gaza Population

Without an Israeli approved ID card, Palestinians cannot cross into Gaza which according to Human Rights Watch has separated families, caused people to lose jobs and educational opportunities, barred people from entering the Palestinian territories, and trapped others inside them. 

Syria: Seeking Justice

No Escape from Accountability

Human Rights Watch

".......Dignity can only be guaranteed when justice and human rights prevail, shielding people from abuses by armed groups, be they pro or anti-government and ensuring that those who commit such crimes are held accountable.  Syrians deserve justice after nearly two years of bloodshed.  They long for fairness after years of impunity.  Any planning for the future of Syria should contain the appropriate tools for the country to reconcile on the basis of justice.

Peace envoys sometimes claim they cannot negotiate peace and seek accountability for human rights violations at the same time.  They can and they should because peace without justice is a mirage that in the case of Syria could be washed away quickly in a bloodbath of revenge killings. Justice and accountability are the foundations for durable peace and a genuine settlement in Syria. That old man standing in the graveyard should know that those who commit war crimes will not get away with it."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

Do you support an Arab intervention in the military campaign in Mali?

With about 400 responding so far, 85% said no.

Video: Satire of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt by Bassem Yousef

Very Funny!

Al-Jazeera Video: لقاء خاص- المنصف المرزوقي.. تقييم الثورة التونسية

Al-Jazeera Video: ما وراء الخبر- اتهامات هيومن رايتس للنظام السوري

"تناقش الحلقة تقرير هيومن رايتس ووتش الذي تتهم فيه النظام السوري باستخدام ذخائر عنقودية لقمع الاحتجاجات ضده، ومطالبة سويسرا مجلس الأمن إحالة الملف السوري للمحكمة الدولية.
تقديم: خديجة بن قنة
تاريخ البث: 14/1/2013
الضيوف: مارك إيليس، سمير نشار، فيصل عبد الساتر

"

Real News Video: Aaron Swartz - a Fighter Against the Privatization of Knowledge

Two colleagues and friends of Aaron Swartz talk about his activism and vision of technology in the service of a more democratic and just society

 

Ibrahimi Betrays Bashar, by Khalil Bendib

Prisoners' Intifada shames Palestine's leaders

By Ramzy Baroud
Asia Times

"Commitment to the Palestine cause seen in prisoners' hunger strikes makes a mockery of the "unity" efforts of a leadership beset by factionalism and seemingly subservient to demands of the international community. As the interests of the Palestinian elite increasingly overlap with those of Israeli authorities, the distance between them and the people is growing too far to bridge......

While calls for a change of tactics are warranted, if not urgent, there is another pressing change that must also be realized. There ought to be a change of Palestinian political culture, away from the repellent factional manipulation and towards a return to the basic values of the Palestinian struggle. It is the likes of Issawi, not Abbas that must define the new era of Palestinian resistance.

An Intifada has already been launched by thousands of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom are shackled to their hospital beds. It offers little in the way of perks aside from a chance at dignity and a leap of faith towards freedom. This is the dichotomy with which Palestinians must now wrangle. The path they will finally seek shall define this generation and demarcate the nature of the Palestinian struggle for generations to follow.  "

Dozens of UN members urge immediate ICC referral of ‘desperate’ situation in Syria

Amnesty International

"Dozens of UN members urge immediate ICC referral of ‘desperate’ situation in Syria

The UN Security Council must immediately refer the situation in Syria to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in line with a request made this morning by dozens of UN member states, Amnesty International said.

In a joint letter to the Council, Switzerland and 56 other states from all continents noted the Syrian authorities’ failure to investigate and prosecute crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since March 2011.

Since then, according to the letter, “the situation on the ground has only become more desperate, with attacks on the civilian population and the commission of atrocities having become almost the norm”.

“For almost two years, the Security Council has stood by as crimes against humanity, as well as war crimes after the internal armed conflict began, have been committed with complete impunity against the Syrian people,” said José Luis Díaz, Amnesty International’s UN Representative in New York.

“This must not be allowed to continue. A referral to the ICC must be made immediately to ensure that persons from all sides are investigated and – where there is sufficient admissible evidence – prosecuted for the most serious crimes under international law.”........"

Challenging Israel’s occupation, Palestinians create ‘Gate of the Sun’ village

By Amnesty International Campaigner Saleh Hijazi

"In the small hours of Sunday, more than 500 Israeli police surrounded around 130 Palestinian activists at a protest camp on the hills opposite the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.
The camp, which the activists called the village of Bab al-Shams (Gate of the Sun), was set up on privately-owned Palestinian land two days before to protest against the Israeli occupation and continued expansion of illegal settlements, which goes hand in hand with forced evictions in the West Bank.
Heavily armed police moved into the village to remove the peaceful activists on orders from the Israeli government, despite a High Court ruling on Friday not to remove the camp.
Eventually the video stream I was watching was cut off, but it was still possible to follow Twitter, where activists reported on the arrests and eviction moment by moment.....


The eviction of Bab al-Shams is a stark reminder that although Palestinians, and not Israeli settlers, have the right under international law to build and plan villages in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, every day the Israeli government continues to deny them those rights.
The international community should take this as a warning that if action against the expansion of illegal Israel settlements – especially the E1 plan – is not taken immediately,  whole Palestinian communities will be forcibly evicted from their homes. Amnesty International will continue supporting these communities, and Palestinians’ right to peaceful protest."

Pilgrim's tale: identity of Iranians kidnapped in Syria begins to emerge

Revolutionary Guards likely to be among the 48 Iranians released by rebels, though Tehran says otherwise

The Guardian

"......It is not unusual of Iranian pilgrims to ignore warnings about travelling to conflict zones. In the turbulent years following the US invasion of Iraq, many Iranians travelled to the country's Shia sites although some were killed in bombings. But Iranian websites are exposing the identity of the former captives of the Syrian rebels, making clear that, in fact, a number of them are currently working for the Revolutionary Guards. It's not clear how many were actual pilgrims.

Digarban, a website that monitors the country's conservatives and their online activities, reported that at least seven guards commanders were among the released prisoners. "Abedin Khoram, the [current] commander of the Revolutionary Guards' division in Orumieh … is among those released who have returned to Iran," it reported.

The website names a number of other people linked to the elite force who are either current of former members. Some of the identities are apparently exposed inadvertently when faces are revealed in welcoming ceremonies held in their hometown or in reports on local news websites.

Iranian officials have so far refused to publish the full list of those who were held in Syria.

In the nearly two years conflict in Syria, Iran has stood firm by Bashar al-Assad and is accused by the west of militarily supporting his regime. Iran initially denied the accusations but in May, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander admitted that Iranian forces were operating in Syria in support of the Assad regime......"

Revolution as a carnival

The disenfranchised in Tunisia can do nothing but watch as their revolution slips into a state of carnival.

By Larbi Sadiki

Al-Jazeera

".......Two years on...
Such carnivalesque ethos has largely dissipated in Tunisia. However, despite trepidation, faith in the revolution has not faded. It is trust in politicians that has faded. All politicians.

Tunisia right now is trying to find the right balance in order to tame the "revolution" or "rationalise" it. Yet, the publics, mostly the country's youth, who engineered the revolution have retreated to their locales, staging mini revolutions in protest at similar marginalisation, injustice and lack of government response that was previously experienced under Ben Ali. The difference is that today they can speak freely and protest without too much of a hindrance in most areas - barring Bourguiba Boulevard.

Youth in towns such as Gafsa, Benguerdane, Metlaoui, Kasserine, Tala or Sidi Bouzid can see no horizon, and unemployment is not decreasing two years into the revolution.
Why? There are eight main reasons......."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syria rebels say seized weapons a 'game-changer'

"Syrian government fighter jets have carried out several strikes on Taftanaz military airbase in northwestern Idlib province. 

Rebel fighters seized the base on Friday and have been forced to withdraw, but they managed to take many weapons with them.

Abou Hamed, a commander of the Jabhat-al-Nusra group, says the weapons the fighters seized will be a game-changer for the rebels.

Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports from Idlib."

Eviction of Bab Al Shams exposes Israel as a lawless state

Max Blumenthal

The Electronic Intifada

Ramallah

14 January 2013

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly troubled by the establishment of Bab Al Shams, a Palestinian protest village erected on privately-owned Palestinian land, the planned route of what Israel calls the “E-1” corridor in the occupied West Bank.

The E-1 area was to be capstone of Israel’s settler-colonial enterprise, a long segment of housing units expanding east from the Jews-only mega-settlement of Maale Adumim, permanently severing East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and virtually slicing the West Bank in half. And now, 400 Palestinians and their supporters stood directly in the way of the plan.....

Forced evacuation
Two hours later some 500 border police troops in full riot gear marched into Bab Al Shams and carried its inhabitants away by force. According to reports from some of the 150 or activists inside, the police attacked journalists, pushing them to the periphery of the encampment so they could not record the brutality. Photos of those injured during the raid suggest that the police severely assaulted those who refused to leave quietly. Six Palestinians, including the artist and activist Hafez Omar (a photograph of injured Omar is circulating on Facebook), were so badly wounded they required treatment at the Ramallah Hospital.
Under pressure from right-wing upstarts amidst a heated election contest, Netanyahu ordered the eviction of Bab Al Shams in flagrant contempt of the country’s high court. And not one of the judges issued a word of protest. In a state guided not by the democratic rule of law, but by the colonial imperatives of the occupation, Netanyahu’s roguery was business as usual."

At a temporary tent city, facts on the ground become clear

By Jonathan Cook
The National

"When the Palestinian leadership won their upgrade to non-member observer status at the United Nations in November, plenty of sceptics on both sides of the divide questioned what practical benefits would accrue to the Palestinians. The doubters have not been silenced yet.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has done little to capitalise on his diplomatic success. There have been vague threats to "isolate" Israel, hesitant talk of "not ruling out" a referral to the International Criminal Court, and a low-key declaration by the Palestinian Authority of the new "state of Palestine".

At a time when Palestinians hoped for a watershed moment in their struggle for national liberation, the Fatah and Hamas leaderships look as mutually self-absorbed as ever. Last week they were again directing their energies into a new round of reconciliation talks, this time in Cairo, rather than keeping the spotlight on Israeli intransigence.....

However futile the activists' efforts prove to be on this occasion, the encampment indicates that ordinary Palestinians are better placed to find inventive ways to embarrass Israel than the hidebound Palestinian leadership.
Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi extolled the activists for their "highly creative and legitimate nonviolent tool" to protect Palestinian land. But the failure of PA officials, including Saeb Erekat, to make it to the site before it was cordoned off by Israel only heightened the impression of a leadership too slow and unimaginative to respond to events.
By establishing Bab Al Shams the activists visibly demonstrated the apartheid nature of Israel's rule in the occupied territories. Although a temporary and dismantled tent camp is unlikely by itself to change the dynamics of the conflict, it does show Palestinians that there are ways they themselves can take the struggle to Israel. That, of course, is also Mr Netanyahu's great fear.
The scenario his officials are reported to be most concerned about is that this kind of popular mode of struggle becomes infectious. If Palestinians see popular nonviolent resistance, unlike endless diplomacy, as helping to awaken the world to their plight, there may be more Bab Al Shamses - and other surprises for Israel - around the corner.
It was precisely such thinking that led Israel's attorney-general, Yehuda Weinstein, to justify Mr Netanyahu's violation of the injunction on the grounds that the camp would "bring protests and riots with national and international implications".
What Bab Al Shams shows is that ordinary Palestinians can take the fight for the "state of Palestine" to Israel - and even turn Israel's own methods against it."

Syrian women and girls allege use of sexual violence in civil war

Women interviewed for International Rescue Committee report tell of attacks involving kidnap, rape, torture and murder

Mark Tran
The Guardian, Sunday 13 January 2013

"Rape is a "significant and disturbing" feature of the Syrian civil war, with women and girls citing sexual violence as their main reason for fleeing the country, according to a report published on Monday.
Women and girls told the International Rescue Committee (IRC) of being attacked in public and in their homes, primarily by armed men. The rapes, sometimes by several men, often occurred in front of family members.

"The stories we've heard, talking to Syrian women, are truly horrific," said Sanj Srikanthan, IRC-UK emergency field director. "Many of these women have experienced rape and torture in Syria, but as refugees [they] can't find the support they need to heal their physical and emotional scars – let alone provide food and shelter for their families."

During interviews with 240 Syrian women and girls in Lebanon and Jordan, IRC learned of attacks involving kidnap, rape, torture and murder, with Syria's many roadblocks a particular danger......"

Syria: Army Using New Type of Cluster Munition

Rocket Attacks and Explosive Remnants Cause Civilian Casualties

Human Rights Watch

January 14, 2013

"(Washington, DC) – Syrian forces are using notoriously indiscriminate rockets that contain explosive submunitions. Evidence indicates that Syrian forces used BM-21 Grad multi-barrel rocket launchers to deliver cluster munitions in attacks near the city of Idlib in December 2012 and in Latamneh, a town northwest of Hama, on January 3, 2013.

These are the first known instances of Syrian use of ground-based cluster munitions. No information is available on how or when Syria acquired these cluster munitions, which were made in Egypt. Human Rights Watch and others have previously reported use of air-dropped cluster bombs. The Syrian government should immediately cease all use of cluster munitions, which have been comprehensively banned by 111 nations through an international treaty.

“Syria is escalating and expanding its use of cluster munitions, despite international condemnation of its embrace of this banned weapon,” said Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. “It is now resorting to a notoriously indiscriminate type of cluster munition that gravely threatens civilian populations.”......."

Al-Jazeera Video: Tunisians protest slow pace of change

"The capital is decked with celebratory flags, but under the wintry sky the atmosphere is as much one of uncertainty as joy. There's been an increase in social and labour unrest in recent months, the government battling to balance the right to free expression against the maintenance of law and order. Those people frustrated with the slow pace of change take to the streets in protest. Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna reports from Tunis."

Al-Jazeera Video: Refugees struggle in Egypt's 'Little 'Syria'

"The United Nations estimate that around 100,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Egypt since the uprising in their country began in March 2011.

Tens of thousands of the refugees live and work in Giza, in an area now called "Little Syria". Many arrive with little money and are struggling to pay for food and rent.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros reports from Giza, near Cairo."

Paul Krugman: US Economic Policy Resulting in 'Vast, Unnecessary Catastrophe'

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Syria - Making heads or tails of Bashar al-Assad

Al-Jazeera Video: حديث الثورة

"حديث الثورة (أوضاع اللاجئين السوريين + مسار العمليات العسكرية حول مطار تفتناز بسوريا). 
تقديم: خديجة بن قنة. تاريخ البث : 10/01/2013
الضيوف: فايز الدويري، محمد فارس، محمد أبو عسكر، أحمد موسى.

"

Real News Video: Krugman and Obama’s Dangerous Austerity Myths

عن اتهام الشعوب

By Azmi Bishara
13 يناير 2013

"لا شك أنه قد حصل تآمر استعماري على المنطقة العربية تجلى في اتفاق سايكس بيكو، ووعد بلفور، وإقامة إسرائيل وغيرها. ولكن حماة الواقع الذي تمخض عن هذا التآمر هو الأنظمة العربية التي لم تنجح في تجاوز سايكس بيكو حتى حين حكم الحزب الوحدوي ذاته بلدين عربيين متجاورين.

ولا شك ان الاستعمار راهن على التقسيم الطائفي للمنطقة العريية، وأن الحركات الوطنية العربية المبكرة قد أحبطت هذا الرهان. (وظلت الطائفية قائمة في التقسيم الاجتماعي التقليدي جدا، والأنظمة التي قامت عليه في الجزيرة العربية) أما في الدولة العربية الحديثة فمن فشل في الدمج الاجتماعي عبر التحديث، ثم قام بإحياء الطائفية واستغلالها للحكم هو الأنظمة العربية التي تثور عليها الشعوب. هذه الأنظمة لم تفشل فقط في عملية بناء الأمة المواطنية، ولا فشلت في تحقيق الوحدة العربية كرد على سايكس بيكو فحسب، بل استغلت الهويات الفرعية (الإقليمية والطائفية والقبلية) بشكل واع (ومن دون أن تكون هي ذاتها طائفية) لأغراض تحقيق الولاء السياسي.

إن اتهام الشعوب التي خرجت رافضة لهذا الواقع بالتآمر وبصنع "سايكس بيكو" جديدة هو لغو مثير للنفور الاشمئزاز، وليس للسخرية، فهو لم يعد مضحكا. لأن "سايكس - بيكو" الجديدة هي الأنظمة العربية ذاتها في العقود الأربعة الأخيرة، تلك الأنظمة التي فرّطت بالسيادة، وتنافست على خطب ود الولايات المتحدة بالقدرة على تقديم الخدمات، وصنعت سلاما مع إسرائيل على حساب الشعب الفلسطيني، وداست على حقوق الشعوب في الوقت ذاته.

أما سوف ما ينجم عن حركة الشعوب فلا ضمان له سوى مستوى وعيها ووعي قياداتها. لا توجد ضمانات!! ومن يريد أن يؤثر فلينزل وليعمل مع الناس! ولا يتوقعن أحد ان يؤثر على وعي الشعوب إيجابيا وهو يقف محايدا أو سلبيا تجاع معاناتها.

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