Palestinian Pundit

Syria is used to the slings and arrows of friends and enemies

2012-01-31T17:14:00.000-08:00

Bashar al-Assad is clinging to power despite the slow growth of a civil war. But if the regime should survive, what sort of country will it rule?

By Robert Fisk

".....In reality, the Syrian government is likely to fight on alone. It always has. The Assad father-and-son doctrine has always been one of patience. Hold on tight – however great the condemnation by the rest of the world, however terrible the threats from Israel or America – and eventually the wheel of fortune will turn once more in your favour.

The awful carnage in Homs and the rest of Syria, the beheadings and the torture, however, suggest that Assad rule really is running out of time. Syria's people are dying just as the people of Egypt and Libya and Yemen have died, because they want the dignity of governing themselves. Their own battle is already infecting the sectarian divisions in northern Lebanon and they exist inside the Lebanese parliament, although this will not be the Syrian government's primary concern.

The battle for survival is a terrible thing and Bashar al-Assad still appears to believe that he can squeeze through his mass of proposed reforms before the disintegration of Syria. No one outside Syria appears to believe he will be successful. But there is one unasked question. Just suppose the regime did survive. Over what kind of Syria would it rule?"

Syria: a Soviet hangover turned headache

2012-01-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

Russia inherited its Middle East presence from the Soviet Union. Is it about to lose its last ally in a newly democratised Arab world?

Editorial
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 31 January 2012

"....This has the potential to isolate Russia within a reshaped Arab world. Moscow has to address two questions as it prepares to wield its veto. First, as Assad's principal arms supplier, is it backing the loser? If so, it will lose not only the $550m deal it signed with Damascus for trainer aircraft, but the only base it has outside the former Soviet Union and a string of listening posts. The second question is more pressing: is it about to lose its last ally in a newly democratised Arab world, of which Syria will remain a vital hub whatever happens? Russia inherited its Middle East presence from the Soviet Union, but it did not gain any new friends. With Gaddafi gone and Assad on his way out, Russia stands to lose more than physical assets.

.... But Russia is wrong to warn that the resolution will risk civil war. Continuing to back Assad, as it is doing, will propel a civil war. The sooner Assad sees he has no future – and even a watered-down resolution would help that – the sooner leading members of the regime will try to salvage something from the wreckage. The coming civil war will not guarantee the property of minority Alawites or the Sunni merchant class in Damascus and Aleppo. It will engulf them, and the score-settling in Libya will be as nothing to what takes place in Syria."

Syria presents an opportunity for the Arab League to make its presence felt

2012-01-31T15:46:00.000-08:00

Nabil al-Arabi's briefing to the UN security council may be a seminal moment in the history of the league

Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 31 January 2012

".....With the council considering its next steps and the United States and other western countries pressing to force President Bashar al-Assad to step down, Russia is resisting fiercely. So the voice of the league matters more than ever before...

But the stakes for Syria are higher than they were for Libya. Damascus lies at the centre of a web of regional relationships involving Iran, Lebanon and Israel. Assad has more support than Gaddafi did. Assad's enemies are also divided and have no equivalent of Benghazi, where Libya's uprising began......

It is no coincidence that Al-Arabi is being accompanied to the UN by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, prime minister and foreign minster of Qatar, the tiny but wealthy Gulf state that has played a key role in the Arab spring.

Bin Jassim, chairing the league's Syria committee, has been calling the shots.....

Russia's position will be crucial. Critics accuse it of acting to defend its own interests – arms sales and a key Syrian naval base – as well as opposing a western agenda after what happened in Libya. There was an intriguing hint on Tuesday by its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, that Assad remaining in power was not a "prerequisite" for resolving the crisis.

This is a big moment for al-Arabi and the organisation he heads..."

Fighting continues in Syrian capital as insurgency gains momentum

2012-01-31T15:30:00.000-08:00

Tanks seen moving into east of Damascus in attempt to retake pockets of territory from opposition forces

Martin Chulov in Beirut
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 31 January 2012

"Syrian forces were battling groups of defectors in the eastern outskirts of Damascus on Tuesday as a campaign continued to reclaim pockets of the capital briefly seized by opposition groups.

The sound of artillery and gunfire could be heard throughout the afternoon as opposition forces fought street battles with loyalists who had retaken contested areas in northern Damascus on Monday.

Several dozen tanks were seen moving towards the east of the city in the early afternoon, the heart of the Bashar al-Assad regime's powerbase....

However, the president's troops continue to battle a more organised and committed opposition in the country's fourth city, Homs, where tanks and artillery were again firing intensively into the rebel-held Bab al-Amr district on Tuesday.

Residents of Homs, the frontline of an armed insurgency against the Assad family's four-decade rule, say neighbourhoods are fast being emptied of families that loyalists suspect of supporting the 10-month rebellion.

They have described dire living conditions, with poor sanitation and streets that are regularly raked by gunfire....

"There are many families homeless here and many homes destroyed," said Manhal Abo Bakr, a Hama resident and citizen journalist for the global campaigning group Avvaz. "The situation is much worse than it was last week. There has been so much killing."....."

الثورة السورية بين المطرقة والسندان

2012-01-31T12:10:00.000-08:00

إن هذا الشعور المرضي ( بفتح الميم والرّاء ) بالتفوق من جهة ، والرغبة اللاحقة في حماية إسرائيل ودعمها ، من جهة أخرى ، قد أعمى بصر وبصيرة الكثير من حكام ، دول الشمال المتطورة ، وجعلهم لايخجلون من ممارستهم إخفاء الحقائق ( الكذب ) حتى عن شعوبهم ، كما رأينا في موضوع أسلحة الدمار الشامل ، التي برر بها كل من بوش وبلير وغيرهما من القادة الأوربيين احتلالهم للعراق عام 2003 ، والتي أصبح الجميع الآن يعرف حقيقة عدم وجودها .

إن مما يؤلم ويؤسف له في هذا الموضوع ، أن قوى ومجموعات متعددة من كل من اليسار واليمين الأوروبي والأمريكي قد وقفت إلى جانب أنظمتها في تمرير تلك الأكذوبة الحمراء . بل إنها ماتزال حتى اليوم تساند حكوماتها فيما يتعلق بتاييد ودعم الكيان الصهيوني ، على حساب حق ستة ملايين فلسطيني أو أكثر يعيشون في الشتات بعيداً عن وطنهم وبيوتهم التي أجبروا على تركها بقوة السلاح .

إن وعي ، ولاوعي مواطني الدول الغربية ( السندان ) ، بات ــ مع الأسف ــ مسكونا اليوم ، بجملة من الأضاليل التي غرستها في عقولهم وقلوبهم الفئات الراسمالية ( الديموقراطية ) الحاكمة ، والتي أبرزها :

ــ عدم رؤيتهم لحق الشعب الفلسطيني ، في رؤيتهم الثابتة في أن إسرائيل دوماً على حق ، وأن خصومها

دوماً على باطل ،

ــ عدم رؤيتهم " ازدواجية المعايير " في سلوك حكوماتهم ، ( مع الديموقراطية هنا ومع الديكتاتورية هناك /

نعم للديموقراطية التي تأتي بأ تباعنا ، ولا للديموقراطية التي تأتي بخصومنا !!) ،

ــ عدم رؤيتهم البعد الإمبريالي المصلحي في في دفاع حكوماتهم عن بعض الأقليات الاجتماعية في بعض

البلدان ، على قاعدة " كلمة حق يراد بها باطل " ،

ــ عدم توقفهم عند الممارسات الوحشية والدموية التي يمارسها الموالون لإسرائيل من الحكام العرب ، كما

هي الحال في " سورية الأسد !! " منذ اندلاع ثورة الحرية والديموقراطية في آذار 2011 .

3. في هذا المناخ السياسي والاعلامي الرمادي الملتبس ، وذي الوجهين ، تجد الثورة السورية ، والمعارضة السورية نفسيهما بين فكّي كماشة الداخل والخارج ، المطرقة والسندان ، أي عملياً الاستبدادين : الداخلي والخارجي .

إن المستوى العالي ، من التكتيك المنظم والمدروس بدقة وعناية ، بين النظام الوراثي الموالي لإسرائيل والغرب في دمشق من جهة ، وكلاًّ من الدول الغربية ( أوروبا وأمريكا ) وأتباعهما من المنحازين إلى إسرائيل في العالم من جهة أخرى ، قد أربك المعارضة السورية ، والثورة السورية ، بحيث أخذت تختلط لدى العناصر الميدانية فيهما ، وخاصة عناصر الداخل ، المواقف التكتيكية مع المواقف الاستراتيجية ، وبالتالي المواقف النظرية والإعلامية مع المواقف العملية الملموسة لهذه الدول ( الديموقراطية !) ، ولا سيما بعد أن بلغت حصيلة الشهداء في سورية قرابة العشرة آلاف شهيد ، إضافة إلى مئات ألوف الجرحى ، والمعوقين والمفقودين ، وأيضاً المعتقلين الذين تم تعذيب المئات منهم بطرق وحشية بلغت حدّ الموت !! ، أي أنه لم يعد ممكناً ولا مجدياً بالنسبة إليهم الإستمرار في النظر إلى الأمور نظرة إحصائية محايدة ، بل إن لسان حالهم بات ( اللي بوكل العصي مو مثل اللي بعدها // من يتلقى الضربات ليس كمن يقتصر دوره في إحصائها ) .

4. إن المنازلة الإعلامية / الكلامية ، بين نظام عائلة الأسد وحماته ، وبين إسرائيل وحماتها ، لاتعدو بنظرنا أن تكون نوعاً من " التكتيك " السياسي الذي يمارسه الطرفان ، لإخفاء البعد الاستراتيجي لعلاقتهما الحقيقية. تلك

العلاقة التي فضحها ويفضحها :

ــ سكوت النظام السوري على احتلال إسرائيل لهضبة الجولان منذ عام 1967 وحتى اليوم ،

ــ اشتراك حافظ الأسد في الحلف الثلاثيني عام 1991 ( عاصفة الصحراء الأمريكية ) ضد العراق الشقيق ،

ــ إعلان حافظ الأسد في مجلس الشعب السوري قبيل انعقد مؤتمر مدريد في 30 أكتوبر 1991 أن خيار

السلام مع " إسرائيل" أصبح هو الخيار السوري الاستراتيجي ، وغلّفه بشعار " الأرض مقابل السلام "

ولما كانت الأرض المعنية هنا هي هضبة الجولان ، فإن حافظ الأسد يكون بذلك قد تخلى عملياً ورسمياً عن

القضية الفلسطينية ،

ــ الموقف الرمادي الحرباوي والتدليسي من الاحتلال الأمريكي ـ الإيراني للعراق عام 2003 ، ومن حكومة

المالكي ، حكومة المحاصصة الطائفية القابعة في المنطقة الخضراء .

إن هذه العلاقة بين الاستبدادين الداخلي ( عائلة الأسد وحماتها) ، والخارجي ( أمريكا وأتباعها ) وبمستوييها الإثنين : التكتيكي والاستراتيجي ، هو مايجسد بالنسبة لكل من الثورة السورية والمعارضة السورية مادعوناه

بالمطرقة والسندان ، أو بفكي الكماشة اللذين يحاولان احتواء ثورة آذار 2011 المجيدة ، ولكن الكاتب ، انطلاقاً من ثقته بأن النصرلابدّ أن يكون حليف الشعوب والمستضعفين ، مهما طال الزمن وعظمت التضحيات ، يكاد يرى بأم العين والقلب ، الانهيار القريب للنظام الديكتاتوري العائلي في دمشق ، نظام بشار الأسد وعائلته ، وقيام النظام الوطني الديموقراطي التعددي والتداولي على أنقاضه ، وعندها ستعود علاقات الوئام والمحبة بين الجميع ، وئام ومحبة لايفسدهما الاختلاف بين الرأي والرأي الآخر بين أبناء الوطن الواحد والأمة الواحدة .

A UN resolution on Syria, even watered down, would hurt Assad

2012-01-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

I'd like to see a resolution that calls on the Syrian president (and, the Russians will insist, all armed groups) to stop the violence

Fares Chamseddine
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 31 January 2012

"A UN resolution on Syria, regardless of its content, would be a very important step for the Syrian people in their struggle against Bashar al-Assad's regime. It might be heavily watered down by Russian demands before it can be passed, but it would still be a significant crack in Assad's diplomatic chainmail and a step towards a free and democratic Syria.

It would be naive to expect immediate changes should the resolution see the light of day, but there's no doubt that the regime takes any such action extremely seriously – and has been fighting tooth and nail to prevent a resolution from being passed.....

Still, the Syrian regime has done everything in its power to delay bringing the question of a resolution back to the UN, and that shows this is something which worries them very deeply. Nobody, not even Assad, can take Russia's support for granted, and at some point even the strongest ally could decide that a losing regime is not worth supporting."

Video: The Transformation of the Syrian Revolution, by Bassam Haddad

2012-01-31T07:56:00.000-08:00

The Transformation of the Syrian Revolution: AJE Interview with Bassam Haddad from Jadaliyya on Vimeo.

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian troops battle anti-Assad fighters

2012-01-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

Theses on the "Arab Spring"

2012-01-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

A GOOD ARTICLE
By Gilbert Achcar

"......
A most striking paradox characterizes the “Arab Spring”, however. Whereas it has largely been determined by the above described cultural revolution, it is similarly removing the lids that have been containing the expression and action of religious fundamentalist forces—the forces that have been the overwhelmingly dominant organized currents of opposition and the major available vehicles for expressions of protest in the region for the last three decades. Hence, the paradoxical result of a gigantic movement of emancipation giving way to electoral victories won by forces of social and cultural — if not political (experience will tell us soon) — repression. This paradox is but the natural outcome of the fact that the pressure cooker lids imposed by the Arab world's existing despotic and corrupt regimes had created an environment particularly suitable for the growth of this form of opposition and cultural retrenchment. Religion and religious forces have been extensively used by most regimes in the region to quell the remnants of the old nationalist and communist lefts, and to prevent the rise of new leftist forces in the post-1967 era. At a time when progressive political forces had gradually lost all their sources of state support and funding, religious fundamentalist forces were being funded and sustained throughout the region by three regional oil-rich states, which competed in pouring money into them: the Saudi kingdom, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the emirate of Qatar.
For this paradoxical state of things to change, it will require that the Arab world to go through a new historical experience, during which two simultaneous processes must unfold. On the one hand, regional populations will have to give religious forces a chance at power and thus witness their obvious limitations, especially the fact that they lack any programmatic responses to the deep social and economic problems that lie beneath the entire Arab uprising. On the other hand, new forces of social, political, and cultural emancipation that have risen powerfully during the upheaval—after taking the lead in igniting and conducting it—will need to build organizational networks of political struggle capable of constituting a credible alternative to the current religious backlash. For this, they will need to be bold enough to fight the cultural obscurantism of religious fundamentalist forces, instead of accommodating them, in the futile belief that they could thus gain access to their constituencies. "

Rights Groups Oppose Smaller Arms Transfer

2012-01-31T07:09:00.000-08:00

By Jim Lobe

"WASHINGTON, Jan 30, 2012 (IPS) - The decision by the administration of President Barack Obama to approve limited transfers of military equipment to Bahrain is coming under renewed fire by human rights and pro-democracy groups here.

The groups, as well as a number of lawmakers who have opposed renewed arms transfers to Bahrain, are demanding that the administration publicly disclose precisely what it intends to provide the Gulf kingdom.

And they are warning that any military transfers at this time will almost certainly be seen by pro-democracy opposition forces as support for a repressive regime.

"Even a limited sale of military items to the Bahraini government sends the wrong message," said David Kramer, the president of Freedom House, a pro-democracy group that receives support from the Congressionally funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

"Until the Bahraini government ends systemic human rights abuses, allows unfettered access to media and international organisations, and begins implementing meaningful political reform, the United States should not consider the sale of any military items," Kramer said Monday....."

Guardian Video: Syria's opposition calls on UN to denounce Assad

2012-01-31T06:44:00.000-08:00

The opposition Syrian National Council calls on the United Nations security council to vote on a resolution denouncing Bashar al-Assad's regime. The group's leader Burhan Ghalioun - speaking at the UN in New York on Monday - appealed to Russia to prevent Assad from abusing Moscow's support by continuing to oppress the Syrian people

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 31 January 2012

Saudi Arabia: Christians Arrested at Private Prayer

2012-01-31T04:33:00.000-08:00

Ethiopian Women Subjected to Unwarranted Strip Search

Human Rights Watch
January 30, 2012

"(Beirut) – Thirty five Ethiopian Christians are awaiting deportation from Saudi Arabia for “illicit mingling,” after police arrested them when they raided a private prayer gathering in Jeddah in mid-December, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. Of those arrested, 29 were women. They were subjected to arbitrary body cavity searches in custody, three of the Ethiopians told Human Rights Watch.

The Ethiopians gathered to pray together on December 15, during the advent of Christmas, in the private home of one of the Ethiopians, when police burst in and arrested them, three jailed members of the group, two women and one man, told Human Rights Watch.

“While King Abdullah sets up an international interfaith dialogue center, his police are trampling on the rights of believers of others faiths,” said Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The Saudi government needs to change its own intolerant ways before it can promote religious dialogue abroad.”....."

Israel: High Court Rulings Undermine Human Rights

2012-01-31T04:28:00.000-08:00

Recent Decisions Uphold Discrimination, Exploitation of Occupied Territory

January 30, 2012

"(Jerusalem) – Recent decisions by Israel’s high court aim to legitimize clear violations of Israel’s international legal obligations, Human Rights Watch said today. In one decision, the court disregarded international law prohibiting discrimination, and in another, it ignored international law on the use of resources in an occupied territory. Israel should annul a law preventing Israeli citizens from living with their Palestinian spouses and end policies that permit private Israeli companies to strip rocks and other construction materials from quarries in the occupied West Bank for their own economic gain.

“With these rulings, Israel’s highest court has veered seriously off course in serving as a final bastion for upholding human rights,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “For the system of legal checks against rights abuses to break down like this is one more indication of the unraveling of protections for rights and freedom in Israel.”........"

"الإخوان" في المعارضة السورية

2012-01-31T04:07:00.000-08:00

"تقترب حالة الإخوان المسلمين في المعارضة السورية من حالة حركة النهضة في تونس. في كلتا الحالتين لم تقل الحركتان الإسلاميتان إن عناصرهما هم من فجروا الثورة، ولكن القاصي والداني يعرف أنهما أكثر من عانى من بطش النظامين خلال العقود الماضية. وفيما كنا قد تعرضنا لحالة حركة النهضة التي كافأتها الجماهير على صبرها وتضحياتها في مواجهة نظام دكتاتوري مريض مثّله بن علي وعائلته (تكرر ذلك في الحالة المصرية مع فارق أن الإخوان هناك كانوا من أكثر القوى الفاعلة في الثورة بالفعل).
....
ليس سرا أن الإخوان كانوا أصحاب الدور الأكبر في إنشاء ما يعرف بالمجلس الوطني، ولولاهم لما كان للمشروع أن يمرَّ ويغدو صوتا للثورة في الداخل والخارج، وهم من أجل ذلك مارسوا نكران الذات وقبلوا أن يكونوا في الصفوف الخلفية، بل قبلوا بأن يأخذوا أقل بكثير من حصتهم على الأرض، وفي وعي الجماهير
....
المهم هو قراءة الموقف بعناية والإيمان بأن الشعب السوري هو كلمة سر الانتصار، وليس القوى الخارجية التي غالبا ما تطالب بتنازلات يرفضها الشعب السوري المنحاز إلى قضايا أمته، وفي مقدمتها قضية فلسطين، أكثر ألف مرة من النظام الذي ينحاز إليها لحسابات سياسية وليس انطلاقا من مواقف مبدئية (تصريحات رامي مخلوف لنيويورك تايمز حول أمن الكيان الصهيوني دليل على ذلك).

بقي القول إن حديث كاتب هذه السطور عن الإخوان السوريين ليس له علاقة بالانحياز الأيديولوجي، فقد انتقدهم من قبلُ، يوم أن وضعوا أيديهم في يد عبد الحليم خدام، وله سجل معروف في انتقاد جماعات "إخوانية" بسبب سياسات ومواقف رآها خاطئة، كما هو حال إخوان العراق وإخوان الجزائر، فضلا عن الخلاف مع حماس حول بعض الاجتهادات، لأن بوصلة الكاتب الحر هي مصلحة الأمة بصرف النظر عن الانتماءات، والجماعات والأحزاب هي وسيلة لتحقيق الأهداف الكبرى للشعوب، ولا ينبغي مجاملتها حين لا تكون كذلك.

واليوم يقف الشعب السوري في مواجهة نظام دموي، ونصرته هي من أهم الواجبات، ونصرة من ينصره جزء من ذلك أيضا."

Syria: Bashar al Assad and family 'will be killed like Gaddafi'

2012-01-31T03:54:00.000-08:00

The Syrian President Bashar al Assad, his British wife Asma and their family will meet a bloody end 'like Gaddafi' as his regime falls from power, a leading member of the opposition movement has warned.

The Telegraph

"Haitham Maleh, a member of the executive committee of the Syrian National Council, told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Assad had forfeited any chance of a peaceful exit from Syria as a result of his regime's brutal crackdown on protesters.

The former judge, who has spent decades in Syrian prisons for his human rights activism, predicted that Mr Assad, his wife and three children would be killed in revenge for his failure to respond positively to peaceful demands for change.

"Assad and his family will be killed in Syria, their next steps will be very bloody," he said. "Two months ago we offered him the option to leave us alone and go but instead he went for the blood of his people. The end for him will be that he is killed like Gaddafi."

Persistent reports have emerged around the Middle East that Mrs Assad has sought to return to England - or at least flee the fighting in Damascus - with her three children, Hafez, Zein and Lareem. Al-Masry-Al-Youm reported yesterday that she was among a group of family members including the president's mother and cousins that was driving to the airport to leave but forced to turn back by an opposition ambush......"

Guardian Video: Syria unrest: protests in Bab Amro and Idlib

2012-01-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

Protesting and violence has continued in Syria, where 37 people are thought to have died. Most of the disturbances have been concentrated in the western province of Homs and the suburbs to the east of Damascus. This video shows amateur footage of attacks and anti-Assad protests in Bab Amro, a suburb of Homs, and Idlib in north-west Syria

guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 January 2012

Palestinians Demonstrate in Yarmouk refugee camp against Assad Regime

2012-01-30T11:12:00.001-08:00

On the FSA's weekend jaunt into Damascus

2012-01-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

Whichever group thought it a good idea to grab some toeholds in Damascus over the weekend played a smart move. Rather than try to hold out against Assad's regular troops, forcing him to pin down loyal troops in parts of the capital as well as Aleppo means that he has less to deploy in problem areas throughout the country. A few more attempts like this every so often will give other groups operating in the country a bit more breathing space and could start shrinking the regime's options.

The parallels between Saddam's Iraq and Syria are very strong, and I think both the regimes share the same weaknesses. Namely that there are only so many divisions in the army whose loyalty is unquestionable, and they can only be in some parts of the country. The more the regular army is depended upon, the more likely defections and desertions will take place, so if Assad's loyal divisions can be tied down protecting key areas, then that means there are less of his fighters killing protesters or bombing towns and villages in the rest of the country. The Guardian reports:

Opposition groups, spearheaded by the irregular forces of the Free Syrian Army claim to have made a tactical withdrawal from the areas, mainly on Damascus's northen outskirts, and have vowed to mount more guerrilla-style operations as their campaign against President Bashar al-Assad's regime enters a new phase.

So any expectations by some people that this was the start of a liberation for the Syrian capital were premature. Apart from the Zabadani there just aren't any areas where the Free Syrian Army can hold its ground against Assad. I use the term "army" loosely, because I share the view of many people that this isn't really a unified and disciplined fighting force, but just a band of deserters and enthusiastic volunteers who are operating independently of each other in most cases.

Syrian Activist Speaks From Hiding: The Bloodshed is Continuing Despite International Criticism

2012-01-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

"Street battles are raging at the gates of the Syrian capital of Damascus, and activists say at least 62 people were killed nationwide on Sunday. This comes United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called on the Syrian leadership, particularly President Bashar al-Assad, to end the violence against the demonstrators immediately, and plans to take up a draft resolution this week calling on him to step down and transfer power. “They are just watching the bloodshed in Syria and keep talking and talking without doing anything,” says Razan Zaitouneh, a lawyer and human rights activist, who joins us from Damascus. We also speak with Karam Nachar, a U.S.-based cyber-activist who is working with Syrian protesters via social media platforms....."

Al-Jazeera Video: 'Fighting rages' in Damascus suburbs

2012-01-30T07:23:00.000-08:00

"Bashar.....Till The End of Time (and Beyond!)" -- A Chant of the Bloody Dictator's Supporters

2012-01-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

(Click on cartoon by Emad Hajjaj to enlarge)

Is Iran really ‘one year away from a bomb’ or did Obama defense secretary just cave in further to Israel lobby?

2012-01-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

By Ali Abunimah

"The relentless drumbeat for war against Iran got a little bit louder last night with comments by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on CBS’ 60 Minutes that Iran is only a year from making a nuclear bomb if it decided to proceed. Panetta emphasized that Iran having a bomb is a “red line for us, and it’s a red line obviously for the Israelis. So we share a common goal here. If we have to do it, we will do it.”
The interviewer, Scott Pelley, had to ask what the “it” meant – but the clear implication was a military attack.

It is hard to avoid the suspicion that Panetta’s comments were part of efforts by the Obama administration to appease and placate the Israel lobby as President Obama faces a tough re-election battle and constant Republican attacks that he is too soft on Iran and not pro-Israel enough......."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

2012-01-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

Will the current moves in the Security Council succeed in resolving the Syrian crisis?

With about 600 responding, 64% said no.

Putting Israel First

2012-01-30T04:37:00.000-08:00

The War Party's Achilles' heel

by Justin Raimondo, January 30, 2012

"The campaign to lure the US into attacking Iran has one big problem to overcome before the War Party can taste success: the rather obvious fact that such a war would benefit Israel, and not the United States. This is why Israel’s partisans in the US constitute the spearhead of the pro-war agitation, why AIPAC has made this a consistent theme for the past few years, and why the billionaire Sheldon Adelson, aside from funding the Newtster, has poured untold millions into the same project. Hardly a day goes by without some Israeli government official reiterating, once again, that Iran represents an “existential threat” to the Jewish state, and threatening to strike the first blow if Uncle Sam fails to wake up in time, while Israel’s amen corner dutifully echoes the same line.

Israel and its more vehement partisans in this country have demanded the US attack Iran, even going so far as to raise the specter of another Holocaust if America fails to act. However, one argument they have failed to make is significant by its absence – they have failed to show how it is in America’s interest to launch a military strike.....

The advocates of war with Iran are finagling to set up the debate in terms of whether or not we will act to prevent another Holocaust – in which case opposition to bombing Tehran will be characterized as enabling mass genocide. Here is where the neoconservatives and the “responsibility to protect” “progressives” on the left will meet and merge.

That this “argument” is based on fantasy – the fantasy that Iran is indeed busy cooking up nukes, and is determined to wipe Israel off the map – is being obscured in a barrage of lies and phony “intelligence” similar to that which dragged us into attacking Iraq. But war propaganda and facts don’t mix: indeed, they are mutually exclusive. The idea behind any effective campaign designed to push us into war is to whip up an emotional storm, and a key part of this hysteria is smearing antiwar writers and politicians as “anti-Semites.” In the America of 2012, where political correctness is the Iron Rule, even the accusation – no matter how unfounded – of racial or religious bigotry is toxic, and the War Party hopes to poison the debate over Iran by injecting it into the discourse.

They must not be allowed to get away with it: the Language Police don’t have a warrant when it comes to “Israel Firster,” and appeasing them can only constrict the debate so that the essential motive of the pro-war forces is obscured. And, no, it won’t do to argue that Israel’s interests are not served by a US war with Iran: after all, if we aren’t allowed to argue in terms of what’s in America’s interests, and the interests of its people, then we are hogtied from the word go. "

The Brotherhood fears the 'uneasy' minority

2012-01-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

By Amr Ezzat
Al-Masry Al-Youm

"....I left the Brotherhood twice....The second time was in my senior year at college, after I was told that one of the Brotherhood’s supervisors for student activities remarked that the “Islamic Current” magazine issue I edited at Cairo University was full of "leftist talk.”

I thanked him and embraced the left....

If I allow myself to speak for a section of this “uneasy minority”, which I feel represents me, I would say that they are characterized by extreme individualism and spontaneity as opposed to the organized action and strict obedience that is typical of the Brotherhood’s modus operandi. Their attempts to keep the spirit of the revolution alive in the street cannot be seen as a conspiracy to raise the number of injured victims and martyrs, but rather an attempt to win greater political freedoms — this being seen as the main guarantee for democracy. Their vision of democracy goes beyond securing seats of power. In fact, the continued felling of martyrs proves that those in power continue to violate the rights of the people, raising concerns about the management of the transition period.

To those who remain silent about these breaches, under the pretext that enduring such violations is necessary in a transitional period, I ask: How can we establish a democracy devoid of the right to protest, which is what brought it about in the first place? What is truly worrying is the fact that once in power, the parliamentary majority is now leveling accusations at the opposition groups, accusing them of having links with foreign powers and wanting to impede democratic progress, obstructing the reform path.

I smell the same uneasiness that was expressed by the now-dismantled National Democratic Party during Mubarak’s time — how ironic! A considerable part of this “uneasy minority” is now calling for the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to hand over power to the elected parliament, which proves the fears of Habib groundless. I would also like to emphasize that a large sector of this “uneasy minority” would like to remain a thorn in the flesh of rulers, so they would never feel too comfortable in power. If the patience of those in power runs out and they begin violating freedoms, then the uneasy minority is ready to nail — once again — the first pin in their coffins."

Syria hurtling towards a bloodier crisis

2012-01-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

Uprising has reached Damascus but Assad regime isn't giving in – and unless Russia agrees UN can't do much

Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 January 2012

"Syria's uprising stands poised between intensifying international diplomacy that may achieve little and escalating violence that is taking events on the ground to a new and menacing level.

After heavy casualties across the country at the weekend, the focus moves on Tuesday to the UN security council where Arab and western governments are trying to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Extraordinary scenes of armed rebellion in the suburbs of Damascus – filmed by the BBC, CNN and others in the last few days – have underlined both the gravity of the challenge to the regime and the determination of its opponents to carry on.....

And the signs are that the Syrians are already re-imposing the media blackout they maintained for most of the past 10 months. Journalists allowed in on short visas in recent weeks – including the Guardian – were there in partial fulfilment of Assad's deal with the Arab League. But that is now in tatters. BBC and CNN crews have left Damascus....

The stakes could hardly be any higher for the bloodiest current chapter of the Arab spring. "The coming few days are critical for #Syria revolution," tweeted activist Wissam Tarif. "Al Assad will turn this into a massive blood bath and humanitarian crisis.""

Syria military offensive in Damascus suburbs aims to drive out rebels

2012-01-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

Activists say troops killed at least 19 people in some of the bloodiest fighting in Damascus since start of 10-month uprising

Luke Harding
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 January 2012

"Syria launched a major military offensive to seize back parts of Damascus under de facto rebel control on Sunday, a day after the Arab League said it was abandoning its monitoring mission in the face of out-of-control violence....

Around 2,000 troops, together with at least 50 tanks and armoured vehicles, began a major operation at dawn, when they headed towards the al-Ghouta area in eastern Damascus. The foray was part of a wider offensive against the suburbs of Saqba, Hammouriya and Kfar Batna, activists said.

Video footage showed tanks trundling forward, followed by government soldiers on foot. The army pushed deep into the centre of Kfar Batna. Witnesses reported four tanks in the main square.....

The insurgency, which is still raging in towns and cities across Syria - with further protests in Aleppo on Sunday — has now definitively reached the capital. The suburbs are made up of conservative Sunni Muslim towns, surrounded by countryside and farmland, known as the al-Ghouta......"

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian army in offensive near Damascus

2012-01-29T18:27:00.000-08:00

"The Syrian military has intensified its crackdown on protesters - just a day after the Arab League ended its observer mission to the country.

At least 100 people have reportedly been killed over the past two days.

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reports from neighbouring Turkey due to restrictions on reporting inside of Syria."

Real News Video: Egypt's Revolutionary Artists' Union Revived in Tahrir Square

2012-01-29T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hamid Dabashi: Saudi's and US attempt to control outcome of Syrian revolt

A VERY GOOD INTERVIEW

More at The Real News

Real News Video: This House has no confidence in Bahrain's promise to reform

2012-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

Doha Debates takes on Bahraini government's claims of reform

More at The Real News

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Syria - Is Syria sliding into civil war?

2012-01-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

"As the uprising appears to be entering a new phase, is there still room for a political solution? Guests: Samir al-Taqi, former adviser to Assad; Dimitri Babich, political analyst ; Ambassador David Mack, former US deputy assistant secretary of state."

Al-Jazeera Video: Arab League suspends Syria mission

2012-01-29T08:11:00.001-08:00

We will not be intimidated: Video with Cindy Corrie backs Olympia Food Co-op fight against anti-boycott lawsuit

2012-01-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

By Ali Abunimah

Statement of Solidarity with the Olympia Food Co-op from TrickleUp Films on Vimeo.

"Cindy Corrie is among several people appearing in a short video calling for solidarity with the Olympia Food Co-op in Olympia, Washington and condemning a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Co-op’s boycott of Israeli goods.

Last year, The Electronic Intifada broke the story that a group of individuals were planning to file the lawsuit with the support of StandWithUs and in direct coordination with the Israeli government.

The video and accompanying statement call on those who filed the lawsuit to use existing democratic procedures to get their way, rather than an “aggressive lawsuit which seriously threatens the well-being of a cornerstone of the Olympia community.” It also affirms, “we will not be intimidated or silenced.”

In addition to Corrie, the mother of Rachel Corrie, the activist who was killed by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza in 2004, the video also features Elizabeth Moore of Olympia Jewish Voice for Peace, Fabi Romero an artist and former Co-op staff member and Jean Eberhardt of Bridges Not Walls......"

Point Counterpoint: Aim to promote human rights of the Palestinians.

2012-01-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

By Ali Abunimah

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sun, Jan. 29, 2012

"I am coming to the University of Pennsylvania this week to incite violence against the State of Israel - pro-Israel groups and commentators have contended - and, along with hundreds of students and other speakers who will attend the 2012 National Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Conference, to engage in an "act of warfare."

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, we are coming together to push forward an inclusive movement that supports nonviolent action to promote the human rights of the Palestinian people, because only full respect for these rights can lead to peace. Today, millions of Palestinians live without basic rights under Israeli rule. This intolerable situation is at the root of problems that affect the whole world......

And just like that celebrated bus boycott, BDS is not an end in itself; it is a tactic designed to bring about change. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in support of a divestment effort on behalf of Palestinian rights, "We could not have won our freedom in South Africa without the solidarity of people around the world who adopted nonviolent methods to pressure governments and corporations to end their support for the apartheid regime. Faith-based groups, unions, students, and consumers organized on a grassroots level and catalyzed a global wave of divestment, ultimately contributing to the collapse of apartheid."

But let us remember that in the 1980s, not everyone supported sanctions on South Africa. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were strongly opposed to sanctions and insisted on "constructive dialogue" that went nowhere, just like the U.S.-brokered Middle East peace process. What helped turn the tide in the United States was a young member of Congress who broke ranks with Reagan to support boycott and sanctions on the apartheid regime. His name was Newt Gingrich.

Tragically, Gingrich today notoriously contends that the Palestinians are an "invented people" - a way of suggesting they have no rights, and certainly no claim to the land they've tended since long before Israel existed.

As the growth of such extremist rhetoric diminishes the chances for a constructive U.S. role, it is all the more important that we as citizens take action. That's what our conference is about, and everyone who shares a belief in human equality is welcome to attend."

Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb vs. Iran

2012-01-29T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal

COMMENT

This "leaked" report is part of the propaganda that ultimately aims to justify using tactical nuclear bombs to attack Iranian nuclear installations. The lie would be that no conventional bomb, even an enhanced Massive Ordnance Penetrator, could "do the job." That would leave USrael "no other choice" but to use nukes.

I am afraid that this is the plan to force an unconditional Iranian surrender, after an attack starts.

"WASHINGTON—Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn't yet capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

The 30,000-pound "bunker-buster" bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, was specifically designed to take out the hardened fortifications built by Iran and North Korea to cloak their nuclear programs.

But initial tests indicated that the bomb, as currently configured, wouldn't be capable of destroying some of Iran's facilities, either because of their depth or because Tehran has added new fortifications to protect them.

Doubts about the MOP's effectiveness prompted the Pentagon this month to secretly submit a request to Congress for funding to enhance the bomb's ability to penetrate deeper into rock, concrete and steel before exploding, the officials said.

The push to boost the power of the MOP is part of stepped-up contingency planning for a possible strike against Iran's nuclear program, say U.S. officials....."

UN demands end to Israel demolitions in West Bank

2012-01-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

AFP – Sat, Jan 28, 2012

"The United Nations has called on Israel to immediately halt the destruction of Palestinian homes in the West Bank after reporting a dramatic rise in demolitions in the past year.

Israeli forces destroyed 622 Palestinian homes in the West Bank in 2011, "forcibly displacing" almost 1,100 people, over half of them children, according to a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report.

"The current policy and practice of demolitions cause extensive human suffering and should end," UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, Maxwell Gaylard, said late Friday....."

Sanctions can only deepen the Iran crisis

2012-01-29T04:49:00.000-08:00

Israeli and US hawks are more interested in regime change than the country's nuclear programme

By Patrick Cockburn

"The way in which the growing confrontation with Iran is being sold by the US, Israel and West European leaders is deeply dishonest. The manipulation of the media and public opinion through systematic threat exaggeration is similar to the drum beat of propaganda and disinformation about Iraq's non-existent weapons of mass destruction that preceded the invasion in 2003.

The supposed aim of imposing sanctions on Iran's oil exports and central bank, measures officially joined by the EU, is to force Iran to abandon its nuclear programme before it reaches the point where it could theoretically build a nuclear bomb. Even Israel now agrees that Iran has not yet decided to do so, but the Iranian nuclear programme is still being presented as a danger to Israel and the rest of the world.

There are two other menacing parallels between the run-up to the Iraq war and what is happening now. The purported issue is the future of the Iranian nuclear programme, but, for part of the coalition mustering against Iran, the real purpose is the overthrow of the Iranian government. The origin of the present crisis was the moves last November and December by the neoconservatives in the US, Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and the Israel lobby in Washington to impose sanctions on Iranian oil exports and Iran's central bank. These are very much the same people who targeted Iraq in the 1990s. They have been able to force the White House to adopt their programme and it is now, in turn, being implemented by a European Union that naively sees sanctions as an alternative to military conflict.

In reality, sanctions are likely to intensify the crisis, impoverish ordinary Iranians and psychologically prepare the ground for war because of the demonisation of Iran. The problem is that Israel and its right-wing American allies are more interested in regime change than Tehran's nuclear programme. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz succinctly stated the differences between the Israeli government and Washington. It said that "while the Americans are actively seeking a way to start a dialogue, Israel is preaching confrontation and the toppling of the government in Tehran".

It is this latter policy that has triumphed. Israel, its congressional allies and the neoconservatives have successfully bamboozled the Obama administration into a set of policies that make sense only if the aim is overthrow of the regime in Tehran.....

These manoeuvres succeeded. Serious sanctions are being imposed. Iran will have difficulty selling its oil. Its status as a regional power in the Middle East is weakening as the long-term survival of Bashar al-Assad, its most important ally, looks dubious.

Here again there is an uncomfortable parallel with Iraq. Sanctions against Iraq from 1990 to 2003 impoverished Iraqis and criminalised much of its administration. Unicef said half a million children died because of sanctions. To the White House and European leaders, sanctions may appear preferable to armed conflict. Unfortunately, history shows that long embargoes kill more people than brief wars."

Syrian troops battle to retake Damascus suburbs

2012-01-29T04:29:00.000-08:00

Reports claim five civilians and six soldiers killed as up to 2,000 troops and tanks move into capital's outskirts

Haroon Siddique and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 January 2012

"Fierce fighting has been reported in the suburbs of Damascus as thousands of Syrian troops battle to take back control of areas that have fallen into rebel hands, according to activists.

They said five civilians were killed in the suburbs of the capital on Sunday, a day after the Arab League suspended its monitoring mission in Syria because of mounting violence.

About 2,000 soldiers in buses and armoured personnel carriers, along with at least 50 tanks and armoured vehicles, moved at dawn into the eastern Ghouta area on the edge of Damascus to reinforce numbers surrounding the suburbs of Saqba, Hammouriya and Kfar Batna, activists said. The army pushed into the heart of Kfar Batna with four tanks in its central square.

"Mosques that have turned into field hospitals are requesting blood," Raid, an activist in Saqba, told Reuters by satellite phone. "They cut off the electricity. Petrol stations are empty and the army is preventing people from leaving to get fuel for generators or heating."

The Local Co-ordination Committees, which report on protests in Syria, said security forces had opened fire in Kfar Batna, killing 16-year-old Khaled Tassah and two other people, and that explosions could be heard. It said security forces opened fire on a funeral in Jobar and there were clashes between troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army in the suburbs of Zabadani, Maleiha and Ghouta.

The deaths brought to 17 the number of people killed in the suburbs since Saturday, when the army launched an offensive against rebels who seized them last week, activists and residents said....

In the mountain town of Rankous, 20 miles north of Damascus near the Lebanese border, Assad's forces have killed at least 33 people in recent days in an attack to dislodge army defectors and insurgents, activists and residents said. They said Rankous had been under tank fire since Wednesday when it was besieged by several thousand troops. Restrictions on access for foreign reporters make it difficult to independently verify reports of casualties...."

Maikel Nabil recounts his prison experience

2012-01-29T04:08:00.000-08:00

Al-Masry Al-Youm

"In his first public appearance after being pardoned from his two-year prison sentence, blogger Maikel Nabil said he was drugged before his interrogation and forced to watch other prisoners being tortured during his 302 days in jail.

Nabil, the first prisoner to be incarcerated for his opinions since the 25 January revolution, was sentenced to two years in prison by a military court on 14 December on charges of propagating false information and insulting the military institution on his blog.

Nabil's charges were based mainly on a blog post that he wrote on 7 March titled “The army and the people were never one hand,” in which he accused military forces of being implicated in killing protesters during the 18-day uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.....

During his interrogation, Nabil was asked about opinions he wrote on his blog, including whether he wrote “down with military rule,” and if he voted "no" in the constitutional referendum held last March.

The referendum was over a series of constitutional amendments prepared by a committee commissioned by the SCAF. It has been widely perceived that a "yes" vote meant accepting SCAF's take on the transition.

“I found myself tried for my opinions,” said Nabil....

Nabil spent four months on a hunger strike to protest his unfair trial and prison sentence.....

....... Thus, the court appointed him a lawyer who requested that Nabil be examined for his psychological state in the Abbasseya Mental Hospital.

The move was condemned by activists and doctors at the hospital, who released a statement accusing the military of using old-regime tactics to crackdown on dissidents.

Maikel’s father Nabil Sanad, who was present at the conference, said “I am not happy that my son was pardoned. They must drop his charges completely. He didn’t do anything wrong and he was discriminated against.”

Nabil warned revolutionaries about the military forces’ attempts to divide them.
“Our enemy wants to divide us and we, the revolutionaries, have to remain one hand in order to bring down the dictatorship and the military regime,” said Nabil. “They want to break our unity in order to make the revolution fail. I am here to expose what they try to hide from people.”

Nabil vowed to complete his struggle against military rule and the crackdown on free speech."

Al-Jazeera Video: حديث الثورة - الطائفية في العالم العربي

2012-01-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

حديث الثورة - الطائفية في العالم العربي

عزمي بشارة
محمد كريشان
28/01/2012

CNN Report: Syria apparently losing control of suburbs

2012-01-28T15:28:00.001-08:00

Al-Jazeera Video: Egyptian anti-military activist Maikel Nabil rejects pardon

2012-01-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

"Maikel Nabil, one of Egypt's most outspoken voices against the ruling military council, has given his first live television interview to Al Jazeera, just days after being pardoned and released from prison.

Nabil said he rejected the pardon from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and that anyone who mistreated him during his roughly 10 months in prison should be prosecuted.

Nabil was often held in isolation, given limited access to his family and barred from speaking to the media. He was originally sentenced to a three-year prison term. He was arrested in March after writing a blog post entitled "The People and The Army Are Not One Hand"."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian opposition to equip fighters

2012-01-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

"Louay Safi, a member of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group, tells Al Jazeera that the Free Syrian Army "is part of the solution".

The council has said it is ready to provide the opposition army with funding and equipment - which Safi calls "defensive equipment to protect civilians"."

WILL THE US BACK REAL DEMOCRACY IN EGYPT?

2012-01-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

By Eric Margolis
January 28, 2012

"Last Monday, Egyptians celebrated the first anniversary of the revolution that overthrew the 30-year Mubarak regime.
By contrast, America’s reaction this historic event was tellingly muted.....

Even if parliament achieves this goal, it will then confront Egypt’s 500,000-man military and equally numerous internal security forces. So far, Egypt’s military, which is financed, armed and sustained by Washington, threw dictator Mubarak to the wolves to appease popular anger but has barely given an inch on other key issues.

A year after the Tahrir Square revolution, Egypt remains a brutal police state where regime critics disappear, are tortured, and jailed in the thousands. The old guard still control much of the nation’s media, academia, courts and industry: Mubarakism without Mubarak.

The US-backed generals own between a third and two thirds of Egypt’s key businesses or real estate and enjoy lavish perks.

The military’s senior military officers have been trained by the US, vetted by CIA, and are joined at the hip to the Pentagon in much the same manner as were Latin America’s generals in the 60’s and 70’s.

Washington gives Egypt’s military $1.3 billion annually, controls its flow of weapons and spare parts, and provides tens of millions in “black payments” to the military, security forces, and intelligence service, the “Mukhabarat.”

Accordingly, it’s difficult to see Egypt’s plutocratic military easily giving up all of its political and economic power to a rowdy civilian parliament, particularly when the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, France, and Israel are all quietly backing the military regime.

If the military cracks down on parliamentary forces, it risks driving the opposition underground and more violence. Egypt’s military may split, as younger, Nasserite-officers try to seize power, or face bloody urban guerilla war......"

Damascus: The Battle for the Hinterland

2012-01-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

For the first time since the outbreak of the Syrian uprising, defectors have managed to secure a strong presence in several towns in the Damascene countryside, including Zabadani, Harasta, Douma, Kafr Batna, and Arbin.

A Syrian soldier, who has defected to join the Free Syrian Army, holds up his rifle and waves a Syrian independence flag in the Damascus suburb of Saqba 27 January 2012.

By: Tarek Abd al-Hayy
Al-Akhbar

"Damascus – Recent clashes in the province of Damascus Countryside between army defectors, also known as the Free Syrian Army, and regular forces have brought talk of the “militarization” of the Syrian protests to the forefront.

While there have been similar incidents in the provinces of Homs, Hama and Idlib, they take on added importance in the capital's rural hinterland with its dense and diverse population.

Speculation is rife that the army is poised to launch a decisive large-scale operation aimed at regaining control of these cities, for fear that they could become military access-points to the capital itself.

It all began with Zabadani, near the Lebanese border.....

It is completely different inside Zabadani. As you enter the town, you no longer feel you are in the same Syria. "We have overthrown the regime" locals proclaim. They say that they now take to the freezing streets every night to protest, protected by army defectors who surround the demonstrators to safeguard against any attacks by the security forces.

Life continues as normal in many respects. People go out walking, and children attend school. Some residents have hoisted the “independence flag” as they call it, rather than the current national flag. There is a strong sense of triumph among local people, mixed with fear that the army might mount a major operation to regain control.

One local activist, requesting anonymity, explains that the security forces retreated from Zabadani. They pulled out their armor and requested a truce after being under pressure from guerrilla-style attacks carried out by armed groups based in the surrounding mountains.....

But the activist stresses that people feel much safer now after the withdrawal of security forces from the streets. This has encouraged growing numbers of people to go out and protest on a daily basis. Goods that were previously scarce, such as diesel and gas, are also more readily available.

“Zabadani today is virtually under the control of the armed groups,” he says. “The security forces are positioned in the surrounding areas, but nevertheless, the people of this region are saying: ‘We have been liberated.’”......

There have been reports of a widespread campaign of arrests and raids in Harasta, including reports of houses being forcibly evacuated and either demolished [Israeli tactic!] on the grounds that they were used for dissident activity, or taken over as security positions [Israeli tactic, again!]. Also, there have been reports of snipers being positioned on rooftops. They shoot at any moving target, particularly in the direction of Douma and Qaboun, which activists say are witnessing similar "hysterical" crackdowns.

According to a member of the local coordinating committee, armed groups began deploying in Harasta days ago in order to protect protesters. They erected barricades to block the entry of security forces, who remained on the outskirts. This encouraged large numbers of people to take to the streets to demonstrate or attend the funerals of martyrs. Moreover, unprecedented calls were made from some mosque minarets, urging anyone with a weapon to confront the army and security forces. Hundreds of locals, many of whom own guns to protect their farmland, came forward to volunteer for the Free Army, the activists says.....

Yet at the same time, the regime cannot afford to just let defections from the army increase while gunmen establish themselves on the fringes of the capital, from where they could launch a repeat of the Libyan rebels’ march on Tripoli....."

(Click on map to enlarge)

The present stands no chance against the past

2012-01-28T04:36:00.000-08:00

By Robert Fisk

"The Palestinians are not only, it seems, an "invented people" – courtesy of Newt Gingrich – but the only Arabs on the Mediterranean not to enjoy a Spring or an Awakening or even a Winter.....

For what? Israel, which in the past could analyse events rationally, if not always correctly, appears, too, to have lost its ability to grasp events, its Prime Minister hiding behind self-delusional speeches when he should be understanding the typhoon sweeping across the Arab states around him. People who will no longer tolerate dictators are not going to accept peace treaties with an ever more expansionist Israel – 2,000 more colonisers' homes, Netanyahu decided last autumn, would be the latest punishment for the Palestinians who dare to demand statehood....

... Indeed, I have a letter beside me as I write, sent to The New York Times on 2 December 1948, warning of the visit to the US of the young Menachem Begin whose "Freedom Party", said the letter's authors, was "closely akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties". Among the authors of this letter was Albert Einstein....

Now, said Peled, at Silwan just outside East Jerusalem, thousands of Palestinians may be evicted from their homes "so that Israel can build a park to glorify a conquest that took place 3,000 years ago, never mind that not a shred of scientific evidence exists that such a king (David) ever lived, any more than there is evidence the world was created in six days. The past trumps the present in Israel – a state that wants to eliminate the existence of people who live on their land to solidify the myth of a glorious past". Strong stuff indeed.

But is it any surprise that the Palestinians believe this when the president who told them they deserve a state vetoes their demand for statehood at the United Nations, while his country deprives them of millions of dollars for daring to believe him, withdraws its funding from Unesco when it bestows a kind of statehood on the Palestinians – and then remains silent when Israel says it will keep money legally owed to the Palestinians of the West Bank? But since Obama's re-election counts for more than "Palestine", what chance is there of peace in the Middle East? Maybe Israel is ensuring that the past also trumps the present in the United States. If only we could ask the one rabbi Netanyahu chose to quote in his UN speech against Palestinian statehood last year: the very same rabbi who inspired the murderer Baruch Goldstein to kill so many Palestinians 18 years ago."

Palestinian civil society condemns Arab participation in Hertzliya Conference

2012-01-28T03:52:00.000-08:00

Al-Masry Al-Youm

"The Palestinian Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) condemned on Thursday the participation of Arab figures from Egypt, Jordan and Qatar in the 12th annual Herzliya conference.

The Herzliya conference is considered the most important annual event for Israel's military intelligence as it is concerned mainly with the promotion of Israeli "national security," and thus forms a major threat to the Palestinian cause, the committee said in a statement Thursday.

The Herzliya conference will be held between 31 January and 2 February under the name “In the Eye of Storms: Israel and the Middle East."

Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a London-based Arabic daily, reported on Thursday that among participants in the conference are Riad al-Khoury, a Jordanian economist, Salman al-Sheikh of the Doha-based Brookings Institute, Sherif al-Diwany, chairman of Marsad (Observatory) Inc. in Egypt, and Saeb Erekat, former chief Palestinian negotiator.

The BNC called on Arab figures participating in the conference to withdraw.

The statement said Arab figures' participation is totally incompatible with the Palestinian people's will, as expressed by the vast majority of its parties, trade unions and political factions in the 2005 "call upon international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era" until it fully complies with international law and human rights principles, the statement added.
The participation of Arab figures in the conference helps legitimize Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people and all the Arab peoples, the statement said, adding that it gives a false impression of normal relations between the Arab world and Israel despite the latter's occupation, racism and continuing violation of international law and the rights of Palestinians......"

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian activists propose an armed uprising

2012-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

"A growing number of activists in Syria are taking up arms to protect themselves from the government's violent crackdown that has claimed thousands of civilians lives since March.

They have begun setting up military councils in provinces across the country to create an organised command structure.

And the Syrian National Council, a leading opposition group, says it will logistically back the armed uprising to prevent more civilians from being killed.

Zeina Khdor reports from Beirut."

واشنطن والمعادلة المفرغة: إسقاط النظام السوري أم سقوطه؟

2012-01-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

صبحي حديدي

2012-01-26

الآن إذْ تدخل الانتفاضة السورية شهرها الحادي عشر، يجد بعض الساسة الأمريكيين أنفسهم أكثر اضطراراً إلى التعليق عليها، بمقدار أعلى من الوضوح؛ وأكثر شهية للمناوشة حولها، بين ديمقراطي هنا وجمهوري هناك، أو بين الرئيس الأمريكي نفسه، وأحد أبرز المرشحين الجمهوريين لانتخابات الرئاسة. وهكذا، أعلن الأوّل، باراك أوباما، في خطبته السنوية عن حال الاتحاد، أنّ 'نظام الأسد سيكتشف قريباً أنه لا يمكن مقاومة قوة التغيير وتجريد الشعب من كرامته'، وبالتالي فإنّ 'أيام النظام السوري أصبحت معدودة على غرار نظام القذافي'.
الثاني، ميت رومني، لام الرئيس على تأخره في إطلاق هذا التصريح، لأنه يصدر اليوم فقط 'بعد إراقة الكثير من الدماء في ذلك البلد'، والمطلوب أن 'تُظهر أمريكا دورها القيادي على المسرح العالمي، وتعمل على نقل هذه الأمم النامية نحو الحداثة'.
من جانبه، رأى السناتور جون كيري، رئيس لجنة العلاقات الخارجية في مجلس الشيوخ الأمريكي، أن سورية 'على حافة الحرب الأهلية'، ولهذا كان 'تصعيد العنف' الموضوع الأبرز في حواراته مع ساسة الشرق الأوسط، أثناء جولة استغرقت 11 يوماً. ورغم أنّ كيري كان أحد أنشط محاوري بشار الأسد (ليس حول الإصلاح والديمقراطية وحقوق الإنسان بالطبع، بل حول إحياء قناة التفاوض السورية ـ الإسرائيلية حصرياً)، فإنّ توصياته للإدارة الأمريكية شدّدت على فتح الحوار مع 'عدد كبير من الحلفاء'، والتشاور مع الجامعة العربية ودول مجلس التعاون الخليجي 'للنظر في ما يتوجب اتخاذه، خطوة خطوة'. زميله في الحزب ومجلس الشيوخ روبرت ب كيسي الابن، رئيس اللجنة الفرعية للشرق الأوسط، ذهب أبعد فرأى أنّ الجامعة العربية 'لا تقوم بكلّ ما في وسعها القيام به'، وعلى الولايات المتحدة أن تبذل المزيد من الجهد.
وثمة رأي (ينضوي كاتب هذه السطور في عداد القائلين به) يرى أنّ البيت الأبيض ما يزال غير حاسم بصدد، أو غير مستقرّ تماماً على، تحديد سياسة مفصلة وملموسة وقابلة للتطبيق المرحلي حول إسقاط النظام السوري، رغم اليقين المتزايد ـ والذي يلوح، اليوم، أنه صار جازماً ـ بأنّ سقوط النظام صار استحقاقاً لا محيد عنه. الفارق بين 'إسقاط' و'سقوط' هو جوهر إشكالية، إذا جاز اعتبارها هكذا، جعلت واشنطن تتأخر كثيراً في النطق بالعبارة/ الدرّة (أي الإعلان الصريح عن ضرورة تنحي الأسد)، فتواصل تقليب الملفّ السوري على نار خامدة تارة، وأخرى متقدة طوراً. وثمة، كما هو معروف ومتكرر، سلسلة أسباب وجيهة، سورية داخلية صرفة وإقليمية دولية أيضاً، جيو ـ سياسية وعسكرية واجتماعية واقتصادية ودينية، تجعل الملفّ السوري أشدّ تعقيداً، وإنذاراً بالمخاطر والمزالق، من أن تُصاغ في تناوله معالجات يسيرة أو سريعة.
فأن يتبنى البيت الأبيض مفهوم الإسقاط، أمر يعني المشاركة في الجهود المفضية إلى زعزعة أركان النظام، سواء أكانت سرّية أم علنية، ودبلوماسية صرفة، أم تساندها إجراءات استخباراتية وعسكرية ولوجستية متعددة، بينها إقامة المناطق الآمنة، والممرّات الإنسانية، وربما خطوط الإمداد في حال إقرار مشاريع تدخل عسكرية من أي نوع؛ وهذا ما لم تحسم الإدارة أمرها فيه، بل يصحّ القول إنها عازفة عنه عملياً (لحسن حظّ الشعب السوري، وانتفاضته التي أرادها وطنية، سلمية، غير مرتهنة لقوى خارجية سبق للسوريين أن ذاقوا مرارة تواطؤها مع النظام). غنيّ عن القول، أيضاً، إنّ سورية ليست العراق، وليست ليبيا، بمعنى أنها ليست كعكة مصالح تسيل اللعاب المحرّض على التدخل الخارجي؛ ونظامها، من جانب آخر، هو الأفضل لحليف الولايات المتحدة الأفضل، إسرائيل، كما أنه خير الممانعين طرّاً: نظام 'ممانِع'، لا يمانع!

Tunisia and Egypt One Year On

2012-01-27T10:11:00.000-08:00

A Year of Spring

by ESAM AL-AMIN
CounterPunch
"....
In short, Tunisia promises a much smoother transition to a more stable society and democratically functioning system than Egypt. But with the cautious moves of the FJP and other Islamic parties, Egypt’s future also appears to be heading towards steady though slow progress, and following a promising yet challenging path. However, it’s important to keep in mind that all these significant changes in both countries are taking place while severe economic problems and hardships are mounting, and as they struggle against enormous foreign interference and external pressures."

Gingrich’s Extremist Anti-Palestinian Stance Follows Millions From Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson

2012-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Democracy Now!

"Many analysts say Newt Gingrich’s recent rise in the Republican contest would have been impossible without the backing of one man — multi-billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. Adelson and his wife have donated $10 million to the pro-Gingrich super PAC, "Winning Our Future," which has run a series of ads attacking Gingrich’s opponent Mitt Romney. Gingrich has openly admitted Adelson’s support came down to a single issue: Israel. Gingrich has adopted the most extremist anti-Palestinian stance of the Republican presidential field, calling the Palestinians themselves an "invented" people. We speak with Gal Beckerman of the Jewish Daily Forward and Linda Sarsour of the Arab American Association of New York..."

Al-Jazeera Video: Empire - Tunisia: A revolutionary model

2012-01-27T07:25:00.001-08:00

A GOOD PROGRAM

"Tunisia has adopted an interim constitution, held free and fair elections, and is becoming a modern democratic state. A year after the Jasmine Revolution, can the country's new government fix the vast social injustices that triggered it?"

Al-Jazeera Video: Fear over the militarised conflict in Syria

2012-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

"As the government and the opposition are not backing down, there are those who fear that the increasingly militarized conflict may only lead to all-out warfare.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut."

Real News Video: Thousands of Egyptians Call for End to Military Rule

2012-01-27T07:16:00.000-08:00

Jihan Hafiz reports that on Jan 25th Anniversary of the revolution thousands of people across Egypt demand justice for the martyrs

More at The Real News

The Best Politicians Money Can Buy, by Khalil Bendib

2012-01-27T07:11:00.001-08:00

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)

Opportunists and the Revolution

2012-01-27T07:01:00.000-08:00

By: Gilbert Achcar
Al-Akhbar

"In a manner infused with the spirit of Western Orientalism, as defined by Edward Said, some Arabs have held that a despotic mentality has taken root among most of their fellow Arabs as a result of their cultural and educational background.

One advocate of such a view in the not-so-distant past was Moncef Marzouki, the transitional president of Tunisia, when he was still living in France as an opponent in exile of the previous president, the tyrant Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

In an article he published on Al Jazeera’s website on 19 February 2010, Marzouki cited the French scholar Beatrice Hibou, author of The Force of Obedience: The Political Economy of Repression in Tunisia, who belongs to the Orientalist school, that explained the Tunisians’ alleged “obedience” to their tyrants by attributing it to a mentality ingrained in them over the course of generations (these theses have been powerfully refuted by the Tunisian scholar Mahmoud Ben Romdhane in a recent book in French).

Marzouki argued that whoever reads Hibou’s book “understands that what bewilders the Western mind about Arabs is our transcendent ability to obey the most corrupt of rulers, while Western culture is based on the refusal to obey injustice and on legitimizing the right to resist it.”

He thus added to the Orientalist image of Arabs an idealized image of “Western culture” as if it were an eternal given.....

One does not need extraordinary insight to realize that the winners of the first post-uprising elections and governments are truly the opportunists and not the revolutionaries, as Marzouki himself rightly said when he was still moved by the thrill and wisdom of the revolution.

Condemning labor strikes and blaming them for the country’s economic decline, as well as playing that same old tune of the “extremists” and “subversives” of the “far left,” have become the common language of the new rulers in both Tunisia and Egypt, in a way that reminds us irresistibly of the deposed regimes.

But the masses that one day aspired to life and experienced the taste of freedom will not stop struggling and protesting before “fate answers their call,” even if only years later."

Billionaire Gingrich backer Adelson regrets he served in US instead of Israeli military

2012-01-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

By Ali Abunimah

"Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who along with his wife, has donated $10 million dollars in recent weeks to Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, has said that he wishes he had served in the Israeli army instead of the US military and that he wants his son to grow up to “be a sniper for the IDF.”

Gingrich himself has also doubled down on anti-Palestinian comments, asserting during a CNN debate last night that they were “invented” in the 1970s.

Adelson’s explosive comments are reported this morning by NBC’s Michael Isikoff:

Adelson owns a newspaper in Israel, ‘Israel HaYom,’ that backs conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and adamantly opposes any peace settlement with the Palestinians.
But while Adelson and Gingrich have bonded on the issue of a hawkish Mideast policy, especially over the threat of a nuclear Iran, some of the casino mogul’s comments could prove embarrassing.

In a talk to an Israeli group in July, 2010, Adelson said he wished he had served in the Israeli Army rather the U.S. military–and that he hoped his young son will come back to Israel and “be a sniper for the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces. (YouTube video of speech)

“I am not Israeli. The uniform that I wore in the military, unfortunately, was not an Israeli uniform. It was an American uniform, although my wife was in the IDF and one of my daughters was in the IDF … our two little boys, one of whom will be bar mitzvahed tomorrow, hopefully he’ll come back– his hobby is shooting – and he’ll come back and be a sniper for the IDF,” Adelson said at the event.

“All we care about is being good Zionists, being good citizens of Israel, because even though I am not Israeli born, Israel is in my heart,” he said toward the end of his talk......"

American NGO workers prevented from leaving Egypt

2012-01-27T04:13:00.000-08:00

Son of US transportation secretary among several election monitors placed on 'no-fly list' as tension with Cairo escalates

Ed Pilkington in New York
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 26 January 2012

"Tension between the US government and the Egyptian military authorities has reached a new peak after it emerged that several American non-governmental workers, including the son of a member of President Obama's administration, are being prevented from leaving the country in an ongoing spat over Egypt's recent parliamentary elections.

Sam LaHood, the son of the US transportation secretary Ray LaHood, was turned back at the airport in Cairo on Saturday in a significant escalation of the diplomatic stand-off between the two countries. LaHood heads the Egyptian outpost of the International Republican Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank that had been monitoring the elections held in recent weeks in the wake of the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak.

According to Politico he was placed on a "no-fly list", without explanation, after he tried to board a plane in an attempt to escape rising hostility towards his and other foreign NGOs. LaHood had previously been named in the state-run press in Cairo....

"That's pretty disquieting – to have that kind of thing raised by an ally that's receiving a billion and a half dollars in US aid each year," Craner said....

Craner said that at first the military generals had responded to the raids as though they were utterly unaware of what had happened. "But it's been nearly a month since then and the generals have been approached on a number of occasions and yet things have only got worse. So you have to wonder what's going on," he said....."

Bahrain’s use of tear gas against protesters increasingly deadly

2012-01-27T03:54:00.000-08:00

Amnesty International
26 January 2012

"Bahrain must investigate more than a dozen deaths that followed the misuse of tear gas by security forces, Amnesty International has said after another person was seriously injured by a tear gas canister in Manama this week.

On Tuesday, 20-year-old Mohammad al-Muwali was seriously injured and hospitalized after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister launched by riot police responding to an anti-government protest in the capital city’s Karrana neighbourhood.

A Bahraini human rights group has reported at least 13 deaths resulting from the security forces’ use of tear gas against peaceful protesters as well as inside people’s homes since February 2011, with a rise in such deaths in recent months.

“The rise in fatalities and eyewitness accounts suggest that tear gas is being used inappropriately by Bahraini security forces, including in people’s homes and other confined spaces,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

“The Bahraini authorities must investigate and account for the reports of more than a dozen deaths following tear gas use. The security forces must be instructed on how to use tear gas in line with international policing standards.”

Tear gas is used by law enforcement agencies in many countries as a riot control agent, to disperse violent gatherings that pose a threat to law and order.

But when used inappropriately, including in enclosed areas or on unarmed protesters who are simply exercising their freedoms of expression and assembly, deploying tear gas can constitute a human rights violation...."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

2012-01-27T03:36:00.000-08:00

Will the Arab (League) move to the UN succeed in resolving the Syrian crisis?

With about 300 responding so far, 67% said no.

Syrian regime 'importing snipers' for protests

2012-01-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Australian

"SYRIA is deploying large numbers of Hezbollah and Iranian snipers as "military consultants" to murder anti-regime protesters, a senior government defector has told The Times.

The salaries of the marksmen are paid through a slush fund replenished with US dollars flown in from Iran, according to Mahmoud Haj Hamad, who was the treasury's top auditor at the Defence Ministry until he fled Syria last month.

The same fund is used to pay the Shabiha, the gangs of thugs who have joined the state security services in torturing and killing protesters.

Mr Hamad, appalled at the destruction of cities by the armed forces, fled Syria with his family last month. His account is the first by a senior insider to confirm the presence of foreign forces in Syria to help to prop up the regime.

Even as the government was blaming the uprising on plots by its Arab neighbours and "foreign elements", it was turning to its regional allies to help to suppress the protests....."

Video: اعتقال قناصة إيرانيين بسوريا

2012-01-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

"أعلنت أمس الخميس "كتيبة الفاروق في الجيش السوري الحر" عن احتجازها لسبعة إيرانيين، في حين قالت الخارجية الإيرانية إن مجهولين اختطفوا 11 إيرانيا داخل سوريا وهم في طريقهم إلى العاصمة دمشق برا لزيارة العتبات المقدسة فيها.

وأوضحت "كتيبة الفاروق في الجيش السوري الحر" أن خمسة منهم ينتمون إلى الحرس الثوري الإيراني أحدهم ضابط، وقد ألقي القبض عليهم مسلحين وكانوا يعملون قناصة تحت إمرة فرع الأمن الجوي بحمص. أما الآخران فهما مدنيان يعملان في محطة جندر الكهربائية وسيُطلق سراحهما.

في غضون ذلك أدان المتحدث باسم وزارة الخارجية الإيرانية رامين مهمانبرست اختطاف 11 زائرا إيرانيا كانوا في طريقهم إلى دمشق برا لزيارة العتبات المقدسة من قبل مجموعة مجهولة.

ودعا المتحدث السلطات السورية إلى استخدام كل إمكانياتها للإفراج عنهم على وجه السرعة، حسب ما ذكرته وكالة الأنباء الإيرانية الرسمية (إرنا).
....
...."

A HUGE MASSACRE UNDER WAY IN HOMS (Video Included)

2012-01-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

An all out war by the Syrian Regime. Bombing building and shooting everything that walks.
A Sectarian massacre took place Sabra & Shatila Style where Alawite death squads massacred
a family of 5 children and 3 women. Jazeera Muabasher is carrying the horror on 4 screens live.
Of course this is all a conspiracy and this is all in order to preserve "Al-Muquamah".

Proof the conspiracy against Syria EXISTS

2012-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Finally !! the Syrian government was able to capture and kill a Salafi Al-Qaeda cell in Homs. They have been talking about it for a while but now they have produced the evidence. These Salafis were trying to
incite the Syrian Army to bomb them so they can create an environment for NATO to bomb the beacon of resistance Syria !! or like Nasrallah refers to it : Sooriya Al-Assad.

Iraqis Voice Outrage as U.S. Massacre in Haditha Ends in No Jail Time for Accused Marines

2012-01-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

"The last of the U.S. marines charged in the 2005 Haditha massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, received no jail time after he pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty and avoiding charges of involuntary manslaughter. Under his sentencing, Wuterich now faces a maximum penalty of a demotion to the rank of private. The victims, including women and children, were killed when the marines burst into their homes and shot them dead in their nightclothes. Wuterich allegedly led the Haditha massacre and was the last defendant to face charges. Six other marines have had their charges dropped or dismissed, while another soldier was acquitted. "[Iraqi] outrage is perfectly understandable," says Tim McGirk, the Time magazine reporter who broke the story on the Haditha massacre. "Here is a case where so many Iraqis were killed, women and children, old men, and yet what’s happened? Most of the charges have been dismissed, and Wuterich was basically given a slap on the wrist."....."

Video: من خطابات و مقابلات لحكيم الثورة د جورج حبش

2012-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Arabs48.com

Avoiding a ‘Dumb War’ With Iran

2012-01-26T07:07:00.000-08:00

by Philip Giraldi, January 26, 2012

"The media and the punditry have been deliberately misrepresenting facts to persuade the people of the United States to start another war, not unlike in the lead-up to the Iraq fiasco. Since 9/11, hard-liners in the United States have depicted one Muslim country after another as major threats to U.S. security. They have justified attacks on Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, and Afghanistan, and they have endorsed Israel’s military actions against Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon — 10 Muslim countries.
This time around, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and New Gingrich are all promising to disarm Iran by force. Romney has a neocon-heavy foreign policy team, while Gingrich’s campaign received at least $5 million in financial support from Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a passionate supporter of Israel. Meanwhile, the White House continues to dither by drawing “red lines” that appear to be more debating points meant to appease the Israelis than substantive policies. ...."

Press freedom index: big falls for Arab trio in year of protest

2012-01-26T06:55:00.000-08:00

Syria, Bahrain and Yemen fall backwards as uprisings fail to secure democracy

The Guardian

"Three Arab countries where popular risings have been quashed have achieved their worst-ever rankings in the annual press freedom index.

But the falls by Syria, Bahrain and Yemen are among many changes that reflect a year of unrest and protest.

The United States, for example, has dropped markedly due to the targeting of journalists covering the Occupy Wall Street movement.

It slipped 27 places, down to 47th place out of a total of 179 countries in the survey. Britain fell from 19th to 28th (though the reason for that remains unclear).

"Crackdown was the word of the year in 2011," said Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the international press freedom watchdog, when releasing its 10th annual index.
"Never has freedom of information been so closely associated with democracy. Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of freedom so much.
Never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on journalists seemed so numerous. The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom.
Dictatorships fear and ban information, especially when it may undermine them."......"

Arab regime change is best left to Arabs

2012-01-26T06:46:00.000-08:00

To compare Egypt, Syria and Iraq shows how damaging foreign intervention can be to the legitimacy of popular revolt

Rami Khouri in Beirut
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012

".....The sharp contrasts between events in Egypt and Syria provide fitting bookends to the last two generations of political life in the Arab world – as incompetent, exhausted and discredited political orders are in the process of being changed, largely at the instigation of their own people. These two cases can also be compared with a third – Iraq – where an equally unacceptable autocratic government led by the Ba'ath party was overthrown by an Anglo-American-led military invasion in 2003, leaving the country today in a sad and fractured condition of stress and violence.

Historians will long debate the four critical factors we see at play in these countries: the power and limits of domestic civil disobedience, the role of foreign armies, the impact of Arab League action, and the nature and consequences of Islamist politics that seem to inevitably dominate in liberated and democratic Arab countries....

The main lesson we can draw for now seems to me that self-determination and democratic transitions achieved through legitimate popular revolt are likely to lead to stable governance systems, while upheavals and change generated by invading foreign armies or engineered coups will only lead to continued instability, because they lack the critical elements of legitimacy and accountability. We should keep our eyes on those two factors as deliberations continue on Arab and international intervention in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, and other Arab lands to follow in due course."

Will Egypt's first post-revolution parliament make a difference?

2012-01-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

If Egypt's new Islamist majority is seen to be appeasing the military then the new parliament will quickly become irrelevant

Amira Nowaira
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012

"Egypt's first post-revolution parliament convened for the first time on 23 January, two days before the first anniversary of the revolution that led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. As hundreds of thousands converged on squares across Egypt on Wednesday afternoon to reiterate their original demands of "bread, freedom, human dignity and social justice," the question arises as to whether this parliament can ultimately make a difference.....

If the balance of power in Egypt now is held, broadly speaking, by the three major forces: Scaf, the Islamists and the democracy advocates, it is the latter that speak the loudest and fear the least. While Scaf has the guns as well as the power of state media and de facto authority, and the Islamists have their grassroots appeal through their religiously charged rhetoric, the revolutionaries have nothing but their dogged determination and their unwavering conviction that justice will in the end prevail. As such, they are decidedly a force that cannot be ignored. The new parliament will soon have to choose on which side it will finally be.

It is still too early to predict with any degree of confidence what that choice will ultimately be. As the tides of protesters sweep over Egypt's squares, it is abundantly clear that the new parliament cannot afford to ignore the vocal part of the population except at its own peril. The days when Mubarak's NDP-led parliament submitted to the orders of the regime are over, once and for all. The sooner the new MPs understand that the better. Otherwise, the new parliament will not only become irrelevant but also the cause of fresh waves of anger."

Egyptian protesters say 'the revolution never went away'

2012-01-26T04:47:00.000-08:00

A year after the overthrow of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, protesters return to Tahrir Square to hold the military to account

Jack Shenker in Cairo
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012

"....In the end though, peaceful coexistence largely prevailed. "Parliament [which is now dominated by the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party'] is one source of democracy and this, the street, is another," said Adel Tawfiq, a young architect and member of the Muslim Brotherhood. "I know the revolution isn't over, and I think we need both to ensure it succeeds. These two things aren't in opposition to each other, in fact they go hand in hand."

And it is that ascendancy of sovereignty from below – accepted even by those who have most invested in the government – that is perhaps this revolution's greatest triumph so far, one year on from the day it all began. "We're witnessing a new definition of politics," claimed Khaled Fahmy, chair of the history faculty at the American University in Cairo who joined the rallies today. "Those fighting for change here, their imagination, their discourse, their imagery, their tactics and organisation – it's all unprecedented...."

No Joy in Egypt

2012-01-26T04:39:00.000-08:00

A year after the revolution started, human rights abuses continue under the ruling military council.

by Daniel Williams

"As Egypt marks the first anniversary of the Jan. 25 civilian revolt that eventually toppled the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, there's no agreement – on how to celebrate or even whether rejoicing is in order.

The current military rulers – the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, or SCAF – want to hold parades and aerial jet exhibitions to exult in the revolution, of which their main part was to ease Mubarak out of power. Youth groups and democracy activists who originally engineered the uprising are carrying on a campaign called "The Generals are Liars," with mini-demonstrations and audiovisual presentations in the streets documenting police and military abuses. Islamic politicians, triumphant in recent parliamentary elections, extol the military's role while pressing for an eventual transfer of power to civilians....

Egypt seated a new parliament on Monday. It should act quickly to wipe clean the slate of laws that restrict free speech, association and assembly and that permit police too much latitude to shoot protesters. Members of the parliament should limit military court jurisdiction to military officials and repeal the emergency law. Egypt's foreign friends – including the aid-giving U.S. government – should wholeheartedly support the reforms and resist suggestions that continued dictatorship means stability.

With Egypt's revolution in its first stages, the time is now for the parliament to end Egypt's long-term rule by military fiat."

Libya: Deaths of detainees amid widespread torture

2012-01-26T04:31:00.000-08:00

"Several detainees have died after being subjected to torture in Libya in recent weeks and months amid widespread torture and ill-treatment of suspected pro-al-Gaddafi fighters and loyalists, Amnesty International said today.

Amnesty International delegates in Libya have met detainees being held in and around Tripoli, Misrarah and Gheryan, who showed visible marks indicating torture inflicted in recent days and weeks. Their injuries included open wounds on the head, limbs, back and other parts of the body.

The torture is being carried out by officially recognized military and security entities as well by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework.

“After all the promises to get detention centres under control, it is horrifying to find that there has been no progress to stop the use of torture,” said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International's Senior Crisis Response Adviser, from Libya....."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Egypt: A year on and still unresolved?

2012-01-26T04:16:00.000-08:00

A GOOD PROGRAM

"It is exactly a year since the Egyptian revolution began, and only the banners have changed. Protesters have converged again in Tahrir Square calling for the next phase. What next for Egypt? Guests are: Wael Eskandar, Nader Omran and Sharif Kouddous."

Egypt’s brutalization of women continues

2012-01-26T04:05:00.000-08:00

Joseph Mayton 26 January 2012
Bikya Masr

"......While the most recent incidents should not dampen the will of the Egyptian people to join forces in magnificent street demonstrations that rid the country of one dictator already, it can no longer be avoided. Sexual violence is not an aberration to Egypt. It has a deep-rooted history that must not be avoided through apologies. It has to be faced head on.

In the end, let us hope that this is the final “wake-up” call for Egyptian society to tackle this problem. Far too many women have been battered, beaten and raped in Egypt to allow it to continue. The very future of Egyptian society and a bright, prosperous future, could very well depend on how women are treated and empowered in the post-Mubarak Egypt.

There can be no revolution without women’s empowerment. Plain and simple."

Exclusive: Woman tells of having pants ripped off, assaulted and prodded in Egypt’s Tahrir Square

2012-01-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

By Joseph Mayton
Bikya Masr

"CAIRO: Heather still doesn’t know how she made it home on Wednesday night after being in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. The Arab-American arrived back at her Cairo flat without pants, having had them torn off downtown. She and her two roommates were victims of a mob attack by people in the iconic square on Wednesday, as protesters demonstrated against the military junta.

According to Heather, an Arab-American living in the Egyptian capital, she and her Swedish and Spanish roommates took to Tahrir as thousands were converging there to mark one-year since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak.

“They started fighting over who was going to do what,” Heather told Bikyamasr.com in an exclusive interview. She came forward after seeing the report on a foreign woman who was stripped naked and assaulted only hours after her own incident.

“My roommates and I fell to the ground when they attacked us. The people pulled our pants off even as we yelled and tried to fight,” she continued....

Instances of sexual assaults on female journalists covering the events in Tahrir Square have continued in the year since Mubarak’s ouster.

According to studies conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Right (ECWR) in 2008, 98 percent of foreign women and 83 percent of Egyptian women surveyed had experienced sexual harassment in Egypt.

Meanwhile, 62 percent of Egyptian men confessed to harassing women and 53 percent of Egyptian men faulted women for “bringing it on.”"

Egypt: The continued need for popular protest

2012-01-26T03:34:00.000-08:00

The overwhelming number of crowds that converged on Tahrir Square is partly due to the vigorous youth efforts.

By Sarah Mousa
Al-Jazeera

"Cairo, Egypt - January 25 of this year, like that of the previous one, came as a surprise to many in Egypt. The overwhelming crowds that marched from all corners of Cairo and converged on Tahrir Square are estimated to be larger than any of those seen over the past year. The dominating chant insisted on an end to military rule, while the list of demands has changed little.

After the fall, clashes that pitted a dwindling number of protesters against the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and sustained state media attacks against youth movements, many felt that the causes of the original revolution and its proponents were becoming increasingly isolated. The scenes witnessed at Tahrir Square and throughout the country on January 25 proved the contrary.

A provocative SCAF labelling of the day as a celebration, and rumours of expected military presence at Tahrir left many expecting a clash between small groups of protesters and state forces. Instead, there was no site of celebration, as protesters filled the Square and outlying streets, mourning those who have been killed for the sake of democratic governance and insisting on the completion of their revolution.

While the day may have been unexpected, it was certainly not unplanned. In light of several events over the past four months that left protesters dead and demands unanswered, existing youth movements and newly formed ones actively worked to spread awareness of media fallacies and the continued need for popular protest.

One group, The Military are Liars, created after clashes at Tahrir Square and in front of the Ministry that left dozens of protesters dead in December, publicly screened military abuses of civilian protesters throughout the streets of Egypt....

The Arab world has become accustomed to concessions, often far from adequate, from a nervous leader on the eve of an expected uprising. January 24 was no exception; Field Marshal Tantawi paid tribute to the Revolution and announced an end to the Emergency Law with a notable exception in the case of "thugs", a term often used by state media to refer to protesters. While this was indeed one of the key demands of the Revolution, the timing and exception make the concession moot.

A further pledge by SCAF to release 1,900 prisoners tried in military courts, out of approximately 12,000 prisoners of the same fate, was an additional concession deemed inadequate and leaves protesters continuing to insist on a complete end to the military trial of civilians and release of all political prisoners....

The opening session of parliament was held on January 23, but negotiations between the MB leadership and the 19-member SCAF are rumoured to have been ongoing since the MB victory became clear. While parliament is granted the authority to choose the 100-member council that will draft the new constitution, the main outline of this constitution is already being discussed by SCAF and the MB....

The fact remains, however, that the MB is a politically patient group, one that can be generally categorised as reformist, rather than revolutionary. On January 25, the MB maintained a cautious presence at Tahrir, avoiding threats to military rule while not disconcerting the revolutionaries. Their chants included ones relating to regional causes such as the Palestinian plight and were recognisably out of place.

Despite the dozens of MB-sponsored buses carrying supporters from various governorates to the Square, their presence as an underwhelming minority may represent a preliminary indication of needed political adjustments on part of the group....."

The Salafis' Plan to Promote Tourism: Foreign woman stripped of clothes, assaulted, in Egypt’s Tahrir Square

2012-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

Bikya Masr

"CAIRO: A foreign woman was stripped and sexually assaulted on Wednesday evening in Egypt’s iconic Tahrir Square, one eyewitness said on Twitter and another confirmed in an email to Bikyamasr.com.

The woman, who’s identity has not been revealed, was taken away in an ambulance after being assaulted for 10 minutes. Her husband reportedly was unable to intervene and witnessed the incident.

“I saw the woman and then dozens of men surrounded her and started grabbing her, when she screamed for help some people came, but they were hit in the face,” wrote one witness.

What happened next was “appalling,” said the trusted witness, who asked for anonymity. “The men just started tearing at her clothes and grabbing her body all over. When she fought back, they pushed her. It was chaos.”

There were unconfirmed reports that the men “violated” her with their hands.

The nationality of the woman is unknown at the current time.

Throughout the day, sexual harassment towards women has been increasing and more and more reports of women being grabbed and groped began being reported.

Activists called the attacks on women completely “unacceptable” and must be exposed no matter what. They demanded an end to all violence toward women.

“What happened in Tahrir today has no justification and must be fully exposed even if it taints Tahrir!” wrote EgyptSecularist on Twitter.

The incident brings memories of reporter Lara Logan, who was sexually assaulted the night former President Hosni Mubarak gave up power....."

My cousin was arrested tonight

2012-01-25T16:55:00.000-08:00

She is 25 years of age and was very active. Whenever we warned her and ask her to slow down she would say "if we slow down , then who will keep going, those people getting killed are not better than me". I talked to her father and he was more intact than I was and said "Allah will protect her". She had a secret online identity through out the revolution, but came out in the open 2 weeks ago and declared her opposition in the open. She worked for the UN and was active in helping out the poor and the under privileged.

Egypt: Sharif Abdel Kouddous Reports From Cairo As Crowds Mark 1 Year of Revolution in Tahrir Square

2012-01-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

"As tens of thousands of Egyptians gather in Tahrir Square to mark the first anniversary of the start of the revolution that ended Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade reign, we go to Cairo to speak with Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who has reported on the popular uprising since it began. "What happened on January 25 was really an uprising that was 10 years in the making—a growing resistance movement to the Mubarak regime, to a regime that was characterized by a sprawling police apparatus, that engaged in quashing of dissent and torture, a paralyzed body politic, and rampant corruption," Kouddous says. "People speak about the barrier of fear being broken, but I really think it was a lack of hope. And that was the gift that Tunisia gave to Egypt: [it] was that here’s the dream that you can achieve, and here’s the hope that you can change if you take to the streets."...."

"In Tahrir Square": HBO Doc on Egypt’s Revolution Through Eyes of Democracy Now!’s Sharif Kouddous

2012-01-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

"Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous is the central character in the new HBO documentary airing tonight, "In Tahrir Square: 18 Days of Egypt’s Unfinished Revolution." The film chronicles the uprising though the reporting of Kouddous and it looks at what the protest meant for his uncle, Mohamed Abdel Quddoos, a longtime Egyptian dissident who was arrested dozens of times by the Mubarak regime. We’re joined by Kouddous in Cairo, as well as the team behind the film: Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neil of Downtown Community Television; and independent filmmaker Jacquie Soohen of Big Noise Films....."

Al-Jazeera Video: Revolution through Arab Eyes - The Republic of Tahrir

2012-01-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

"It became the physical and symbolic heart of a revolution, but have Egyptians kept the spirit of Tahrir alive?"

Al-Jazeera Video: Wael Khalil speaks to Al Jazeera

2012-01-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

"Wael Khalil, Egyptian blogger and activist, told Al Jazeera that "the revolution has not achieved its goal and that's why the main slogan now on the street is, people going back to Tahrir Square.

"Everything that has been achieved in the past one year was a result of people's protests and demands," he says.

"The trial of Mubarak, free elections, participation of people in the elections and other demands were not achieved by power from above, not by SCAF, but people pressuring from below.""

Al-Jazeera Video: Egyptians mark first anniversary of revolution

2012-01-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

"Egyptians have gathered at Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square to mark one year of the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak from power.

But most Egyptians are not in the Square as they are struggling to make a living on two dollars a day or less, in shanty towns and villages across the country.

Tahrir Square has for some become a symbol of people power... to others, a sign of the country's instability and turmoil.

After one year, there's still as much fear as there is hope for the future of the country.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros reports from Cairo."

Al-Jazeera Video: Free Syrian Army 'not only defectors'

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

"Many Syrian civilians are taking up arms to defend themselves from the government's 10 month crackdown on peaceful protests.

A number of them have joined the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a group of thousands of members, most of whom have defected from the country's security forces in order to protect civilians.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Tripoli in northern Lebanon."

Al-Jazeera Video: Plea deal for Haditha killings sparks outrage in Iraq

2012-01-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

"Iraqis are angry at how court martial hearings have ended over the killing of 24 civilians in the city of Haditha in 2005.

The last of the eight marine defendants is awaiting sentencing after a deal in which he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of dereliction of duty.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of three months in a military jail. [Actually he was not even sentenced to be jailed!]

Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf has more from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad."

Your Genocide is Worse Than Mine! By Khalil Bendib

2012-01-25T07:20:00.000-08:00

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)

Arab Spring Gives Way to Military Chill

2012-01-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

By Cam McGrath

"CAIRO, Jan 25, 2012 (IPS) - When Egypt’s dictator was ousted during a popular uprising last February, the military leaders who assumed control of the country pledged to "protect the revolution" and ensure a swift transition to civilian rule within six months. One year later, the ruling generals appear to have hijacked the transition to preserve the military institution’s economic autonomy and secure their own political future.

"The military council has never protected the revolution, it has only protected itself," says activist Ahmed Maher, one of the architects of the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.....

"Egypt’s military rulers have completely failed to live up to their promises to Egyptians to improve human rights and have instead been responsible for a catalogue of abuses which in some cases exceeds the record of Hosni Mubarak," says rights watchdog Amnesty International.

SCAF’s heavy-handed approach to street activism has coincided with a smear campaign against various watchdog groups. The generals are using the state media apparatus to discredit opponents, depicting protesters and NGOs monitoring elections or human rights as foreign agents seeking to undermine national sovereignty.

Activists say the military borrowed a chapter from Mubarak’s playbook, stoking xenophobia to deflect attention from its increasingly authoritarian rule. SCAF leaders have repeatedly blamed an "invisible hand" for inciting violence, including clashes between security forces and protesters that left over 80 people dead and thousands injured during the last three months.

"The invisible hand is the SCAF itself," says Negad El-Borai , a rights lawyer and activist. "The army beats people, kills protesters in the street, and hasn’t implemented any of the revolution’s demands – and this is the reason for the violence."

As Egyptians mark the first anniversary of the uprising, many speak of an incomplete revolution. Mubarak is gone, but the generals who replaced him continue to govern the country at the expense of the people. Any true revolution, El-Borai notes, would require making the military accountable to an elected civilian government."

Israeli Assassinations and American Presidents

2012-01-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

by Alison Weir, January 25, 2012

"On Jan. 13 the Atlanta Jewish Times featured a column by its owner-publisher suggesting that Israel might someday need to “order a hit” on the president of the United States.
In the column, publisher Andrew Adler describes a scenario in which Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would need to “give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel.”
The purpose? So that the vice president could then take office and dictate U.S. policies that would help the Jewish state “obliterate its enemies.”
Adler wrote that it is highly likely that the idea “has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles.”.......

Targeting Americans

If the plot had gone forward, this would not have been the first time that Israel targeted Americans for death. Nor would it be the first false-flag operation.
• In 1954 the Mossad planned to firebomb American installations, libraries, and other gathering places in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood was to be blamed for the attacks, thus causing American animosity toward Egypt. An accidental early detonation of one of the devices caused the plot, known as the Lavon Affair, to unravel before it could kill or mutilate the intended Americans.

• In 1967 Israeli air and sea forces perpetrated an almost two-hour assault in which they tried to sink a U.S. Navy ship with a crew of 300. While the attack failed to sink the ship, it succeeded in killing 34 Americans and injuring 174. Some analysts have conjectured that this was also a false-flag operation; it is highly likely that Egypt would have been blamed for the attack if the ship had gone down.
• In 1973 Israeli fighter pilots were ordered to shoot down an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane (at the time the U.S. was delivering massive weaponry to Israel to prevent it from losing the “Yom Kippur War” with Egypt and Syria). While the Israelis were unable to reach the altitude of the U.S. plane, they did manage that same year to shoot down a civilian Libyan airliner that had strayed over Israeli territory, killing 104 men, women, and children. One was an American.
• In 1990 a Canadian-American scientist and father of seven, Gerald Bull, was assassinated in Belgium. All indications are that it was an Israeli Mossad hit team that drilled five bullets into the back of his head and neck. (Israel has assassinated a number of scientists of various nationalities. The most recent is a 32-year-old father of a young son from Iran.)
• In 2003 it came out that Israeli leaders had officially decided to undertake assassination operations on U.S. soil. An FBI spokesman, queried about the Israeli plans, said only: “This is a policy matter. We only enforce federal laws.”
• In recent years a growing number of American peace activists have been intentionally killed, maimed, and injured by Israeli forces, including 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, 21-year-old Brian Avery, 37-year-old Tristan Anderson, 21-year-old Emily Henochowicz, and 21-year-old Furkan Dogan.
All of this has been minimally reported in the U.S. press. While major news organizations from England to Israel to Australia covered the Jewish Times’ apparent endorsement of a possible Israeli assassination of a U.S. president, the scandal has been largely missing from U.S. media. Even Atlanta’s AP bureau inexplicably initially decided not to write a report on it, only finally sending out a story many days later......"

Robert Fisk: We've been here before – and it suits Israel that we never forget 'Nuclear Iran'

2012-01-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

The Ayatollah ordered the entire nuclear project to be closed down because it was the work of the devil

Robert Fisk

"......Let's take the Israeli version which, despite constant proof that Israel's intelligence services are about as efficient as Syria's, goes on being trumpeted by its friends in the West, none more subservient than Western journalists. The Israeli President warns us now that Iran is on the cusp of producing a nuclear weapon. Heaven preserve us. Yet we reporters do not mention that Shimon Peres, as Israeli Prime Minister, said exactly the same thing in 1996. That was 16 years ago. And we do not recall that the current Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in 1992 that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by 1999. That would be 13 years ago. Same old story....

The trouble is that Iran has won almost all its recent wars without firing a shot. George W and Tony destroyed Iran's nemesis in Iraq. They killed thousands of the Sunni army whom Iran itself always referred to as "the black Taliban". And the Gulf Arabs, our "moderate" friends, shiver in their golden mosques as we in the West outline their fate in the event of an Iranian Shia revolution.

No wonder Cameron goes on selling weapons to these preposterous people whose armies, in many cases, could scarcely operate soup kitchens, let alone the billions of dollars of sophisticated kit we flog them under the fearful shadow of Tehran.

Bring on the sanctions. Send in the clowns."

Egypt's revolution has carved its path to parliament

2012-01-25T04:48:00.000-08:00

The Egyptian uprising is like the Nile in flood. It cannot be kept back with barriers and uniforms

Ahdaf Soueif
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 January 2012

".....Parliament, as the elected legislative body, can start delivering on a lot of these. If the military allows it. Or if it gets rid of the military. What will become clear over the coming few weeks is how far parliament – or sections of it – will align itself with the aims of the revolution. Will it allow itself to be used as cover or window-dressing for the old regime to carry on as usual under the generals? The Islamists are in the majority now. Will they realise their strength and use it for the good of the country? Or will they remain true to form and handcuff themselves where they perceive power to be?....."

US marine spared jail over deaths of unarmed Iraqis

2012-01-25T04:41:00.000-08:00

Frank Wuterich, convicted over 2005 massacre of 24 civilians in Haditha, will not serve time in jail

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 January 2012

"The only US marine to face sentencing for the killing of two dozen unarmed Iraqis in one of the Iraq war's defining moments has been spared jail time after defending his squad's storming of the homes of Haditha as a necessary act "to keep the rest of my marines alive".

Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich's sentence ends a six-year prosecution for the 2005 attack. Eight Marines were initially charged; one was acquitted and six others had their cases dropped.

Wuterich, who admitted ordering his squad to "shoot first, ask questions later" after a roadside bomb killed a fellow Marine, ended his manslaughter trial by pleading guilty on Monday to a single count of negligent dereliction of duty......"

Jan 25 - how Egypt's bloggers see the revolution one year on

2012-01-25T04:29:00.000-08:00

Three bloggers who have documented Egypt's revolution online share how they covered events in 2011 and tell us what the anniversary of 25 January means to them

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012

"Hossam el-Hamalawy, arabawy.org
Hossam is a journalist and blogger with the Egyptian Revolutionary Socialists. In a blog post from 12 February 2011 he writes about the #Jan25 revolution:

At this point, the Tahrir Square occupation is likely to be suspended. But we have to take Tahrir to the factories now. As the revolution proceeds an inevitable class polarization is to happen. We have to be vigilant. We shouldn't stop here… We hold the keys to the liberation of the entire region, not just Egypt… Onwards with a permanent revolution that will empower the people of this country with direct democracy from below…

Reflecting on the first anniversary of 25 January 2011, he says:

As Mubarak stepped down on 12 February 2011, there was rightly a wide feeling of celebration in Egypt and a fresh wave of optimism for what would come next. People like myself who saw the revolution as only starting at the time were a minority. We had managed only to get rid of Mubarak, but his regime remained alive and well, intact with the same methods of repression. His army generals at the time had to sacrifice him under the escalating pressures from the streets, public squares and finally labour strikes.

When I wrote this posting on 12 Feb, such anti-SCAF views as well as the support for labour strikes was not popular. Almost a year later, I'm proud I took that position. A continuous process of disillusionment with the army has been happening over the past year, and increasing sections of Egyptian society can now see that Mubarak's army generals are leading nothing but the counter-revolution in an attempt to save the regime, diffusing all goals we cried for in Tahrir and elsewhere. You could have been lynched by the people themselves if you had chanted against the army in February or March, but we saw in the past months two renewed mini uprisings in November and December, following a wave of mass strikes in September and October which saw at least three quarters of million Egyptians stopping work, to demand social justice.

My position has not changed a year later. I still believe industrial actions and the social movement to be the only hope for this revolution to succeed. As we mark the first anniversary of the revolution we are reminded that no revolutions get settled in 18 days or months. And the fight will continue to take Tahrir to the factories and workplaces to bring a final end to this regime.

Gigi Ibrahim, theangryegyptian.wordpress.com

Gigi is a revolutionary socialist activist and blogger. Her videos, images and tweets have documented events since 25 January 2011.
........"

State of Emergency Under Different Name? Egypt: Exceptions to Ending Emergency Law Invite Abuse

2012-01-25T04:09:00.000-08:00

Immediately Free Emergency Law Detainees, Transfer Cases to Regular Courts

Human Rights Watch
January 25, 2012

"(New York) – The Egyptian military’s announcement on January 24, 2012, that it will lift the state of emergency except in cases of “thuggery” is an invitation to continued abuse, Alkarama and Human Rights Watch said today. The two rights groups said that the government should use the regular penal code and civilian criminal courts to address alleged criminal activity. It should also repeal Law 34, which criminalizes participation in strikes during a state of emergency.

Military leaders have frequently described protesters as “thugs” and military tribunals have convicted peaceful protesters after unfair trials for the crime of “thuggery.”

Despite promises to end the state of emergency, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has been using the exceptional powers under the Emergency Law. The Interior Ministry is holding at least 55 detainees under the Emergency Law and prosecuting at least six cases before Emergency State Security Courts, which do not provide the right to an appeal.

“January 25 is the first anniversary of the day when Egyptians stood up together to demand an end to police abuse and the state of emergency,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “It is an insult to all those calling for a return to the rule of law to make excuses to keep this state of emergency, used abusively for so many years, in place.”......"

UAE: Free Speech Under Attack

2012-01-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

Harassment, Arrests, Criminal Prosecutions
January 25, 2012

"(Dubai) – The United Arab Emirates during 2011 muzzled the right of its citizens to express themselves and to form independent associations, Human Rights Watch said today in issuing its World Report 2012 at a news conference in Dubai.

UAE authorities harassed, arrested, and jailed activists, and disbanded the elected boards of two of the country’s most prominent civil society organizations.

“In the year of the Arab Spring, the UAE headed in the opposite direction by criminally prosecuting Emiratis who dared to criticize the government,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch......"

Egypt must protect peaceful protesters on '25 January' anniversary

2012-01-25T03:47:00.000-08:00

Amnesty International
24 January 2012

"Egypt's military rulers must protect protesters and uphold the right to peaceful assembly, Amnesty International said today ahead of planned nationwide protests marking the first anniversary of the uprising that ended President Hosni Mubarak's rule.

The Egyptian Interior Minister said in a press conference on Monday that there will be no security presence near Tahrir Square and other locations where demonstrations are planned to commemorate the '25 January Revolution' on Wednesday. Some media added that the security forces are prepared to use live ammunition on protesters if public institutions are attacked.

"Rather than abandoning the sites of planned demonstrations, the security forces must act responsibly by ensuring that everyone can safely exercise their right to peaceful expression and assembly," said Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director.

"In a polarized environment where protesters have been portrayed by some state media and the authorities as trouble makers and as counter-protests are planned on the day, the position of the authorities risks amounting to a dereliction of their duty”.

The Interior Minister warned that individuals impersonating uniformed police officers and soldiers may attend protests with the intent of trying to provoke confrontations between protesters and security forces.

The Minister did not say what the authorities plan to do to protect the protesters or prevent any potential clashes.

"Warning that there is a risk to protesters from impostors disguised as members of the police and military and not taking action to address the threat is unacceptable. Such behaviour will not restore the faith of Egyptians in long discredited interior ministry and casts a shadow on the new police code of ethics," said Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui.

A year after it came to power the Egyptian authorities have still not made public the rules issued to the security forces on the use of force despite repeated requests from Amnesty International and other organizations

"Instead of ordering the security forces to stop using excessive force, it has praised their actions and continued to blame the protesters and “hidden elements” conspiring against Egypt’s stability," said Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui.

"As protesters will also be paying tribute to the people killed and injured in demonstrations in Egypt, the scenes of last year’s violence must not be repeated. Protesters must be allowed to exercise their right to protest peacefully, without fear of attack."

Since the “25 January Revolution”, security forces, including soldiers, military police and the Central Security Forces, have routinely been deployed to suppress demonstrations.

They have used tear gas, batons, rubber bullets and live ammunition, including shotgun shells, to forcibly disperse protesters, and on several occasions have driven armoured vehicles into packed crowds to scatter and injure them.

Today’s announcement that the 30 year old state of emergency will be lifted tomorrow is not likely to change the situation on the ground as emergency legislation will continue to apply in cases of “thuggery”, a vaguely defined offence routinely used to decry protesters.

Despite repeated pledges by the SCAF to protect protesters, at least 90 people have been killed and thousands more injured during protests where security forces have used excessive force....... "

Egypt: The revolution that shame built

2012-01-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Although Bouazizi's self-immolation mobilised a nation, Egyptians would need to exercise a different tactic for change.

By Mark LeVine
Al-Jazeera

".....But whatever the fate of his memory, the revolution he launched produced the only clear success story of the Arab Spring. For her part, Asmaa Mahfouz and the April 6 movement has struggled to maintain a leading role in a post-Mubarak political landscape that has seen Egypt's deep state and its well-funded and deeply rooted Islamist movements carve up the emerging political space between them. Mahfouz herself stood up to attempts by SCAF to prosecute her for supposedly inciting violence against the military, but her popularity has been diminished as a result. Her fellow April 6 activists continue to be harassed and charged with such crimes as "attempting to overthrow the regime" and "trying to destabilise the country".

They will no doubt find themselves between SCAF's crosshairs again if the "Liars" (Kazeboon) campaign launched against the military begins to show results. At the same time, as most Egyptians have laid aside whatever revolutionary mantle they'd taken up and attempted to normalise their lives, the defenders of Tahrir have increasingly come from the poorest and most marginalised sectors of society - from fanatic football "hooligans" to street kids - who, while representing the majority of Egyptians demographically, are the view in the mirror most Egyptians want to see when confronted by the ongoing violence and repression of the system they'd sought to tear down - beginning a year ago today.

Many commentators have described the ongoing repression and violence deployed by SCAF in the past year as bumbling or incompetent. However, given the extremely weak hand dealt to the military by the revolution, the fact that it has managed to retain a firm grip on power, negotiate an entirely new and seemingly productive relationship with the rising religious political forces, and simultaneously repress the core revolutionary forces - while convincing millions of Egyptians to buy into the new political environment through elections - can only be described as an accomplishment.

But the sparks of inspiration generated by the words, music and images of activists and artists such as Mahfouz, Wael Ghonim or Ramy Essam have yet to go dark. They remain at the heart of the revolutionary impulse that still animates Egyptian politics, whatever the setbacks of the past few months, and no matter who leads parliament when it is seated on January 25.

If the emerging political system begins to look and feel too much like the one so many Egyptians thought they'd helped to topple a year ago, the calls to Tahrir will again go out and the "couch party" - the majority of Egyptians who either sat out the first phase of the revolution or were too quick to leave the square once Mubarak was gone - will again be shamed onto the streets. If not by Asmaa Mahfouz, then by someone who today is as unknown as she was 53 weeks ago. And that is reason enough to celebrate January 25, without reservation and with hope for the future. "

Al-Jazeera Video: Zeina Khodr comments on al-Muallem's address

2012-01-24T07:32:00.001-08:00

Al-Jazeera Video: Zeina Khodr comments on Syria and the Arab League

2012-01-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

Al-Jazeera Video: US marine pleads guilty to Haditha killings

2012-01-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

(Scroll down for a report in the Guardian on this)

"A US Marine sergeant accused of leading a massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha pleaded guilty on Monday to negligence, ending the final prosecution stemming from a 2005 incident

Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, had ordered his unit to shoot the civilians after a roadside bomb killed a member of their convoy.

He now faces a maximum of three months in prison and a rank demotion.

Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports from Washington."