Al-Jazeera Video: Al Jazeera's correspondent reports on Israel 'tent city' evacuation

Al-Jazeera Video: Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouthi speaks to Al Jazeera

Al-Jazeera Video: Talk to Al Jazeera - Noam Chomsky: The responsibility of privilege

EXCELLENT INTERVIEW!

"Linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky remains as vigorous as ever at the age of 84. His popularity - or notoriety as some would say - endures because he is still criticising politicians, business leaders and other powerful figures for not acting in the public's best interest. At the heart of Chomsky's work is examining the ways elites use their power to control millions of people, and pushing the public to resist. In this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, Noam Chomsky sits down with Rosiland Jordan to talk about the two main tracks of his life: research and political activism."

The US - alongside Saudi Arabia - fights for freedom and democracy in the Middle East

The ability to persuade people that the US opposes tyranny is a testament to the potency of propaganda

Glenn Greenwald
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 12 January 2013

"........In other words, the single most repressive regime in that region is also America's closest ally. Eakin also notes that while Saudi leaders have exploited the rhetoric of the Arab Spring to undermine leaders its dislikes (primarily in Syria and Iran), its only direct action was to send its troops into Bahrain "to stave off a popular revolt and prop up the Bahraini monarchy" and use "its influence in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the alliance of autocratic Persian Gulf states, to pull together support for the beleaguered royal houses of Morocco and Jordan." About all of this Saudi bolstering of tyranny, Eakin says: "The White House has remained silent."

Actually, that's not quite accurate. The US has been there every step of the way with its close Saudi allies in strengthening these same tyrannies. As the Bahraini regime has systematically killed, tortured, and imprisoned its own citizens for the crime of demanding democracy, the Obama administration has repeatedly armed it and trumpeted the regime as "a vital US partner in defense initiatives" and "a Major Non-NATO Ally". The US continues to be a close partner of the Yemeni dictator ("elected" as the only candidate allowed on the ballot). And it stands as steadfastly as ever behind the Gulf State monarchies of Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar as, to varying degrees, they repress democratic movements and imprison dissidents......

The US is not committed to spreading democracy and freedom in the world. "Freedom" and "democracy" are concepts it exploits to undermine regimes that refuse to serve its interests. Indeed, there is virtually an inverse relationship between how democratic a country is in the Muslim world and how closely allied the US is to it.
Yes, all of this is obvious and not novel to point out. Still, it needs to be pointed out because of how often the US government succeeds in leading people to believe that these are its goals. It's just extraordinary that so many people are willing to believe and advocate that the US ever acts in the world with the goal of undermining tyranny when "the US does more trade - overwhelmingly in oil and weapons - with Saudi Arabia than any other country in the Middle East". That this blatant sham is so widely accepted is a testament to the potency of propaganda, bolstered by the willingness of people to embrace self-flattering claims."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syria rebels speak out after capturing main Idlib airbase

"Syrian opposition fighters have overrun Taftanaz airbase, the largest in northern Syria, after several days of fierce combat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

Anti-government activists said fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad seized control of buildings, ammunition and military equipment in the sprawling Taftanaz airbase in northern Idlib province on Friday.

Sue Turton reports."

"Failure of Epic Proportions": Treasury Nominee Jack Lew’s Pro-Bank, Austerity, Deregulation Legacy

Democracy Now!

"Former bank regulator William Black and Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi join us to dissect the career of Jack Lew, President Obama’s pick to replace Treasury Secretary Timothy Geither. Currently Obama’s chief of staff, Lew was an executive at Citigroup from 2006 to 2008 at the time of the financial crisis. He backed financial deregulation efforts while he headed the Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton. During that time, Clinton enacted two key laws to deregulate Wall Street: the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000. Black, a white-collar criminologist and former senior financial regulator, is the author of "The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One." A contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, Taibbi is the author of "Griftopia: A Story of Bankers, Politicians, and the Most Audacious Power Grab in American History."...."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syria rebels capture key Idlib airbase

"Syrian opposition fighters have overrun Taftanaz airbase, the largest in northern Syria, after several days of fierce combat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

Anti-government activists said fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad seized control of buildings, ammunition and military equipment in the sprawling Taftanaz airbase in northern Idlib province on Friday.

Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal reports."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syria rebels capture key Idlib airbase

"Syrian opposition fighters have overrun Taftanaz airbase, the largest in northern Syria, after several days of fierce combat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said. Anti-government activists said fighters seized control of buildings in the sprawling Taftanaz airbase on Friday. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reports from Beirut."

AlJazeera at the US Media Gates, by Khalil Bendib

Syria rebels capture key Idlib airbase

After days of fierce fighting, Jabhat al-Nusra and other rebels groups storm Taftanaz airbase in northern province.

Al-Jazeera

"Syrian opposition fighters have overrun Taftanaz airbase, the largest in northern Syria, after several days of fierce combat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

Anti-government activists said fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad seized control of buildings, ammunition and military equipment in the sprawling Taftanaz airbase in northern Idlib province on Friday.

"The fighting at Taftanaz military airport ended at 11:00 am (09:00 GMT) and the base is entirely in rebel hands," said Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the UK-based rights group, on Friday.

"Many regime forces have been killed and most of the soldiers and officers fled at dawn," he told the AFP news agency by phone."

الأسباب الموضوعية للحراك الشعبي

".....

إذن، نلمس الآن أن "غير السياسي" هو الذي يقوم بالفعل السياسي الأهم: إسقاط السلطة، لأن الشعب يصل إلى لحظة يحسّ فيها أنه لم يعد قادراً على تحمّل الوضع الذي هو فيه، الأمر الذي يدفعه إلى التمرّد الهائل الذي يقوم به ضد السلطة التي خافها طويلاً، والذي يعتبر أنها السبب في كل الظروف السيئة التي يعيشها، حيث يتحوّل -هنا- السكون إلى ثورة، والخوف إلى جرأة وبطولة، والخضوع إلى تمرّد.. ينقلب الواقع من أساسه، ونشهد ما لم تكن النخب تتوقعه أو تحلم به، وأيضاً تخافه.
هذه اللحظة هي التي تظهر "أصالة" الشعب، وتعبّر عن "روح" الشعب، وهي اللحظة التي تحقق التغيير العميق في مسار التاريخ، والتي بدون فهمها لا يمكن فهم الشعوب ومعرفة دورها الهائل في التاريخ، وبالتالي فهم أن الشعوب هي التي تصنع التاريخ.
إذا كان السياسي يبدأ من الدولة فإن الشعب يبدأ من "العيش"، من الوجود ذاته، حيث إن الشعور بالعجز عن العيش، وبالتالي الشعور "بالموت"، هو الذي يكسر السكون والسلبية، ويؤسس للتمرّد على الوضع الذي هو فيه لأنه لم يعد يستطيع التحمّل.
....."

Assad's Speech, by Emad Hajjaj

Are Israel and the U.S. Becoming Fascist States?

by Philip Giraldi, January 10, 2013

"......The only area in which Israel and the United States are demonstrably not fascist is their avoidance of dictatorship, though even that is not as clear cut as it might be. The United States has, to be sure, two major parties that alternate in power, but both are wedded to a similar statist agenda, which is particularly evident in the area of foreign policy, where there is a national consensus in support of aggressive militarism. The concept of the unitary executive, embraced by both Democrats and Republicans, is intrinsically dictatorial in nature and there are legitimate concerns that another major terrorist attack inside the United States could well tip the balance to presidential rule by fiat with a complaisant congress, media, and supreme court following along behind. Israel likewise has a number of viable political parties, but the movement politically speaking has been to the right and one might argue that the national consensus is clearly hard right wing with Likud dominant. The only question decided in elections is just who the other players might be in the government coalition and lately they have been even more extreme than Likud.

So it would appear that the answer to the question whether Israel and the U.S. are developing into fascist-style states would have to be a qualified yes, meaning that they are not quite there yet but all the indicators are pointing that way....." 

Syria's rebels form their own secret police

"(Reuters) - Just the mention of the word would send shivers down the spine of Syrians: "mukhabarat", or secret police.
Abuses by President Bashar al-Assad's feared security units were among the reasons Syrians took to the streets in March 2011, leading to an uprising that has become a civil war.
But now some of the rebels fighting Assad say they have set up a mukhabarat of their own to "protect the revolution", monitor sensitive military sites and gather military information to help rebels plan attacks against government forces.
"We formally formed the unit in November. It provides all kind of information to (opposition) politicians and fighters. We are independent and just serve the revolution," said a rebel intelligence officer who goes under the name Haji......."

Guardian Video: Syrian refugees endure terrible weather conditions

                   
                   
                   

"Difficult weather conditions in Lebanon and Jordan are threatening the welfare of Syrian refugees. Tens of thousands are sleeping in flooded tents, with only cardboard and nylon to shelter them from the elements. Since violence broke out in Syria, over 250,000 people have fled to Jordan and 170,000 have escaped to Lebanon."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

Do you see a place for Assad in a likely transitional government in Syria?

With about 500 responding so far, 92% said no.

Part 2: Al Jazeera’s Sami Al-Hajj on His 438-Day Hunger Strike in U.S. Detention at Gitmo Prison

Democracy Now!

"In part two of our exclusive interview, Sami al-Hajj — the Al Jazeera journalist imprisoned and tortured at Guantánamo for six years — describes how he waged a 438-day hunger strike to protest his detention. Al-Hajj was arrested in Pakistan in December of 2001 while traveling to Afghanistan on a work assignment. Held for six years without charge, al-Hajj was repeatedly tortured, hooded, attacked by dogs and hung from a ceiling. Interrogators questioned him more than 100 times about whether Al Jazeera was a front for al-Qaeda. Al-Hajj waged his hunger strike from January 2007 until his release in May 2008. Click here to watch Part 1 of this interview......"

أسئلة الثورة السورية مع نهاية عامها الثاني

"بعد أسابيع سيكون بوسع شبيحة بشار الأسد والتحالف المساند له، الاحتفال بمرور عام آخر على الثورة السورية دون أن يسقط "نظام المقاومة والممانعة"، معتبرين ذلك دليلا على سخف التحليلات التي ما برحت تؤكد سقوطه خلال وقت قريب، أو قرب سقوطه بين شهر وآخر.
وبينما تطرح هذه المعضلة أسئلة كبيرة -سياسية وعسكرية- على الأطراف الداعمة للثورة، ومن ضمنها المجموعات المنخرطة فيها، فإن استمرار الثورة وتطورها يطرح في المقابل أسئلة لا تقل حرجا وخطورة على النظام والأطراف الداعمة له، فضلا عن الأبواق التي تتخصص في الشماتة في قوى المعارضة والمساندين للثورة، وكأننا أمام رهان حول مباراة لكرة القدم، أو رهان حول المدى الذي سيصمد فيه أحد اللاعبين في مباراة للملاكمة قبل وقوعه بالضربة القاضية، مع تجنب مقصود لسؤال: من سيحقق الفوز بالنقاط في نهاية المباراة؟
.....

لا ننكر بطبيعة الحال أننا -ومعنا كثيرون- عوّلنا على سقوط النظام خلال وقت قريب بعد وضوح تقدم الثوار بشكل جيد على الأرض، بينما توقعنا أكثر أن يكون هناك حل سياسي يقصي بشار الأسد، ويبقي على الدولة السورية ومن ضمنها الجيش الذي يمكن أن يكون جزءا من التسوية باستثناء كبار مجرميه.
لكن ذلك لا يعني أننا لم نتوقع أن تطول الحرب أكثر مما طالت حتى الآن، بدليل أننا قلنا منذ مطلع العام الجاري إننا أمام مشهد أفغاني بامتياز، وهو ما يعكس التكهن بإمكانية أن تطول الحرب على نحو ما حصل مع المقاومة ضد الغزو السوفياتي لأفغانستان، وإن اختلف المشهد في ظل الدعم الأميركي للثوار الأفغان، مقابل موقف معاكس في الملف السوري يتبنى إطالة المعركة من أجل تدمير البلد لحساب الكيان الصهيوني.
......

سياسيا، يبدو الوضع سيئا بالنسبة للمعارضة، ذلك أن اطمئنان نتنياهو على مصير الأسلحة الكيمياوية بوجود فرق قوات خاصة (في الأردن) جاهزة للسيطرة عليها لحظة سقوط النظام، مع تطمينات روسية في هذا الصدد، قد أعاد الموقف إلى مربعه القديم الذي لا يمانع في إطالة المعركة بهدف التدمير، دون الخوف من اليوم التالي وشكل الحكم إثر قرار بناء الجدار في الجولان.
ومعلوم أن موقف نتنياهو هو الذي يحرك الموقف الأميركي، وتبعا له الغربي، بل يؤثر على مواقف تركيا والعرب الداعمين للثورة، بدليل أن الدعم المالي والتسليحي أخذ يتراجع خلال الأشهر الأخيرة
.....

وبينما تعبنا من التعويل على رشد إيران التي تبدو الوحيدة القادرة على إقناع بشار بالتنحي لأجل تسوية سياسية، فإن الحل هو التعويل على بعد آخر يؤدي إلى حسم سريع للثورة. وهذا البعد يتمثل في اندفاعة عربية وتركية (سلاحا ودعما متعدد الأشكال) خلف الثوار تؤدي إلى حسم سريع، بدل هذه المراوحة أو التقدم البطيء.
بعد عامين من اندلاع الثورة السورية، يمكن القول إن الشعب السوري خسر الكثير على صعيد الأرواح والممتلكات، لكنه ربح في المقابل ثورة نبيلة رائعة ستظل تلهم الأجيال، في ذات الوقت الذي لم يؤد ما جرى إلى تشكيكنا لحظة واحدة، في أن النهاية هي النصر بإذن الله، مهما طال الوقت وكثرت التضحيات.

Al-Jazeera Video: Al Jazeera World - Gaza: Left in the Dark

"The constant power outages caused by limited electricity supplies mean the people of Gaza have no choice but to live much of their lives off the grid. This film portrays the many obstacles and complications caused by the power shortage in Gaza."

Real News Video (with Transcript): Hagel Nomination Defies Neo-Cons and AIPAC; Brennon at CIA will Expand Drone Assassinations

Ray McGovern: Hagel may help restrain forces that want war against Iran; Brennon will help Obama more directly control CIA