AN EXCELLENT PROGRAM!
"As demonstrations advance across Yemen, People&Power follows activist Tawakkol Karman. "
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Al-Jazeera Video: Benghazi rebels stay defiant
"In Benghazi - Libya's rebel-controlled second largest city - opposition protesters are buoyed by news that fighters in a nearby town have beaten back an offensive by Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
While some in the city are apprehensive that the war may still come to their door step, they remain defiant, vowing to fight on to defeat Gaddafi's troops.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Benghazi."
Real News Video with Transcript: Egyptian Democracy Movement Expected to Reject New Constitution
Shashank Bengali: Egypt holds referendum on new constitution
Libyan Rebels Maintain Benghazi Media Center to Battle Gadaffi Regime Through the Internet and Airwaves
"Reporting from the rebel-held city of Benghazi in eastern Libya, Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat visits a new media center established by anti-government forces to report on their struggle against forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi...."
The Arab counter-revolution is winning

(Cartoon by Dave Brown)
A VERY GOOD PIECE
By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
"The current Arab counter-revolution is brought to you by the House of Saud - and enabled by the Pentagon. The Gulf has been plunged into pre-emptive war. After the initial euphoria of the great 2011 Arab revolt, the message of the Gulf kingdoms and sheikhdoms to Washington has been unambiguous - and effective; if we "fall", your strategic game is in pieces. Once more, "stability" trumps democracy....
Saudi media may slam Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his lethal strategy against his own people. But Libya and Saudi Arabia are equals. Gaddafi has laid out the counter-revolution playbook; bomb the fight out of the protesters. His winning strategy is the same as Bahrain's, with crucial Saudi help....
So "outreach" means talking to pro-democracy "rebels", while "regime alteration" means endorsing brutal crackdowns against pro-democracy protesters. The proof that the policy is official is that Jeffrey Feltman, the assistant US secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, has been at the US Embassy in Manama since Monday - where he oversaw, live, the Saudi invasion and the subsequent bloody repression of the Pearl/Lulu roundabout (50 tanks, heavy armored vehicles, several helicopters). This is the fourth time Feltman visited Bahrain in one month.....
It's never enough to repeat that Bahrain's youth movement - at the forefront of the protests - is basically composed of students, liberal professionals and masses of unemployed. Young Bahrainis - taking their cue from the Egyptians - are saying, once again, Kefaya! (That's enough.)
History is coming to get you
Asia Times
"The current Arab counter-revolution is brought to you by the House of Saud - and enabled by the Pentagon. The Gulf has been plunged into pre-emptive war. After the initial euphoria of the great 2011 Arab revolt, the message of the Gulf kingdoms and sheikhdoms to Washington has been unambiguous - and effective; if we "fall", your strategic game is in pieces. Once more, "stability" trumps democracy....
Saudi media may slam Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his lethal strategy against his own people. But Libya and Saudi Arabia are equals. Gaddafi has laid out the counter-revolution playbook; bomb the fight out of the protesters. His winning strategy is the same as Bahrain's, with crucial Saudi help....
So "outreach" means talking to pro-democracy "rebels", while "regime alteration" means endorsing brutal crackdowns against pro-democracy protesters. The proof that the policy is official is that Jeffrey Feltman, the assistant US secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, has been at the US Embassy in Manama since Monday - where he oversaw, live, the Saudi invasion and the subsequent bloody repression of the Pearl/Lulu roundabout (50 tanks, heavy armored vehicles, several helicopters). This is the fourth time Feltman visited Bahrain in one month.....
It's never enough to repeat that Bahrain's youth movement - at the forefront of the protests - is basically composed of students, liberal professionals and masses of unemployed. Young Bahrainis - taking their cue from the Egyptians - are saying, once again, Kefaya! (That's enough.)
History is coming to get you
Judging by the way it is covering Bahrain - especially when compared to its wall-to-wall Libya coverage - al-Jazeera regrettably is now aligning itself with the Arab counter-revolution. That is, Qatar is also an accomplice. al-Jazeera insists what's going on in Bahrain is just a "confrontation".....
Bahrainis now have not only a dictator to overthrow but a foreign army to throw out....
The pre-emptive war in Manama is the battle that the House of Saud, the emir of Qatar, the sultan of Oman and the wealthy Emirates fear having to fight at home. They have already proved they are on the wrong side of history. Their crackdown - blessed by Washington's "regime alteration" policy - may work, for now. But sooner or later history will vacuum-clean them to oblivion."
Bahrainis now have not only a dictator to overthrow but a foreign army to throw out....
The pre-emptive war in Manama is the battle that the House of Saud, the emir of Qatar, the sultan of Oman and the wealthy Emirates fear having to fight at home. They have already proved they are on the wrong side of history. Their crackdown - blessed by Washington's "regime alteration" policy - may work, for now. But sooner or later history will vacuum-clean them to oblivion."
Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll
Bahrain's uprising is about power not religion
A GOOD COMMENT
Adrian Hamilton
The Independent
"Sunni. Shia. Every time the protests in Bahrain are mentioned, they are made into a battle between these two branches of Islam, as if this was a war of religions.
It's not about religion, it's about power and the desire for political change. Of course, in terms of power, it matters that 65 per cent of the population of Bahrain is Shia but 95 per cent of authority and most of the wealth belongs to the Sunni royal family and its close circle.
But to put it in terms of a religious division is not only misleading, it also plays into the hands of those in Washington, as in Riyadh, who want to see everything through the prism of the confrontation with Iran and the fear of a so-called "Shia arc" emerging through the Gulf......"
Adrian Hamilton
The Independent
"Sunni. Shia. Every time the protests in Bahrain are mentioned, they are made into a battle between these two branches of Islam, as if this was a war of religions.
It's not about religion, it's about power and the desire for political change. Of course, in terms of power, it matters that 65 per cent of the population of Bahrain is Shia but 95 per cent of authority and most of the wealth belongs to the Sunni royal family and its close circle.
But to put it in terms of a religious division is not only misleading, it also plays into the hands of those in Washington, as in Riyadh, who want to see everything through the prism of the confrontation with Iran and the fear of a so-called "Shia arc" emerging through the Gulf......"
Bahrainis cannot be subdued for ever

The Saudi intervention has sectarianised the conflict even more, and thus may well have sealed the Bahrain regime's fate
Brian Whitaker
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 March 2011
"While much of the world has been preoccupied with questions about a no-fly zone over Libya, Arab Gulf states have been busy establishing what might be called a "no-protest zone" in the Arabian peninsula....
The effect of the Saudi intervention is to sectarianise the conflict more than it need have been and, in effect, to prevent any accommodation between the rulers of Bahrain and the protesters.
"We're not going in [to Bahrain] to shoot people, we're going in to keep a system in place," a Saudi official was quoted as saying in the Washington Post. An official from the UAE put it even more bluntly: "We and the Saudis will not accept a Shi'ite government in Bahrain."
In other words, as far as the GCC countries are concerned, democracy or majority rule can never be allowed there.
This is unbelievably short-sighted. The majority of Bahrain's population cannot be kept marginalised for ever, and the sooner change gets under way the better it will be for everyone. Instead, the regime is being pushed into an intransigent stance which, in the longer term, may well seal its fate.
The Saudis, meanwhile, continue to store up trouble for themselves in their treatment of the Shia communities back home.....
As always, the US continues to fret about stability among its allies but increasingly it seems to be recognising – unlike Gulf rulers themselves – that radical change is inevitable and that the wisest course is not to stand in its way but to try to minimise the turmoil when it happens."
Brian Whitaker
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 March 2011
"While much of the world has been preoccupied with questions about a no-fly zone over Libya, Arab Gulf states have been busy establishing what might be called a "no-protest zone" in the Arabian peninsula....
The effect of the Saudi intervention is to sectarianise the conflict more than it need have been and, in effect, to prevent any accommodation between the rulers of Bahrain and the protesters.
"We're not going in [to Bahrain] to shoot people, we're going in to keep a system in place," a Saudi official was quoted as saying in the Washington Post. An official from the UAE put it even more bluntly: "We and the Saudis will not accept a Shi'ite government in Bahrain."
In other words, as far as the GCC countries are concerned, democracy or majority rule can never be allowed there.
This is unbelievably short-sighted. The majority of Bahrain's population cannot be kept marginalised for ever, and the sooner change gets under way the better it will be for everyone. Instead, the regime is being pushed into an intransigent stance which, in the longer term, may well seal its fate.
The Saudis, meanwhile, continue to store up trouble for themselves in their treatment of the Shia communities back home.....
As always, the US continues to fret about stability among its allies but increasingly it seems to be recognising – unlike Gulf rulers themselves – that radical change is inevitable and that the wisest course is not to stand in its way but to try to minimise the turmoil when it happens."
Bahrain arrests opposition leaders after crackdown

Leaders of hardline parties among those held as troops take control of Pearl roundabout amid rising fear of regional conflict
The Guardian
"Bahrain has arrested at least six opposition leaders, a day after its crackdown on protests by the Shia Muslim majority drew rare US criticism and raised fears of a regional conflict.
Bahraini forces used tanks and helicopters to drive protesters off Manama's streets and clear a camp that had become a symbol of their demand for more democratic rights in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
Three police and three protesters died in the crackdown. It prompted sympathy protests from Shias across the region and analysts said it might provoke a response from Iran, which supports Shia groups in Iraq and Lebanon.
Pearl roundabout was a scene of devastation....."
The Guardian
"Bahrain has arrested at least six opposition leaders, a day after its crackdown on protests by the Shia Muslim majority drew rare US criticism and raised fears of a regional conflict.
Bahraini forces used tanks and helicopters to drive protesters off Manama's streets and clear a camp that had become a symbol of their demand for more democratic rights in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
Three police and three protesters died in the crackdown. It prompted sympathy protests from Shias across the region and analysts said it might provoke a response from Iran, which supports Shia groups in Iraq and Lebanon.
Pearl roundabout was a scene of devastation....."
UN security council to vote on Libya no-fly zone resolution
Draft reflects shift by Washington since it would not only introduce a no-fly zone but would authorise use of air strikes
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 March 2011
"The United Nations security council is planning to vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that would not only introduce a no-fly zone over Libya but would authorise the use of air strikes to stop the advance of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
The draft, supported by the US, Britain, France and Germany, reflects a shift by Washington, which has become alarmed by the speed at which the uprising is collapsing and concerned at the possibility of a massacre in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
The US until this week had been totally opposed to becoming involved militarily in Libya.
The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, told reporters on Wednesday night after a day of intensive negotiation: "We need to be prepared to contemplate steps that include, but perhaps go beyond, a no-fly zone at this point, as the situation on the ground has evolved, and as a no-fly zone has inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk."...."
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 March 2011
"The United Nations security council is planning to vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that would not only introduce a no-fly zone over Libya but would authorise the use of air strikes to stop the advance of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
The draft, supported by the US, Britain, France and Germany, reflects a shift by Washington, which has become alarmed by the speed at which the uprising is collapsing and concerned at the possibility of a massacre in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.
The US until this week had been totally opposed to becoming involved militarily in Libya.
The US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, told reporters on Wednesday night after a day of intensive negotiation: "We need to be prepared to contemplate steps that include, but perhaps go beyond, a no-fly zone at this point, as the situation on the ground has evolved, and as a no-fly zone has inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk."...."
Saudi or Israeli, which regime is worse?

Political observers have compared the crimes committed by Saudi Arabia to those of Israel amid Riyadh's military invasion of Bahrain to help quell the anti-government protests.
Press TV
"On March 13, Saudi Arabia dispatched troops to Bahrain to crush Bahraini protesters who have been demanding the downfall of the al-Khalifa dynasty in the small Persian Gulf kingdom.
The move has prompted political observers to look back at the crimes of the Saudi regime throughout history and pose the question, “How different are the Saudi and Israeli regimes?”
Israel invaded Palestine and changed its name to “Israel,” and the Saudi dynasty invaded Hijaz and put its family name on the territory, calling it “Saudi Arabia.”
Israeli regime invaded Lebanon and Gaza under the pretext of establishing security; Saudis launched an onslaught on Bahraini civilians to prevent anti-government protests from spreading to their territory.
Israel violated international rules of engagement and used non-conventional weapons against the Lebanese and Gazans; Saudis used live ammunition and nerve gas in their attacks on defenseless Bahraini protesters.
Israel targeted residential areas, hospitals and schools during its assaults; Saudis hit ambulances and raided hospitals in crisis-hit Bahrain.
Israel resorts to kidnapping, bombing and other terrorist operations in other countries to maintain its hegemony; Saudis have set up al-Qaeda to continue their dominance and sent terrorist groups to Iraq to massacre innocent people in the war-ravaged country.
Now the question remains: “Between Israeli and Saudi regimes, which one is more criminal and which one enjoys more US support?” "
Press TV
"On March 13, Saudi Arabia dispatched troops to Bahrain to crush Bahraini protesters who have been demanding the downfall of the al-Khalifa dynasty in the small Persian Gulf kingdom.
The move has prompted political observers to look back at the crimes of the Saudi regime throughout history and pose the question, “How different are the Saudi and Israeli regimes?”
Israel invaded Palestine and changed its name to “Israel,” and the Saudi dynasty invaded Hijaz and put its family name on the territory, calling it “Saudi Arabia.”
Israeli regime invaded Lebanon and Gaza under the pretext of establishing security; Saudis launched an onslaught on Bahraini civilians to prevent anti-government protests from spreading to their territory.
Israel violated international rules of engagement and used non-conventional weapons against the Lebanese and Gazans; Saudis used live ammunition and nerve gas in their attacks on defenseless Bahraini protesters.
Israel targeted residential areas, hospitals and schools during its assaults; Saudis hit ambulances and raided hospitals in crisis-hit Bahrain.
Israel resorts to kidnapping, bombing and other terrorist operations in other countries to maintain its hegemony; Saudis have set up al-Qaeda to continue their dominance and sent terrorist groups to Iraq to massacre innocent people in the war-ravaged country.
Now the question remains: “Between Israeli and Saudi regimes, which one is more criminal and which one enjoys more US support?” "
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Syrians march against Assad’s regime بداية المظاهرات المطالبة بسقوط بشار الأسد فى سوريا
AN IMPORTANT VIDEO
Courtesy of Hossam El-Hamalawy
(Scroll down for more new posts)
Courtesy of Hossam El-Hamalawy
(Scroll down for more new posts)
The fate of the Arabs will be settled in Egypt, not Libya
If Egyptians can build a genuinely popular democratic system, all the dominoes in the region will eventually fall
A VERY GOOD PIECE
Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 March 2011
"Barely two months since the triumphant overthrow of the Tunisian dictator that detonated the Arab revolution, a western view is taking hold that it's already gone horribly wrong. In January and February, TV screens across the world were filled with exhilarating images of hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators, women and men, braving Hosni Mubarak's goons in Cairo's Tahrir square while Muslims and Christians stood guard over each other as they prayed.
A few weeks on and reports from the region are dominated by the relentless advance of Colonel Gaddafi's forces across Libya, as one rebel stronghold after another is crushed. Meanwhile Arab dictators are falling over each other to beat and shoot protesters, while Saudi troops have occupied Bahrain to break the popular pressure for an elected government....
But Saudi Arabia's dangerous quasi-invasion of Bahrain is a reminder that Libya is very far from being the only place where hopes are being stifled. The west's closest Arab ally, which has declared protest un-Islamic, bans political parties and holds an estimated 8,000 political prisoners, has sent troops to bolster the Bahraini autocracy's bloody resistance to democratic reform....
Considering that both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, home to the United States fifth fleet, depend on American support, the crushing of the Bahraini democracy movement or the underground Saudi opposition should be a good deal easier for the west to fix than the Libyan maelstrom.....
Arab League support for a no-fly zone has little credibility, dominated as it still is by despots anxious to draw the US yet more deeply into the region; while the three Arab countries lined up to join the military effort – Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE – are themselves among the main barriers to the process of democratisation that intervention would be supposed to strengthen.....
In any case, the upheaval now sweeping the Arab world is far bigger than the struggle in Libya – and that process has only just begun. Any idea that all the despots would throw in the towel as quickly as Zin al-Abidine Ben Ali and Mubarak was always a pipedream. They may well be strengthened in their determination to use force by events in Libya. And the divisions of ethnicity, sect and tribe in each society will be ruthlessly exploited by the regimes and their foreign sponsors to try to hold back the tide of change.
But across the region people insist they have lost their fear. There is a widespread expectation that the Yemeni dictator, Ali Abdallah Saleh, will be the next to fall – where violently suppressed street protests have been led by a woman, the charismatic human rights campaigner Tawakul Karman, in what is a deeply conservative society....
The key to the future of the region, however, remains Egypt. It is scarcely surprising if elements of the old regime try to provoke social division, or attempts are made to co-opt and infiltrate the youth movements that played the central role in the uprising, or that the army leadership wants to put a lid on street protests and strikes.
But the process of change continues. In the past fortnight demonstrators have occupied and closed secret police headquarters, and the Mubarak-appointed prime minister has been dumped – and Egyptians are now preparing to vote on constitutional amendments that would replace army rule with an elected parliament and president within six months.
There is a fear among some activists that the revolution may only put a democratic face on the old system. But the political momentum remains powerful. A popular democratic regime in Cairo would have a profound impact on the entire region. Nothing is guaranteed, but all the signs are that sooner or later, the dominoes will fall."
A VERY GOOD PIECE
Seumas Milne
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 March 2011
"Barely two months since the triumphant overthrow of the Tunisian dictator that detonated the Arab revolution, a western view is taking hold that it's already gone horribly wrong. In January and February, TV screens across the world were filled with exhilarating images of hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators, women and men, braving Hosni Mubarak's goons in Cairo's Tahrir square while Muslims and Christians stood guard over each other as they prayed.
A few weeks on and reports from the region are dominated by the relentless advance of Colonel Gaddafi's forces across Libya, as one rebel stronghold after another is crushed. Meanwhile Arab dictators are falling over each other to beat and shoot protesters, while Saudi troops have occupied Bahrain to break the popular pressure for an elected government....
But Saudi Arabia's dangerous quasi-invasion of Bahrain is a reminder that Libya is very far from being the only place where hopes are being stifled. The west's closest Arab ally, which has declared protest un-Islamic, bans political parties and holds an estimated 8,000 political prisoners, has sent troops to bolster the Bahraini autocracy's bloody resistance to democratic reform....
Considering that both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, home to the United States fifth fleet, depend on American support, the crushing of the Bahraini democracy movement or the underground Saudi opposition should be a good deal easier for the west to fix than the Libyan maelstrom.....
Arab League support for a no-fly zone has little credibility, dominated as it still is by despots anxious to draw the US yet more deeply into the region; while the three Arab countries lined up to join the military effort – Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE – are themselves among the main barriers to the process of democratisation that intervention would be supposed to strengthen.....
In any case, the upheaval now sweeping the Arab world is far bigger than the struggle in Libya – and that process has only just begun. Any idea that all the despots would throw in the towel as quickly as Zin al-Abidine Ben Ali and Mubarak was always a pipedream. They may well be strengthened in their determination to use force by events in Libya. And the divisions of ethnicity, sect and tribe in each society will be ruthlessly exploited by the regimes and their foreign sponsors to try to hold back the tide of change.
But across the region people insist they have lost their fear. There is a widespread expectation that the Yemeni dictator, Ali Abdallah Saleh, will be the next to fall – where violently suppressed street protests have been led by a woman, the charismatic human rights campaigner Tawakul Karman, in what is a deeply conservative society....
The key to the future of the region, however, remains Egypt. It is scarcely surprising if elements of the old regime try to provoke social division, or attempts are made to co-opt and infiltrate the youth movements that played the central role in the uprising, or that the army leadership wants to put a lid on street protests and strikes.
But the process of change continues. In the past fortnight demonstrators have occupied and closed secret police headquarters, and the Mubarak-appointed prime minister has been dumped – and Egyptians are now preparing to vote on constitutional amendments that would replace army rule with an elected parliament and president within six months.
There is a fear among some activists that the revolution may only put a democratic face on the old system. But the political momentum remains powerful. A popular democratic regime in Cairo would have a profound impact on the entire region. Nothing is guaranteed, but all the signs are that sooner or later, the dominoes will fall."
Bahrain troops retake Pearl Square - in pictures
Rare public protest quashed in Syria
Protesters in Damascus call for release of political prisoners in second public display of dissent in as many days.
Al-Jazeera
"Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus for a second day running but their demonstration was quickly quashed by security forces, witnesses said.
Around 100 people, mainly relatives of political prisoners, gathered in Marjeh Square on Wednesday calling for the release of their loved ones and an end to emergency laws.
Government supporters and police armed with batons urged the demonstrators to go home, before arresting four people, witnesses told the Reuters news agency.
On Tuesday some 40 to 50 people gathered after midday prayers in the Al Hamidiya area near the city's Umayyad Mosque in a rare show of dissent against Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Al-Assad, who succeeded his father as president in 2000, has said there is no chance of unrest elsewhere in the region spreading to Syria. The country has been ruled by al-Assad's Baath Party since 1963.
A YouTube video (posted above) purportedly showing Tuesday's protest showed dozens of people clapping and chanting "God, Syria, freedom -- that's enough", and "Peaceful, peaceful", a chant heard elsewhere in weeks of protests that have swept through the Arab world.
A voice in the background says: "The date is (March) 15 ... This is the first obvious uprising against the Syrian regime ... Alawite or Sunni, all kinds of Syrians, we want to bring down the regime".
The protest was quickly broken up by government supporters, the AP news agency reported.
A Facebook page in favour of a "Syrian revolution" has amassed about 42,000 fans, promoting demonstrations "in all Syrian cities"."
Al-Jazeera
"Anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus for a second day running but their demonstration was quickly quashed by security forces, witnesses said.
Around 100 people, mainly relatives of political prisoners, gathered in Marjeh Square on Wednesday calling for the release of their loved ones and an end to emergency laws.
Government supporters and police armed with batons urged the demonstrators to go home, before arresting four people, witnesses told the Reuters news agency.
On Tuesday some 40 to 50 people gathered after midday prayers in the Al Hamidiya area near the city's Umayyad Mosque in a rare show of dissent against Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Al-Assad, who succeeded his father as president in 2000, has said there is no chance of unrest elsewhere in the region spreading to Syria. The country has been ruled by al-Assad's Baath Party since 1963.
A YouTube video (posted above) purportedly showing Tuesday's protest showed dozens of people clapping and chanting "God, Syria, freedom -- that's enough", and "Peaceful, peaceful", a chant heard elsewhere in weeks of protests that have swept through the Arab world.
A voice in the background says: "The date is (March) 15 ... This is the first obvious uprising against the Syrian regime ... Alawite or Sunni, all kinds of Syrians, we want to bring down the regime".
The protest was quickly broken up by government supporters, the AP news agency reported.
A Facebook page in favour of a "Syrian revolution" has amassed about 42,000 fans, promoting demonstrations "in all Syrian cities"."
Video Bahrain : Pro-King Thugs Attacked Nurses and Killed Citizens in Sitrah
البحرين الهجوم على ممرضات وقتل المواطنين في ستره
WARNING: Video contains images of extreme violence
Posted March 15, 2011
WARNING: Video contains images of extreme violence
Posted March 15, 2011
Exclusive Scenes (Videos) of Bahraini Massacres
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