#3
A Qaddafi win (which may only be a temporary win given Muammar's age,69,his mental state and possible enemies within his clique) will be awful for the anti Qaddafi folks in Libya but the US strategic position will be no worse or only marginally worse than it is now.
Muammar's buddy Hugo Chavez has been pretty quiet since mid feb btw.
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/13/2011 22:41 Comments ||
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#4
Tottens not making much sense. Gaddafi made his peace with the West a decade ago. If Gaddafi is turfed, its a sign to anti-Western dictators everywhere that peace with the West is a chimera, a poisoned chalice.
#5
Tottens not making much sense. Gaddafi made his peace with the West a decade ago. If Gaddafi is turfed because of Western support for the rebels, its a sign to anti-Western dictators everywhere that peace with the West is a chimera, a poisoned chalice.
Its skyline erupting from the desert in just two decades, Dubai is a cautionary tale about what money cant buy: a culture of its own. After gorging on the Viagra of easy credit, the emirate has the worlds tallest building, the worlds most expensive racetrack, and a financial crisis to match. From the Western mercenaries and Asian drones who maintain the gaudy show to 100-odd families who are impervious to any economic reality, A. A. Gill discovers that no one truly belongs in Dubai, where the legacy of oil has made everything worthless.
Something has gotten into the water at the New Republic and Vanity Fair. This long piece discovers that in Dubai, there's no there there. Shocking, and something we've known for a while, but it's always good to watch a progressive person slam face-first into reality. The author rips into the empty, vapid, European apparatchiks who make the country work, the rude, arrogant sons of the powerful Dubai citizens who have jobs but never work, and an empty culture 'cursed with money'. Who knew?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/13/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
...Fat, and spoiled beyond reason, they are titanically rude. ... everybody dreads the call from some royal Arab union thug telling them to expect a nephew who will be coming to work
Much of this article makes me think of gov't employees unions.
#5
"European apparatchiks who make the country work, the rude, arrogant sons of the powerful Dubai citizens who have jobs but never work, and an empty culture 'cursed with money'. Who knew?" EL Quddafi. His people didn't work also. The mass exodus of foreign workers shows us that. El Quddafi needs only call them back so he and his economy are back in business. This is the Arab world in my opinion. The people don't work so they haven't the skills, resources or the will to fight for any length of time. The few control the power and the wealth of their nation. This is not an empty culture to those who belong. Here then is the core of Dubai. Tribes are the true power. The glue that binds them together.
[Asharq al-Aswat] Sectarian festivities erupted between Sunni and Shiite students at a girls' school in Bahrain, and the images of terrified young students were extremely saddening. These festivities occurred against the backdrop of the division that is taking place in Bahrain under the pretext of the Shiite opposition calling for political reform.
This was not just an emotional response on my part, for I felt extremely bitter upon seeing the tears of students no older than my own daughter, but also because is this the future that we want for our Gulf region? Despite the country's small size and capabilities, Bahrain was considered a bastion of enlightenment, and a pioneer in the fields of education and openness, however today this same country is reeling from sectarian tension! This is not the opinion of one analyst, but rather the truth on the ground, for this has reached the point that it is the Bahraini opposition itself that is calling for calm and warning those trying to incite sectarian festivities, and it is doing so after its demands reached the point of calls for a Republic of Bahrain. What is strange is that after all of this, it is the opposition itself that is warning against sectarianism, whilst their demands are fundamentally based upon a sectarian position. The reforms demanded by the opposition are based upon the proportion of Shiites in Bahrain, so what can be more sectarian than this? The Bahraini opposition are making a historic mistake, and here I must speak the truth even if this causes anger.
Rushing when making critical decisions, such as those being faced by our region today, may result in dire consequences for the entire region and its people. There is more sectarian tension today in the Gulf region than at any time before, and this represents a grave threat to regional stability, and the achievements that we have made, whether these are Sunni or Shiite. If we are not rational [in dealing with these critical moments] then the coming days will indeed be extremely dangerous. It seems that even the Bahraini opposition itself has begun to sense this, and this can be seen in it calling -- in its last statement -- on the security apparatus "to assume its responsibilities in protecting individuals and regions."
This appeal in itself is a paradox, for how can the Bahraini opposition call on the security apparatus to intervene today whilst also justifying their increasing demands upon the position taken by this same security apparatus at the beginning of the crisis? The irony here is that it is the Bahraini opposition itself that is making this appeal for security and protection from the security apparatus at the same time that we have heard a US State Department front man warning the Soddy Arabian security apparatus, and prior to this the Bahraini security apparatus, against intervening. The irony is that US army and National Guard units were mobilized and deployed to Los Angeles in 1992 to restore security in the wake of the LA riots which broke out after a jury issued a verdict of not guilty against 4 LA coppers over the assault of African American Rodney King. The LA riots, and the ensuing military intervention, resulted in 52 deaths and 2,392 people being injured. What is most astonishing however is that the US Ambassador to Yemen recently said "we don't believe that demonstrations are the place where Yemen's problems will be solved. We think the problems have to be resolved through this process of dialogue." The question that must be asked at this point is: isn't this precisely the same thing that Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said? Must our region, which is threatened by sectarianism and tribalism, reach a point where it is the protestors themselves that have to ask to be rescued by the security apparatus, as has occurred in Bahrain?
What I meant to say, particularly to the intellectuals, is that the reality of our Gulf region, including Soddy Arabia and Bahrain, is not the same as that of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen. It is our duty to protect our gains and to consider what is happening to ensure that what happened at the girls' school in Bahrain does not spread to our streets and result in us saying that "it is the slackness of the official authorities in this regard which is responsible for every drop of blood that has been shed", as the Bahraini opposition did in its statement yesterday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/13/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I like this guy. What is so unique to this area of the world is the "sectarianism and tribalism". What they need now are some good politicians that will do as they do here. Promise reform, promise change, things will get better and so on. Well it works here!. This will defuse the emotional aspect and then cooler heads will prevail.
Shamgen! Does it sound familiar? Obviously not. This is the codeword used in Ankara and Tehran for "a new political architecture for the Middle East" as imagined by Turkish and Iranian geo-strategists.
That the region will need a new political architecture is beyond doubt. No one knows what the recent and current uprisings in half a dozen countries from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean might produce. However, The emphatic However... all agree that we ought to be looking for something more than a paint job.
Enter Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the man with a plan to impose order upon chaos.
Erdogan believes that the United States, the traditional power and influence in the region since the 1950s, has been taken by surprise by the so-called 'Arab Spring' and is unable to claim leadership in shaping the new Middle East.
He also believes that the Israel-Paleostine issue, long regarded as the be-all and end-all of Middle Eastern politics, has been kicked into the tall grass for quite some time.
Somebody be sure to forward this to the White House and those nosy-parker Western Europeans so eager to dictate to Israel.
Erdogan's third assumption is that the vaporous Arab League, despite its equivocal manoeuvres over Libya, is in no position to have an impact on the events, let alone decide their direction.
All this means that it is no longer possible for the countries of the region to build their foreign policies around an alliance with the United States or a real or feigned hatred of Israel.
Shhh! Don't tell the Egyptians, who seem to be doing just that.
The 'Arab Spring' has made things a bit more complicated.
It is in this context that Shamgen has been put on the table.
Shamgen is a play on the name of the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, where 25 European Union members signed an agreement to abolish visas for their citizens.
But the new Turkish word Shamgen also refers to Shaam, the name of a former province of the Ottoman Empire that included present-day Syria, Leb, Jordan, Israel and the Paleostinian territories.
Erdogan's new Shaam, however, has been enlarged to include Iraq, which is made-up of three former Ottoman provinces.
Lest anyone see the scheme as a neo-Ottoman move
Perish the thought!
to separate some key Arab states of the east from Arab states in North Africa, Erdogan's scheme also includes Libya, Tunisia and Morocco.
How kind.
And that is not all.
The Shamgen proposed by Erdogan also includes Iran, the principal adversary of the Ottoman Empire throughout its existence. It is obvious that the Turks cannot seek leadership in the Middle East by excluding Iran. That was what the Ottomans tried to do and ended up in them having to fight on two fronts: against the Crusaders in the west and against the Iranians in the east.
In its first phase, Erdogan's scheme envisages a zone of free movement starting with the abolition of visas among the countries concerned.
Many of whose citizens would immediately move to Turkey, as gateway to Western Europe.
The next phase would herald the free movement of goods and capital in a stage by stage progress towards a Middle Eastern 'common market.'
"Psst, buddy! Wanna buy some Kalashnikovs, cheap?"
Is this nothing but a neo-Ottoman pipedream designed to brush aside the fact that Turkey is further than ever from its old goal of becoming a member of the European Union?
Yes. The man lives in the city where the word byzantine was invented, after all.
Maybe.
Soon, Erdogan will have to fight a general election against a backdrop of economic slowdown, social disaffection and deepening rifts in his Islamist camp. Shamgen could provide the 'big idea' that catches the headlines and diverts attention from the government's poor performance over the past four years.
However, The emphatic However... Erdogan's move must not be dismissed as a cynical gambit.
He sees a vacuum developing in the Middle East and knows that someone and something will have to fill it.
Under President Barack B.O. Obama, the US appears to be unable to do that. This need not be because Obama is clueless in the face of an historic challenge that he does not understand. It is possible that, for ideological reasons, Obama was never comfortable with Pax-Americana and welcomes its apparent demise.
There's nothing like damning with faint ... damnation.
Shut out of Europe, Turkey now fears being shut out of the Middle East as well by the Islamic Theocratic Republic in Iran under the ambitious leadership of President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad.
Seen from Ankara, three countries are in imminent danger of falling under Iranian domination.
The first is Iraq where Obama, still determined to prove that George W Bush was wrong in toppling Saddam Hussein, insists on ending all effective American presence before the next US presidential election.
With the US scripted out by Obama, Iraq's Shi'ites and Kurds would look to Iran as their only ally in protecting the gains they have made since liberation.
The second country is Syria where Iranian influence has been growing at top speed. The last supporters of a Western option within the narrow circle of power in Damascus have been eased out or silenced. Today, the role of Syria's big and powerful protector, assumed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, is played by Iran.
The third country is Leb where Iran uses the local branch of Hezbullies in a ruthless power game.
There is a fourth mini-pawn in this chess game: Gazoo where Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, now mainly financed by Iran, is becoming part of Tehran's quest for regional influence.
Turkey does not want Iraq, Syria, Leb and Gazoo to fall under exclusive Iranian domination. Such a development would isolate Turkey and render its position even weaker when it comes to dealing with the European Union.
A Turkey that is half encircled by a Khomeinist empire would also find itself threatened on ideological grounds. Erdogan may well be a crypto-Islamist as his critics claim. But his Islamism is different from that of Ahmadinejad with its "Hidden Imam" motif.
Shamgen is a very Ottoman move, designed to serve several, at times contradictory, purposes.
Under it, Turkey, as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, would prevent a complete rupture with the West, led by the US.
It will keep Iran linked to a regional scheme, thus preventing it from attempting mischief on its own.
It will prevent a situation in which Iraq, Syria and Leb will find themselves alone with Iran's growing ambitions. With Turkey present as part of a regional set up, they would feel in a better position to say "no" to Iran when they need to do so.
The scheme will also lock Turkey into the endless Israel-Paleostine issue, preventing it from becoming a uniquely Iranian issue thanks to Tehran's control of Hamas.
The inclusion of Arab states in North Africa is a ploy to dilute the political content of the scheme, thus reassuring the US and the EU. Of special interest is the inclusion of Libya where neither Colonel Muammar Kaddhafi nor his opponents have any love for the Khomeinist regime.
A very Ottoman gambit, Shamgen may be nothing but a pipedream.
Remembering that the pipe originally causing the dreaming is an opium pipe.
What it does, nonetheless, is to remind us that a vacuum is taking shape in the heart of the Middle East. Erdogan may not be able to fill it. But someone will.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/13/2011 00:00 ||
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Not since the 1978 FBI Abscam sting when FBI agents posing as a fictional sheikh and his associates, has Washington D.C. been so entertained by make believe Arabs exposing corruption by those who think they are smarter than we are. You may not find much of this on your regular news shows or in the press, but young James O'Keefe of ACORN busting fame has exposed NPR in such an unflattering light this week that the institution is very likely to lose its public funding at long last. Undoubtedly Sesame Street's Count von Count can help them learn about this thing called capitalism and why there's more to it than occasionally whining for people to buy your mugs and tote bags
#1
Schiller goes on to describe liberals as more intelligent and informed than conservatives. "In my personal opinion, liberals today might be more educated, fair and balanced than conservatives," he said.
I've always thought so. That they believed they were superior, that is.
And yet, it's these self-satisfied liberal geniuses who keep getting caught on video making self-satisfied asses out of their self-satisfied selves - while stroking would-be terrorists in a show of self-satisfied "tolerance."
Imagine!
Juan Williams got another shot in, too:
" They will say things to your face about how there's no liberal orthodoxy at NPR, how they play it straight, but now you see it for what it is. They prostitute themselves for money."
As to Schiller's remarks about the Jews dominating the newspaper industry Williams said that was "outright anti-Semitism," and labeling Tea Party members "gun-toting" "racists" reveals "their real feelings." " This is how they talk in boardrooms and editorial meetings, explained Williams. "This is how they really feel."
[insert the Master of the Obvious photo here]
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/13/2011 13:23 Comments ||
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Barack Obamas policy toward the Libyan struggle for freedom is no longer a muddle. It is now a disgrace.
Read this. It's a searing indictment coming from someone who voted and campaigned for a man who is more damaging to our country than Jimmuah Carter ever was. Leon isn't quite ready to say that he misses Dubya, but at least he recognizes that not standing up to Qadaffy has consequences for America.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/13/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
We are fighting two wars that the New Republic does not support and now they want us to fight a 3rd?
Rocks for brains.
Egypt has about 750 special operations solders in Libya helping the rebels. The US is in Libya but trying to get our oil workers out. I am sure that if the rebels were to cut Egypt in on Libya's future oil wealth, a lot more Egyptian solders would show up for duty in return.
With Egypt on the ground and two US Aircraft Carriers in the Med, by-by Mua-a-muck.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
03/13/2011 10:40 Comments ||
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#2
The comments are "enlightening". Most all are of the uber-left anti-war variety but some are all for an NFZ or other sort of engagement.
The few intelligent responses include the questions 1) What do we know about the opposition that makes us think they're democratic? and 2) If the NFZ approach doesn't work to stop 'daffy, what are we then prepared to do?
Personally I don't think we should get involved. But as one commenter said we are neither talking softly nor wielding a big stick. The proper term for Bambi is feckless.
#3
AlanC,
US air power could suppress Mua-a-muck's air defenses, eliminate most of Mua-a-muck's aircraft, and destroy his armor and artillery.
Then what?
It would require boots on the ground. I think those boots could be Egyptian.
I would say to the rebels, "Half of something is worth more than all of nothing".
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
03/13/2011 11:45 Comments ||
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#4
It would require boots on the ground
Which is why with air supremacy and constant wacking of leadership and cannon fodder from above, the NW Territories of Pakland continue to operate their nastiness upon their neighbors. No matter how much people want Guilio Douhet's Theory of Air Power to work, it still takes someone with a pointy end of a stick to stand on the ground to stop someone else from being there. Otherwise the cockroaches just return and continue to exist.
What makes you think that an Egypt in the midst of its own revolution would want to do this? Given all the money, training and weapons we've given them, if they want this they can implement they're own NFZ alone or in conjunction with Soddy, Turkey and Jordan.
Or, is it that they don't WANT to for any of a whole host of regional and individual reasons?
Me thinks we should do more talking softly or no talking at all.
#7
" It would require boots on the ground " please no.
The is the Arab way. Face to face hit and run. Leave this alone. This is a Tribal conflict. No glory to be had here. We are in my opinion overextended now. Death by a thousand cuts. Big resource drain. What would be gained?. Not oil. Not goodwill. No-go
#8
Leave this alone. This is a Tribal conflict. No glory to be had here. We are in my opinion overextended now. Death by a thousand cuts. Big resource drain. What would be gained?. Not oil. Not goodwill. No-go.
Dale said it. I don't think this is a train we should be jumping.
Posted by: Fi ||
03/13/2011 14:05 Comments ||
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#9
This may be 'Red on Red' now, but very soon panic will set in in Benghazi and the rebels will be routed swiftly.
Then it will be Red (Gaddafi) on us. And we will take casualties as we did in the past.
Gaddafi's rehabilitation was a huge mistake. As soon as he understood western fecklessness he openly defied the conditions of his probation.
Swiss hostages, threats against embassies, threats of Jihad, nuclear(!) threats, extortion using nuclear weapons material etc; all this was well before this rebellion.
So was this:
The Gaddafi regime openly celebrated Lockerbie!
Gaddafi has been called the 'Mad Dog of the ME.' After this he will be a wounded and enraged 'Mad Dog.'
#10
It would require boots on the ground. I think those boots could be Egyptian.
An Ikhwan-run Egypt funded with Libyan oil is an interesting prospect. Given the history of the area, if Egypt moves into Libya, I don't expect it to ever leave.
#11
This may be 'Red on Red' now, but very soon panic will set in in Benghazi and the rebels will be routed swiftly.
Then it will be Red (Gaddafi) on us. And we will take casualties as we did in the past.
Gaddafi made his peace with the West a decade ago. Since then, he's indulged in temper tantrums, but zero terrorist attacks. Besides, the era of Marxist-led terrorist groups of the kind favored by Gaddafi is long gone. The guy whacked over 1000 Islamists (who killed 200 prison guards) over the course of a prison revolt in 1996. The demonstrators who sparked off the Libyan revolt were relatives and friends of the Islamists he killed.
The rebels are a secular movement only if you can ignore the half-dozen mentions of Allah (translated as "God" - next thing you know, they'll be referring to the Quran as the Bible) in every article about the rebels, and the complete absence of non-burkha-clad women at the demonstrations. On balance, I'm inclined to favor Gaddafi, if only because his opponents appear to be troglodytes who want to turn the clock back 13 centuries.
#12
Personally I don't think we should get involved. But as one commenter said we are neither talking softly nor wielding a big stick. The proper term for Bambi is feckless.
I really don't see this as a problem. We spend more money on defense than every other country in the world added together. We've been in Afghanistan close to a decade and in Iraq for 8 years. Anyone who doesn't think Uncle Sam could ruin their day every day for the next decade is operating with blinders on. Only complete imbeciles like bin Laden and Mullah Omar could have thought it a good idea to bait the bear. Obama is a moron, but as long as we have 11 carriers, thousands of war planes and around 100 bases all over the globe, no one is going to mess with us just for heck of it. Especially not after Afghanistan and Iraq, no matter what they say in public.
#13
I lean towards Gaddafi based on my perception that he is the lesser of two evils. We sided with Stalin during WWII on the same principle, despite the fact that Uncle Joe made the conquest of the West possible, between the supplies he sent to the Germans and the secret Non Aggression Pact he signed with the Nazis. Without Stalin's assistance and greed (for the Baltic States and Polish territory), there would have been no Nazi conquest of Europe and no Holocaust. Yet we made a deal with Stalin the mass murderer and abettor of that other mass murderer, Hitler, for the simple reason that he was the lesser of two evils.
The future of the Middle East is being rewritten by events that caught policymakers, the usual experts and indeed virtually everyone by surprise. Elsewhere around the globe, developments are unfolding in a couple of places every bit as significant and also with the potential to unsettle U.S. policy. And this time, Washington shouldnt be caught unaware.
Ah, but Bambi is in charge...
At the top of the list is volatile Pakistan. Trouble there threatens U.S. objectives in Afghanistan. Relations have deteriorated to the point that Pakistans military intelligence reportedly no longer helps the CIA target our enemies hiding in remote areas of the country. The reason is dispiriting: U.S. drone attacks are aimed at the Haqqani organization in North Waziristan, which is responsible for bloody attacks in Afghanistan. It has long been supported by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence agency as a proxy for its interests in Afghanistan. The ISI also backs Haqqani militants and other radical Islamist groups as surrogates in its cold war with India.
The ISI has ruthlessly undermined U.S. interests. The CIA station chief in Islamabad had to flee the country after the ISI exposed his identity. Pakistan has thumbed its nose at international treaties by arresting a CIA operative with diplomatic immunity. This is not unlike Irans taking hostage U.S. embassy personnel in 1979. U.S. troops have achieved remarkable gains in blunting the Talibans momentum in Afghanistan. But in Pakistan, feverish anti-Americanism and religious extremism the countrys only Christian Cabinet member was murdered recently threaten to undermine the U.S. war effort.
It's almost like he reads Rantburg...
The other challenge for U.S. policymakers is the increasingly assertive military stance of China. Beijing is pushing up military spending by nearly 13 percent this year. It recently unveiled a stealth jet similar to the U.S. F-22, plans to add 15 vessels to its fleet of more than 60 submarines and is commissioning what will be its first, but certainly not its last aircraft carrier.
Chinas acknowledged military spending has soared from $17 billion in 2001 to $78 billion last year, and the actual figure may be closer to $150 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. That instills worry among its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region.
Who are only slightly less indulgent of their torpor than the average European...
Fortunately theres a natural ally for America in countering the Pakistani and Chinese challenges. Its India, the worlds most populous democracy. To their credit, Presidents Obama and George W. Bush have cultivated ties with India.
The interests of America and India coincide. India, like America, has been the victim of devastating terrorist attacks. Metastasizing radical Islamism, with the potential to turn Pakistan into a failed state with nuclear weapons, is a vital national security issue for Washington and New Delhi. A U.S. decision to aid India with, for example, missile-defense technology would be a powerful message to Pakistan.
So that India can have a missile defense while we can't...
China and India fought a war in 1962, and today their emerging economic rivalry matches their growing military arsenals. Japan, South Korea and other neighbors of China also have been alarmed by Chinas military buildup and have sought to bolster their own defenses. India constitutes the logical hub for a new American alliance with Asian and Pacific nations to balance Beijings growing military clout and to maintain stability in the region.
Washington cant anticipate every foreign upheaval, but closer ties with India could prepare for what may be gathering storms on the other side of the world.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/13/2011 00:00 ||
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Hey Steve timely post. China has a watchful eye on India. This is their backyard and they will let it be known. Australia has moved into Asia markets and has weathered the economic downturn very well. This has caught the attention of China. India and Australia are two very important allies that we must cultivate. Russia has made their move on the other side so China sees hegemony infringement. China wants control period. This is their great weakness. They will use others and the others will readily use them.
#2
Also "Japan, South Korea and other neighbors of China also have been alarmed by Chinas military buildup", This is taking a massive amount of money. The people of China may not be willing to endure hardship to support this diversion of resources. The expectations of their people will demand more of everything. This new growth is a monster that must be feed year after year. You may wish to own tigers but when they get hungry they may want you more.
#5
India, another former British colony that obtained it's independence through out of door political activity. It has retained enough of its common law heritage and shed enough of its fabian socialism that is is ready to assume it's position in the Anglosphere.
India is an interesting alternative to American history. Both countries at independence had deep, deep internal divisions. We chose to remain as one nation for a lifetime until one part chose to split from the other. We fought a, relatively, short, violent war and remained a nation. India split and has suffered a long, subdued war. It may yet become one nation.
[Dawn] THE almost daily jolts to the executive coming from the direction of the Supreme Court have many independent observers and jurists concerned. But far more astonishing has been the response of the PPP. Unhappy with several recent decisions of the Supreme Court -- probing into the legality of contract appointments, ordering the dismissal of DG FIA, declaring invalid the appointment of the NAB chief, etc -- the PPP called for a province-wide strike in Sindh yesterday, triggering an outbreak of violence on the streets of Bloody Karachi and other cities and towns in the province. The ugly political tactics are totally unwarranted and highly disturbing.
On each issue taken up by the Supreme Court, the PPP-led executive at the centre has had and continues to have legal options that have yet to be taken up. Curious as some of the moves of the superior judiciary may be, the right and sensible response of the government would have been to assemble a robust legal response. If the appointment of the DG FIA and other contract employees retained by the federal government has legislative cover, the executive should patiently and resolutely explain its case. If the government has a different view on what degree of consultation is necessary with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly before appointing the NAB chairman, then, again, the government should patiently and resolutely explain its case. Whatever is happening on the other side, observers and jurists remain convinced one of the reasons for the executive and the superior judiciary being at odds so often is that the government has paid scant attention to the need for a coherent and comprehensive legal strategy. Legal challenges should have legal responses.
The usual PPP response is that politics is being disguised as the law at times, and always to the PPP`s detriment. Even so, that still leaves the PPP with a hard question to answer: at what point is defiance more costly than it is beneficial? The Sindh card has been trotted out, violence has occurred in Sindh, the provincial assembly has huffed and puffed -- and for what, to save a couple of second-tier officials? Politics is about calibrating responses. Yesterday`s events were no advertisement for democracy. The already muddy waters of politics have been churned further -- and very unnecessarily so. Restraint on all sides is needed. The superior judiciary needs to give the executive room to breathe. The PPP needs to understand that while political escalation may yield short-term -- very short-term -- dividends, the net losers in a longer time frame will almost inevitably be the political class with genuine electoral support.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/13/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
From the article: The Kyoto Protocol was a fraud right from Day One. Even if it had been punctiliously followed by all of the nations who ratified it, it would have achieved essentially nothing -- a measly reduction in the calculated temperature half a century hence of 0.02 degrees C -- an amount too small to even measure.
#1
Another great example demonstrating that the Federal Gov't doesn't practice what it preaches....what ever happened to counter-terrorism "Connect the Dots" slogan?
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
03/13/2011 10:29 Comments ||
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#2
If only the Muslim Education Action Center had known.
I mean forget that major who shot all his fellow soldiers...islam had NOTHING to do with that. Or the Muslim soldier in Iraq who threw a grenade into his buddies tent while they were sleeping. That wasnt the REAL Islam.
The REAL Islam is your friend. We should all love one another as Mohammed ,the Holy Prophet ,loved us (PBUH).
Dont you agree?
Lets embrace our Moslem brothers and all sit down and "dialogue" together. Just dont bring your pet pig or ask why his wife has a bag over her head.
That would be rude.
#2
Most Muslims are " Moderate Muslims " everyone knows that, don't they ?
Posted by: Dave UK ||
03/13/2011 15:27 Comments ||
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#3
a "Moderate Muslim" is one that is willing, for now, to wait for someone else to cut off your head. (so they can pass out sweets and ululu-ate on the street corner)
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/13/2011 22:23 Comments ||
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#4
Moderate Moslems are to Jihadists what Socialists are to Communists.
In agreement about the ends, unsure about the means, somewhat reluctant to start the killing.
#1
Please, please all, insist that our Gov't and ex-officials stop this usage: "...the Arab world as it seeks to have Prophet Muhammeds sayings..."
He's not my prophet nor that of 300 million Americans'.
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
03/13/2011 12:53 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Mahmoud 
Not since the 1978 FBI Abscam sting when FBI agents posing as a fictional sheikh and his associates, has Washington D.C. been so entertained by make believe Arabs exposing corruption by those who think they are smarter than we are. You may not find much of this on your regular news shows or in the press, but young James O'Keefe of ACORN busting fame has exposed NPR in such an unflattering light this week that the institution is very likely to lose its public funding at long last. Undoubtedly Sesame Street's Count von Count can help them learn about this thing called capitalism and why there's more to it than occasionally whining for people to buy your mugs and tote bags
