By Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Tarb For the Yemen Times The Arab World has seen in the recent years changes in leaderships, including in countries such as Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, UAE and Palestine, not to mention what occurred in Iraq and the alterations in other Arab regimes. We are in a new phase of the development of the Arab political system. However, what is remarkable is that these changes, which affected approximately half of the Arab world, were limited just to the change of individuals and were not real changes to the systems. Although we always call for injection of new blood into the top of the Arab governance, what has happened was a transfer and not change of authority.
Therefore, our expectations of the new leaders were not high, besides the volume of change did not live up to our hopes and expectations. I don't deny that it is unfair to compare new leaders with old ones who spent too many years in power as it is unacceptable to compare the last years of the former with the commencing years of the coming. We should remember that past leaders such as King Hussein, President Hafiz Al-Assad, King Hassan II, Sheikh Zayed and Yasser Arafat are historical leaders who spanned a long period on the political stage and have left vivid impressions.
We also do not deny that the new leaders have introduced some sort of liberal changes influenced by the spirit of the era especially that international and regional events suggest reform initiatives to be adopted in different degrees by various Arab regimes. If we take the Arab-Israel conflict as yardstick to evaluate the new leaderships, we will see that they are more moderate and less linked to the situation and causes of the conflict in the area. The Arab world now is like the large family which has started to disintegrate. It has become characteristic that Arabs put a high price now to their particular states and not to their all inclusive nation. If there are no annual meetings and foreign ministers assembly at the Arab League headquarters, the picture could have been even worse.
If we try to foresee the Arabic future taking into account these changes, we will focus on Arab countries' attitudes towards major issues in the Middle East. We will choose four problems which are: Palestine-Israel confrontation, Iraqi issue (both are main issues in the Asian part of the Arab World) and then we move to the African portion to the Sudanese issue and the dispute over the Western Desert. I want to say frankly that a particular ruler succeeding his predecessor, either in a monarchy or a republican regime, has not yet indicated an effective change. The heart of the issue lies in the essence of the political regimes and the philosophy of their performance of duties so that they have steady orientations opening the doors to freedom, hope and real reforms.
The Arab regimes now have two generations of leaders who express the presence of the nation in which the new spirit and traditional ideas interact. It is necessary that all try to conserve the deep-rooted principles and characteristics of the nation, adhere our values and be tenacious of rights. We are in a bad need for a good perusal and analysis of what happened around us in regard to the four above mentioned issues, as well as a calm discussion of the nature of the traditional ideas within the frames of new leaderships concerning the following:
* Palestine-Israel confrontation after the death of President Yasser Arafat.
* Iraqi plight since the ouster of the former regime and preparation for the election.
* The Sudan crisis and the problem of Darfur after the pre-final agreement with the front in the south.
* The Western Desert, which is the most complicated of Arab-African problems
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:54:18 AM ||
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I think Prof. Abdulaziz unintentionally makes a good point with this phrase,
"...We are in a bad need for ..., as well as a calm discussion of the nature of the traditional ideas..."
Most Arabs I know are fundamentally unable to have a 'Calm discussion' on anything they actually care about. If the discussion starts calm, soon they start spouting out some conspiracy theory (sometimes more than one, sometimes even contradictory conspiracy theories), spouting out denounciations of people (usually America or Israel but sometimes other Arabs), proclaiming their distrust of this or that.
The success of Islamists in ousting Kuwait's information minister underscores the strength of fundamentalist groups in the emirate. Mohammad Abolhassan, the only Shiite minister, resigned on Sunday under pressure from Sunni Islamist MPs who were gearing up to question him over his alleged failure to protect the values of society by allowing musical concerts. He became the third information minister to be forced out of office by Islamists in the past seven years, all on similar pretexts of "not protecting morality".
Abolhassan's resignation was a "major victory for hard-line groups ... and their extremist ideas," said Sayed Mohammad Baqer Al-Muhri, who heads Kuwait's Shiite Clerics Congregation. The entire issue was sectarian in nature, he charged. For almost two decades, Islamist groups have been the most powerful lobby in Kuwait's outspoken elected Parliament thanks to their well-organized grassroots. "Islamist groups are from within Kuwaiti society. They represent an ideology that exists in the country ... They want to protect the principles of the nation," said Hussein Al-Saeedi, spokesman for the Salafi Movement.
"And if you don't like it, we'll kill you."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Saudi Arabia and Spain have vowed to work together to curb terrorism and to exchange information to ensure better coordination in fighting terror, said Prince Saud ibn Nayef, Saudi ambassador to Spain. Prince Saud was speaking after talks with Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), here on Sunday.
I guess that's appropriate. The Soddy tourists can visit the ruins of the Madrid railway station. Perhaps they can get an al-Ghamdi as a tour guide...
They didn't say whose information they'd be exchanging. Better lock up the FBI files ...
Prince Saud, who is also the permanent representative of the Kingdom to the Spain-based World Tourism Organization (WTO), visited SCT and Prince Salman Center for Disability Research (PSCDR) here on Sunday on the invitation of Prince Sultan. Prince Saud said: "I am really impressed by both the facilities — PSCDR and SCT. In fact, this new tourism body is laying the foundation for tourism industry in the Kingdom".
Asked about terrorism that is bound to hurt tourism plans of the two countries, Prince Saud said there was total understanding and full cooperation between the two countries in fight against terrorism. "Riyadh-Madrid cooperation has been excellent and the Saudi government provided all necessary assistance and information to Spain during the Madrid bombings," he said. "Spain has also provided information to the Kingdom whenever it is needed in the fight against terror," remarked Prince Saud. He said both the countries realized the importance of cooperation in fighting this evil. Spain has always backed Saudi Arabia on the Middle East issue. The trade between Riyadh and Madrid has been in the vicinity of $1.8 billion annually.
Referring to his talks with Prince Sultan, he said: "I would like to contribute to the PSCDR, which has emerged as the first research facility of its kind in the Arab world with an objective to improve the quality of life of handicapped children and adults." A Ministry of Health survey has revealed recently that there are more than 700,000 people including children suffering from one or the other type of disabilities. Out of those, nearly 18 percent are suffering from disabilities because of genetic factors, which is much higher than anywhere else in the world. The rest are disabled by accidents or physical deformations or other causes.
I guess it's interesting that the Spaniards and the Soddies are cooperating on terrorism, though the way the article's written it's Nayef the Younger cooperating with Salman the Younger. I'm actually more interested in the fact that the Soddies realize that their rate of disabilities due to genetic factors is higher than anywhere else in the world, yet they continue marrying first cousins.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Has Zappy announced the date for his conversion?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/04/2005 7:15 Comments ||
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Gosh, another charity, another vehicle to transfer funds. On the bright side, at least some good might squeak out of it.
Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri failed to appear before a British court Tuesday, complaining his toe nails were too long and he could not walk.
Abu Hamza, who is also wanted by the United States over 11 alleged offences, was charged by British police last year on 16 counts including one terror-related offence.
He had been due to make an appearance via video-link from the high-security Belmarsh jail in London where he is being held.
"Hamza has physical difficulties. He is unable to walk. He has been perambulating barefoot around the prison," said defense lawyer Peter Hynes.
Prosecutor Adina Ekiel added: "He is complaining that his toe nails are too long."
Britain accuses Hamza -- who lost an eye and both hands in Afghanistan (news - web sites) fighting Soviet forces -- of 10 charges of using public meetings to incite his followers to kill non-Muslims.
Four of the charges say he urged the killing of Jews.
He is also charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting behavior with intent to stir up racial hatred, one offence of possessing threatening, abusive or insulting sound recordings, and one charge of possessing a "terrorist" document.
Judge Peter Beaumont adjourned Tuesdayâs hearing for two weeks and set the trial date for July 4.
The Egyptian-born cleric, a former nightclub security guard, was already being held in a top security jail after being arrested on a U.S. extradition warrant. Tight legal restrictions mean details of the U.S. charges cannot be given.
Abu Hamza was stripped of his British citizenship in 2003 and he was banned from speaking at his Finsbury Park mosque in north London although he continued to preach in the road outside until his arrest.
#1
This is a matter of great peril, for it is written in the Quran that if one has excessively long toe nails, than Allah will grant them a handsome excuse.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/04/2005 22:51 Comments ||
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Somebody want to trim them for the holy man?
Preferably with a chain saw.
Muslim cleric Abu Hamza has failed to appear on a video link to the Old Bailey - where he was due to face 16 charges, including soliciting murder. A prosecuting lawyer said Mr Abu Hamza had claimed he was "unable to walk" because his toenails were too long.
Oh, for crying out loud. Give him a pedicure, with a rusty axe
Cut his feet off. See if he can walk on hooks.
A pegleg would go nice with the hook.
Then you could nickname him, "Matt".
Judge Beaumont remanded him into custody and ordered that a trial, if there is one, takes place on 4 July. Mr Abu Hamza, 47, who denies any involvement in terrorism, has been held at Belmarsh prison since May 2004. Mr Abu Hamza should have appeared on video link from a special room at the south London prison. But a prison officer told Judge Peter Beaumont, barristers and police that he would not leave his cell. "He is refusing to come over here," the officer said. "He is being checked over by medical staff. He is saying he is unable to walk." Paul Hynes, defending, said Mr Abu Hamza was suffering from "a long-standing problem", and had been "perambulating around the prison barefoot for the last couple of days". The defence was not ready to enter pleas, he added. Adina Ezekiel, prosecuting, said he had "some concerns", and asked for Mr Abu Hamza to appear in court for future hearings. The judge asked for a medical report on Mr Abu Hamza and said future hearings might have to be held at Woolwich Crown Court, nearer Belmarsh Prison.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/04/2005 8:49:35 AM ||
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If the man can perambulate around the prison, he can perambulate to the video camera. Why, exactly, are they indulging him?
Happy New Year from Kimmie and the boys! Rodong Sinmun Sunday editorially calls on all the party members and servicepersons of the Korean People's Army and people to enshrine the pride and honor of being the first generation who uphold the Songun politics of fearless leader Kim Jong Il, peerless statesman who pursues Songun politics, and continue making a long journey of the revolution under the great Songun banner.
It is a noble obligation and duty we should fulfill for the times, history and the future generation to bring into fuller bloom the true picture of the Songun politics, the powerful socialist political mode in our times, the editorial notes, and goes on:
As it invariably does...
We should always enshrine the truth that the country and socialism remain strong and the victory of the cause of Juche is guaranteed thanks to Kim Jong Il who ushered in the new history of Songun politics and become human bombs and bullets who protect him at the cost of their lives.
"I mean, if a bunch of A-rabs can get out there and explode, why not us? We have less to live for than they do, even!"
We should fully repose the absolute trust in the headquarters of the revolution and manifest stronger sense of revolutionary obligation towards it and protect the unity and cohesion of the revolutionary ranks based on the Juche-oriented Songun idea and line as our own eyeballs. ?
"Surely it is due to the foresight and Songun munificence of Fearless Leader that we have eyeballs in our heads. Without them, we would be the country of the blind, susceptible to the Deep Laid Plots and Nefarious Schemes of the one-eyed!"
We should glorify for all ages the revolutionary exploits, the tradition and treasures achieved by Kim Jong Il under the great banner of Songun as the eternal cornerstone of our revolution and the most precious treasure of the nation.
The servicepersons of the Korean People's Army should always preserve the admirable fighting trait with which they devotedly defended the headquarters of the revolution during the "Arduous March" and bore the brunt of the struggle to glorify Korean-style socialism. We should increase in every way the might of self-reliant defence industry we have built up from scratch in the spirit of fortitude. Ah, yes... the "Arduous March".
"Long March" was already taken. And March 17th is St. Paddy's Day. All that left was the Arduous March.
All the party members and other working people should make the spirit of attaching importance to the army and military affairs prevail throughout the society and bring the traditional trait of army-people unity into fuller bloom. The editorial calls on the entire party and army and all the people to turn out as one to thoroughly implement the militant tasks set forth in the joint New Year editorial under the uplifted banner of Songun and glorify the 60th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea and the 60th anniversary of national liberation as grand festivals of proud victors. Bon appetit!
#2
Sing, sing a Songun
Sing out loud, sing out strong
Sing of Juche things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
01/04/2005 17:59 Comments ||
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Okay, I feel kinda stooopid, but what exactly is, "Songun Politics"?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2005 18:02 Comments ||
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I won't even rate this. It's not a diatribe, just a loopy "rally the troops and tighten our belts (again)". I think they've really lost the touch due to calorie deprivation.
The leader of South Korea's ruling Uri Party resigned yesterday over his party's failure to scrap an anti-communism law by the end of 2004. The National Security Law includes sweeping criminal provisions to ban contacts with North Koreans and any form of promotion of the North's communist ideology. The Uri Party considers the law as a relic of past dictatorships, obsolete under Seoul's policy of reconciliation and cooperation with Pyongyang, and had put forward a bill to scrap it.
But the conservative opposition Grand National Party argued the communist North continued to pose a threat to national security and the law was still needed. "I am announcing that myself as party chairman and three central committee members are resigning today," Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young told a party leadership council meeting. Attempts to scrap the National Security Law had split parliament and thrown South Korean politics into disarray after a boycott by opposition politicians led to a backlog of key bills to pass last year, including the national budget.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:29:22 AM ||
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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi says he will unveil proposals for revising the country's pacifist constitution later in the year. Japan's constitution has not been changed since it was drafted by the United States after World War II. It renounces the use of force to resolve international disputes and limits Japan's military to defensive operations. The Government wants Japan to play a greater role in world affairs and is keen to revise the constitution. Mr Koizumi says he will release some proposals for change in the second half of the year, although he does not expect any actual revisions will be made for at least two years. It is an extremely sensitive issue, inside Japan and outside it. Countries such as China and South Korea are worried about a revival of Japanese militarism.
Posted by: tipper ||
01/04/2005 9:09:26 AM ||
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One year after launching a digital screening system to help identify suspicious foreign visitors arriving in the United States by air and sea, federal officials announced yesterday that they have extended the program to the 50 busiest U.S. land ports along the Canadian and Mexican borders. The program uses digital scanners to examine prints taken from the two index fingers, as well as head-shot photographs taken with digital cameras. Those "biometric" identifiers can then be matched against several databases, verifying the identity of visitors and checking various federal and state watch lists. Last year, the new tools helped authorities arrest or deny entry to 372 people sought for federal or state crimes or identified as violators of immigration law, according to officials at the Department of Homeland Security. None of those apprehended was linked to terrorist plots, officials acknowledged. Identifying terrorism suspects became the prime challenge for border security after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks exposed lapses in how federal government tracks the whereabouts of foreigners who are potential terrorist threats.
Still, a senior Homeland Security official declared the first phase of the program a success. US-VISIT, short for U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, has become "the gold standard for security and convenience," said Asa Hutchinson, the department's undersecretary for border and transportation security. Hutchinson said the screening process had cut paperwork and border-crossing times for many foreigners. He cited data showing that the average wait for certain classes of visitors had dropped to 2 minutes, 33 seconds in Laredo, Texas. Previously, the average wait had been 12 minutes, 10 seconds. Congressional Democrats say US-VISIT, which has cost more than $700 million so far, has serious flaws that hinder its ability to combat terrorism. They note that there is no comprehensive check on when visitors leave the country.
Yet another example of the Dem rallying cry: it isn't perfect so it shouldn't be done. That doesn't apply to domestic programs, of course.
To date, the system has been installed in 115 airports, 15 seaports and 50 land ports. The remaining 115 land ports will be included by the end of this year, Hutchinson said. The system does not affect U.S. citizens. Nor does it affect many Canadians and Mexicans who cross the border.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2005 12:56:00 AM ||
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It is a start. Applying Continuous Improvement principles (remember that?), the next iteration will immediately cross reference biometrics with FBI and CIA records -- which I believe requires taking a full five-finger print -- and also close the gaps in border security, both Canadian and Mexican.
I wonder what Mexico's next wetback advisory pamphlet is going to say?
Scores of members of suspected terrorist Abu Bakar Baasyir's radical Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) are planning to travel to Aceh to give "spiritual guidance" to the survivors of the deadly earthquake and tsunamis.
Praise Allan and pass the ammunition.
At least 77 members of the group on Tuesday (4/1/05) departed Yogyakarta for Jakarta in two chartered buses, detikcom online news portal reported. Wearing sturdy boots, green shirts and vests with the MMI insignia, the youths each carried a backpack containing detonatorsC-4machetes "equipment" and clothing. MMI secretary general Shobbarin Syakur said the "volunteers" will join up with fellow members of the organization in Jakarta before departing for Banda Aceh on a chartered aircraft. The December 26 disaster has already claimed about 100,000 lives in Aceh. Tens of thousands more people in the province are expected to die of malnutrition and festering wounds over coming days.
Bashir is more concerned about prolonged exposure to friendly, caring infidels.
The MMI party, led by Andrianto and Muhammad Ali Mahdi, includes members from the Java cities of Solo, Kendal, Cirebon, Majalengka, Pekalongan and Yogyakarta. When seeing off the youths, Syakur instructed them to behave politely and be well mannered to everyone during their assignment.
"Just like Lou Farakhan's boyz."
MMI chairman Irfan S. Awwas said the volunteers have been assigned to give "spiritual guidance" to the disaster victims to help renew their spirits. "They will also help to improve infrastructure in places of religious duties, as well as help with healing powers," he said.
"We've got our orders from Riyadh. The mosques must be rebuilt at all costs."
It remains to be seen how Australian and US troops presently assisting with relief efforts and cleanup operations in Aceh will react to the arrival of the MMI members, assuming they make it to the ravaged province.
Warily, is my wager.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/04/2005 12:50:55 PM ||
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#1
Probably going to tell the locals that the food is poisoned or contaminated with something to make your member even smaller.....
I hope we keep a very close eye on these people as well as their 'message'....
#3
They might be looking to bag a few Marines or sailors. If they coordinate closely with the local separatist movement, they might actually succeed in doing so. The danger for Bashir's men is that if they actually cooperate with the separatist movement, the Indonesian army might take it the wrong way and start disappearing them - something that used to happen in the Suharto era.
#5
I was going to suggest a "flight deversion" to a military air strip some place and getting good biometric data on them including DNA. Just so their move mement can be tracked in the future. Along with a good talkng to.
From Jerusalem Post, EFL: Much energy has been expended in attempting to block Iran's seemingly inexorable drive toward acquiring nuclear weapons. But there is growing concern that all this activity has merely served to mask a potentially more sinister, more dangerous development: The acquisition of nuclear weapons by Syria, perhaps with the assistance of its Iranian ally. On May 11, US President George W. Bush triggered the implementation of a basket of sanctions against the regime of Bashar Assad that had been approved by Congress six months earlier. Bush cited Syria's support for terrorism, its military presence in Lebanon, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and its actions to undermine US efforts to stabilize and reconstruct Iraq. Such activities, declared Bush, are "sufficiently grave to constitute a threat to the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the United States."
While the Bush administration might have been prompted to act against Damascus because it is blatantly facilitating the entry into Iraq of terrorists who are intent on attacking US forces, there might have been another reason for Washington's attempt to contain the Assad regime. Alarm bells are now ringing in Washington and some European capitals over reports that Syria might have acquired gas centrifuges, which would provide Damascus with the ability to produce enriched uranium for the development of nuclear weapons...
With Washington breathing down Syria's neck, one might have expected the conciliatory message from Lantos to be enthusiastically embraced. It wasn't.
One reason for Syria's obduracy could be that it is pursuing an objective that it believes will turn the tables on America. Damascus might have traveled farther down the road to acquiring nuclear weapons than anyone had previously dared to guess. If Syria has indeed made progress in the nuclear field, it almost certainly occurred via the clandestine nuclear network that was established by renegade scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who is revered in his native Pakistan as the Father of the Islamic Bomb. The nuclear supermarket that the Khan network operated over more than a decade covered a huge stage, from Asia to Europe and the Middle East.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve ||
01/04/2005 11:20:01 AM ||
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All this does is bring the terrible logic of The Three Conjectures that bit closer.
It seems increasingly likely that one of these weapons will find its way into the hands of an Islamist outfit. OBL recently got the green light for using nuclear weapons. Does anyone here expect them to hold back if they get one?
There seems to be too many unstable countries going after these weapons, and sooner or later one of them is going to get one and want to set it off.
It seems madness to me to attempt to acquire these weapons - they can't have enough bombs to destroy the US (let alone the delivery systems to get them there), so all this does is make those countries huge targets.
Perhaps the old Star Trek joke about Arabs is a premonition?
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
01/04/2005 13:30 Comments ||
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Me thinks that Syria got a boost from Saddam's WMD being smuggled into country prior to the invasion.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/04/2005 18:20 Comments ||
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Iran has achieved the capability to produce a key component for its nuclear program. Iranian officials said Teheran has acquired the expertise to produce cladding for uranium rods. They said this has included Iranian capability to produce zironium for fuel cladding in nuclear installations. The cladding produces an alloy jacket around the uranium rods to prevent the escape of fission products. Mansour Habashizadeh, director of Isfahan's Research and Fuel Production Center, asserted that Iranian scientists could produce cladding for uranium rods, a process that would ensure the operations of nuclear reactors. Habashizadeh said zirconium would be used as the casing for nuclear fuel in reactors. In remarks reported by Iranian state television, Habashizadeh said Iranian scientists could produce 99.99 percent pure manganese, a metallic element used to strengthen steel alloys. Neither Habashizadeh nor the television report elaborated.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:53:20 AM ||
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As the war in Iraq continues, a different kind of "war" has been going on for months now in neighboring Syria — one that has its roots, among others, in the aftermath of Saddam's ouster. In the past few months, a mini "world war" has been taking place between prostitutes in Syria: the many immigrants from Iraq have simply "stolen" the jobs of the local girls. However, the Syrian whores have decided not to surrender and have engaged in war by spreading rumors, claiming, "The immigrants are all sick with AIDS".
In recent months, the whores working in Damascus have complained about the "aggressive conquering" of their clientele by foreign workers. The market of whores, as well as other markets, has suffered due to the wave of immigration from neighboring Iraq. A Syrian intellectual has said that the number of whores in Damascus stands at 30,000, however a source in the Iraqi consulate in the city said this estimate was an exaggeration. In any case, it is clear the Iraqi whores have flooded the neighboring country following the fall of Saddam's regime — either out of fear for their lives due to killings by local religious groups or out of a keen desire to find new clients. In this situation, in which the Syrian prostitute market has been flooded by whores from Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and more, the local girls found themselves entangled in quite a problem; their business was at stake. They decided to take revenge in a unique manner by spreading rumors in the Syrian capital saying the Iraqi women had AIDS⊠The current rumor circulating Damascus is that several policemen have contracted AIDS from Iraqi whores. According to most recent rumors, the Syrian regime has been so concerned over this phenomenon that it decided to enact a law in which every Iraqi convicted of dealing with prostitution will be jailed and consequently deported from Syria.
It seems that in one of the areas in which this business flourishes, a systematic system has been developed. Syrian or Iraqi pimps "marry" up to four whores (either from Syria, Iraq or Tunisia). In exchange for 10,000 dollars a year, the whores commit themselves to serve any client, anytime. In exchange, the pimp promises her that if she is arrested, he will release her after identifying himself to the police as her "husband". The Iraqi whores work in a few centers, according to reports. In the A-Thal neighborhood of Damascus, for example, one can find night clubs in which Iraqi and Syrian women perform sensual dances. According to the reports, one can even spot women in their 50s sitting by the stage smoking nargilas. Perhaps these are the mothers of the dancers that came to watch after their daughters or perhaps to mediate between their girls and the eager clientsâŠ
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:37:15 AM ||
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#1
Can't the un step in help these hookers? Some kind of Hooker Aid 2005 could be launched to help raise ah money (that's it). Maybe start a Hooker refugee program that would send these women to other muslim nations so they could ply their trade. I am sure they could return to Iraq and find a job or two.
#2
I'm confused. I thought sex outside of marriage was forbidden in Islam? Aren't adulterers supposed to be locked away forever or stoned (especially if they're women)?
Hmmm...maybe Islam doesn't mean "submission"-maybe it means "hypocrisy"?
#3
I guess it has its advantages and its disadvantages. You don't usually think of Islam being associated with fishnet stockings, spike heels and EZ Pop⢠brassieres, but it does make it easier to pimp four women named Trixie at once. Even an Iranian holy man can do it.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 11:38 Comments ||
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CS/CrazyFool - No go on the UN helping out the hookers. The girls in Damascus don't want anyting to do with the pimps at Turtle Bay. They have their reputations to protect.
A bit OT - I seem to remember a Bob and Tom radio bit where the "Whores of Babylon" were a sponsor for a softball team. Fine line between marketing and pandering. . .
#7
I guess when the first Riyadh bombing occurred, all the Syrian and Lebanese hookers in the compounds around Riyadh decided to bail... adding in the Iraqi hookers, well, it's suddenly a buyer's market - and no one wants to discount their wares. As for the Turtle Bay wimps, I'm sure the Syrian hookers would have a phrase that equates to "Cheap Charlie"...
#8
Jules, the Muslims have a long tradition of 1-hour marriages and weekend marriages that cover the prostitution/sex outside marriage conundrum. The real issue is that the men sometimes take advantage of this tradition with good girls, too, without telling them upfront. And once a girl is used goods, it is very unlikely that she'll get another chance as full scale wifehood.
Iran's government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said on Monday that Iran has not selected an intermediary for negotiations with the United States yet. Asked about mediation of a third party between Tehran and Washington, he said that Iran has made no choice yet on an intermediary for the talks, IRNA reported. Commenting on Iran-EU talks, he said, "We are on the beginning of the way and Iran sees negotiations the best means to achieve its objectives."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:35:21 AM ||
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Commenting on Iran-EU talks, he said, "We are on the beginning of the way and Iran sees negotiations the best means to achieve its objectives."
Top Iranian hard-liner Ali Larijani announced yesterday that he was entering the race to become the Islamic republic's next president, while a report said top pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi would also be standing. Larijani, 47, is also a former head of Iran's state-controlled broadcast media and one-time top member of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, the regime's ideological army. He currently represents supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Supreme National Security Council and also sits on the Expediency Council, the country's top political arbitration body.
Karoubi, 68, is the former speaker of the Iranian parliament, or Majlis, which fell into the hands of hardliners after most reformists were barred from contesting the February 2004 polls. He is a close ally of incumbent reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who is nearing the end of his second consecutive term. The constitution bars presidents from serving more than two consecutive mandates. The student news agency ISNA said Karoubi had officially accepted the nomination of his party, the Assembly of Combatant Clerics, during a meeting yesterday. He is expected to make a formal announcement in the coming days.
You might be a fundamentalist theocracy if......your "pro-reform" candidate is a member of the Assembly of Combatant Clerics. I s'pose he is a proponent of the "Church Muscular."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
..while a report said top pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi would also be standing.
Iraqi citizens living in Syria will be allowed to vote in Iraq's national elections, planned for January 30. The Syrian government signed a deal with the Geneva- based International Organization for Migration, which will manage an out-of-country voting plan. Under the agreement, Iraqis wishing to participate in the elections from Syria will have to prove their eligibility to cast their ballots at a large voting station in the Syrian Capital, Damascus. Thirteen smaller election centers will be located in other countries with large numbers of Iraqis. Iraqi citizens living in Syria are expected to register between 17 and 23 January, and the voting process will take place from 28 to 30 January. There are at least 250,000 Iraqis living in Syria. Many of them escaped the deteriorating security condition after the U.S.-led invasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
ROFL!!! Laugh of The Day. Well, so much for the concerns of all the talking heads... Here's your Sunni Ba'athist vote, lol! Oh yeah, this will make it a clean no monkey-business election, all right. Will there be "voting stations" in Qom and Tehran? How about Amman, Riyadh, Cairo, London, Montreal, and Detroit? Just asking, heh. I'll sleep sooo much better tonight knowing an International organization has this well in hand. Legitimacy is now ensured. Uh, BTW, who'll confirm the eligibility of the voters and the guarantee the provenance of the ballots cast? Al Derman Zarqawi? Lol! I'll bet he's in up in Wash State learning at the feet of the Masters how to count dimpled & hanging chads and magically "find" boxes of "lost" ballots now... Wotta hoot!
#2
Will there be "voting stations" in Qom and Tehran?
Funny you should mention that:
Iran became the 13th country to agree to host Iraqi expatriate voting for this month's national elections, signing a deal Monday with the international organization in charge of overseas balloting. Turkey was expected to become the 14th country in the next few days..
The 14 countries where expatriate Iraqis were to vote were Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Jordan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/04/2005 8:29 Comments ||
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Leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) have asked clerics to raise the issue of the president's uniform during their Friday sermons, Liaqat Baloch, the MMA deputy secretary general, told Daily Times. He said maulvis would highlight the fact that the president had promised the nation that he would leave the office of chief of army staff by December 31, 2004.
And that's a religious issue how?
He said the clerics would also condemn the pro-US and anti-Islam policies of General Musharraf.
Y'see, if Qazi can't have his way, it's a religious issue...
He said protest rallies would be held after Friday prayers and local leaders of the MMA would address the demonstrations. "The MMA Supreme Council has also decided to demonstrate against Musharraf on January 7, 14 and 28 across the country," he added. He said that clerics would also condemn the government during their Friday sermons on the deletion of the religion column from new passports.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 10:32:30 PM ||
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#1
I think they're pissed that Quaddafi has more medals then him.
Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi simply smiled during the live television show when a man called to praise terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Iraqi leader then moved on, offering to find information about a woman's detained son and see why a student didn't get into the graduate program of his choice. The surprisingly frank hour-long call-in program, "The Iraqi Podium," is a rarity for the region, giving Iraqis the chance to pepper Allawi with questions, from the mundane to the serious. Judging by the show's popularity, Iraqis are taking advantage.
The show's host, Abdul-Karim Hammad, said he proposed the show to Allawi, who agreed. It may be a campaign ploy as Allawi tries to burnish his image ahead of January 30 elections, but from the nature of the questions, it appears the calls aren't screened. "I told him the one condition, which is that you have to accept anything the people say even if they insult you," Hammad said. "He said it was fine, as long as he wasn't criticized personally, but they can say anything they want about his work."
The program is broadcast every Sunday on the U.S.-funded Al-Iraqiya television station. Although it is linked to the United States, it's a major change for Iraqis after Saddam Hussein's 23-year reign ended in April 2003. Then, tightly controlled state-run media only praised Saddam, and many Iraqis would not dare criticize the president, even in their homes. Other members of the government, including the interior minister and defense minister, have occasionally appeared in similar shows on Al-Iraqiya, but not with Allawi's frequency. Such programs have been aired in Lebanon but the practice is otherwise rare in the Middle East, where leaders are more accustomed to working behind closed doors, without much criticism from their people.
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/04/2005 12:44:35 PM ||
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his civil engineering score was low? SH&T! I lived in a fraternity on campus, tell me about low...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/04/2005 20:00 Comments ||
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British people rate Israel as the country least deserving of international respect, as well as one of the world's "least democratic countries," according to a recent survey. "least democratic." amazing
Research company 'YouGov' carried out a survey for the British Telegraph, asking Britons to rate almost two-dozen countries on the basis of 12 different criteria. The online survey was carried out on 2,058 adults across Great Britain between December 17 and 20. The respondents were required to rate the three best and three worst countries according to those criteria. Israel was ranked number one country where British people would least like to live or visit on holiday. Out of several other criteria measured, Russia alone scored lower overall than Israel. Israel gained the title of the world's least beautiful country and New Zealand the prettiest. In addition, Israel was rated the most unfriendly country after France and Germany. can't blame 'em for being unfriendly to brits, given how brits feel about Israelis
Australia, New Zealand and Canada were among the most favored countries. Results regarding America were mixed, with 19 percent of Britons regarding the US as "most deserving of international respect," and 25% rating America as "least deserving of international respect." More Britons ranked America as the least safe country than those who thought the same of Israel, Egypt or South Africa. In response to the poll, Zvi Hefetz, Israel's ambassador to England, told Channel 2 that the poll was "not a big deal." he's being way more kind than they deserve
"I would not give it too much attention. Polls are a dangerous thing anyway. Other polls show that 49% of Britons wouldn't even like to live in their own country. I think this poll does more injustice to the British than it does to Israel," Hefetz said. no it doesn't.
Israel's Tourism Ministry said some 131,000 Britons visited Israel in 2004, a 44% increase from 2003. United Jewish Israel Appeal UK spokesperson, Beverley Kaye, commented to The Jerusalem Post that "this survey showed an interesting perspective bearing in mind the small sample number, which represents the number of Telegraph readers in the UK."
#3
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Britain instrumental in the creation of Israel, and wasn't that creation an attempt to address mistakes of colonial history, the crimes of the holocaust and long-term universal hatred of Jews?
#8
My mistake-thanks, Mrs. D. Found this interesting info on adl.org:
Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the British assumed control of Palestine. In November 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, announcing its intention to facilitate the "establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people." In 1922, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over Palestine which included, among other things, provisions calling for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, facilitating Jewish immigration and encouraging Jewish settlement on the land.
The Arabs were opposed to Jewish immigration to Palestine and stepped up their attacks against the Jews. Following an increase in Arab attacks, the British appointed a royal commission in 1936 to investigate the Palestine situation. The Peel Commission recommended the partition of the country between Arabs and Jews. The Arabs rejected the idea while the Jews accepted the principle of partition...
#9
I can't help wondering why there is such a sudden rise in antisemitism in countries like our own, Britain, France, etc. It's odd and I just don't get it. I'm glad Kerry lost because I think it would have escalated here too if he had won. What's most odd is that it comes from the left - our embracers of multiculturalism and diversity. I really think it's all about the culture of blame that defines the left.
#10
Why the rise in antisemitism? I think its because
A)the Palestinians continue to ride the lefty anti-colonialist (ie 'its all our fault the noble little brown and black natives are backward') wave, and
B)the left wing liked the Jews when they were being progressively non-religious and living communistically on kibbutzes. But now the Jews refuse to give up their religion (this drove the Catholics and Martin Luther mad as well, that the Jews refused to accept the superiority of their religious systems over the original) and are happily and successfully capitalist -- the kibbutzes are more tourist destinations than anything else -- the socialist/communist wings of the left reject Israel as if it had leprosy.
Oh, and despite British pre-WWII idealism and promises, the British government fought hard to retain their Mandate over "Palestine," and when the UN stymied that effort, set things up so that the rump Jewish state would fail immediately, hoping that Israel would then call in Britain to protect her from the invading Arab armies. Israel had not yet been forgiven by the British governing types for failing to fail.
"United Jewish Israel Appeal UK spokesperson, Beverley Kaye, commented to The Jerusalem Post that 'this survey showed an interesting perspective bearing in mind the small sample number, which represents the number of Telegraph readers in the UK.'"
No it doesn't. The poll was conducted for the Daily Telegraph, not by the Daily Telegraph. Respondents were selected from YouGov's membership, which has nothing to do with Telegraph readership.
From the Telegraph article: "Several countries â notably the United States â turn out to have "crossover" reputations. Large numbers rate them highly. Large numbers take the opposite view." And that's about it...
#12
that brits would find Israelis "unfriendly" is hardly surprising. Brits tend to be polite, while Israelis are among the rudest, bluntest, people there are. Sometimes this is refreshing, but its not very British.
That they find it undemocratic is clearly an effect of their press coverage that focuses on events in Gaza, and not debates in the Knesset
As for beautiful, they dont know what theyre missing.
#14
As for beautiful, they dont know what theyre missing.
Many know only what they see, hear and read from the likes of the BBC (and the leftoid rags) - not only the execrable news reportage but the news analysis, rigged political debates and the pervasive anti-Israeli sentiment that infests the whole organisation, including most prominent presenters, when they bother to express an ill-informed opinion. They'll never see a holiday programme lauding the sights and smells of Jerusalem or the spectacular views from Masada nowadays, for instance. What this poll reflects more than anything else is the power of propaganda. It's effects on people should never be underestimated.
#16
I can't help wondering why there is such a sudden rise in antisemitism in countries like our own, Britain, France, etc. What's most odd is that it comes from the left - our embracers of multiculturalism and diversity.
Your #2 sentence answers your question. What is sadly ironic is that the Jewish Left embraced these 2 concepts as well because they thought multi-culturalism and diversity would bring tolerance for different cultures/religions and also dilute the threat of nationalism in the West, which they equated with Nazi Germany. Instead today's multiculturalism came about from high immigration levels from source countries in the Third World, many of them Muslim dominant and diluting nationalism meant that the good Judeo Christian founding values of a country like the USA were also diluted so that being American has become a hyphenated after thought with the source country's values coming first in the equation.
#17
I'm really surprised at the US topping off the "least safe" countries, ahead of Egypt and Russia. Sometimes stereotypes die hard.
In the late-80s my (now) boyfriend had a couple friends visit him from Britain. He said they were constantly looking over their shoulders and preparing to dive for cover. Apparently they believed that suburban St. Louis was nothing but a constant hail of bullets (40% chance of gunfire tonight, with occasional 9mm hail).
They seemed like nice folks -- they smiled a lot -- but between dashing for cover and refusing to open their mouths, lest someone ridicule their (northern) accents, it was kinda hard to tell.
#18
Thanks .com, I just read the headline and groaned...
BullDog - your #14 comment is spot on, add in trailing wife's points and I think we have a pretty good description of this phenomena.
Angie, I quite agree about the taking TV too seriously. I've been to the States three times (Florida-7 days, California-4 days and DC-3 days), and have transitted through LAX a dozen or so times on the way to NZ/Oz. Ok, I was a bit nervous in Florida (I think this was the time there were people getting killed at rest-stops), California (LA/Santa Barbara) was really something and DC was superb for all the sights there - Air and Space Museum of course. Thing is, virtually all the Americans I met were (a) very friendly/incredibly polite, (b) talkative and (c) didn't want to shoot me. Ok, there was an incident on a Florida golf course where things could have got nasty (our green etiquette was a little lax), and the store clerk in Santa Barbara who, on hearing I was from England said 'so what's so Great about Britain?' (I was a model of politeness), and finally the guy who propositioned me in DC - I guess he was being friendly too, but not in the way I was interested in! :) I was even invited out for dinner by a fellow RB-er (who shall remain anonymous), but couldn't make it as my schedule was crazy.
I guess my point is, that TV really doesn't do any country justice, and I think America gets it worse than most. That is, unless you've seen Takeshi's Castle? ;)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
01/04/2005 20:07 Comments ||
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#19
Complete horseshit, as indicated by this disconnect from reality:
More Britons ranked America as the least safe country than those who thought the same of Israel, Egypt or South Africa
Egypt is a totalitarian third world nightmare state. Not even tourists are safe there. Israel is at war. South Africa-- funny how the basket-case post-apartheid mess of a nation escapes MSM coverage these days-- is probably the most dangerous peacetime state on the planet: ca. 20% of the female population has been raped, and carjackings are a daily occurrence in Johannesburg. Half the workforce is unemployed.
Anyone who thinks the US is more dangerous than these nations is either bullshitting or completely detached from reality. So much for online opinion polls.
#23
Of all the malicious MSM/Euro canards, the most ludicrous is the notion that the US is an unsafe country. Anyone who's even marginally numerate can read the violent death stats put out by any reputable government agency and see that the homicide problem in the US is overwhelmingly concentrated among a minority population of a minority population that itself is very narrowly concentrated in a few islands of drug dealing lawlessness. Even the UN, which recently collected such data from government agencies around the world, could not forbear pointing out this very un-PC and very powerful, blindingly obvious truth: 99.999% of US locales are as safe as or safer than any place on the planet. In other words, foreign tourists who stay away from the gangbangers' hood will likely be safer in the US than they would be in any decent-sized city outside the US.
Around 70,000 people have been trained in camps run by Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, mainly in Afghanistan, a senior German police officer told a court on Tuesday. Testifying at the retrial of Mounir El Motassadeq, a Moroccan man accused of involvement in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the officer said that the militants had received weapons training and religious instruction. Motassadeq, who is charged with complicity in the murder of some 3,000 people in the suicide hijackings and membership of a terrorist organisation, has acknowledged undertaking training in Afghanistan. The female officer, a commissioner with the federal criminal police, said the people who trained in the camps were told that US nationals and their allies were enemies and that it was the duty of each Muslim to kill them. She said that they were stripped of their passports on arrival, given a pseudonym and lodged in safe houses before being taken to the camps.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/04/2005 12:35:06 PM ||
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#1
If each one of these guys beheaded one infidel a year, you'd think that we'd see 70,000 headless corpses annually. It looks like even the hard core holy warrior-wannabes don't actually want to risk it all for whatever religious warriors trained them in those camps.
IRBIL, Iraq: Even at night, on a busy thoroughfare in this Kurdish city, the sedan is an easy mark for the Kalashnikov-toting police at the checkpoint. It has Baghdad license plates and, more alarmingly, Arabs in the front seat. "What are you doing here?" the police demand, motioning the car to the side. It was a routine exchange, but one that reveals how far Irbil and the entire Kurdish region have drifted from the rest of Iraq and toward an informal but unmistakable autonomy that Kurdish leaders are determined to preserve.
Residents in northern Iraq already call the area Kurdistan. The territory, stretching from Kirkuk on the region's southern edge to the Tigris River in the west and to Turkey and Iran in the north and east, is patently a world apart from the rest of Iraq. There is a building boom, with new apartments, hospitals and shopping centers. The gleaming 10-story Hotel Irbil, opened in October, is often sold out, its 167 rooms renting for $68 to $193 per night. Markets bustle, and even the devalued dollar goes a long way, with decent-quality Turkish-made pullovers for $12 and a Pepsi and shwarma sandwich the Iraqi hot dog for a little more than 50 cents.
While extensive areas of Iraq remain plagued by violence, the Kurdish sector is calm, with tight security maintained by swarms of Kurdish police officers and militiamen. Reconstruction projects, lagging in many parts of the country, are moving briskly ahead. The Kurds have veto power over most laws passed by the central government in Baghdad and have their own 80,000-member military, the peshmerga, whose troops are far better disciplined and skilled than most of their new Iraqi counterparts.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 11:53:49 AM ||
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#1
Sounds like they have a fine police and armed forces. Why not let them police the upper sunni areas and take off some of the pressure from our troops. In return we let them have a larger share of the pie? In my mind the sunnis had a chance to play and opted to punt, so if they pay a price for this so be it.
#2
In addition, take away all Syrian and Kurdish areas and make them part of the Kurdish territory as punishment for the Syrians and Iranians. Sure, the Turks will bitch..... but they MAY want to get rid of their part of Kurdistan also. It is trouble for them and has always been.
#3
leaddog2, the Turks don't have enough sense for that. urat will be here soon to prove it. Remember, there was no Armenian genocide.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/04/2005 14:23 Comments ||
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#4
Kurdistan is a good idea. Screw Turkey and Iran. Out of all the ethnic groups over there, the Kurds are the most seemingly responsible and deserving of a homeland.
The U.S. State Department's No. 2 official discussed security preparations for this month's Iraq election during a Monday meeting with Turkish officials, who pressed him to move against thousands of autonomy-seeking Turkish Kurds based in northern Iraq. But with U.S. troops battling a bloody insurgency in Iraq and warnings of even more violent attacks by rebels hoping to affect the Jan. 30 election, the United States has made clear it has no intention of cracking down on the rebels any time soon. "We are going to have, we hope in the near future, a trilateral meeting here to discuss the whole question of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party)," Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. He did not elaborate. Turkey pressed the United States to move against the estimated 4,000-5,000 rebels based in the mountains of northern Iraq and considered by Washington to be a terrorist group.
We're kinda busy right now. How about next week?
Turkey raised concerns over what it believes are attempts by Iraqi Kurds to try to solidify their presence in the oil-rich and ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, at the expense of the Turkmen -- a group akin to the Turks, a Turkish official said on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 11:52:19 AM ||
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MAYBE WE SHOULD REMIND THE TURKS OF THEIR COOPERATION AND EXTORTION ATTEMPT REGARDING THE 4TH ID. ENTRY INTO THE EU NOT ON MY WORST DAY.
The U.N. atomic watchdog agency has found evidence of secret nuclear experiments in Egypt that could be used in weapons programs, diplomats said Tuesday. The diplomats told The Associated Press that most of the work was carried out in the 1980s and 1990s but said the International Atomic Energy Agency also was looking at evidence suggesting some work was performed as recently as a year ago. Egypt's government rejected claims it is or has been pursuing a weapons program, saying its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. "A few months ago we denied these kinds of claims and we do so again," Egyptian government spokesman Magdy Rady said. "Nothing about our nuclear program is secret and there is nothing that is not known to the IAEA." But one of the diplomats said the Egyptians "tried to produce various components of uranium" without declaring it to the IAEA, as they were bound to under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The products included several pounds of uranium metal and uranium tetrafluoride — a precursor to uranium hexafluoride gas, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 11:08:45 AM ||
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#1
there is nothing that is not known to the IAEA
I'm sure that part is true. Didn't ElBaradei once head up that program?
#2
There was a strong suggestion a while back that the Libya-Egypt "Great Man-Made River" project, which involved enormous tunnels in deep mountains, was also being used to hide a joint nuclear weapons program.
#3
Very good catch, Anonymoose. Now I'm going to have to google that, unless you can provide a link for the background. I do love moving the bounds of my ignorance!!
#4
Odd if it's true. After Egypt's ignominious defeat by Isreal, it never struck me that Egypt had any ambition to be an aggressor. I thought that Egypt seemed quite content to live off foreign aid, just do the rah-rah talk at Arab meetings, but not be interested in doing any Arab nationalist walking except to the fridge to get some American made bonbons.
#5
After Egypt's ignominious defeat, they went passive-aggressive. That is, horrendously antisemitic slanting of the news and entertainment in their gov't sanctioned media, and weapons smuggling across/under the border through tunnels that seem inevitably to end within Egyptian Army camps. There is nothing in this mindset that would forestall working quietly on their own nuclear program in order to go back to the more comfortable active-agressive posture. Not to mention the 'face' they would earn among other Arab countries for being the first to announce such a scientific/military triumph.
#6
I've been pointing out for close to two years now that El Baradei was the head of the Egyptian effort for nukes until shortly before the peace agreement with Israel.
It seems obvious that he has been covering for various Arab countries pursuing nukes. If nobody in US agencies suspected as much, and nobody did anything about it, we are in serious trouble.
Israel's government was considering major changes in the military to facilitate a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank in 2005. Officials said the changes could end more than 15 years of rising influence by Orthodox Jews and Israeli residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the military. The measures could also reduce the recruitment of Orthodox youngsters into elite combat units.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has examined a series of recommendations to facilitate the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank and the expulsion of about 10,000 Israeli residents from these areas in September 2005. The recommendations envisioned the prospect of massive resistance within the army, particularly from Orthodox Jewish officers and soldiers. "The prime minister said that in approximately two weeks, the Cabinet will hear the position of the security establishment on this issue and by then the decision-making process will have been formulated," a Cabinet communique said on Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:51:49 AM ||
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In one his last moves to close 2004, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai held the first meeting with his new Cabinet, stressing that ministers need to work together to rebuild the war-torn country and carry it into a brighter future. In the meeting at the Presidential Palace in the capital Kabul, Karzai, the first elected president in Afghanistan, said that the Cabinet must focus on the economy, education and security and that the success of the government should be based on how well it fights against the flourishing drug industry. He also urged the ministers to turn away from tribal and ethnic loyalty and commit themselves to the people who have been struggling during warfare that lasted for a quarter of a century.
The President said before the meeting that infighting in the Cabinet between political parties must be avoided. "I hope all of our ministers in the Cabinet, if they have any link with political parties, they should resign from those parties. If they do, then the people of Afghanistan will trust our Cabinet," said Karzai. Karzai's selection of ministers, announced just days before the first meeting, has been seen as a significant move. Some warlords holding positions as ministers in the interim government put together after the Taliban regime was ousted in late 2001 were removed. Most of the ministerial positions were filled by technocrats with experience related to their new jobs and a college degree was a requirement. "Taking out warlords and bringing in more qualified people is a fresh start for President Karzai to unify the country, establishing security and rebuilding a country that is in real need," said an Afghan analyst.
Former Defense Minister Mohammed Fahim, once a leading commander of the Northern Alliance, was replaced by his deputy Abdur Rahim Wardak, who fought against the Soviets in the eighties. Yunus Qanooni, who ran against Karzai during the presidential elections last October after being the Minister of Education, was not given a position in the Cabinet. Two ministers were appointed as governors in important provinces after being replaced in the Cabinet. Gul Afha Sherzai, former Minister of Public Works, was named governor of the Kandahar province, while Sayed Hussain Anwari, former Minister of Agriculture, is now the governor of the Kabul province, which includes the capital city. Karzai, who won the presidential elections on October 9 and took 55% of the votes, appointed the female presidential candidate Massouda Jalal as the Minister of Women's Affairs.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:44:26 AM ||
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Mahmud Abbas, the leading candidate to win the upcoming Palestinian presidential election, condemned the firing of rockets towards Israeli settlements and towns by Palestinian fighters, saying the attacks had led to the death of Palestinian children. "Someone asked me today about my opinion on the rockets attacks. I replied that I condemn them, regardless of who is responsible for them," the PLO chairman told a group of businessmen in Gaza City. "Experience has shown that they usually fall in the desert or on our houses, killing our children. Firing these rockets is of no use. These rockets only hurt our people and lead to (Israeli) aggressions and I am making no apologies for what I said." A joint statement issued in the name of the main factions had described Abbas' remarks "as a stab in the back of the resistance".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 9:33:51 AM ||
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As Abbas builds faith with the Palestinians, he kills it with the US. Honoring "martyrs" and calling Israel the "Zionist enemy" proves my hope that Abbas would be a different kind of leader was unfounded-"campaign rhetoric" notwithstanding.
Presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called Israel the "Zionist enemy," a marked escalation in his campaign rhetoric. Abbas spoke to thousands of supporters after seven Palestinians were killed by an Israeli tank shell earlier in the day in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. "We came to you today, while we are praying for the souls of the martyrs who were killed today by the shells of the Zionist enemy in Beit Lahiya," Abbas said during a campaign stop in the town of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Abbas, the front-runner in Sunday's election for Palestinian Authority president, is considered a moderate and has the tacit support of Israel and the United States. Abbas has criticized the armed Palestinian uprising and called for an end to violence. However, in recent days Abbas has been campaigning in Palestinian areas that have been the hardest hit by four years of fighting, and has courted militants. Held aloft by gunmen during campaign rallies, Abbas has indicated he prefers to co-opt the armed men, rather than crack down as Israel demands. The recent campaign moves have caused some concern in Israel. However, Israeli officials have refrained from criticizing Abbas in public, apparently brushing aside some of his hard-line statements as campaign rhetoric. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Abbas is elected, "he will be judged by his actions, not his words, in providing security and fighting terrorism."
Posted by: Steve ||
01/04/2005 8:59:14 AM ||
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An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Abbas is elected, "he will be judged by his actions, not his words, in providing security and fighting terrorism."
While actions do speak louder than words, words do not become totally meaningless as a result. Mazen's rhetoric does nothing to stem hostility among the Paleo population towards Israel, and can only serve to make the goal of peace more difficult.
Now whether peace really is the goal is certainly debatable....
#2
You know, with his stupid rhetoric and whatnot, Abbas is sounding more and more like a guy running for political office. Remember Bomb-a-rama that his constituency is somewhat more barbaric than Attila the Hun's horde, so he's going to have to make comments like this if he wants to get elected. Personally, I think Abbas is about the best that can be hoped for under the circumstances.... kind of like the current Gov. of California.
#5
..his constituency is somewhat more barbaric than Attila the Hun's horde, so he's going to have to make comments like this if he wants to get elected.
The thing is, what then if he does get elected? Assuming that he's only dispensing the resistance line to get the nod, how does he put out the fires of hatred that have been stoked for so long by the likes of Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Yasshole Arafart once being sworn in? I suppose ratcheting down the rhetoric would be the most logical first step, but speaking of a "Zionist enemy" is a rather lousy way to begin.
#6
"but speaking of a "Zionist enemy" is a rather lousy way to begin."
To our ears, yes. To his would-be electorate, no. I'm also going to bet that Sharon really doesn't care what Abbas says so long as he actually does something productive.
#8
its NOT good that he says things like this, even if he has to. Its not good that he would have to. OTOH, it doesnt mean the end, or that hes just like Yasser. He will be measured by deeds, not words. Still, words are not unimportant.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that he may call for early elections if an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party refused to join his coalition. In an interview with The New York Times, Sharon vowed to go ahead with the disengagement plan even if there is an early election. Sharon's Likud Party reached a deal with the Labor party to form a unity government, but it still needs the support of the United Torah Judaism's (UTJ) to secure majority in parliament for a coalition able to approve the evacuation of all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip as well as four other enclaves in the West Bank.
"They (UTJ) changed their mind under heavy pressure from radical rabbis of the settlers. And part of my own party is against joining with Labor," The New York Times quoted Sharon as saying. "If I don't have a majority this week, then maybe we'll have to go to elections ... An election now would be a major mistake for Israel, but even if it becomes necessary, I will go ahead with disengagement." Sharon was forced to form a coalition to avoid early elections after he lost his parliamentary majority when he sacked members of his biggest coalition partner, the centrist Shinui party, who voted against the state budget. The United Torah Judaism's "council of sages" was considering on Monday whether to join the coalition.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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On Sunday, a Palestinian Cabinet minister said that Israel won't permit Palestinian detainees, held at Israeli jails to vote in their country's upcoming presidential elections. Hisham Abdel Razek, the Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, said that Israel told him that the Palestinian prisoners won't be allowed to vote in the Jan. 9 elections to choose a successor for the late Yasser Arafat.
Currently Israel holds about 7,000 Palestinians in jails and military prisons The Palestinians will go to Israel's Supreme Court on Monday to appeal the decision by Israel's public security minister, Gideon Ezra, Abdel Razek said. Officials from the Public Security Ministry couldn't be reached for comment. "There is nothing in the Israeli or the Palestinian law that bars prisoners from taking part in the elections," Abdel Razek said. Israeli prisoners are allowed to vote in the Israeli elections. Israel previously claimed that it will do everything possible to ensure that the Palestinians can hold free and credible elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
"On Sunday, a Palestinian Cabinet minister said that Israel wonât permit Palestinian detainees, held at Israeli jails to vote in their countryâs upcoming presidential elections."
Iraqi Defense Minister Hazim Al-Shaalan said yesterday he favored delaying elections beyond Jan. 30 if Sunni Muslims are not planning to take part.
Do you intend to delay them forever if they never take part?
Shaalan, in Cairo for medical treatment, told reporters that Iraq was asking Egypt to intervene to try to persuade the Sunnis to vote. He was speaking after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. "If there is any difficulty in them (Sunnis) taking part, then the question of postponing them (the elections) for another period arises. That I believe is the safest and most proper way so that all sectors and the full spectrum of Iraqi society can take part in elections on one day," he said.
I, on the other hand, feel that when a segment of the population digs in its heels and announces that elections are un-Islamic and that they're not going to vote and they'll kill anyone who tries to vote, they should be taken at their word. And exterminated.
Several Iraqi groups, mainly Sunnis, have argued in favor of postponing the elections. The once-privileged minority faces the prospect of the vote cementing the newfound political power of the long-oppressed Shiite majority. But Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, like Shaalan a secular Shiite, has said he wants the elections to go ahead on time. Shiites, led by Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, their most influential cleric, have also insisted the polls go ahead, as have the United States and Shiite neighbor Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
What are they going to do? Blow people up and chop off some heads? Can't have that.
#5
Im not sure its that the majority of Sunni Arabs dont WANT to vote. I saw a poll indicating interest in voting was HIGH, among Sunni Arabs(MSM hasnt highlighted that) The question is CAN they vote - will Iraqi Police and ING be willing to risk their lives to protect polling places, etc.
Im NOT saying the vote should be postponed - plenty of disadvantages to that as well - but it would be better if security was better for the vote. Im not sure if another couple of weeks would make that much difference, but then Im not privy to coalition military plans. If say, they really were on the verge of some big breakthrough, capturing Zarqawi, lets say, I could see a good case for delaying the elections a couple of weeks for that.
#6
The majority of the violence stems from the Sunni community. It's Sunni sons and brothers who are running round attacking election officials, beheading people and setting IEDs. If the Sunnis can't be bothered reining in their murderous young men, and subsequently feel too afraid to vote, I call that something resembling poetic justice. They sowed the sectarian whirlwind which engulfs their communities - in harsh contrast to the restraint and civilised behaviour of the vast majority of Shiites and Kurds. Their unwillingness to excercise their block vote doesn't earn them any sympathy from me.
#7
SOME Sunnis have supported coalition forces, with intel tips, etc (some of which we've noted here) Some Sunni Arabs have given their lives, wearing the uniforms of the IP and ING. Rather more Sunni Arabs than Shias or Kurds, IIUC, since ING are usually, and IP always, assigned to their local area. While there seems to be widespread support for the insurgency among Sunni Arabs, im not sure it exceeds 50%. The rest are too scared to reign in the insurgents and their supporters. I for one, am not willing to judge the fears of people subject to terrorist violence every day, while sit at a keyboard in safety (more or less) thousands of miles away. It may be better for the election to go forward on time - but its no poetic justice for people to suffer for the deeds of those in the same group they are in.
#8
And if the head of intelligence services in Baghdad is right and the total number of insurgents is 200,000? A rough calculation would suggest that one in ten Sunni Arabs of suitable age is actively involved in the terrorism. That's an awfully big SOME.
Those who want an excuse not to vote, won't vote. The fact is there are a great many Sunnis who don't want democracy to succeed. The anti-Democratic Sunni arab minority shouldn't be allowed to succeed in delaying the elections which the Shiites and Kurds have patiently waited for. Nobody has to vote for the elections to be legitimate.
#9
the 200,000 figure is being tossed around by the left as more proof of "quagmire" Im not sure its news. We all know that there are several supporters for every insurgent. If we counted everyone who did anything for the Iraqi Govt or the coalition, wed get a much larger number than the number of folks actually serving in the IP, ING, and Iraqi Army.
There are IIUC, about 5 million Sunni Arabs in Iraq. Lets assume 40% want the insurgency to win. Thats 2 million people, of whom, assuming the 200,000 figure is correct, about 10% are actively involved. That still leaves a majority, 60% who dont want the insurgency to win.
And even if 60% supported the insurgency? Does that make the remaining 40% culpable? We've had this argument in other contexts, again and again. Democratic values, the ones we want to impart to Iraqis, say youre culpable for what YOU do, not for what a member of your tribe, your ethnic group, or your religion does.
People who boycotts do so at their own cost, I agree. But its not unreasonable to ask for SOME security when you go vote. To the extent that folks dont vote cause theyre NOT secure (and I can already anticipate the post-election debate about causality) that reduces the legitimacy of the election.
#10
And even if 60% supported the insurgency? Does that make the remaining 40% culpable? We've had this argument in other contexts, again and again. Democratic values, the ones we want to impart to Iraqis, say youre culpable for what YOU do, not for what a member of your tribe, your ethnic group, or your religion does.
Then those that aren't interested in the rise of another Baathist state or even an Iran-style fundie regime need to look beyond the security situation at the bigger picture. Is concern over security really that big a deal to the point of forfeiting participation (and representation) in a new government that will no doubt be worlds better than what existed before? What about people that they know that are involved in terror? Is it worth staying silent about individuals that they know fall into that category?
These people need to understand that the days of relative privilege they enjoyed under the protection of a brutal dictator of their religious stripe are gone, and no one, not even their own Sunni kin (as evidenced by Fallujah before being taken apart), is going to necessarily bend over backwards to grant them any special favors.
It's time the Sunnis of Iraq took their future into their own hands, and do something for themselves for once. The problem is emanating largely from their own camp, and in the end, it is up to them to clean up their act.
#11
While there seems to be widespread support for the insurgency among Sunni Arabs, im not sure it exceeds 50%. The rest are too scared to reign in the insurgents and their supporters. I for one, am not willing to judge the fears of people subject to terrorist violence every day, while sit at a keyboard in safety (more or less) thousands of miles away.
But that's not the complete equation, is it? We would also have to include the fact that American soldiers are there risking their lives for the benefit of Iraqis, in the midst of the fear they rightly feel. The damaged pride and humiliation we always hear the Arab world suffers would be somewhat healed and self-empowerment will be realized if courage ends up trumping fear.
#12
I don't recall the defense minister making policy. If he doesn't publicly agree with Allawi (and the big guy standing behind him), maybe he should find new work
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/04/2005 15:05 Comments ||
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#13
Then those that aren't interested in the rise of another Baathist state or even an Iran-style fundie regime need to look beyond the security situation at the bigger picture.
I can guarantee you that if there were armed groups targeting polling places in the US, my wife wouldnt vote, no matter how important the issue. Not everyones brave.
#14
We would also have to include the fact that American soldiers are there risking their lives for the benefit of Iraqis, in the midst of the fear they rightly feel.
well yes, if some American soldier in Iraq posts here saying to hell with the Sunni Arabs who wont risk their lives to vote, Id sit and listen. Do we have any American soldiers posting here on this subject?
#15
I can guarantee you that if there were armed groups targeting polling places in the US, my wife wouldnt vote, no matter how important the issue.
What if it was a chance in God knows how long to actually have a say in who is to run the country and how, and to put into place something to replace a dictator with genocidal tendencies?
Seven robbers were battered to death by an angry mob when they tried to loot a passenger bus at Kadamtala, 90 km from Calcutta, in broad daylight. West Bengal Director General of Police Shyamal Dutta said that policemen rushed to the spot on hearing about the highway heist but even the men in uniform could not stop villagers and commuters from killing the badly-outnumbered criminals with iron rods.
I'm just guessing, but what I'm guessing is that the outnumbered criminals were known local layabouts and ruffians...
I'm just glad the Metro riders in DC don't usually board the bus while carrying iron rods. As far as I know.
But there was nothing unusual about last week's lynching. Blood thirsty mobs baying for bandits' blood are becoming a common feature of the West Bengal countryside.
Still guessing, but I'd guess that, having worked to achieve a bit of prosperity, the locals aren't happy at the idea of the layabouts trying to take it away from them...
How unreasonably unsocialist of them ...
Nearly 100 criminals have been lynched to death in various such incidents in 2004. In the last few years, mob action has claimed more lives in the state than in any other province, according to National Crime Records Bureau statistics.
... and I'd also guess that the record of the local cops at catching the layabouts and hard boyz, and of the local courts in putting them away, isn't too stellar...
Last week, a gang of criminals boarded the bus brandishing revolvers and shotguns in North 24 Parganas district. When the passengers raised an alarm, the robbers fired in the air. But the driver stopped the bus in a busy rural market and pleaded for help. Soon hundreds of villagers pounced on the bandits. All the seven were killed on the spot even as the police helplessly watched the bloody scene.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#2
Bandits being ripped apart by angry mobs...somehow, I just can't raise any sympathy for these criminals. Maybe, if they'd do some honest work, they would be on the receiving end of iron bars being swung by angry people who'd like to not be robbed.
#5
But the driver stopped the bus in a busy rural market and pleaded for help. Soon hundreds of villagers pounced on the bandits. All the seven were killed on the spot
LMAO!!!
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/04/2005 3:44 Comments ||
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Works for me. Iron bars are better than grey bars in some parts of the world. This is one of them.
#9
All the seven were killed on the spot even as the police helplessly watched the bloody scene.
I guess that's better than having them join in.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/04/2005 7:04 Comments ||
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I've noticed the same trend of bad guys getting thumped by angry mobs in the Bangladesh press.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/04/2005 8:13 Comments ||
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I'm just glad the Metro riders in DC don't usually board the bus while carrying iron rods. As far as I know.
As long as you don't threaten the other passengers, you don't have anything much to worry about.
Who needs a taser, when you have Iron Rodz(tm)!
Posted by: N Guard ||
01/04/2005 8:45 Comments ||
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Can't wait for the NY Times op-ed decrying the increase in vigilante justice, obviously brought about by the risky scheme dangerous Bush doctrine of pre-emption. They'll be totally clueless as to why crime rates drop suddenly in areas like these
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/04/2005 9:18 Comments ||
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So.... where's a good place to get an iron bar?
Egypt demanded Israel on Monday to completely withdraw from Gaza Strip to the positions they held in 2000, prior to the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising, Intifada, to restore security and calmness to the region, to ensure the legitimacy of the Palestinian elections, planned for next week. In an interview with Egyptian radio on Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that "the aim Egypt is working for is to restore confidence and calm so that the Palestinian people in all the Gaza Strip can take part in a legitimate election process under international supervision. That can be achieved only by complete Israeli withdrawal from the areas Israeli forces have occupied since 28 September, 2000 (the eve of the intifada)."
Aboul Gheit added that the presence of the Israeli army in Gaza was a "provocation" perpetuating a cycle of violence. Yesterday, Israeli tanks moved into the northern areas of the Gaza Strip and Israel claimed that the operation was aimed at stopping Palestinian fighters from launching mortar and rocket attacks against the Israeli soldiers and settlements. The raid in Beit Hanoun started just hours after Israeli army ended its three-day incursion into Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza. Aboul Gheit said there was no comparison between Israel's offensive and the Palestinian resistance and attacks, which are a direct result of provocations by Israeli forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Sakes. The Israelis have to do this, the Israelis have to do that. Blah, blah, blah.
The A-rabs need to try something new that isn't a variant of that theme.
#5
This is so Arab. Sharon says "We're going to withdraw our people from Gaza." The Egyptians say, "We demand that the Israelis withdraw their people from Gaza." The Israelis withdraw as they had planned to do, and the Egyptians do a victory lap because they 'forced' the Israelis to do so. Idiots.
#6
So withdraw from Gaza already. Move the troops to Sinai and have them escort the Paleos into the desert. Elephant tick solution.
Posted by: Weird Al ||
01/04/2005 9:38 Comments ||
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soon as Egypt starts keeping their word on stopping the Paleo-tunnel smuggling, k?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/04/2005 9:45 Comments ||
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Well, Frank, I'd be surprised if they began keeping their word on anything. For example, how about even doing the first on the roadkillmap to peace?
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.
The Arab World has seen in the recent years changes in leaderships, including in countries such as Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, UAE and Palestine, not to mention what occurred in Iraq and the alterations in other Arab regimes. We are in a new phase of the development of the Arab political system. However, what is remarkable is that these changes, which affected approximately half of the Arab world, were limited just to the change of individuals and were not real changes to the systems. Although we always call for injection of new blood into the top of the Arab governance, what has happened was a transfer and not change of authority. 
Muslim cleric 
Much energy has been expended in attempting to block Iran's seemingly inexorable drive toward acquiring nuclear weapons. But there is growing concern that all this activity has merely served to mask a potentially more sinister, more dangerous development: The acquisition of nuclear weapons by Syria, perhaps with the assistance of its Iranian ally. On May 11, US President George W. Bush triggered the implementation of a basket of sanctions against the regime of Bashar Assad that had been approved by Congress six months earlier. Bush cited Syria's support for terrorism, its military presence in Lebanon, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and its actions to undermine US efforts to stabilize and reconstruct Iraq. Such activities, declared Bush, are "sufficiently grave to constitute a threat to the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the United States." 
On Sunday, a Palestinian Cabinet minister said that Israel won't permit Palestinian detainees, held at Israeli jails to vote in their country's upcoming presidential elections. Hisham Abdel Razek, the Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, said that Israel told him that the Palestinian prisoners won't be allowed to vote in the Jan. 9 elections to choose a successor for the late Yasser Arafat. 
Seven robbers were battered to death by an angry mob when they tried to loot a passenger bus at Kadamtala, 90 km from Calcutta, in broad daylight. West Bengal Director General of Police Shyamal Dutta said that policemen rushed to the spot on hearing about the highway heist but even the men in uniform could not stop villagers and commuters from killing the badly-outnumbered criminals with iron rods.
