“His Excellency Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa expressed great appreciation for the investigative efforts in Saudi Arabia that identified a spy ring working for Iranian intelligence. The Minister condemned Iran's interference in the internal affairs of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He said that not only had Bahrain discovered a terror cell, whose members had been linked to Iran and had been ............"
The Bahrain minister Al-Khalifa congratulated the Saudi minister Al-Saud for arresting Iranian and terrorist groups. He also thanked him for sending his military and security............The Saudi minister Al-Saud in turn reiterated his past weekly congratulations to the Bahrain minister Al-Khalifa for his country’s.........the Bahrain minister Al-Saud, the UAE minister Al-Khalifa............. << MORE >>

"Syria's acting National Coalition opposition chief George Sabra issued the call for rebel reinforcements to the town as Syrian troops backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement battled for control of Qusayr. "Revolutionary battalions and Free Syrian Army, rush to the rescue of Qusayr and Homs," Sabra said in a statement, urging brigades around the country to send forces and weapons, "however small." "We call on the international community to open a humanitarian corridor ………......"
When they took Qusayr many months ago, the Free Syrian Salafi Army (FSA) evicted all Christians from the town. Reportedly kicked them out. Now that they are losing Qusayr, the.............<< MORE >>

“No options are off the table if Syria's ruling regime refuses to seriously engage in an international conference to broker peace in the country, Foreign Secretary William Hague said today. Mr Hague said the conference between President Bashar Assad's regime and Syrian opposition leaders should be held as soon as possible, telling MPs it must be focused..........."
“No options are off the table”. Nice cliche,; he forgot to add "Red Line" and "Game-Changer" to complete the current popular list. This guy is a little funny. He threatens war, and yet he has not asked the British people if they agree. More important............<< MORE >>

Haiku: Ole Bashar was told: leave........... Sees Moscow options bleak and Tehran worse........<< MORE >>

“Nigerian forces have launched attack on Boko Haram strongholds in the country’s northeast region, security sources have told Reuters news agency, amid deployment of fighter jets and helicopter gunships. Soldiers raided areas in the Sambisa Game Reserve in Borno state where the armed group has established bases, two sources, who spoke on condition............"
In the old days of before the New York September 11 attacks, Jihadists were different. I wouldn't say they were sweeter. There was mainly Al-Qaeda which often threatened to wage war on Western infidels. They did that a few times, but sporadically, until 2001. Until that time the soldiers, the Jihadists who executed the terrorist acts were usually almost..........And they tend to be multinationals, almost as multinational as the foreign mercenaries that are hired by some Muslim regime on the Gulf to repress their citizens. Al Qaeda seems to be..............<< MORE >>

"On March 19, the Interior Ministry said authorities had arrested 16 Saudis, an Iranian and a Lebanese in four regions including the Eastern Province. While Iran has denied any involvement in the alleged spy ring, spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, Mansour al-Turki, said in April that initial investigation has revealed direct involvement of those arrested with Iranian intelligence…………..”
No doubt there is a lot of spying going on along the shores of the Gulf. Here are some examples, from Kuwait to the UAE and Bahrain and Oman and Qatar............<< MORE >>

North Korea’s hereditary rulers are all from the Kim family. What I noticed is that each generation of leaders starts at a younger age than the previous one. The current one is in his twenties? We’re talking someone who could be housed at the Animal House fraternity in some college campus: Great Leader (Grandpa Kim Il Sung)..........In Bahrain the rapacious and avaricious Al Khalifa clan have been given their own names: Late .........In the UAE, the rulers follow a mixed policy of horizontal and vertical hereditary rule. the late Shaikh Zayed Al-Nahayan took power through a palace coup, by overthrowing his brother Shakhbut........... In Syria, Hafez Al-Assad reportedly planned to leave the throne to his flamboyant son Basil,..........<< MORE >>

“Syrian government forces backed by Lebanese fighters from the militant group Hezbollah pushed Sunday into parts of Qusayr, a strategic city long held by rebels, according to an antigovernment activist and pro-government news channels. If the advance holds, it would be a serious setback for opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. Both sides called it one of the war’s most intense ground battles. The fight seemed likely to inflame regional tensions as Hezbollah............"
The Syrian war is not just now threatening a regional sectarian conflagration as this piece claims, and not just because of Hezbollah. The Syrian uprising, initially peaceful and growing, was quickly hijacked by Salafis and tribal Wahhabi potentates from the Persian Gulf states. From the beginning I was reading calls in Arabic on social and other media to help Syrians fight off the...........The Syrian uprising was turned into a sectarian civil war when the Gulf money and Arab volunteers started flowing in. The Syrian uprising turned into a sectarian civil war when the FSA gangs started kidnapping and..........Hezbollah has no doubt lost a lot of support outside Lebanon for siding with the Syrian regime........<< MORE >>

"The Arab League called an emergency meeting for Thursday, ahead of the conference, as the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) demanded it meet and "stop the massacre in Qusayr". Forces loyal to Assad launched Sunday's offensive by heavily bombarding Qusayr with artillery and warplanes early in the morning. Hours later, a military source said that government forces entered the centre of the town, with troops raising the Syrian flag over the recaptured municipality building…………….....”
The propaganda battle over Qusayr is a classic lesson in using Body Language (or sentence structure and word choice) in war. The body language (and word choice) by the Syrian opposition indicate the fall of the town to regime forces. For now........... We have learned a lot in the Middle East about body-language of regimes and their announcers and spokesmen. A generation ago, nay ten years ago............<< MORE >>

“Qatar's Aid to Egypt Raises Fears on Motives. Gulf State Seeks Influence on Longtime Regional Power, Critics Says, With Loans to Muslim Brotherhood-Led Government………………..”
Historically Egypt has not been a xenophobic country. It used to be one of the most tolerant nations in the Middle East. This may be changing. Certain segments of Egyptians are now deeply suspicious.........Liberals worry about Qatari aid to the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Islamist regime........ Seculars worry that they will lose the revolution of 2011............every regime in Egypt ends up controlling Al-Azhar. The current Shaikh (Ahmed Al Tayeb: Ahmed the Nice/Good) was appointed.........Salafis worry about reduced Saudi influence. That is unique and odd. I have never known anyone else anywhere who worries about, nay fears, reduced Saudi influence........Xenophobic Salafis have no reason to be so Anti-Semitic (not that anybody does). Jews are unlike the others...........<< MORE >>

“The Turkish media has failed to take a stand against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted as saying May 19 while speaking with a group of journalists during an official visit to Washington. “Through the process, even our print and visual media haven’t stood against [Syrian President] Bashar [al-Assad]. Moreover, there are [media] which act together [with the al-Assad regime]..........."
Could this be one factor why Turkey is reportedly the world’s top jailer of journalists nowadays. The Turkish journalists do not show enough enthusiasm against the Syrian strongman. Not as much enthusiasm as the Turkish strongman Erdoğan wants.........Having done so, Mr. Erdoğan is now stuck in the Syrian boat being carried.............<< MORE >>

"Immediately after Hitto’s narrow victory in the coalition’s vote, several members suspended their membership and the armed wing of the group – the Free Syrian Army command – issued a statement that it opposed his election. …….. Two members of the Syrian Opposition Coalition separately confirmed to McClatchy what Arabic-language news reports have said for days: that Hitto is at great risk of being pushed out because his post has become mired in a tug of war between Saudi Arabia and Qatar over Syria’s future…………….”
Qatar and Saudi Arabia. These two Persian Gulf Wahhabi absolute tribal states are reportedly fighting over Syria’s future. And here American media (CNN, Fox News, and others) have been telling us for two years about the bright future that awaits the Syrian people once the Baathist dictatorship is deposed. Once the dictator is gone, the thinking has gone, Syria will surely join the civilized trickle-down nations that worship Citibank and Goldman Sachs. This was the Obama-Clinton-Kerry vision. Francois Hollande dreamed of clinking glasses of Beaujolais........... << MORE >>

"The Saudis say they never existed. They also dismiss the allegations as fabrications designed to blackmail them into settling the case on disadvantageous terms. Almhairat's first allegation relates to a transaction said to have taken place in spring 2010, when he was asked to fly from the Jordanian capital Amman to Beirut to issue a bank guarantee for $5m to an intermediary who supposedly dealt with Hezbollah, the Shia political organisation which controls much of eastern Lebanon…………Almhairat claims he was later told the banker's draft was to be used to "facilitate money-laundering for Hezbollah"……….….”
I am not buying the part of the Jordanian's claim about a senior Saudi prince helping Hezbollah in an illegal operation just to earn$ 5 million. That amount is peanuts, ..........Would he trust Hezbollah and would Hezbollah even trust him? Are they that stupid in Beirut? I am........<< MORE >>

"McCain told host Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." "We need to have a game-changing action: No American boots on the ground, establish a safe zone, and protect it and supply weapons to the right people in Syria who are fighting for obviously the things we believe in."…………….....”
Talk about a helluva leap of faith. And how does McCain and his fellow travelers know who are these democracy loving Syrians? Jabhat Al-Nusra? Nope. The hostage-taking, sectarian,, torturing, head-cutting, cannibalistic Free Syrian Salafi Army? Probably not. The politicians in Turkey and Paris? Many of these are no doubt well-meaning gentlemen, but they are not in Syria,......... They do not believe in truth, justice, and the American way. In fact the Superman would get beheaded and....... Maybe the senators know the history of the Spanish Civil War, and how the Western democracies left the field for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. How the British and others refused to supply the ...........<< MORE >>

"The meeting would bring the opposition and Syrian government together and pave the way for a new transitional government. France's Foreign Ministry said Friday it opposes Iranian participation in the peace talks. A spokesman says France cannot see how a country that threatens regional stability like Iran can take part. Russia has said Iran, a close Syrian ally, must be included in the talks and accuses the West of trying to narrow the circle of participants.........."
The French, the former colonial masters of Syria and North Africa, come from thousands of kilometers away and claim to have the “right” to shape our region. They claim the right to decide which country in our region can participate in discussing regional issues. The French governments, be they Gaullists or Socialists, act as if the............<< MORE >>