The Best-Armed Sitting Ducks in Iraq, Saudi Succession, Marrying a Jinn in Jedda
Iraq Turns Grimmer:
Looks like it is time for someone to finally crack down in Iraq. This week al-Qaeda terrorists have paraded in Ramadi and other towns west and north of Baghdad, while the Sadrist Mahdi militias took over al-Amarah for a while. This is no good. Even in Vietnam, during thr worst days, militias could not parade with impunity in the cities- with the exception of the Tet Offensive- but at the time they did not parade, they fought and got slaughtered, and still inched closer to winning the war.
Iraq will never stabilize as long as its government has no authority on the streets. This must be the message of General Abizaid's return to Washington today. But this does not require a trip back to DC, so there must be something big afoot to resolve the security issue quickly. Otherwise there is no sense for the coalition troops to remain as sitting ducks, albeit well-armed sitting ducks, between warring sectarian factions. It is clear now that this is a war that is truly being fought, as someone rude but truthful would say, in a half-assed fashion. Doing it this way only emboldens the enemies and sends a terrible message about American resolve to the peoples of the Middle East.
Perhaps later in November, after the political process has played out, when the only remaining unfinished things are the things that really matter.....
A meeting sponsored by the Orqanization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca has apparently reached agreement on an 'Accord' to stop the bloodshed and sectarian tensions in Iraq. The problem with this conference is that the main sources of bloodshed and sectarian conflict are not represented: Al-Qaeda, the Ba'ath, and Al-Sadr's Mahdi militias have not attended. Ayatollah al-Sistani has not attended or sent a representative although he approved of the meeting. That could be because he is not part to any sectarian conflict or because he does not think the agreement will amount to a proverbial American hill of beans on the ground. If it is the latter al-Sistani is absolutely right- unfortunately.
Saudi Arabia:
The Saudi ruling family is preparing for the inevitable. The King has issued a royal decree forming Hei'at al-Bei'a, or the Committee of Allegiance (as in pledging allegiance) for the selection of the Crown Prince in the future. That is, for the time after the direct sons of King Abulaziz Ibn Saud die off. They foresee, rightly, the possibility of rivalry and conflict within the family once the first line of heirs die off, something that has happened within other extended ruling families in the GCC. The commitee is composed of princes from the family.
Saudi Arabia-The Lighter Side:
Alarabiya TV reports that a Saudi businessman from Jeddah, that would be the Manhattan of Saudi Arabia, fell for a clever trickster. The man was promised an arranged marriage to a daughter of the King of the Jinns- that would be an actual flesh and blood King of all the jinns not Elvis from beyond. This man was clearly more interested in flesh than blood for he paid more than one million Saudi Riyals as dowry and finder's fees. He paid dearly for the chance of coupling with a princess of n-dimensions (n>3) or perhaps no dimensions (n=0). But he was also told that she would help him make over one billion during the first week of the homeymoon (did not disclose the location of the honeymoon). He was promised about ten billion within the first year.
Saudi media report a marked increase in these unusual cases of fraud and scams in recent months. A sociologist attributes this phenomenon to increased unemployment and the pervasive mentality of making a fast buck (that would be making a fast Riyal in this case). He also noted that many of the gangs that practice this type of fraud originate in Africa for some reason. Still, it takes two and there is one born every....
Cheers
Mohammed
mghuloum@arabiadeserta.com
Looks like it is time for someone to finally crack down in Iraq. This week al-Qaeda terrorists have paraded in Ramadi and other towns west and north of Baghdad, while the Sadrist Mahdi militias took over al-Amarah for a while. This is no good. Even in Vietnam, during thr worst days, militias could not parade with impunity in the cities- with the exception of the Tet Offensive- but at the time they did not parade, they fought and got slaughtered, and still inched closer to winning the war.
Iraq will never stabilize as long as its government has no authority on the streets. This must be the message of General Abizaid's return to Washington today. But this does not require a trip back to DC, so there must be something big afoot to resolve the security issue quickly. Otherwise there is no sense for the coalition troops to remain as sitting ducks, albeit well-armed sitting ducks, between warring sectarian factions. It is clear now that this is a war that is truly being fought, as someone rude but truthful would say, in a half-assed fashion. Doing it this way only emboldens the enemies and sends a terrible message about American resolve to the peoples of the Middle East.
Perhaps later in November, after the political process has played out, when the only remaining unfinished things are the things that really matter.....
A meeting sponsored by the Orqanization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca has apparently reached agreement on an 'Accord' to stop the bloodshed and sectarian tensions in Iraq. The problem with this conference is that the main sources of bloodshed and sectarian conflict are not represented: Al-Qaeda, the Ba'ath, and Al-Sadr's Mahdi militias have not attended. Ayatollah al-Sistani has not attended or sent a representative although he approved of the meeting. That could be because he is not part to any sectarian conflict or because he does not think the agreement will amount to a proverbial American hill of beans on the ground. If it is the latter al-Sistani is absolutely right- unfortunately.
Saudi Arabia:
The Saudi ruling family is preparing for the inevitable. The King has issued a royal decree forming Hei'at al-Bei'a, or the Committee of Allegiance (as in pledging allegiance) for the selection of the Crown Prince in the future. That is, for the time after the direct sons of King Abulaziz Ibn Saud die off. They foresee, rightly, the possibility of rivalry and conflict within the family once the first line of heirs die off, something that has happened within other extended ruling families in the GCC. The commitee is composed of princes from the family.
Saudi Arabia-The Lighter Side:
Alarabiya TV reports that a Saudi businessman from Jeddah, that would be the Manhattan of Saudi Arabia, fell for a clever trickster. The man was promised an arranged marriage to a daughter of the King of the Jinns- that would be an actual flesh and blood King of all the jinns not Elvis from beyond. This man was clearly more interested in flesh than blood for he paid more than one million Saudi Riyals as dowry and finder's fees. He paid dearly for the chance of coupling with a princess of n-dimensions (n>3) or perhaps no dimensions (n=0). But he was also told that she would help him make over one billion during the first week of the homeymoon (did not disclose the location of the honeymoon). He was promised about ten billion within the first year.
Saudi media report a marked increase in these unusual cases of fraud and scams in recent months. A sociologist attributes this phenomenon to increased unemployment and the pervasive mentality of making a fast buck (that would be making a fast Riyal in this case). He also noted that many of the gangs that practice this type of fraud originate in Africa for some reason. Still, it takes two and there is one born every....
Cheers
Mohammed
mghuloum@arabiadeserta.com
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