Monthly Archives: November 2011

Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Bahrain, OPEC, Saudi Arabia

Illusion of Gulf Arab Reform, the Lethal Price of Petroleum, Qaddafi the Good Repentant Leader …….

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“When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a statement about the need to speed up political reform in the Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, did she really think that is possible under these two regimes? There is no way the answer to that can be in the affirmative, unless “reform” means some cosmetic marginal plans and some practices like symbolic elections and “consultative councils” that the state media use……… These day of domination of oil money, such terms are meaningless, especially when large Western public relations firms are available to polish the images of despotic regimes that have unlimited financial liquidity. When the price of crude petroleum exceeds $110 per barrel, the weapon of money in the hands of these repressive regimes becomes an even more effective weapon than torture and other means of repression. I recall meetings between op Western officials, among them Tony Blair, and the now-murdered Colonel Qaddafi when he was an absolute dictator. Yet the same media quickly changed the image of that “repentant leader” back to the “dictator that must be overthrown”………..”

This is my translation of a brief excerpt of a column by exiled Bahraini academic and activist, Dr. Saied al-Shihabi who lives in London. Arab columns are often long, some are way too long, most should not even be written. This was a good one, I enjoyed reading it.
Cheers
mhg


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WMD

A Sinister Axis of Mayhem: O Cluster Bombs, O Cluster Bombs……….

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“A coalition of countries including Britain on Friday defeated an attempt by the US, Russia, China and Israel to get an international agreement approving the continued use of cluster bombs. The weapons, which have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon scatter “bomblets” over a wide area, maiming and killing civilians, notably children, long after they have been dropped and are banned under a 2008 convention which was adopted by the UK and in more than 100 countries. The US, refused to sign and in negotiations in Geneva, over the past two weeks pressed for a protocol to be added to a UN convention to provide legal cover for the continuing use of cluster munitions. But smaller countries, supported by agencies including Amnesty and Oxfam, refused to give way…………”

Interesting bedfellows: a cluster bomb fan club. The United States, China, Israel, and Russia: these are superpowers each in their own region, yet they feel the need to endanger civilians to death and maiming through the use of these dirty bombs. Mr. Obama is going along, at least: now that is no change most people would believe in, especially the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan and Lebanon who have been targets, victims, of these cruel (and unnecessary) bombs.
Cheers
mhg


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Iran, Middle East Nuclear, Persian-American Gulf, Turkey, War on Iran

Rude Iranians Threaten to Retaliate if Attacked! White Folks Rights and Colored Folks………

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“A senior commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard says the country will target NATO’s missile defense shield in Turkey if the U.S.¬ or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards’ aerospace division, is quoted by the semiofficial Mehr news agency as saying the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what it sees as an increase in threats from the U.S.¬ and Israel. He says Iran will now respond to threats with threats rather than a defensive position. Tehran says NATO’s early warning radar station in Turkey is meant to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with Israel. Turkey agreed to host the radar in September as part of NATO’s missile defense system. Earlier Saturday, another Iranian defense official threatened retaliation against Israel if any of its nuclear or security sites are attacked. ………”

Rude and uncivilized, is all I can say. The Iranians threaten to strike back if attacked. That is unheard of among civilized nations. Even the Bush administration did not wait to be attacked: they invaded Iraq ‘long’ before that. But then these are white folks, and some of their Arab sidekicks are helpful. White powers are white, they have the right, along with their brown helpers.
FYI: I don’t think the Iranians will attack Turkey. Nay, I am certain they will not attack Turkey. I don’t think they will even attack some of the Arab monarchies that host U.S. bases, unless attacks on Iran are initiated from these bases. All the talk of attacks on Gulf states are legends created and spread by Saudi media and their fifth columnists among the Salafis and Wahhabi faux-liberals of the Persian-American Gulf states. The mullahs don’t want to give the West an excuse to annihilate their country, and they don’t want o be like Iraq’s Saddam, attacking neighbors. Contrary to Wahhabi propaganda, they will also antagonize the Arab Shi’as. They will never live all that down.
Cheers
mhg


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Culture, Iran, Muslims, Religion

Follow-Up on Baha’is, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Elvis……..

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A follow-up on yesterday’s post on the persecution of Iran’s Baha’is. There is a shrine that may further complicate relations between the mullahs and their Baha’i subjects. The shrine of Baha-ullah (Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí), founder of the Baha’i faith, is in Acre (Akka in Arabic, Akko in Hebrew), now part of Israel. (WTF did the word ‘Acre’ come from?). He died an exile in Ottoman-controlled Palestine and was buried there. Most Iranians call the faith ‘Bab-ism’, a reference to the Shi’a man who started it all, Siyyid `Alí Muhammad Shirazi. He presumably foretold of the coming of Baha-ullah, was executed for his troubles and many of his followers killed.
The location in Akka/Akko not only makes it difficult for any of them to visit the shrine, it also makes them suspect in the eyes of the Iranian theocracy and most Arab and Muslim governments, and some media types. Even the Baha’is of Egypt also had a hard time under Mubarak’s regime on Egypt over the past few years. They will most likely have a harder time under a regime influenced by the Muslim brotherhood or, worse, the Salafis.

Now the Baha’is have one more thing in common with Muslims: both have one of their most important shrines controlled by Israel. Come to think of it, that is also what they both have in common with the Jews and the Christians. Graceland in Memphis is not under Israeli control, but contrary to legend it is not a Christian shrine. Not yet.
Cheers
mhg


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Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Egypt, Human Right

Progress in Egypt? The Mubarak Junta Appoints an old Mubarak Prime Minister…………..

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The Egyptian people paid in blood, sweat, tears, and fortune for democracy and freedom. They are still sacrificing in Tahrir, throughout Cairo, Alexandria and other regions. Yet the tone-deaf military junta appointed by the dictator Hosni Mubarak is imposing another Mubarak relic, a former prime minister under the dictator (al-Ganzouri), as the new prime minister of the “new” Egypt. No wonder the people of Egypt are not giving up their revolution. No wonder they are willing to sacrifice more to keep their revolution from being hijacked. They know there are plans to abort it, and to maintain the old regime under military control.
The constitution proposed by the SCAF military junta is a travesty of any ‘democratic’ pretensions. It gives the military leaders overall power above all elected leaders and representatives of the people. The fact that the military junta opted for an interim prime minister from among veterans of the dictatorship is a clear signal that they, and their Arab oligarchy friends, will not peacefully yield power to the people. They are counting on dividing the country to abort the revolution and maintain the old corrupt regime under a new guise.
Cheers
mhg


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Apartheid, Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Bahrain, GCC, Human Right, Media

Shaikh bin Goebbels of Bahrain Continues Fibbing on Alarabiya………….

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“If you have no shame, then do (and say) whatever you wish….” A good Arab saying

The divisive sectarian approach of Saudi semi-official Alarabiya network is breath-taking, especially on its Arabic website. It never misses a chance to highlight Shi’a-Sunni differences and divisions and to stoke their sectarian fires, especially in the Gulf region. Here it is writing about Bahrain, in the language of the official media of that country:

“Shaikh Fawaz Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa, Chief of the Information (Propaganda) Authority of Bahrain, asserted that none of the opposition were ever prevented from appearing on the Bahrain television. He revealed that more than 300 Shi’a personality from among the opposition and government employees and civil society activists were invited but they all declined, either by refusing directly or pretending to be sick…….. About why the Bahrain government did not present any evidence of Iranian involvement in the Bahrain ‘events’ he said that has to do with future security reasons. He added that there is much evidence of Iranian involvement………….”

I am thinking of changing the middle name of the ruling family from Bin Technocrat al-Khalifa to Bin Goebbels al-Khalifa.

Cheers
mhg


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Iran, Middle East Nuclear, nuclear Iran, Persian-American Gulf

Of Uranium Enrichment and Balance of Power in the Gulf………

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“The significance of this aspect becomes especially clear upon realising how much popular support the nuclear programme enjoys. Even if much of this popularity can be attributed to state propaganda, it can still be concluded with some certainty that Iran’s citizens stand behind the – ostensibly peaceful – nuclear programme. As a matter of fact, it is probably the only project for which the regime enjoys the support of broad segments of society……….. The so-called “right to uranium enrichment”, in other words, the right to utilise the full fuel cycle, has been elevated by Tehran propagandists to a matter of national honour. This right is not in fact documented in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but many nations, primarily those in the developing world, infer this entitlement from the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy. The problem is that uranium enrichment is the key technology that opens the gate to the production of weapons-grade fuel, i.e. to a nuclear weapons programme, and that fact alone can indeed be used by the Islamic Republic to support its claim to leadership in the region, even without producing a single nuclear weapon. A nuclear-arms-capable Iran would have to be accepted in the region as a de facto nuclear power and hence as the dominant regional power. This would have a number of consequences for the region’s nations. First of all, it would deal a severe blow to Saudi Arabia, which would then clearly fall behind in the leadership ranks. Furthermore, the small countries lining the Gulf would be forced to align their foreign and security policy to Iran’s “virtual” nuclear power, which would also prove detrimental to Saudi influence…………”

Interesting piece, but does not make a good case for why having the nuclear technical “know how” makes a country the leader of the region. Israel and Pakistan (and North Korea) have had actual nuclear weapons for years, and they are not regional leaders. Germany has no nuclear weapons There is no reason why shoring up the influence of the Saudi oligarchy should be a goal of the “international community”. Saudi regional influence is not through direct military prowess, but through money and the sway the kingdom holds over the West and its Gulf policies. Besides, there already is a “virtual” Western (mainly American) protective umbrella over the whole Gulf already, which is why I call it the Persian-American Gulf.
Cheers
mhg


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Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Libya

Post- Qaddafi Libyan Jamahiriya……………..

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“Thousands of people, including women and children, are being illegally detained by rebel militias in Libya, according to a report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Many of the prisoners are suffering torture and systematic mistreatment while being held in private jails outside the control of the country’s new government. The document, seen by The Independent, states that while political prisoners being held by the Gaddafi regime have been released, their places have been taken by up to 7,000 new “enemies of the state”, “disappeared” in a dysfunctional system, with no recourse to the law. The report will come as uncomfortable reading for the Western governments, including Britain, which backed the campaign to oust Gaddafi……..”

Some of the news out of “liberated” Libya doesn’t sound good for the future. Most of the current leaders of the “new” Libya were either men who served under Qaddafi for many years, or fundamentalists who were in prison or exile. None of the above have any experience with nor any attachment to things like democracy, freedom of religion, or freedom of expression. There are a few who were in exile in Western academic institution, and have aspirations for democracy and freedoms but they are a few who don’t have the political base that the others, the darker forces, have.
Cheers
mhg


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Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Egypt, GCC, Saudi Arabia

A Call on the People’s Democratic Kingdom of (Saudi) Arabia to Guide Egypt………….

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“What Egypt is witnessing today is a revolution against the coup and a new beginning for the revolution of change. There are new rules for the game from now on and it is important for all players inside and outside of Egypt to return to the strategy-drafting table. The United States and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should be playing essential political roles right now. The necessary investment that must be made in Egypt cannot wait until after stability is restored, but rather the opposite. There is an opportunity for influential countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to help Egypt’s youth shape the future of their country under a secular civilian government away from ideologies, religious and sectarian struggles. Egypt is not alone in the balance. The Arab future all together is largely dependent on what Egypt’s future turns to be. The GCC is now playing a prominent role in shaping the new regional order in collaboration with the League of Arab States not by sidestepping it. The Arab League is fundamental in securing that the regional order does not get shaped exclusively by the likes of Turkey …………..”

These writers and analysts of the Saudi semi-official media can’t help pushing the Saudi model. This Lebanese writer is from the Saudi semi-official daily al-Hayat, owned by Prince Khaled Bin Sultan al-Saud (deputy defense minister). She is here pushing for the Egyptians to look toward the People’s Democratic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for help and perhaps as a role model. Maybe by now the people of Egypt have forgotten the time when the Saudi king called them “foreign infiltrators and agents”. That was only last January.
(She forgot here to insert something appropriate about the role of Hezbollah, the favorite bête noire of the Saudi media).
Cheers
mhg


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Human Right, Iran, Muslims, Religion, Theocracy

Human Rights and Education: Iran and her Baha’is……….

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““People apply for university and their applications are turned down, even though they have strong results from secondary school,” said Elise Auerbach, Iran specialist for Amnesty International USA. “They can’t get credentials, so they’re barred from pursuing all sorts of professions. They can’t be doctors, lawyers, university professors or scientists.” In response, Baha’is have improvised a decentralized, semi-underground college known as the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE). Since 1987, BIHE has run classes in the living rooms and kitchens of Baha’i homes, on the sweat of volunteer Baha’i professors, many of whom lost their jobs in Iranian universities over their religious beliefs……….. According to David Hoffman, founder of a campaign to support Iran’s Baha’is in their quest for higher education, the college has produced about 2,000 graduates, one-in-ten of whom have gone on to postgraduate study abroad at one of 60 universities outside Iran recognizing BIHE coursework………… In May, more than 30 Baha’i homes across Iran were raided as part of a crackdown on BIHE. The institution was subsequently declared illegal, according to human rights groups, and seven professors and administrators were last month sentenced to four and five years each, for being involved in an illegal group intending to commit crimes against national security…………..”

Bahai’s are the most officially discriminated against religious minority in Iran. Christians and Jews predate Islam and they are recognized as such. Zoroastrianism is the original religion of ancient Persia and it also predates Islam and Christianity and is recognized as such. Zoroastrianism is sort of like the “Red Indians” of Middle East religions, mostly displaced by Islam and Christianity. Bahai’s seem to receive most of the ‘religious’ wrath of the regime because they were Muslims until the new faith was create in the 19th century. The mullahs consider them apostates, and Muslim clergy, be they Shi’a or Sunni or Salafi or Tea Party, hate apostates. Come to think of it, all clergy from all faiths dislike apostates, or at least frown upon them.
Cheers
mhg


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