The Riviera: Socialist Saudis and Royal French…….

July 19, 2015 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

“Local residents have been barred from a public beach on the French Riviera ahead of the Saudi royal family’s visit later this summer. The decision to close the beach, allegedly for security reasons, has triggered a wave of outrage from the locals……….. Local authorities said that people will be prohibited from using the public beach while the Saudi royal family is staying there………….”

It is okay. The Socialist rulers of the Republic of France are being rewarded generously by absolute tribal rulers of the Arabian Peninsula. For this beach and for their proxy diplomatic wars in the Middle East.
Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
[email protected]

Arab Revolutions, Arabian Peninsula, Fatwa, Yemen

Battle for Aden: the Fatwa Stands……..

July 19, 2015 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

It looks like the alliance of Houthis-Saleh have been pushed back from certain regions around Aden. The Saudi alliance of cluster-bombers are claiming a victory. Former president General Hadi Bin Zombie and his hotel cabinet in Riyadh are also declaring a victory. Everybody is declaring a victory in Aden, except the Houthis. Everybody except those who may have been crucial in achieving that partial ‘victory’: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Southern Independence Movement (Hirak).
Western media are copying Saudi media and claiming a victory for ‘Hadi supporters’. Except that almost all Hadi supporters are not fighters: they are suited politicians and corrupt Islah potentates ensconced in hotels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The people of Aden are no doubt against the Houthis and Saleh encroaching on their city, but they also remember that General Hadi was sent by Colonel Saleh in 1994 to shell Aden and force it into an unwanted marriage with Sanaa.
The battle of Aden apparently continues, but it is telling that the Hadi ghost cabinet is staying away in the safety of exile. One thing is certain as I predicted months ago. Actually it was almost a fatwa by your truly that Hadi will not return to rule in Sanaa. A serious and irrevocable fatwa, no matter who wins in Aden, no matter who wins in Sanaa.

Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
[email protected]

Arab Politics, Blockade of Iran, Middle East Nuclear, Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, US Foreign Policy

Iran Nuclear Deal: Who Speaks for the Arabs?………

July 17, 2015 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

No other group of Middle East countries have ever sought so tenaciously to keep a foreign blockade against one of their neighboring countries in modern times. With the exception of about three absolute Arab regimes along the Persian Gulf who fought tooth and nail to keep the Western Blockade against Iran.
President Obama is reported this week to have arranged telephone calls with the king of Saudi Arabia and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi (effective ruler of the UAE). The goal is to explain to these potentates the nuclear deal with Iran. American media claim that Mr. Obama seeks to explain the Iran nuclear deal “to the Arabs“. Except that the Saudi king rules over only about 17 million citizens, the Abu Dhabi (UAE) potentate rules over only about one million citizens. These two potentates may speak for their own citizens only (maybe). They don’t represent 250-300 million Arabs extending from the Persian Gulf to the Atlas Mountains. Most of these other non-Gulf Arabs don’t oppose this deal. There are also many people along the shores of Gulf, from Oman through Dubai, Bahrain, Qatif and other places who don’t oppose it. The rulers of Saudi Arabia, and much of their “inland” Wahhabi peoples, plus the rulers of Bahrain and their local allies, and many in Qatar (only the tiny minority who are citizens) are probably among the strongest opponents of the deal and support continuation of the Western Blockade.
As are Salafis along the Gulf and across other Arab regions, including the likes of ISIS (DAESH) and Al-Nusra and many of their leading Abu’s. They join the Israelis and their strong American lobby in pushing for a continuation of the blockade as the second choice if an American war is not on the table. The nuclear program has never been the real issue for these bedfellows: it is more about the expansion of Iranian political influence across the region.
Most Arabs in the Eastern Mediterranean support the deal and the lifting of the Western blockade, or are at least indifferent. Most in North Africa, from Egypt to the farthest western Arab country of Morocco also hold the same position. But then there is hardly any Iranian political influence across North Africa.

Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
[email protected]

Economics, Europe, European Union, Greece

Greek Drama: Beware Europeans Bearing Poisonous Gifts……..

July 15, 2015 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

Several years of disastrous economic policies imposed by the IMF and the European Union and its bureaucrats have brought Greece to its knees.
Now that Greece is in a deep recession, with low income and terrible high unemployment, the same European bureaucrats are set to impose deeper tightening economic policies on Greece. What can result from deeper tightening in an economy that is in deep recession with little to export? Why, the next step is logically a depression.
What seems to matter most to European bureaucrats is that European governments and banks do not reduce Greek debt. Unlike decades ago in the 1950s when the United States and others canceled about 50% for German foreign debt and extended reduced payments over several decades. But that was when the West was facing the Soviet challenge and needed to showcase the Western part of Germany. There is no Communist challenge, so the West can afford to tighten the screws on Greece, so the Greek people will suffer for many decades, years after they leave Europe. Unless the Europeans come to their senses.
Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
[email protected]

Arab Elections, Arab Politics, Terrorism

Potentates of Strasbourg: Arab Parliaments Roaring Like Mice…….

July 5, 2015 Mohammed Haider Ghuloum

The deputy president of some imaginary entity called the “Arab Parliament” emphasized the importance of a ‘plan of action’ being prepared by the “Arab Parliament” to tackle terrorism in the Arab world. He said this will prepare realistic methods to fight terrorism’ and all “foreign plots” besieging the Arab world. Apparently there are no “domestic plots” besieging the Arab world.

That is fine and dandy, preparing a plan of action for fighting terrorism and all foreign plots. In fact plans of action are very popular in the Arab world, usually prepared by groups, each created and set up by a subcommittee of a committee of a bunch of others.

Of course there is no such thing as an “Arab Parliament”. There are no elections for an Arab “Parliament”. It is just a bombastic title that tries to sound like the truly elected European Parliament in Strasbourg. They only hold periodic gatherings of representatives of Arab parliamentarians and appointed councils and other government representatives. Only six Arab countries have what we can call “parliaments”, with a stretch, with some varying degrees of authority: Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait. The rest have appointed councils, one or two are even called parliaments by mistake, selected or named outright by kings, potentates, or military dictators.

Now if they hold their meetings (they are not sessions) in Strasbourg, many more might be tempted to run for office. There would be bitter fights within the members of local tribes to win and hang around Strasbourg. Hell, I would do so if I were one of these tribal types.

Now if they can do what real parliaments do, ensuring the rights and the power of the people…………

Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
[email protected]

Arabia Deserta: MENA Focus

Monthly Archives: July 2015

The Riviera: Socialist Saudis and Royal French…….

Battle for Aden: the Fatwa Stands……..

Iran Nuclear Deal: Who Speaks for the Arabs?………

Greek Drama: Beware Europeans Bearing Poisonous Gifts……..

Potentates of Strasbourg: Arab Parliaments Roaring Like Mice…….

Multidisciplinary: Middle East, North Africa, Gulf, GCC, World, Cosmos…..