They are raising the issue of GCC confederation and expansion again. Bahrain shaikhs and elites, their country already almost annexed by Saudi occupation forces and having nothing to lose, are also pushing for it publicly and on social media. Wahhabi liberals on the Persian Gulf, who look to the absolute Saudi princes for Liberté etEgalité et Fraternité, are as excited about it as they probably can get excited about anything (save perhaps for one other thing). But as I have been saying since 2011 the Saudi idea ploy of confederation has always been DOA.

There is even a revival of the idea of expansion, even as some claim the original GCC may be unraveling, well maybe at least weakening. At least the long-existing differences cannot be swept under the rug anymore. Just as a couple of GCC countries seem ready to bolt out of the stifling Saudi embrace. Yet there is new absurd talk of Egypt being asked to join: the media told us Al Sisi and a gaggle of Al Nahayans had some sort of joint Jane Fonda military exercises last week.

We know that the Saudi princes have been seeking pliable partners to expand the Gulf GCC. Except that there are no more pliable partners left. They have tried with <href=”http:> Jordan in 2011, but then King Abdul in Amman called one of his funny but humorless elections, and the princes don’t cotton up to elections, even funny humorless elections in Jordan. Some GCC potentates quickly and untruthfully claimed they were postponing Jordanian accession until after Ramadan (of 2011). They also invited faraway Morocco to apply for membership, but that was before the King of Morocco called elections which were won by what passes for the Moroccan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Alas, Morocco has no Generalisimo Field Marshal Al Sisi who can set things right after undesirable election results.

Now rumors have it that the princes have been toying with reliably counter-revolutionary Egypt as a possible member, initially that was on the table in 2012 as a ploy to keep the Muslim Brotherhood from winning the last election. Some wags have even claimed that since Crimea voted for secession the princes had thought that maybe they can get that region to join the GCC, but Vladimir Putin quickly beat them to it with this annexation thing.

Back to the drawing board. Morocco and Jordan and Egypt may still look good as targets of Saudi wooing. But speaking of wooing: the Saudi princes are notorious polygamists, much more so than any Westerner, even a French president like Francois Hollande. Polygamy can be added as their middle name: Polygamous Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sounds correct while “Polygamous French Republic” sounds so wrong even if true, especially in French.

I suspect, nay I know, that all of these one-night-stand candidates have less chance of joining the GCC than Turkey has of joining the European Union. Less chance now than the State of Mississippi has of joining the Organization of Islamic Countries. All of them together have about as much chance of becoming GCC members as I have of becoming the next Mufti of Saudi Arabia (or a mufti of anywhere else for that matter).

Cheers
mhg

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So whatever happened to Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Where is the favorite bête noire of the Western world for the past decade? The favorite son of New York City every late September? He has gone awfully and uncharacteristically quiet. Almost like any former U.S. president, with the exception of Clinton. We mostly know where former leaders are in the West (not necessarily where they should be) and what they are doing (or trying to do):

• 
  Write s book or two (memoirs to make a lot of money and explain their lousy policies.

• 
  Give speeches and lectures (mainly to make a lot of money).

• 
  Start some institute (to stay out of trouble, like Clinton).

• 
  Appear a lot on TV (like Clinton).

• 
  Appear a lot on media wherever someone interviews you (like Clinton.

• 
  Have a lot of fun, and I mean fun (like Clinton).

• 
  Start work on a (Walter Mitty?) presidential library. All US presidents do that since it is funded by the public and through donations.

• 
  In France former presidents don’t have time to waste on libraries. They must quickly start collecting lawyers for the upcoming inevitable investigations and possible trials for financial corruption. From accepting cash bribes to accepting diamonds from West African dictators.This has always been the case after de Gaulle.

• Russia hasn’t had a former president for almost two decades. So we don’t really know what happens to them. Wait, I know: they become prime minister and are recycled again through the merry-go-round.

• 
  Start collecting money quickly by working as adviser for foreign potentates and unsavory dictators as well as working as a lobbyist for corporations. Tony Blair of Britain is the only one that fits this bill so far: Churchill and Wilson and Thatcher would not think of it, the fools.

• 
  In Lebanon, nobody gives a f-ck what a former president says or does. Come to think of it, in Lebanon nobody gives a f-ck what a current president says or does.

• 
  In Syria and Egypt and Algeria and Libya and other Arab countries there is no such thing as a former president. If they don’t kill him quickly, they put him on trial for real or (mostly) trumped up charges. They end up hanging him or keeping him in prison for life. Probably serves them right in most cases.

• 
  Retire to the French or Italian Riviera (usually former kings are entitled to do that).

• 
  Host a talk show?

• 
  Die quickly.

Mr. Ahmadinejad has done none of the above, yet. He may start teaching at the university again. I did read somewhere that he is pushing a new college (no, not for Holocaust Studies and Verification). Then there is the Iranian Space Program and the promise to send a human into space within the next two years. He has expressed a desire to think about it.

Too bad no Arab country has a manned space program. I wish they all did, the whole Arab League from Syria down to Riyadh and through Somalia: imagine the possibilities. One can dream………..

mhg

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Egyptian regime courts today sentenced a whopping 529 people to death. All were charged and convicted for being supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the party that won Egypt’s only free elections in 2012. The Muslim Brotherhood is now considered a “terrorist” group in Egypt (and among its Saudi and UAE backers). In this Egypt under military rule is seeking to set a new Guinness record for execution, bypassing China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the USA (still including Texas). (No reliable figures are available for North Korea).

At this rate, Egypt will switch: from the most humorous Middle East country it is heading towards becoming the most humorless country not only in the Arab world, not only in the Middle East. Possibly more humorless than Jordan and Palestine and Israel and Syria and Turkey and Iran: that would be quite an achievement. If we toss Libya and Algeria to the above mix, it would be a bad miracle (you can’t get less humorous than that in all of MENA). I suspect Egypt is well on the way to becoming the most humorless country south of the Korean Peninsula. That loss of humor also may qualify Egypt for eventual GCC membership.

That tells us one other thing: the military junta kangaroo courts will also sentence deposed president Morsi to death. Unless the Saudi King or some UAE potentate issues a reprieve reducing the death sentences to life in prison.

Cheers

mhg

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“Syria’s seat at the upcoming Arab summit will be vacant despite the attendance of Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Jarba, Ahmed Bin Helli, deputy head of the Arab League, said Friday. Speaking after a preparatory summit meeting in Kuwait City, Bin Helli said Jarba would deliver a speech at the summit – scheduled for March 25 and 26 – as a legitimate representative of Syria……………..”

This Al Jarba claims to represent the Syrian people, but they have never elected him and possibly never will if given a free choice. He was elected by the Saudi princes to rule over Syria with the grudging approval of some five-star-hotel opposition figures. He has no more claim to rule than anyone else, including Al Assad.

Come to think of it: how many of the Arab leaders or head of government at the summit were elected by their peoples? The few who were “elected” were chosen through rigged and restrictive elections. Adly Mansour Al Zombie of military-ruled Egypt was appointed by the junta to help kill off all opponents of their rule through death sentences handed by kangaroo courts. That way the generals can point te finger at Al Zombie if anyone bothers to seek justice in the future. The President of Yemen Abd Rabbuh Hadi Something was selected by outside kings and allegedly got some 98% of the vote: a close second to Kim Jong-Un. I have no idea of the presidents of Somalia and Comoros and Mauretania and how they came to power.

The only leaders who came to power through electoral processes are those from Iraq and Lebanon and Tunisia and the first two (Lebanon and Iraq) are elected through purely sectarian and ethnic divisions of power.

Cheers

mhg

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Shooting Selfie and angry FLOTUS

Can this Arab summit in Kuwait be the first Summit of Selfies?

We all saw Barack Obama with the fetching PM of Denmark (who has the non-fetching name of Helle Thorning-Schmidt) and the very non-fetching David Cameron taking selfies in South Africa. We all saw Michelle Obama looking truly pissed, and how she somehow maneuvered to end up sitting between Barack and Helle. We all saw the first Selfie Oscars a few weeks ago (Ellen DeGeneres with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Julia Robertson, etc etc).

Now Arab leaders can try to humanize themselves in the eyes of the public. A first. Most of them: a few will be hard to humanize these stiffs, especially the zombies and quasi-zombies (a majority). The rest may be considering selfie shots after each meeting. Some have suggested that all gather behind whoever is speechifying at the moment and have a few selfies sent to the people. Maybe a few potentates mouthing silently “Hi, mom“. Perhaps a few “Hi first wife; hi second wife; sorry, did I forget third wife?“. That type of thing should bring them closer to the people, at least closer to their moms and wives.

Should be interesting seeing them in selfies. But don’t expect any eye candy. Don’t expect anything ‘fetching’ to show up in any of the selfies, not a single fetching zombie or pudgy little king or military dictator.

Maybe the stiffs should invite Ellen DeGeneres to MC and choreograph the whole thing?

Cheers

mhg

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Some Saudi opposition groups have been writing on social media about a new Saudi deal with France. To the tune of around $20 billion. They call it a bribe to France to support (or follow) Saudi policy on Syria and Iran and Lebanon and the Gulf, among other regional issues. This is not the first time. A few months ago they announced a $3 billion of aid for Lebanese army to buy weapons from France (only from France). I commented that the Lebanese army only reflects its sectarian and ethnic composition, so it will do the Al Saud princes no good. I wrote at that time correctly that:

“More important: it is part of their plan to reward the socialist government of France for making the right noises about Iran and Syria and Lebanon. In other words: it is a bribe to the French…………” I also commented on that deal in another posting right here.

I am beginning to suspect that if it were not for the wine industry (that includes champagne and cognac and armagnac and drambuie) and some ‘other amenities’, the Saudi King would publicly invite the French Republic to apply for membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Then M. Hollande (the very socialist) and his not-so petite amie du jour (quite chic et socialiste, tyvm) could show up in Riyadh wearing the shmagh (which I like in winter only) and waving the traditional sword and look as silly as the Prince of Wales Chuck did right here.
They’d be singing L’Internationale with the princes at the next annual Janadriyah hootenanny.

Cheers

mhg

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“Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday that Egypt is still very much on its way to building a modern democratic country that satisfies all Egyptians and meets their demands and future aspirations. According to a statement made by the army’s official spokesman, Sisi said that Egypt’s security and peace lie in an army that is strong, able and prepared to exert its utmost effort with devotion, sincerity and honor…………… He added that the army is working hard to face the challenges and that “it can do the impossible” …………..”

As he said: “it can do the impossible”. But outside the battlefield. It, the military, already has. It has killed thousands of Egyptians on the street, sentenced many hundreds to death, imprisoned tens of thousands, established kangaroo courts to terrorize political opponents, without much objection from the so-called “international community” (that being the usual joint definition for the European Union and the United States).

That besides losing almost every single foreign war it has waged, maybe with the exception of the famous War on Pigs. It has convinced enough Egyptians, especially among the delusional not-so-liberals, that Egypt will move forward by going backwards. That Mubarak-ism with all Mubarak’s cronies and minions and oligarchs and generals but without Mubarak himself is indeed revolutionary. Many foolish or simply self-serving ambitious liberals in Egypt now pretend that they believe it. Even though the generals don’t believe it, nor do their financiers in the Gulf (otherwise they would not finance them).

I wonder what we (or whoever is around) would be saying, thirty years from now, when Egyptians take to Tahrir Square (maybe with a new name: Sisi Square) to demand departure of the dictator.

Cheers

mhg

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“A massacre was committed in the village of Hatla in Deir al-Zour’s countryside last June in which 60 victims were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights………. Sheikh Shafi al-Ajami boasted of “slaughtering Shias with knives” amidst cheers and cries of “God is great.” Saudi, Qatari and Kuwaiti media outlets celebrated the massacre each in its own way. When a journalist from Asia News Agency asked Ajami a few days later “if he feared that the Kuwaiti authorities might arrest him,” he replied: “This is an issue that concerns me and the Kuwaiti authorities,” who did not lift a finger. After its dispute with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Kuwaiti Salafis played a central role in funding al-Nusra Front. The nature of the relationship between the two sides changed from implementing specific missions and getting paid for them, like the Hatla massacre, to ongoing funding and supervision. A jihadi source told Al-Akhbar that “al-Ummah Party under the leadership of Hakim al-Mutairi is now active in financing and directing al-Nusra Front.”………… The Council of Supporters is one such initiative. Its formation was declared in December 2012 and it includes clerics, activists and former MPs such as Mohammed Hayef (Al-Mutairi)………………”

I don’t recall the Gulf mainstream media ‘celebrating’ the massacre in Hatla. Maybe I missed it, but I doubt that they’d do that. Mainstream Gulf media would not usually go that far that openly, maybe with the exception of some outlets in Saudi Arabia. Some media may have covered the incident, but probably celebrated ‘politely’ just as a victory against Al-Assad. I think the writer means some of the sectarian satellite television channels, the social media, and the blogs.

Interesting how it goes, though. This has been going on since the spring of 2011, when Persian Gulf Salafis (and Muslim Brothers) hijacked the Syrian protests. The Muslim Brotehrs are being eased out by the Saudis and their Wahhabi and tribal surrogates. Now the Jihadist-tribal alliance own this Syrian terrorist enterprise that seeks to ‘liberate’ Syria not for its people, but for the Wahhabi cause.

I posted several times on this last year here:

The Economics of Jihad in Syria: Kuwaiti Opposition Estimates

From the Gulf with Wahhabi Love: Money to Al-Qaeda

Lost in the Desert: My Possible New Salafi Honorific

Kuwait Constitutional Court Ruling: a Tough Dilemma for the Tribal Islamist Opposition

Banning Demonstrations in Bahrain: Advice from the Kuwait Opposition

Cheers

mhg

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