The embedded journalists, writers, commentators and think-tankers who spend their hours urging “moderate” regimes in the Middle East – namely Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others – never cared too much about the democratic aspirations of the Arab people themselves. Too messy, too inconvenient. And as long as Israel was happy, well, Washington (and…
Let’s not forget Israel loves autocrats to maintain its life
How does the Zionist state survive in the Middle East? Bribery, pressure, money and US backing. Nothing about democracy or rights or decency. And Egypt has been central to this for decades. So now what? Aluf Benn writes in Haaretz that Tel Aviv may have a few problems on its hands. Friends? More money may…
Washington, backing Facebook in Egypt isn’t quite enough
Here’s some free advice to the US State Department; trying to keep Twitter or Facebook or other social networking sites alive inside dictatorships is a fine task but have you stopped for a minute and wondered what citizens think when your own government has backed these brutes? The State Department has been working furiously and…
Times suddenly wakes up to disastrous US backing of Cairo
New York Times editorial on Egypt says that America should only cut aid to Mubarak if “[the President] turns the protests into a bloodbath and fails to open up Egypt’s political system.”
Not a Twitter revolution
Parvez Sharma: #Egypt became strong only AFTER #internet etc died 80 million people? 1% have smartpnones THE POOR DONT TWEET They walk into bombs & bullets
The picture that shows why Obama has no idea about the Middle East
Taken yesterday, 28 January, in the White House. A bunch of white men who I’m sure have a wonderful idea about what the Arab people really want:
People of Gaza and Egypt need freedom from our thug
Burn, baby, burn. Israel and America are scurrying for some kind of response to the Egyptian uprising. The poor lambs. What on earth will they do if a compliant dictatorship actually falls? For example, the siege on Gaza may well be about to change. I hope. And so do the people of Gaza. They deserve…
We should be thanking Mubarak, our bad
Seriously: Reacting to the protests that have erupted in the capital and other cities,… Mubarak… urged calm, adding that only because of his own reforms over the years were people able to protest. Mona El Tahawy, an Egyptian columnist and author living in… the US, dismissed these comments. “There is no political freedom in Egypt, that’s exactly why…
Watch the emotional power of whipping Mubarak
Two very clever tweets from Guardian journalist Brian Whitaker. One: Israel’s analysis of Egypt is looking like the biggest intelligence failure since Iraqi WMD Two: Israel should henceforth be referred to as “the only democracy in the Middle East that supports dictators”
Thanks for taking stand against Colombo’s bloody hand
Why political statements can matter: The main reason for the disappearance of a journalist is an investigation he carried out on the alleged use of chemical weapons by Sri Lanka forces, says his wife. Sandhya Ekneligoda, the wife of the disappeared political columnist and cartoonist Prageeth, says his husband went missing after he published a…