How noble is the Obama administration, pledging to support citizens in repressive regimes (many of which are run by US-backed thugs but why quibble with such details?): Days after Facebook and Twitter added fuel to a revolt in Egypt, the Obama administration plans to announce a new policy on Internet freedom, designed to help people…
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Sensible American writer who doesn’t loathe political Islam
Roger Cohen in a very powerful column today in the New York Times: Perhaps the most effective antidote to 9/11 will prove to be 2/11, the day Hosni Mubarak conceded the game was up with his 30-year-old dictatorship and left town under military escort for the beach. We’ve tried invasions of Muslim lands. We’ve tried…
Damn you, ever-reliable US client state
Clearly paying billions of dollars in annual aid isn’t enough for complete loyalty: Sources tell ABC News that after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak spoke last night, handing over powers to his vice president but not stepping down, the White House and Obama administration in general conveyed to Egyptian government –at all levels – that his…
Zionist lobbyist wants us to believe Suleiman could reform
Seriously, when Israel lobbyist Martin Indyk – who loves to preach to Arabs that America cares deeply about democracy, as long as Zionism is helped along the way – says things like this, in today’s New York Times, you have to wonder why he continues being quoted: “The administration had been looking toward Suleiman to…
A little taste of what kind of democracy Egypt deserves
My following analysis appears on ABC Unleashed/The Drum today: An Egyptian blogger displayed characteristic humour when news broke overnight that president Hosni Mubarak would not be stepping down: Mubarak (n.): a psychotic ex-girlfriend who fails 2 understand it’s over. If Mubarak and his new deputy Omar Suleiman thought their speeches would placate the protesters, they…
Habib: my torture at hands of Egypt’s new de facto leader
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: According to Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian ambassador to the US, Hosni Mubarak has now transferred all powers to his recently appointed Vice-President Omar Suleiman. Despite a barrage of speculation that Mubarak was going to step down overnight”‰—”‰including comments from head of the CIA, which makes one…
Obama unsure whether to support Egyptian democracy or ball crushers
Thankfully the Los Angeles Times doesn’t mince words when writing about Washington’s response to the Egyptian uprising: The Obama administration’s shifting response to the crisis in Egypt reflects a sharp debate over how and when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should leave office, a policy decision that could have long-term implications for America’s image in the…
Who do Egyptians trust to bring them democracy?
Not the West, says Robert Fisk. The Palestinians would certainly agree: AMY GOODMAN: Well, what about the U.S. relationship with the military? I was talking to someone in a government agency in Washington, and they were deeply concerned, saying, “How do we counter the image that we’ve actually been supporting this despot for 30 years?”…