Just what the Middle East needs; more meddling in its affairs, because the current state of the region shows a wonderfully happy place. Only in America could “stability” be defined as backing Zionist occupation and Arab dictatorships: There’s a raging debate on Capitol Hill surrounding huge cuts to foreign aid funding proposed in the House…
Showing all posts tagged Egypt
Hillary loves the kind of speech written by her speech-writers
Does anybody take America seriously over its alleged free speech wishes? The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, praised the role of social networks such as Twitter in promoting freedom – at the same time as the US government was in court seeking to invade the privacy of Twitter users. Lawyers for civil rights organisations…
Egypt’s internet kill switch; it will be used again and elsewhere
Internet users and activists in repressive regimes need to be extra careful, protecting themselves from prying state eyes: Epitaphs for the Mubarak government all note that the mobilizing power of the Internet was one of the Egyptian opposition’s most potent weapons. But quickly lost in the swirl of revolution was the government’s ferocious counterattack, a…
Washington loathes Wikileaks; Arabs love it
Hard to determine the real accuracy of such a poll but fascinating nonetheless: Six out of ten Arabs believe that the world is better off with Wikileaks and nearly three quarters would like to see the whistle-blowing website publish more on the Arab world. Support for Wikileaks and a demand for greater transparency emerged from…
What New Delhi can learn from Cairo
My following article is published by leading Indian magazine Tehelka: The Middle East is the region where global empires lavishly exercise their chequebook. Since the Second World War, America has bribed, cajoled and backed autocratic regimes in the name of stability. Israel, self-described as the only democracy in the area, has been insulated from the…
US definition of web freedom; content that we like
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…
Fall of Mubarak should be very good for Jews (but not Zionists)
Ilan Pappe: The gist of the Israeli narrative is simple: this is an Iranian-like revolution helped by Al Jazeera and stupidly allowed by US President Barack Obama, who is a new Jimmy Carter, and a stupefied world. Spearheading the Israeli interpretation are the former Israeli ambassadors to Egypt. All their frustration from being locked in…
Happenings inside the Egypt elite are anything but democratic
The leadership is scheming, refusing to release political prisoners or investigate the stolen billions of Mubarak. And Omar Suleiman, the torturer in chief loved by America and Israel, remains a very powerful figure. Some Arabic media translated here and here.
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…