France has said despite the Arab League making proposal of safe exit for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, it would not earn him an impunity, Xinhua reported. “In the end, for him … there will be …
Go to Source
The UN and Arab League peace envoy on Syria Kofi Annan has urged UN Security Council members to take "strong and concerted action" to end the violence in Syria, a statement said Wednesday.
Are we witnessing the birth of a new spirit of tolerance towards professional military officers having their own “political point of view” that may differ from the official positions of the regime? Or it’s something else that we need time to understand?”
A variety of Islamophobes have comfortable media niches, including “opinion writer” Charles Krauthammer, whose Krauthammering away at Islam as a political force in yesterday’s Washington Post is yet another low blow. Krauthammer admits, almost laments, that Libya “appears to have elected a relatively moderate pro-Western government.” But, then who cares since “Libya is less a country than an oil well with a long beach and myriad tribes.” I suppose one could expand on this to argue that Texas is less a state than an oil well with a long beach and myriad rednecks. Libya is a country, Mr. Krauthammer, and one that is struggling to remake itself after decades of a dictator that the West loved to hate but actually did nothing to undo. Ah, but after all, this is obviously an exception in the aftermath of the “Arab Spring.”
They say that ignorance is bliss, so consider the bliss as Krauthammer’s view unfolds: “Tunisia and Morocco, the most Westernized of all Arab countries, elected Islamist governments. ” The most “Westernized”? This might come as a surprise to the Lebanese, unless they fail to qualify as Arab. Does he mean that they happen to be rather close to Europe? Is being “Westernized” a geographical issue? Does being “Westernized” mean accepting American foreign policy without reservations or having access to iphones and Hollywood movies? Morocco, by the way, is still a kingdom and not part of the “Arab Spring.”
Please do continue to leave suggestions on how to improve the links list (presentation, frequency, etc.), I am listening.
Blogs and Bullets II: New Media and Conflict after the Arab Spring | United States Institute of Peace:
Another one for the ever expanding reading list – which I look forward to seeing eventually …
it’s available as a pdf report. There was also an earlier report in the series. Blogs and Bullets: New Media in Contentious Politics
Go to Source
UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan holds talks in Iraq and Iran to discuss possible solutions for ending the conflict in Syria.
Go to Source
“…There is a generally pessimistic perception in Russia of the consequences of the Arab Spring for the Middle East as a whole, and of the possible results of a Syrian revolution in particular. Moscow considers secular authoritarian regimes to be the only realistic alternative to radical Islamic influences in Arab states. After many years of suffering from Islamic-inspired terrorism and extremism in the North Caucasus, Russian public opinion is on the side of Assad. Moscow sees Assad not so much a bad dictator, but as a leader fighting against an uprising of Islamic barbarism.
The active support for the rebels fighting Assad from Saudi Arabia and Qatar only reinforces Russia’s deep suspicion of the Islamic character of the Syrian insurgency. Russia has long been concerned about Saudi Arabia’s export of radical Wahhabi ideology across the Middle East and beyond, including parts of the North Caucasus. …”
The UN and Arab League’s envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, says he has held “constructive and candid” talks with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
Go to Source
Learn To Read And Write Arabic
Find out all about the revolutionary secret technique for learning to read and write Arabic. Read the article here.
Reader Reactions