Pakistan Doubles Its Nuclear Arsenal
By: Karen DeYoung | The Washington Post
Reflections from news and commentary of the day
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Monday, January 31, 2011
# # Washington Intensifies Push Into Central Asia By: Rick Rozoff | Eurasia Review
Washington Intensifies Push Into Central Asia
By: Rick Rozoff | Eurasia Review
By: Rick Rozoff | Eurasia Review
Iran's Weapons Smuggling Ring By: Con Coughlin | The Wall Street Journal
Iran's Weapons Smuggling Ring
By: Con Coughlin | The Wall Street Journal
By: Con Coughlin | The Wall Street Journal
The Two Likeliest Political Outcomes for Mubarak By: Stephen J. Hadley | The Wall Street Journal
The Two Likeliest Political Outcomes for Mubarak
By: Stephen J. Hadley | The Wall Street Journal
By: Stephen J. Hadley | The Wall Street Journal
A Proud Moment in Egypt's History By: Scott MacLeod | Los Angeles Times
A Proud Moment in Egypt's History
By: Scott MacLeod | Los Angeles Times
By: Scott MacLeod | Los Angeles Times
# # Tunisians Wary as Islamists Emerge From Hiding By: Borzou Daragahi | Los Angeles Times
Tunisians Wary as Islamists Emerge From Hiding
By: Borzou Daragahi | Los Angeles Times
By: Borzou Daragahi | Los Angeles Times
In Yemen, Calls for Revolution but Many Hurdles By: Sudarsan Raghavan | The Washington Post
In Yemen, Calls for Revolution but Many Hurdles
By: Sudarsan Raghavan | The Washington Post
By: Sudarsan Raghavan | The Washington Post
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Egyptian Masses Won't Play Ally to Israel By Gideon Levy
The Egyptian Masses Won't Play Ally to Israel
By Gideon Levy
As long as the masses in Egypt and in the entire Arab world continue seeing the images of tyranny and violence from the occupied territories, Israel will not be able to be accepted, even it is acceptable to a few regimes. Continue
By Gideon Levy
As long as the masses in Egypt and in the entire Arab world continue seeing the images of tyranny and violence from the occupied territories, Israel will not be able to be accepted, even it is acceptable to a few regimes. Continue
Uprising in Egypt: 'This Is How Regimes Fall' By Gywnne Dyer
Uprising in Egypt: 'This Is How Regimes Fall'
By Gywnne Dyer
The likely winner of a genuinely free Egyptian election, according to most opinion polls, would be the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brothers are not particularly radical as Islamists go, but the first thing they have promised to do if they win power is to hold a referendum on Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. Continue
By Gywnne Dyer
The likely winner of a genuinely free Egyptian election, according to most opinion polls, would be the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brothers are not particularly radical as Islamists go, but the first thing they have promised to do if they win power is to hold a referendum on Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. Continue
Egypt: Death Throes of a Dictatorship By Robert Fisk
Egypt: Death Throes of a Dictatorship
By Robert Fisk
Robert Fisk joins protesters atop a Cairo tank as the army shows signs of backing the people against Mubarak's regime. Continue
By Robert Fisk
Robert Fisk joins protesters atop a Cairo tank as the army shows signs of backing the people against Mubarak's regime. Continue
Obama's betrayal / As goes Mubarak, so goes U.S. might By Ari Shavit
Obama's betrayal / As goes Mubarak, so goes U.S. might
By Ari Shavithttp://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/obama-s-betrayal-as-goes-mubarak-so-goes-u-s-might-1.340244
Libya Next? by Tyler Durden
The one country landlocked between Tunisia and Egypt has so far been oddly silent. Not so much any more. Al Jazeera reports that the Libyan government has imposed a state of emergency for "fear of demonstrations and rallies" comparable to those in Tunisia and Egypt. And ranked 17 in the world for oil production (and 9th in proven reserves), this is one that crude HFT algos may want to keep an eye on.
From Al Jazeera, google translated:
Libyan sources familiar with the island revealed that a state of alert security prevail in the east of the Libyan cities, confirmed that elements of the police and support central and distributed to all government buildings.
The sources said that the Libyan government imposed a state of emergency and security alert since the outbreak of the revolution, Tunisia, for fear of demonstrations and rallies similar in Libyan cities.
The sources of the existence of orders to stop any gathering, whether in government or outside.
Under these instructions - Sources confirm - The Libyan government later abolished the league matches of Libyan Football Association which was to be organized during the month.
In conjunction with the ongoing events in neighboring Egypt, the forces imposed from the central support and the police since yesterday evening checkpoints in several major regions in both the white and Benghazi and Derna and Tobruk.
These enhancements come at a time when Libya is following with interest the Libyan street events taking place in Egypt over the satellite news channels deployed in all the cafes and shops in cities of Libya.
He said the Libyans before the popular revolution that swept cities in Tunisia and has succeeded in toppling President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, after 23 years of rule.
It is feared the Libyan regime of infection along the Tunisian and Egyptian into Libya, especially in light of similar conditions and problems such as poor living conditions and the absence of freedoms
Will We Ever Find Osama Bin Laden? Don't Count On It. -- Peter Bergen, Washington Post
We have almost 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. We've launched more than 200 drone attacks in Pakistan's remote tribal regions. We've spent billions of dollars on intelligence. And as the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, we're still no closer to finding Osama bin Laden.
It seems possible, even likely, that we'll be saying much the same on the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11, and again on the 20th. Given the sorry state of the hunt for the man who masterminded the largest mass murder in U.S. history, we should not be surprised if bin Laden dies, years from now, in the comfort of his own bed.
Read more ....
Israeli, Saudi and American Leaders Say Arabs Are Not Ready for Democracy
Israeli, Saudi and American Leaders Say Arabs Are Not Ready for Democracy
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday:
I'm not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process.Also on Friday, Saudi King Abdullah said he support Egyptian president Mubarak and called the protesters troublemakers for calling for freedom of expression:
Saudi King Abdullah has expressed his support for embattled President Hosni Mubarak and slammed those "tampering" with Egypt's security and stability, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.As FireDogLake notes, the U.S. State Department has taken a similar position.
The Saudi ruler, in Morocco recovering from back surgery performed in the United States, telephoned Mubarak early Saturday, the report said.
During the conversation, Abdullah condemned "intruders" he said were "tampering with Egypt's security and stability ... in the name of freedom of expression."
As a large group of well-respected American academics wrote in an open letter today to President Obama:
As political scientists, historians, and researchers in related fields who have studied the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping over Egypt. As citizens, we expect our president to uphold those values.As Agence France-Presse reports:
For thirty years, our government has spent billions of dollars to help build and sustain the system the Egyptian people are now trying to dismantle. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Egypt and around the world have spoken. We believe their message is bold and clear: Mubarak should resign from office and allow Egyptians to establish a new government free of his and his family’s influence. It is also clear to us that if you seek, as you said Friday 'political, social, and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people,' your administration should publicly acknowledge those reforms will not be advanced by Mubarak or any of his adjutants.
There is another lesson from this crisis, a lesson not for the Egyptian government but for our own. In order for the United States to stand with the Egyptian people it must approach Egypt through a framework of shared values and hopes, not the prism of geostrategy. On Friday you rightly said that “suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.” For that reason we urge your administration to seize this chance, turn away from the policies that brought us here, and embark on a new course toward peace, democracy and prosperity for the people of the Middle East. And we call on you to undertake a comprehensive review of US foreign policy on the major grievances voiced by the democratic opposition in Egypt and all other societies of the region.
"Egypt remains a major pawn in the Middle East," said [Didier Billion, an expert at Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) in Paris]. The West fears "a domino effect if Mubarak falls, with a protest movement that could grow across the world." [And the Egyptian situation is already affecting the Saudi stock market.]Indeed, the U.S. is now becoming concerned that continuing to back Mubarak will ensure that it is on the losing side of history.
***
"One of the lessons here is that we need to be on the right side of history in these countries," said US Senator John McCain, who lost his 2008 White House bid to Obama.
"We need to do a better job of emphasizing and arguing strenuously for human rights," he said on the CNN news channel.
"You can't have autocratic regimes last forever. The longer they last, the more explosive the results."
For that reason, Obama changed his tune today, saying that he supports an "orderly transition" in Egypt. This is not a change in America's foreign policy so as to embrace democracy in the Middle East. Rather, it is simply a realization that America's puppet in Egypt has lost his grip on power and is impossible to save. And see this.
As a prominent writer told me:
We really should be embarrassed. TE Lawrence promised the Arabs democracy in return for their support in WWI (it was critical to Allied victory) and Great Britain welched on the promise. This is more of the same BS.
Google updates service tracker amid Egypt shutdown
Google updates service tracker amid Egypt shutdown
January 29, 2011
Enlarge
An Internet blockade in Egypt inspired Google on Friday to provide an improved tool for tracking access to the firm's popular websites.
An Internet blockade in Egypt inspired Google on Friday to provide an improved tool for tracking access to the firm's popular websites.
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