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08 Aug 2011 08:29

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World: King Abdullah, somewhat hypocritically, speaks out against Syrian violence

  • Any sane Arab, Muslim or anyone else knows that this has nothing to do with religion, or ethics or morals; spilling the blood of the innocent for any reasons or pretext leads to no path to…hope.
  • Saudi King Abdullah • Denouncing the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests. Abdullah’s denunciation is politically significant, given his significance in the Arab world, and it comes on the heels of a similar condemnation from the Arab League. However, it’s worth noting that last March, Abdullah provided military support to the Bahrainian government to help it suppress on its own anti-government protests, so for him to now suddenly condemn counter-revolutionary government crackdowns seems just a tad insincere. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Aug 2011 04:51

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World: Arab League, Saudi King denounce Syrian violence

  • 200 Syrian tanks rolled into the city of Deir el-Zour on Sunday, accompanied by soldiers and armored cars
  • 50+ people were killed in the assault, which took place during the dawn call to prayer  source
  • » For the first time, the Arab League has condemned the al-Assad regime’s violent assaults on the protesters, and Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its ambassador to Syria. Saudi King Abdullah strongly denounced the violence, calling for “an end to the death machine and bloodshed.”
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jul 2011 00:46

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U.S.: Rebel leaders in Libya face possibly-irrelevant treason charges

  • 21 Libyan rebels to be charged with national security crimes source
  • » It’s worth noting that these rebel leaders are being tried in absentia, as they’re currently busy doing rebel stuff. Additionally, if and when Gaddafi’s government falls, the outcome of these trials will likely be inconsequential. Nevertheless, it’s an indication of the regime’s confidence in its ability to triumph that they’re proceeding with the trials anyway. Whether this portrayal of confidence is genuine or tactical remains to be seen.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jun 2011 11:08

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World: Tunisia’s Ben Ali: I didn’t really leave! My plane ditched me!

  • He boarded the plane with his family after ordering the crew to wait for him in Jeddah. But after his arrival in Jeddah, the plane returned to Tunisia, without waiting for him, contrary to his orders. He did not leave his post as president of the republic and hasn’t fled Tunisia as he was falsely accused of doing.
  • A statement by Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s lawyers • Claiming he didn’t actually leave Tunisia amid protests as was reported by just about everyone. Instead, he claims he was basically ditched. Seems like a fascinating thing to say … six months after the fact. A Tunisian court is trying Ben Ali in absentia for a series of crimes, including theft and illegal possession of firearms and other things he probably shouldn’t have had. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 May 2011 09:40

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World: G8 Summit: Arab Spring nations will receive billions in aid

  • what G8 leaders plan to pledge around $20 billion to Arab Spring countries — particularly Egypt and Tunisia, where successful protests led to the ousting of dictators and the possible rise of democracy.
  • why To put it simply, they feel that if they don’t, the countries could face economic hardships that might lead to the rise of extremism. Many G8 nations will also act on their own to help the countries. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Apr 2011 14:44

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Politics: John McCain more into the internet than in 2008

  • awakening Senator John McCain, amidst the 2008 Presidential contest, was a self-avowed technological illiterate — now he champions Twitter, crediting it for Middle Eastern uprisings and swapping anti-tax tweets with Snooki.
  • thanking Inspired by a woman in Egypt, McCain phoned Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to thank him for his role in Egypt’s uprising. This is cool, but in Egypt’s case it seems rather overplayed; after all, they had no internet for much of that time. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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