Here’s to small blessings. A rather good editorial in today’s Sydney Morning Herald that calls for a re-thinking of years of imperial attitudes in the Arab world and an opening to Islamists who get elected. Bravo: The patronising orientalism that the Arabs or even Muslims in general are somehow culturally conditioned to political slavery is…
Showing all posts tagged Gaza
Mubarak should soon be forgotten
Nice: A hospital in Gaza named after Egypt’s deposed president has been renamed, officials said Wednesday. The Hosni Mubarak Children’s Hospital in Khan Younis will now be known as Tahrir Hospital, the health minister in Gaza said. Yousef Al-Mudalal said that “the change was delivered to all relevant departments. Through their revolution, Hosni Mubarak was…
Today’s lesson in US foreign policy (back dictators and say it’s democracy)
Washington Stakeout interviews John McCain and Newt Gingrich on US reaction to the fall of Mubarak. If there’s any need to understand why the US is increasingly loathed across the world, note the words of these supposedly wild old men. McCain: I asked: “Do we owe the Egyptian people an apology for having backed a…
No peace treaty ever told Egypt to banish Arabs
Ali Abunimah is spot on: On many minds — especially Israeli and American ones — has been the question of whether a new democratic Egyptian government will tear up the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. That of course, is up to the Egyptian people, although the transitional military government confirmed in its fourth statement Egypt’s…
Never trust American “security” experts on democracy
This Washington Post article is precisely why so much of American corporate media is failing. Here’s the story; find men, only men, to speak about “security” and terrorism. Ignore the democratic aspirations of the Arab people and focus on what America/Israel may lose. The implication is clear; we’d much rather Cairo torture and murder people…
New Wikileaks cable; US pledged to help human rights in Egypt
Of course, funding a brutal dictator such as Mubarak to the tune of billions of dollars annually rather contradicts this easy pledge. An early 2010 cable: CLASSIFIED BY: Margaret Scobey, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) …¶1. Key Points: — (C) In meetings January 13-14, A/S Posner told activists and opposition politicians that the U.S. is seeking…
Savouring what the Egyptian people achieved
Today’s Guardian editorial highlights the necessary move away from America and its corrupted policies in the Middle East. What truly sane and democratic nation wouldn’t want to break free from that? Thirty years of dictatorship disappeared in 30 seconds. This was the time it took for Vice-President Omar Suleiman to announce that Hosni Mubarak had…
So that’s what being a good Western ally means
This is what bribing allies does for you; false promises that can’t be kept and undermining democracy (which is, of course, exactly what Israel wants): Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman promised Israel in 2005 that he would prevent Hamas from gaining control over Gaza, according to a US diplomatic cable released on Friday. According to…