The latest Wikileaks dump by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar extends the series of intriguing and record-changing insights into the tumultuous 2006-08 period, which witnessed the July War between Hizbullah and Israel, an 18 month-long downtown sit-in, and a takeover of Beirut by Hizbullah forces on May 7, 2008.
Two cables are especially worth reading in their entirety. I link to them below, along with relevant excerpts and some commentary.
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08BEIRUT490 (April 8, 2008) | Subject: JUMBLATT CONCERNED ABOUT UNIIIC DELAYS, SUNNI MILITIAS, AND HIZBALLAH FIBER OPTIC NETWORK
5. (S) Jumblatt revealed what he deemed a “very serious blow” to the UN Commission investigating the assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri and others. According to information he received from Internal Security Forces (ISF) Intelligence Director Wissam Hassan the previous evening, Wissam Eid, who worked for Hassan and was assassinated January 25, had discovered a year and a half ago a link between Abd al-Majid Qasim Ghamlush and a network of 17 other cell phone numbers. Former UNIIIC Commissioner Brammertz reportedly did not act upon this information.
6. (S) In January 2008, however, after Daniel Bellemare took over as Commissioner, Eid met with Bellemare, and was killed one week later. (Note: UNIIIC contacts have confirmed to us that Eid had met with Bellemare exactly one week prior to his death. End note.) The assassination of Hizballah leader Imad Mougnieh followed two weeks later, leading Jumblatt to believe there was a link between Ramloush [sic]and Mougnieh, “assuming Ramloush [sic]was still alive.”
8. (S) The second issue Jumblatt raised was Saad’s reported training of Sunni militias in Lebanon (allegedly 15,000 members in Beirut and more in Tripoli). In establishing his own “security agencies” in Beirut and Tripoli, Saad was being badly advised by “some people,” Jumblatt said, such as ISF General Ashraf Rifi. In his meeting with Jumblatt, Hassan admitted having knowledge that members of Saad’s Future Movement were being trained. Hassan reportedly opposed such training, but “people around Saad” (i.e., Rifi) were telling him to go ahead. (Note: The Jordanians have refused to train Internal Security Forces (ISF) members hand-picked and vetted by the Embassy to participate in a DA/ATA-funded Terrorism Crime Scene Investigation program, reportedly because they don’t want to be involved in training “Saad’s militia.” End note.) Jumblatt said Saad’s militia would cause significant damage to March 14, especially because Geagea’s Lebanese Forces and Suleiman Franjieh’s Marada were in line to train their own forces.
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08BEIRUT642 (May 9, 2008) | Subject: GEAGEA PROPOSES ARAB PEACEKEEPERS; A STRONG SINIORA IS PLANNING A TELEVISED ADDRESS SATURDAY
5. (C) Geagea then asked to speak privately to the Charge. It was important for everyone to push the LAF to do its job, said Geagea. However, he wasn’t sure that the army would succeed. If the army failed to protect Christian areas, Geagea said he wanted to make sure Washington knows he has between 7,000 and 10,000 well-trained Lebanese Forces fighters who could be mobilized. “We can fight against Hizballah,” he stated with confidence, adding, “We just need your support to get arms for these fighters. If the airport is still closed, amphibious deliveries could be facilitated.”
The Charge assured Geagea that the U.S. was encouraging Sleiman and the LAF to protect state institutions and the citizens of Lebanon. (Note: At 2315, Geagea telephoned the Charge to relay that his morale had been boosted by a telephone call from NEA A/S Welch. End note.)
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QN Comment
There’s a lot to discuss here, but I’ll just point out the following tidbits:
1. Brammertz, Wissam Eid, and the CBC Report:
Some of you will recall the famous CBC report on the Hariri investigation, which came out several months ago. (See my commentary on it here, here, here, and here.) In that report, Neil Macdonald revealed that the UN investigating team (led by Serge Brammertz) did not begin doing any telecommunications analysis until late 2007. As I pointed out, Macdonald’s assertion simply did not tally with the UNIIIC record, which mentioned telecommunications analysis in eight different reports from 2005-07.
Now, in the first cable posted above, Jumblatt makes the same point that Macdonald does in his article, and cites his source as Wissam al-Hassan (the ISF intelligence chief). This, then, seems to bolster the points made in the CBC article, except it still does not explain why the UNIIIC claimed to be performing telecommunications analysis for three years when it actually wasn’t. Another possible explanation for this discrepancy is that Macdonald’s source for the information about Brammertz was also Jumblatt’s source: Wissam al-Hassan. Thoughts?
2. Saad al-Hariri and the Mustaqbal Militia
After the events of May 7 2008 (when Hizbullah’s fighters took over Beirut and parts of Mount Lebanon as a response to the Siniora government’s attempted crackdown on the party’s fiber optic network), there were rumors circulating about a “Sunni militia” sponsored by Saad al-Hariri that had been training in Jordan. No real evidence of any such militia ever emerged, and March 14th has always insisted that it never entertained a military option against the Shiite party.
The Jumblatt cable is the first indication that these rumors may indeed have been true. Of course, we have no idea how far along al-Hariri’s militia-building plans had gotten. Hizbullah’s 2008 strike was remarkably efficient… practically surgical, which leads one to believe that Saad’s fighters were either: (a) nonexistent; (b) poorly trained; (c) or ordered to give up their weapons without a fight.
3. Geagea’s 10,000 LF Fighters
The Lebanese Forces released a statement today saying that the May 9 2008 cable which quotes Samir Geagea as requesting weapons from the Americans for his fighters is actually a vindication, because it shows that the LF is not armed after all, but rather merely “well-trained”. I’m not sure I buy that… what Geagea was probably asking for was heavier weapons — mortars, grenade launchers, field guns, etc. — to complement the machine guns that every self-respecting Civil War vet still has tucked away in the cellar.
But maybe not. What do you think?
Qifa Nabki 
The LF of Samir Geagea were and still are today a CIA Proxy Militia lock stock and Barrel…and the LF of Geagea were/are instructed by CIA on what to do on a daily basis; as well as Hariri’s punks or so called militia. This story is but pure distraction and a little footnote in the History of the relationship between CIA and the Geagea LF….it goes much deeper than this utter gibberish …..These Lebanese CIA/MOSSAD proxy militias are a side show in the waiting game; the real show has always been in Damascus…..The deliberate Wikileaks release is part of the great game in MENA!
CIA is in the Business of Deception 99 Percent of the time… The level of promiscuity between Syria [ Assads…] and CIA goes back decades and is unprecedented….even during GWB’s reign of terror, wars, assassinations and atrocities…”still ongoing…” Syria was always in the forefront of CIA JOINT operations….in the Levant…and CIA had and still has a huge presence in Damascus even during the Bush years and despite all the rhetoric from both sides…This is all a side show that requires daily deceit, denial and gross deceptions for the masses….especially directed towards Lebanese…The Syria policy is run by CIA lock stock and barrel for decades and to this very day…The State Department is a side show and a diversion…always has been with SYRIA and Lebanon…among others. People are totally unaware of the level of utter corruption, criminality etc. and the Press is utterly corrupt as well and is but one more layer in the deception business…
Posted by HK | April 6, 2011, 9:35 pm1-I dont think Wissam AL-Hassan is McDonald’s source. In the report,McDonald tried to contact Hassan for comments about the leaked STL document but he declined. Maybe it’s Jumblatt source, and I really believe that Moughieh’s death has to with Hariri’s assasination.
2-It’s impossible to keep a trained militia of 15,000 a secret in Lebanon without any leaks. I dont think Saad had a militia.
3-Regarding LF militia, as you said, LF did not deny it. After all they were a militia and they are well trained; they’re just not heavily armed.
Posted by Wael | April 6, 2011, 9:43 pmThe most likely source for McDonald is a Lebanese immigrant who now lives in Quebec. I forgot his name but, I believe, he also used to work for the ISF. I think QN knows his name.
There are no militias in Lebanon except those of HA and Amal.
Posted by anonymous | April 6, 2011, 10:03 pmMiss me yet?
Posted by dontgetit | April 6, 2011, 10:33 pmIt seems pretty ridiculous to me that in reading a cable dated May 9,2008, at the very time Hizballah, AMAL & SSNP militiamen were running rampant in Beirut, systematically targeting media organizations – not to mention the dozens that died and the millions of dollars in damages and lost revenue – that the topic of discussion is the fictional militia the Lebanese Forces could’ve resurrected.
Have some perspective people. If you’re looking for a militia then look no further than the gunmen who ransacked our capital.
Duh!
Posted by Theodore Arz | April 6, 2011, 10:55 pmI don’t know how one would keep and train thousands of militias in beirut under the Hizb and Amal’s nose?!
Theodore paints a better picture….the real militias and terrorist are the ones that ransacked the country May 9th.
Posted by George | April 7, 2011, 1:53 amTheo,
thank you.It is a relief to know that there are still some out there who perceive reality as it is.
Just by seeing the photos taken during the May 7th incidents, those street goons didnt look like HA operatives, you know the ones trained to fight the southern neighbour, but a pack of neighbourhood stand over guys who’s main mission in life is to look cool the Lebanese way.( American Jeans,sneakers,etc)…just thinking,there was no strategic purpose on May 7th from HA except to instil fear in people by releasing a few Dahiyeh delinquents out on the streets knowing well that neither Saad,Samir or Walid or any other has a formidable fighting unit.
Id like to hear some opinions from our dontgetits as to what would possess SHN to aggravate the 7th of May events without any imminent threat?
Posted by Maverick | April 7, 2011, 2:27 amThe Los Angeles Times did a fairly good job of reporting on the attempt to create a Future militia back in 2008:
For a year, the main Lebanese political faction backed by the United States built a Sunni Muslim militia here under the guise of private security companies, Lebanese security experts and officials said.
The fighters, aligned with Saad Hariri’s Future movement, were trained and armed to counter the heavily armed Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah and protect their turf in a potential military confrontation.
But in a single night late last week, the curious experiment in private-sector warfare crumbled.
Attacked by Hezbollah, the Future movement fighters quickly fled Beirut or gave up their weapons. Afterward, some of the fighters said they felt betrayed by their political patrons, who failed to give them the means to protect themselves while official security forces stood aside and let Hezbollah destroy them.
“We are prepared to fight for a few hours but not more,” said one of the Sunni fighters in the waning moments of the battle. “Where do we get ammunition and weapons from? We are blocked. The roads are blocked. Even Saad Hariri has left us to face our fate alone.”
The head of a conventional private security firm in Beirut, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the Sunni force was “not really ready.”
“You can’t just spend millions of dollars to build an army in one year,” he said. “They have to be motivated and believe in something. They have to be willing to die.”
Posted by sean | April 7, 2011, 3:22 amAlso, here:
For months, Lebanon’s Sunni-led Future Movement sought to build an armed force under the guise of a security firm, called Secure Plus, in part to counter the Shiite militia Hezbollah’s growing strength, according to Lebanese officials, security experts and Sunni fighters themselves cited in a Times report last week.
But at least some in the Saudi leadership — the primary international patron of Lebanon’s Sunnis — thought it was a bad idea from the inception.
“The whole concept of these militias was wrong from the start and we never took the idea seriously,” said the advisor, who asked that his name not be published because of the sensitivity of the topic.
“We had never directly got involved in the arming of this so-called militia, which was doomed to failure from the beginning due to how it was created and who was leading it up,” said the Saudi advisor.
Posted by sean | April 7, 2011, 3:25 amThat article still does not contain tangible proof but just a whole load of he said she said.So the LA times did a fairly good job to concoct something out of thin air, but we all douse out our reasoning when something is to our liking.
Posted by Maverick | April 7, 2011, 4:03 amI see: so you are saying that Borzou made up his sources.
It’s actually one big conspiracy to embarrass Hariri, and the LA Times, Hezbollah, Jounblatt, al-Hassan, the Saudi embassy and the US State Dept are all in on it. Clearly.
Posted by sean | April 7, 2011, 5:54 amThis is all distraction. I understand the importance of the question -are we returning to the rule of militia in Lebanon?- but the only tangible proof of weapons are in the hands of Hezbollah, Amal and SSNP – all supported by Syria BTW. Probably some Israeli agents are equipped with disruptive and spy materials.
The best and only choice Lebanese have is to rely solely on the Lebanese Army and ISF for the protection of the country against anyone who raises weapons on the local scene. By giving back the Army that responsibility, it will have no choice -at least morally- but to protect Lebanese citizens, despite the sympathy of some officers and units to the Hezb apparatus.
BTW, do you have any information on the supposed infiltration by Hezbollah’s apparatus of the LAF? or is this another fiction? Is the recent freeze of the US support for the Lebanese Army (ref: Wall street Journal, see below) any proof to the former?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576241132242232562.html
Posted by yosef sabbagh | April 7, 2011, 7:38 am1. I remember QN disagreeing with some of us about the authenticity of CBC report along with his esteemed colleague (I forget who now)…The CBC source I assume is the person who was Wissam Eid’s boss before “relocating” to Quebec. He has been convalescing there after the assassination attempt on his life on September 5, 2006. He was ISF’s Deputy Chief of Intelligence Samir Shehadeh.
2.Here we are discussing the wonder boy WJ’s statements about trained militias..all the while the facts on the ground (January 2007 & May 7,2008) proved beyond reasonable doubt that the only existing militias were those of Amal, SSNP, Hizballah, Marada and the PSP druze(who defended against the HA onslaught with more than AK47s my man!) militias.
I did not see any “militias” defend Achrafieh when Islamists(Sunni protesters against the Mohammad’s cartoon depiction) & terrorists (HA/Amal goons…after the LBC skit on Nassrallah) took turns attacking it.
3. Geagea has said they are ready to defend their areas. QN; FYI almost everyone in Lebanon almost has small arms(NOT…”to complement the machine guns that every self-respecting Civil War vet still has tucked away in the cellar.”)…so your “revelation” that they were looking for “mortars or grenade launchers” is really funny!!! For God’s sakes the Amal goons fire the RPG’s in the air anytime the chief “ALI BABA” Berri speaks lol.
Basically all the above confirm that the LFs or FM are not armed unlike the goons of the HA’s alliance.
Again, I do not want to pay much heed to these cables which could be all out of context and verbalized according to the civil servant in the embassy.
You should wonder why these “leaks” are appearing in the Akhbar rag and basically trying to paint Berri and his posse (Jawad Khalifeh especially…who is the only minister who does his job judiciously)???
Posted by danny | April 7, 2011, 7:59 amSorry the statement should have ended with”…in a confrontational posture to HA”
Posted by danny | April 7, 2011, 8:03 amSamir Shehadeh, that is his name. Thanks danny.
Posted by anonymous | April 7, 2011, 9:25 amI was in Hamra and then the Shouf during the fighting in 2008, and while we can all agree that the Mustaqbal crew was poorly trained and fought dismally, the overwhelming evidence points to poorly trained not being the same as untrained. Likewise, the SSNP and Amal fighters were terribly trained compared to Hezbollah, and the difference was evident from the way they fought down to the way they held their guns, with Amal and SSNP guys literally shooting from the hip.
And about the PSP, I’d be curious to see any evidence of heavy weapons. As it happens, I was around Baqleen and then Barouk, and I rarely saw any guns at all, much less any serious hardware, even when Baysur was being shelled.
Posted by sean | April 7, 2011, 10:07 amsean,
You must be a Mossad operative…I guess we have to trust your eyewitness accounts of how the Druze held off the HA with sling shots and boiling oil.:D
Posted by danny | April 7, 2011, 10:26 amجعجع: لدي 10 آلاف مقاتل
■ وليد جنبلاط: الحريري يدرب 15 الف مقاتل في بيروت
■ وسام الحسن: ريفي اخطأ بنصح سعد تشكيل ميليشيا سنية
ADD TO THAT FATEH AL ISLAM SAGA;
JIND AL SHAM OR JIND AL SITT BAHIA;
ADD TO THAT MAJDEL ANJAR AND THE VARIOUS SALAFIST SLEEPER CELLS AND THE WAHHABI CRAZIES UNDER BANDAR BIN SULTAN;
add to that the ISF and Ma3loumat skunks paid for by CIA and KSA…to counter the LAF…
THAT’S QUITE a sauce for the hariri/geagea/Gemayel/CIA pudding waiting to foster a fitna in lebanon…at an opportune time and place for their various CIA/MOSSAD proxy militias!!!
Wholly undeniable facts on the ground!
Posted by HK | April 7, 2011, 11:51 amI’d like to ask the following question of our pro-M8 audience here. It’s an honest question.
For years, during the Saniora and then Hariri attempts at forming governments, and the paralysis that ensued, we heard how “outside projects” were causing the problems, and how Feltman was the king-maker and all that claptrap.
And it was argued repeatedly by the Aounist types that Aoun was never the problem, and that he only wanted to fight corruption and noble intentions and blah blah blah.
Now that M14 is staying out of the cabinet, can anyone explain to me what the excuse is for there still not being a government? You can’t blame Saudi money, or Feltman, or a bunch of “corrupt sectarian zaim types” (as M14 was often described).
So what’s the hold up?
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 7, 2011, 1:43 pmIt took the Saudi stooge Hariri five and a half months and two attempts at forming a government; so time is still on their side if you compare the two camps!
Posted by HK | April 7, 2011, 1:55 pmFunnily enough HK, it was essentially the same people stalling Hariri and Mikati (as Bad Vilbel alluded)…
… plus, why are you shouting? 😉
Posted by Theodore Arz | April 7, 2011, 2:13 pmYou don’t kill the tree by pruning the branches. It will just come back stronger and bearing more fruit. I prefer to Go for the roots…
Posted by HK | April 7, 2011, 2:54 pmHK,
Dude when you get your head out of your “rear view” you would realize that comparing the Hariri attempt to form a government whereas your terrorist entity wanted a blocking third and they loitered and occupied downtown for one and a half years as well as plundering Beirut in May 2008…Now your candidate Mikati is to form a government from M8 ONLY…What’s your hold up dude?
Posted by danny | April 7, 2011, 3:05 pmHK: Haha OK buddy, keep shouting. The way things are going in the Middle East now though, I don’t think we’ll have to wait long for the fall of all those who seek to silence and dominate through intimidation … keep shouting while you can.
There’s this ongoing campaign to “legitimize” Hizballah’s conduct in Lebanon by finding a M14 equivalent …
… hence all this talk about Future “militias” and LF “militias”. Again, we speculate on the ability to organize into a militia when you have actual militias (i.e., Hizballah) running around Beirut, murdering Lebanese, starting wars, shooting down LAF helicopters, etc.
As for the controversy of what some politicians had to say in their discussions with foreign representatives, as revealed by the leaks …
… maybe one day we’ll get a Syrian or Iranian Wikileaks and we’ll get to eavesdrop on conversations regarding which Lebanese figure should be assassinated next, how best to circumvent the Lebanese state and army and ensure it isn’t capable of carrying out its mandate, and the rest of all that jazz.
Until then, we’ll have to contend ourselves with real guns pointed at our heads while reading about the fictional ones that could’ve been.
Posted by Theodore Arz | April 7, 2011, 3:52 pmdontgetit @4, yea, yea, we missed you already at last post:
https://qifanabki.com/2011/03/30/bashar-al-assads-national-address-disappoints/#comment-22034
Posted by Honest Patriot | April 7, 2011, 4:30 pmThat was my point, HK.
Hariri and co. had an excuse: They had to try and compromise with M8 to form a unity govt.
The M8 supporters insisted over and over that it wasn’t M8/Aoun/HA that was the problem. The M8 supporters complained loudly when M8 was accused of obstructionism, and pointed at Saudi/Feltman conspiracies instead.
Well, now that M14/Saudi/Feltman are no longer in the picture and M8 has but itself to form a govt. we see who the real obstructionists really were back then (and today).
It’s funny how time has a way of crystallizing truths and stripping away the lies.
The same goes for this stupid militia argument. 2008 showed quite clearly who had and who didn’t have “trained and armed militias” at their disposal. For some bizarre reason, that is still a matter of dispute today. Time will eventually reveal who has or doesn’t have a militia.
Same goes for the stupid “Another day safe from Israeli aggression” that I keep hearing peddled around here. The red herring that we are safe of aggression BECAUSE of HA. What a bunch of bologne. The truth is, we are safe DESPITE of HA at the moment, simply because Israel has not chosen to strike. At some point, when a war does occur, we’ll see how “safe” Lebanon really is from Israel. We’ll see how many people escape death and destruction, thanks to the might “resistance”…
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 7, 2011, 4:33 pm#17,
Sean is not far off Danny, the resistence in the mountains composed of a few rag tag retired civil war veterans,if we can call them that, and rusty ak47s from a bygone era. C’mon you are underestimating the Lebanese Spartans 🙂
Even if the M14 zaims did arm and train militias, wouldnt that have been the normal procedure at that time? Not to justify it, but it was quite obvious where the HA guns were pointed.
Posted by Maverick | April 7, 2011, 6:38 pmThis whole discussion is hypothetical. The truth is, as many pointed out, there is only few groups that are armed and trained and operating on Lebanese soil. These are HA, Amal, Palestinians within camps mostly, and few other thugs. The common denominator among all these groups is that they are all thugs and are using the weopons to terrorize the civilians.
Hypothetically,in such environment, the LF and the FM are both justified if they choose to arm and train their own militias especially if the Lebanese army proves to be as biased as it has shown itself to be so far. Besides, the hypothetical LF and FM militias may turn out to be ‘good’ militias and not the same type of thugs as the existing ones are. So what is the big deal?
Posted by anonymous | April 7, 2011, 7:25 pmIt’s amazing how some people still stick to their views after all that’s been uncovered. I used to be an ardent M14 supporter in my ‘youth’ (it’s been 6 years since 2005 – yes, they’ve strung us that long), and I can tell you, if you were to allow yourself honest reflection, that it’s been downhill for M14 since July 2006. The glamour of freedom and democracy has viscously been revealed to be a cover for a foreign agenda that would ultimately lead to submission. Both sides of the fence have their agendas, but the M14 has been the more sinister, because it played on the hopes of the Lebanese in the wake of the Syrian withdrawal, and they still attempt to continue doing so… the audacity.
Posted by shades9662 | April 7, 2011, 7:44 pm“…cover for a foreign agenda that would ultimately lead to submission.”
What and whose agenda? Care to explain?
I bet you are in Lebanon and regrettably brainwashed by the persistent narrative of local media and gossip.
Posted by Honest Patriot | April 7, 2011, 10:04 pmAll this talk of arming militias is downright depressing. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s it did seem that the lessons of the civil war were learned and a “never again” resignation against fratricide established. Alas, this is slowly getting forgotten?
Lest we forget, to all the ebullient youth and to all tempted to applaud a slide towards re-creating the ingredients of another civil war, do take the time to review this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq0SGkrBYvs
Posted by Honest Patriot | April 7, 2011, 10:14 pmIt’s easy and safe to argue about politics on a blog when you live in the West or the East but not in the land that happens to be an essential part of “Umm El Dunya”.
PROTEST against the Lebanese sectarian regime SUNDAY April 10 from The National MUSEUM to the…PARLIAMENT !!
Why don’t you all join and help organize ? You all seem to care about this region you all once came from, or else you wouldn’t bother commenting on this blog.
We don’t need $200 million a year from Iran, the US, Europe or from Saudi Arabia to help Lebanon shed itself from its foundations based on religious sectarianism that has plagued its citizens for over 70 years.
Lebanon needs you !
Posted by R2D2 | April 7, 2011, 11:41 pmAlmost all Lebanese have a weapon in their home, and some slightly more. I very much doubt that the LF surrendered all their weapons, same as all the other militias. Every in Lebanon is looking at buying anything from a Colt, M16, AK47 to RPG’s in preparation for the inevitable shown down and the deep routed knowledge that the army is incapable of protecting its citizens. The prices of weapons have sky rocketed recently.
@R2D2, I tried to remain silent but I just couldn’t, so please do excuse me in advance.
Demonstrate for a secular state you say? Along side those politically driven idiots I saw a couple of weeks ago on Kalam Al Nass?
The day any of those “Secular March Organizer” will come up with a detailed plan,agenda,alternative…. anything that makes sens I will be the first one to join with my son. Before you take to the streets and demonstrate for a secular state, start by changing the educational system (change can only come through education), the judiciary, ahwal al shakhsiiya, convince the Lebanese that they are first and foremost LEBANESE…etc.
It is way too early and to dangerous to go for a secular state without a clear period of transition.
Having said that, good luck on Sunday (especially if one of your slogan will be taken as an attack on Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah, any religious figure…etc); and I do hope you prove me wrong.
Have a nice week-end all.
Posted by marillionlb | April 8, 2011, 4:40 amMay what Israel and the Infamous White house Murder INC, have done to others be returned on their heads ten Million fold….
A resumption of genocide on the Palestinians has been foreshadowed for months in the media. The Zio-nazis and the US ZOG were simply waiting for cover stories to divert international attention from their overtly criminal psychopathy. If there is any justice in the Universe, the “god” that these people purport to worship will manifest him/herself by smiting this little cabal of Satanists and their Wahhabi crazies/crypto-zionist collaborators and their associates of the worst Militias of March14th traitors in plain view of the planet…
1. March 14th skunks and their despicable criminal CIA/MOSSAD/Salafist proxy-Militias of thugs all proved to be traitors to their nation, conspiring with foreign powers to encourage attacks on their own country….
2. Hezbollah’s Valiant Resistance and its arms are paramount for self-defense for Lebanon and have been entirely vindicated in every way, not only in 2000, but in 2006 as well and still are today, till the dawn of an elusive comprehensive peace and the return of ALL our occupied land by Israel’s Zio-nazis….
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 9:53 amIs it true to say that today was a step up in the demonstrations in Syria? This is my impression from http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=253828
Posted by AIG | April 8, 2011, 10:18 amMossad had a longstanding secret relationship with Bahrain. Now we know why the U.S. permitted Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi/Takfiri crazies to massacre peaceful civilian Bahraini protesters. The orders came from Tel Aviv via Washington — the real way US foreign policy works.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4053981,00.html
http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=7636
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 10:22 am“على الرغم من كل ما يحيط بهذا الوطن من تهديدات الا ان البعض في هذا الوطن غير مكترث بكل ذلك لان لديه أجندة أخرى، ولأن لديه أهتمامات أخرى، ولانه كما كشفت وثائق “ويكيليكس”، هذا البعض انما هو في موقع التواطؤ مع من كان يدير العدوان على هذا الوطن ونحن في هذا السياق ندعو جمهور 14 آذار والذي نميز بينه وبين رموز 14 اذار، جمهور 14 اذار هم شركاؤنا في الوطن وهم جيراننا في المجتمع وهم زملاؤنا في العمل وهم ضحية التضليل الاعلامي، وضحية سياسة التخويف والتعبئة الطائفية والشحن الغزائزي، وندعوهم الى أن يقرأوا بأنفسهم وبتمعن وثائق “ويكيليكس”، كأي يحكم على مضمونها، بما أنطوت عليه من مواقف وأفكار وارتهانات وتواطؤ”.
“إن جمهور 14 آذار مطالب بأن يقرأ هذه الوثائق بتمعن لكي يحكم عليها وفقا للانتماء الوطني ووفقا لضميره ولمسؤولياته تجاه هذا الوطن ومجتمعه، وحاضر ومستقبل هذا الوطن، وليس هناك من حر وطني مسؤول وشريف يمكن أن يوافق على المواقف والاداء والافكار والارتهانات التي أطلقها هؤلاء والتي نصت عليها وثائق “ويكيليكس”، ونسأل الله أن يساعد هذا الوطن على عبور كل هذه الازمات، وان يساعدنا لان نبقى دائما في موقع الدفاع عن شعبنا وان نبقى في موقع من يقوم بواجبه تجاه أرضنا”
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 10:34 amThe Assad Mafiosi Dictatorship and the Wahhabi Crazies of the house Of Sauds; both Crypto-Zionist lackeys must be overthrown by their peoples.
Few of us know what it’s like to stand in front of the prospect of being beaten, tortured, imprisoned, or killed for merely voicing frustration towards the government. I admire these brave souls in Syria; Bahrain; Yemen; Libya; and the thuggish Wahhabi kingdom of Saudi Arabia who venture out in these extremely oppressive societies in the name of freedom and democracy. Despite what their corrupt rulers say, they are the true patriots. I hope their passion and heroics lead this new generation to a new structure free of the tyranny that only comes from the Assad Mafia of Assassins and the Saudi/Wahhabi/Takfiri Islamist crazy sectarian and bigoted radicals throughout the middle east. They need to string up all those who have poisoned Islam and used it to blackmail their own people and the World!
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 11:58 amI wonder if Hizballah will not be forced to wage a war with Israel if the Syrian regime crumbles?
Iran obviously is behind the recent Gaza spats. Anything to not get the Palestinians to unite again.
There’s also nothing moving on the Israeli-Palestinian peace deal front. Not even Obama is pushing for it?
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 1:24 pmThe thuggish Syrian Alawite regime is constitutionally incapable of reform of any kind. Suppression of dissent; murder and assassinations is built into it and cannot be disentangled from it. So all talk of reform is just that; talk, with no substance behind it; except for deceit and deceptions from their idols Hilary Clinton; john Kerry; CIA/MOSSAD and the infamous white house Murder INC. And the idea that anyone with even a modicum of functioning brain power should actually believe Assad’s promises and Billary’s talk about a “reformer” agenda is also taken from the world of fantasy.
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 1:44 pmHk… R you finished spamming dude?
Posted by danny | April 8, 2011, 2:08 pmThe amateur videos from Syria today are just too horrific.
I don’t think even the staunchest Assadists will be able to stomach them anymore.
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 3:25 pmR2D2,
All this brutality accelerated after the “reformer” green light from Clinton. Shame on them all for not even covering all these crimes. Not even a beep!!
Posted by danny | April 8, 2011, 3:37 pmIn Tahrir Square today from Wael Ghonim …
http://twitpic.com/4iex05
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 4:12 pmWhat ?! Translation please!
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/173751.html
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 4:34 pm“Dude” to Earth
The thuggish Syrian Alawite regime is constitutionally incapable of reform of any kind.
HK,
I’m afraid your criticism of Assad is bit weak and a day late. And your buddies in Lebanon and Iran (the Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad duo) seem to be best friends with Assad:
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=214950
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 8, 2011, 4:42 pmLebanon will still be stuck with Hizballah even if the Baath regime crumbles in Syria.
I just hope Lebanese Shi’ites won’t be stupid enough to buy into believing placing a “key” around their necks will guarantee them the abundance of “virgins” that seemingly has alluded the Ayatollahs but that the Gulf Royals have been enjoying with cold cash.
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 6:12 pm“Why Did Goldstone Betray The Truth?”
Nathanael Kapner
“If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.”
Thus began Goldstone’s Op-Ed Feature in the Washington Post, (on April Fools Day by the way), in which he denounces his former conclusions that Israel had committed war crimes, resulting in the deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Goldstone confesses his ‘change of heart’ based on subsequent investigations by the Israeli military that Gazan civilians were NOT intentionally targeted – but rather – innocent Israeli civilians WERE SPECIFICALLY targeted by Hamas.
Well of course, the Israeli Military is going to clear itself of all war crimes. Even a 10 year old could tell you that!
Yet, Goldstone’s tribal loyalties have forced him to exchange the truth for whitewashing.
For in his 2009 Report, Goldstone cites EVIDENCE of Israeli attacks on mosques, hospitals, apartment buildings, and refugee shelters – CLEAR indications of INTENTIONAL targeting of civilians by the Zionist war machine.
Why has Goldstone suddenly betrayed the truth? Is it because of World Jewry’s sustained campaign of intimidation against him?
Indeed, as Ilan Pappe, author of “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” points out, the campaign against Goldstone reached new heights when the chairman of the Zionist Federation of South Africa, Avrom Krengel, tried to prevent Goldstone from participating in his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah in Johannesburg, saying that, “Goldstone caused irreparable damage to the Jewish people.”
A brave man dedicated to the truth would withstand ALL acts of intimidation.
But apparently, Goldstone treasures his religious and racial affiliations over the poverty of alienation of standing up for his OWN FACTS and verifiable data.
We should have recognized that Goldstone would eventually cave to pressure from his co-religionists when he stated in 2009 that despite his Report, he “remained a Zionist,” with “a great love for Israel,” announcing his intentions to “continue to work for Israeli causes.”
One simply cannot be a “Zionist” who “works for Israeli causes” by exposing the evil deeds that Zionism leads to, which the Goldstone Report clearly does.
But now, Goldstone has recanted before the ‘World Zionist Tribunal’ – before which, even famous judges like Goldstone, must cower to.
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 6:15 pmWhat does a woman have to do in this world to deserve 40 stallions in her after life?
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 6:26 pm“Hope & Change” wasn’t supposed to be a Nightmare NewZ
Prospects fade for military overthrow of Gaddafi
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/wl_nm/us_libya
In contrast, let’s watch President Obama’s Full Speech on the U.S. Mission in Libya, where he said he “refuses to wait for mass graves in Libya”…(good thing Libya isn’t Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, where Obama was one of a FEW US Senators who always voted against our role there)…
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 8, 2011, 6:37 pmFunny how Goldstone wasn’t afraid of Jews and Israel before he issued the report.
I think it’s a conspiracy. Ahmadinejad is holding Goldstone’s family hostage and forcing Goldstone to recant, thus making it look like the typical, insidious “Zionist Pressure™” we’ve all been accustomed to, especially while waiting in line at the chinese restaurants.
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 8, 2011, 6:44 pmConspiracy within a conspiracy, AP? Neat.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 8, 2011, 7:00 pmIt’s a complicated world that HK lives in…::D
Posted by danny | April 8, 2011, 7:28 pmdanny,
Not really.
Can you blame an HK enthusiast who’s brain has obviously been fried by the doses of cocaine his master sold and snorted on a daily basis?
Posted by R2D2 | April 8, 2011, 7:37 pmBashar and his thugs must now be tried for crimes against humanity,
On the other hand, Hariri recent speech about Iran is the most patriotic speech so far. He is doing very good since he became a caretaker.
Posted by anonymous | April 8, 2011, 8:32 pmCIA skunks talking about each other within the congregation of the wicked Wahhabi crazies; No further comment is needed!!!
JUNE 13, 2006 06BEIRUT1915: Jeffrey Feltman describes Saad Hariri and his thuggish Wahhabi Militias:
… Hariri, according to Feltman the assassin in chief, ” is prone to quick anger, especially when it is exposed to criticism. When angry, he frowns and interrupt the conversation… Hariri could not focus long on a single topic. He skims from one discussion to another … It is rare for Hariri, to stick to one subject for more than minutes, he multitasks by flipping television channels on the flat screen (which is like properties owned by Hariri, huge), cuts a cigar, buzzes an aide, …. all while having a serious dialogue with his interlocutors. … Some accuse him of excessive self-confidence, while others point out that the claim of self-confidence is nothing but a mask that hides behind Hariri and his sense of insecurity… Feltman notes in his report that Hariri ‘loses patience with him’ when he brings up the subject of his relationship with other Sunni figures … or when talking about Christian concerns… . Feltman says Hariri ignores the U.S. Embassy’ tips on ‘consulting with its Sunni allies in Tripoli such as Mosbah Ahdab and Mohammad Safadi. When Feltman raised his concern that should Hariri ‘continues to ignore Tripoli’, Syria’s allies were going to ‘fill the vacuum’. Hariri replied: ‘I am THE Sunni leader of Tripoli’….. Feltman allocated a full paragraph of the report to ‘rumors surrounding Hariri’s personal life’: ‘several mistresses, impropriety in his drinking habits, childish & reckless behavior’ ….. Feltman said he did not ‘corroborate any evidence’ of these rumors but noted that, Samir Geagea the criminal thug told that during a ‘dry’ banquet in Quraytem, Hariri served rice wine (Sake). Feltman noted that Hariri’s private plane contained ‘an impressive collection of Cheval Blanc….
Feltman sees Hani Hammoud as the ‘engine’ of the Future Movement and believes that Hammoud is jealous of Amal Mudallali … As for the Wissam Hassan, Feltman recalled that he was responsible for the security of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and noted with suspicion that he was ‘absent from the Hariri motorcade… allowing all kinds of conspiracy theories’. The report also notes that Wissam Hassah is ‘unreliable, and hated by the other Lebanese figures, including the leaders of the March 14, most notably, Walid Jumblatt’ the quintessential CIA asset in Lebanon since the mid 70s… However, Hariri ‘claims that he tested Hassan’s loyalty’ …
The ‘tense relationship’ between Hariri and Siniora, haunted Feltman. He describes it as a question of ‘dignity’. Siniora often complained to Feltman that Hariri ‘dealt with him as an employee’, when Hariri complained that Siniora treated him ‘like a child’. Feltman relays the accounts of a number of Lebanese leaders participating in the national dialogue, that when Hariri ‘hauntingly’ addresses Siniora by his first name ‘Fuad’ he adds laughing ‘I mean Your Excellency’. March14 leaders are unanimous in saying that Hariri ‘envious’ of the international attention that Siniora gets, concluding that ‘maybe Nazik poisoned the relationship between Saad and Siniora’. After that, Feltman quotes Saad’s displeasure with Butros Harb & Nayla Mouawad, as ‘too Christian to be good for Lebanon’. As for Michel Aoun, he is the worst in Hariri’s view. As for the Shi’as, and although they are Lebanese, Hariri sees them as ‘different, and a potential threat’…because his Wahhabi crazy masters say so…”
Posted by HK | April 8, 2011, 11:12 pm[But wasn’t Hobeika a full-fledged idiot? a full-time thug? a certified moron? and an insignificant midget?]
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 08, 2011
Statement from the President on the Violence in Syria
I strongly condemn the abhorrent violence committed against peaceful protesters by the Syrian government today and over the past few weeks. I also condemn any use of violence by protesters. The United States extends our condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims. I call upon the Syrian authorities to refrain from any further violence against peaceful protestors. Furthermore, the arbitrary arrests, detention, and torture of prisoners that has been reported must end now, and the free flow of information must be permitted so that there can be independent verification of events on the ground.
Throughout this time of upheaval, the American people have heard the voices of the Syrian people, who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and dignity, and who deserve a government that is responsive to their aspirations. Syrians have called for the freedoms that individuals around the world should enjoy: freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; and a government that is transparent and free of corruption. These rights are universal, and they must be respected in Syria.
Until now, the Syrian government has not addressed the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. Violence and detention are not the answer to the grievances of the Syrian people. It is time for the Syrian government to stop repressing its citizens and to listen to the voices of the Syrian people calling for meaningful political and economic reforms.
[End}
Another good analysis here,
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=259635
But wasn’t Hobeika a full-fledged idiot? a full-time thug? a certified moron? and an insignificant midget?
Posted by anonymous | April 9, 2011, 12:09 amHK,
What magic stuff are you putt’in in your Nargileh.
Anon,
I dunno if the Hariri speech was such a patriotic act.Or the political tone he has been exercising. It seems counter-productive, and borders on hatred. I commend him on growing much needed Cahoonas, but he should get over the sulking and the bashing,stand tall and try jump back in a responsible position by helping to form a Govt.Lebanon needs it right now, and he can really pull out some aces if he starts playing a dominant, productive role.
Posted by Maverick | April 9, 2011, 3:39 am….وحدهم الأبطال يستشهدون بصمت
بكل تواضع و صمت يرحل الكبار و هكذا رحل كبير من كبار لبنان كبير من كبار المسيرة النضاليّة الشريفة ، فحزنت عليه كل الأطراف و الجهات. هذا هو الوزير الراحل ايلي حبيقة ، فيجعل حظَّه وفيراً في السماء على طاولة المجد الذي لا ينتهي و يجعل له معموديّة دائمة فيبقى في القلوب جزءً من تكوينها إلى الأبد
لم تمت يا ايلي
بل موتك الرهيب، المفجع، الصامت … علامة انتصارك مع الرب يسوع الفادي و المخلّص
انت لم تمت يا ايلي … بل انتقلت
انتقلت بشفاعة العذراء مريم الكلية الطوبى الى احضان الملائكة و القديسين في الجنات السماوية
…انت لم تمت يا ايلي
بل اصبحت الآن حي مع الرب يسوع الفادي و القاهر للموت
حي مع يسوع المسيح بين الاجواق السماوية التي لا و لا تموت ابدا
لم تمت يا ايلي … بل عشت
و ستظل العائش ابداً مع الرب يسوع المسيح
نيالك … منحبك … و رح نشتقلك كتير
يا قديسنا، يا كبيرنا شهيد النضال
الله يرحمك و منعزى حالنا فيك
أمّا روح ايلي حبيقة التي لا تموت أصلاً فنتمنّى لها دوام القوّة والعزم والطهارة
الراحل شهيدنا البطل الرئيس ايلي حبيقة بقي في عيوننا قائداً تنحني له الرياح وتسلّمه شراع وجهتها، انه التاريخ في رجل ورجل التاريخ المجيد
عزاؤنا أن مبادئ الراحل شهيدنا البطل الرئيس ايلي حبيقة السامية ونضاله المشرف وتضحياته باقية معنا مثالاً يحتذى لنا جميعاً في مسيرتنا لبناء لبنان وطناً للأنسان
نضرع الى الله أن يرحم فقيدنا الغالي ويجعل سكناه مع القديسين في الفردوس ونسأله تعالى أن يهب أهله ومحبيه الصبر والسلوان
Posted by HK | April 9, 2011, 7:35 amNurturing, compassionate, generous, noble,courageous, heroic, unparalleled, that’s Mr. Elie Hobeika; a member of the Lebanese parliament; a minister and a Leader.
With tears in their eyes and flowers in their hands people paid tribute to their national hero. Sad at the loss, which can not be compensated yet pride was all over their faces,sacrificed their son of the soil. His was a death for a noble cause of dying for one’s own country. Such men are not born everyday, they belong to the rare class of humanity, who are an example in themselves, and they are the ones who set precedents. And they themselves are unprecedented…
Since January 24th 2002, I have only awakened to a nightmare–the nightmare of life without you Elie, and this I cannot bear. The memories showing your pictures non stop… in my mind; you are so alive and tangible that I can almost touch you, but it is only “almost” because already I cannot.
Elie Hobeika, you were the pillar of fire before the camp and now we are left as only the camp, alone, in the dark, and it is so cold and sad for us all. I know we are talking in terms of a national tragedy, but how can you try to comfort an entire people or include them in your personal pain, when many do not stop crying, and we are mute, feeling the enormous void that is left only by your absence?
Few truly knew you. They can still talk a lot about you, but I feel that they know nothing about the depth of the pain, the disaster and, yes, this terrible void, for us, the family and the friends, who are left only as the camp, without you, our pillar of fire.
Elie, you were, and still are, our hero. I want you know that in all I have ever done, I have always seen you before my eyes. Your esteem and love accompanied us in every step and on every path, and we lived in the light of your values. You never abandoned us, and now “they” have abandoned you, my eternal hero–cold and lonely–and I can do nothing to save you, you who are so wonderful.
People greater than I have already eulogized you, but none of them was fortunate like myself [to feel] the caress of your warm, soft hands and the warm embrace that was just for us, or your smiles which will always say so much, the same smile that is no more, and froze with you. I have no feelings of revenge because my pain and loss are so big, too big. The ground has slipped away from under our feet, and we are trying, somehow, to sit in this empty space that has been left behind, in the meantime, without any particular success. I am incapable of finishing, but it appears that a strange Cabal…, a miserable person, has already finished for me. Having no choice, I part from you, a hero, and ask that you rest in peace, that you think about us and miss us, because we here, down below, love you so much… our only consolation is our complete faith in our God’s special place for you, up there with him for ever, and that he will know how to take care of the “assassins” in time…
To the angels of heaven that are accompanying you now, I ask that they watch over you, that they guard you well, because you deserve such a guard. We will love you Elie Hobeika, always, till the end of Time.
The secret of selling yourself is to have a product you truly believe in. Elie Hobeika is the perfect embodiment of these words. He is a kind, nurturing, compassionate, generous, noble,courageous, heroic, unparalleled, unmatched, dependable, supportive, humorous, intelligent, clever, sometimes hilarious, talented, amazing, entertaining, proud, disciplined, profoundly interesting man. He gave me my deeply appreciated “knowledge…,” and along with tons of documents and more… . The world was my oyster as we traveled from town to town, city to city, country to country, with the greatest man ever, Elie Hobeika.
Posted by HK | April 9, 2011, 8:12 am“Nurturing, compassionate, generous, noble,courageous, heroic, unparalleled, that’s Mr. Elie Hobeika; a member of the Lebanese parliament; a minister and a Leader.”
Yes R2D2 he is on crack!! How about a serial killer. We won’t forget Sabra & Shattila. I guess Mr. Hobeika was compassionate to those people. You disgust me.
Posted by danny | April 9, 2011, 9:18 amhttp://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/04/08/exclusive-to-veterans-today-lebanon-wiki-cables-tell-of-treason-us-interference/
Posted by HK | April 9, 2011, 10:00 amhttp://univercia2langley.blogspot.com/2010/12/proxy-cia-militia-skunks-geageas-lf.html
Posted by HK | April 9, 2011, 10:04 amMaverick 58,
Hariri’s speech is not counter productive and there is no hatred in it. In fact, it is first meant to help the Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf who are facing possible expulsion as a result of HNA’s latest speech.
Secondly, we cannot, as Lebanese, further keep silent on blatant Iranian interventions in Lebanese affairs. Iranian regime had direct role in bringing down the last government. Its continuing support and supply of weapons to an entity which operates outside state control is the most direct threat to the Lebanese state and sovereignty.
Thirdly, neither Hariri nor March 14 can now be considered responsible for any delays in the formation of the government. Unlike the March 8 performance during consultation leading to the creation of the previous government, March 14 negotiated with PM designate in good faith and transparently. Their conditions for participation which were far less extravagant than those of March 8 in the previous government were rejected. As a result, they made themselves very clear in their last meeting.
On the other hand, we still do not know what the other side really want to do.
The ball is in their court.
[Elie Hobeika was a drug addict; he was killed by drug traffickers]
Posted by anonymous | April 9, 2011, 11:47 am“God picks the most beautiful flowers for his garden,” . “He sees him as an angel.”
HK; Elie Hobeika a Heroes’ Hero in selfless dedication to the Nation he loved so dearly.
In Lebanon’s Fields
John McPeak, 24-01-2002
In Lebanon’s fields the Resistance blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Heroes. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Lebanon’s fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though Resistance grows
In Lebanon’s fields.
http://newhk.blogspot.com/search/label/AMAN.
MY FRIEND ELIE HOBEIKA, HK
One can see the wisdom in his very visage. The hazel eyes, glowing from sockets lined with deep suntan emotions, beam with the brilliance of a limelight. His hair, looking like spun silver, sits neatly in place upon his head. Yet, as he nods slightly, it sparkles, each strand in concert, as if to echo the exuberance of his own nature. His nose, strong and stately, arcs proudly above the overshadowed yet undaunted mouth. The lips, bold as they are, show incredible kindness and generosity, especially when he curls them into one of his particularly boyish grins. His countenance mirrors his being and in that beautiful angel face one can see a child playing in a meadow. His forty six years do not show themselves in his posture. He stands tall, erect; and moves with unmitigated grace. Always dressed in perfect clothes, his bright colors dazzle and shine in the Lebanon sun. What a sight this man is to behold! The experiences, heartbreaks, loves, joys, and victories of forty six years of living, all combine into one fascinating embodiment within him, a Heroes’ Hero and the greatest man ever.
Elie Hobeika died with exemplary courage, as one would expect. He never complained about pain or whimpered or cried out.
His death was HEROIC . He never quit fighting, never surrendered, and never gave up. He died like a king.
He died like The Great Phoenix. For the world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams, So various, so beautiful, so new, Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help from pain; And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night….HK for EVER. I thank you with all my heart.
http://newhk.blogspot.com/2008/12/uniiic-ii-report-revisited.html
http://newhk.blogspot.com/2011/03/components-of-white-house-murder-incs.html
Posted by HK | April 9, 2011, 11:58 amThis video clip from Al Jazeera is a must see. The mask is falling off the Syrian regimes’ fictitious explanations. If the editor of Tishreen is not willing to accept the official line about the tragic Dara’a events then I am bewildered how many in Lebanon are still clinging to the Asa’ad myth.
I understand that this editor lost her job for the way that she answered these questions intelligently, rationally and courageously. Where is the outrage?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4coKCc4QZFA
Posted by Ghassan Karam | April 9, 2011, 12:57 pmAre we seriously back to Elie Hobeika?
Posted by Qifa Nabki | April 9, 2011, 3:34 pmEnglish transcript of SHN’s speech Saturday 9 April.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=235741
Posted by R2D2 | April 9, 2011, 6:14 pmSomeone should ask Ziad Baroud to resign from his ministerial post and form a political party.
Posted by R2D2 | April 9, 2011, 6:48 pmHNA’s series of ‘i7hki w sallina’ is becoming boring with everything that is going on around us. It is obvious the guy felt the need to say something and he just did it.
But, did you guys notice the veiled threats that he included in the speech? The guy is very very cunning in the choice of his words.
Posted by anonymous | April 9, 2011, 7:17 pmHK,
It’s impossible to ask people that are pressed for time to join a blog that gets inundated by utterly useless comments about your dead demiGod that has zero bearing on the current political Zeitgeist in Lebanon.
What would you like anyone to do about Elias Hobeika on this blog?
Hold up a candle for him having whored himself to the Israelis and then the Syrians … who are both controlled by the Psy-Ops “Men who stare at goats” you seem to have been a part of … and killed him because he was the goose that laid the golden eggs?!
I think for the most part, people on this blog get that “The Davinci Code” has influenced you a lot and that it probably ranks in your top ten of must read books.
My children don’t need your utter psycho-babbling rhetoric about a well known narcotics dealer that met his fate … head on.
Posted by R2D2 | April 9, 2011, 7:30 pmIn this video, NowLebanon shows that the general conditions in Lebanon are moving towards lawlessness and chaos. It more or less echoes the topic of the main post here.
http://www.nowlebanon.com/arabic/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=259716&MID=100&PID=46
It looks like a concerted effort that began long before 2006 in order to erase central authority and force a specific paradigm; the black shirts, the killing of an army pilot and the recent outbreaks in prisons are its most obvious manifestations.
Expect more of the same and perhaps worse.
Posted by anonymous | April 9, 2011, 9:11 pmالوزير الراحل ايلي حبيقة حاضر أبداً بيننا نغماً وعبقريّةً ووطنية، فلا الموت ينسينا إيّاه ولا الرحيل يبعدنا عنه…
ألف رحمة عليك أيها الغائب الحاضر،الغائب عنا بجسدك والحاضر بيننا بروحك الطاهرة وبمبادئك وقيمك ويا من ستبقى حاضراً في القلوب والعقول.شعبك يفتقدك يا الوزير الراحل شهيدنا البطل الرئيس ايلي حبيقة …كم يفتقدك
هو الحلم الذي أزهر وطنيين وإنجازات وسيادة “يتنازل عنها البعض لدى الخارج بعدما حققناها
حلمنا بلبنان سيّداً حرّاً مستقلاً أنت الذي رقص نجوم الفلك
أنت شهيد الأمس شهيدنا البطل الرئيس ايلي حبيقة ونحن شهود اليوم
. إنت يللي رقّصت الفلك
كيفَ؟
ننسى، نشكر، نبقى أوفياء…
مَن؟
أجدادنا، أهلنا، وأبناؤنا، شهداؤنا…
لماذا؟
لأنهم: دافعوا، ناضلوا، استشهدوا…
في؟
بيوتنا، قلوبنا، وجداننا…
من خلالكم؟
صمد لبنان، واجه، تحرَّر، انتصر…
مِمَّنْ؟
من أبناء لبنان، أبناء الشهادة الحيّة، أبناء الحياة والحب…
نقول :
أنتم ناضلتم لكي يبقى لبنان لأبناء لبنان
وها نحن اليوم نناضل على مثالكم لكي يبقى لبنان لأبنائه…
أنتم شهداء الأمس
وها نحن شهود اليوم
أنتم متّم شهادةً للبنان
وها نحن نحيا لنشهد لاسم لبنان
باسم لبنان واللبنانيين، نقول : لقد فديتم لبنان، وها نحن نفتخر بكم وبدمكم. ومستمرين على خطاكم
كلما زاد تدخّل الغرباء في شؤون بلدٍ ما كلما تفاقمت مشاكله، واستناداً إلى ثوابت التاريخ نجد ان ما من فتنةٍ وقعت بين العائلات الروحية اللبنانية المتآلفة منذ قرون إلاّ وكان الغرباء وراءَها واللبنانيون وقودها
Posted by HK | April 10, 2011, 8:26 amGood video Anon…
Posted by LebanesePatriot | April 10, 2011, 8:27 amThe early Greeks believed that the character of the hero revealed itself primarily in battle…. To pierce the pious fog of sanctimonious adulation surrounding Elie HOBEIKA’s unfortunate assassination by the infamous White House Murder INC,…., it is best to remember Elie had a fixed, innate pugnacity that sat at the root of his nature. The clash of mind against mind stirred and exalted his senses. Because of his superb arsenal of talents, his analytical intellect, the penetrating discernment, the delicacy of his feelings and his moral fearlessness, Elie HOBEIKA liked a fight because he believed he was very likely to win it….until he came up against the cowardly American/Israeli/Syrian enterprise of odious assassinations in the Levant…., right after the obvious inside Job of 9/11 and what ensued….. I think he always had a sense that his brain surpassed or at the very least, equaled those of the people he was confronting, no matter who they were or where they came from…..
Elie had great natural gifts and astounding talents. He cared greatly for the truth, esteem and gratitude and although he did not always receive these, he always worked on anyway….
I, like so many others, will greatly miss him. for ever and ever……
Posted by HK | April 10, 2011, 8:30 amالوزير الراحل ايلي حبيقة
هو الشهيدُ سلوكيةُ حياةٍ ينتهلُ العالمُ من منهله ويسلكُ العارفُ مسلكَه ويخطو المناضلُ على خطاه وينتهجُ القائدُ بأعمالِهِ ويهتدي الإصلاحيُ بهداهُ؛ ويتطلّعُ إليه الكبيرُ والصغيرُ كقدوةٍ وأسوةٍ. هذا الدمُ العذبُ الذي لا يختصرُ فضلَه على مواليهِ بل يشملُ من عاداهُ من جهلٍ وتعصُّبٍ. هو الحاجةُ الملحّةُ في هذه الظروفِ الصعبةِ وضرورةُ العيشِ الواحد ومنهجًا ملحميًا للحمة الشعبِ. هذا هو الشهيدُ الوزير الراحل ايلي حبيقة . هو ضميرُ هذا الوطن ووجدانُه الحيُّ، ويقظتُه وثورتُه التي لا تهادِن الطغاةَ والجبّارين بل ويرفضُ العبوديةَ بل منهجٌ من أجلِ حياةٍ كلُّها كرامة وعزّة وشموخ. أصبحَ الشهيدُ كلمةً ترسّخَت في الأذهانِ شعاراتٍ لها في كلّ المجالاتِ سلمًا وحربًا ثقافة وعبادة ولو عملنا خطوةً واحدةً من خطواتِه لما تسلّطَ علينا أحدٌ من هؤلاءِ الأعداءِ، سواءً في الداخلِ من حكّامٍ ظالمين وتابعين لدوائر الإستكبارِ العالمي، أو في الخارجِ من أنواعِ المستعمرينَ وأشكالِهم المعروفةِ وغير المعروفةِ، همُّهم سلخُنا عن هويّتِنا وإذاقتُنا شتّى أنواع الذلِّ والهوان، وأصبحنا جميعًا في خبر كان. لقد كنتَ يا الوزير الراحل ايلي حبيقة ماردًا جبّارًا منتصرًا وستبقى منتصرًا إلى الأبد.
لقد أنبتَت دماؤك الذكية جذورًا أعادت التواصلَ وثبّتَت المحبّة بين أهالي هذه المنطقةِ الأبيّةِ عن التعصّبِ والتفرقةِ.
ستبقى رسالةً خالدةً . هنيئًا لنا , يا من قدّمتَ نفسَك الشريفة إلى رصاصاتهم الإجراميّةِ الشنعاء ولكن ستبقى في كلِّ القلوبِ المؤمنةِ ناقذًا ونازفًا وستتحولُ إلى قلبٍ نابضٍ بالحياةِ يضخُ الدمَ النقي الصافي في عروقِنا لتكونَ سيرتُك نبراسًا للأجيال القادمة ومفخرةً عبر التاريخ.
نجدّدُ التحية لكَ نسرًا محلّقًا تحتَ أجنحةِ الشمسِ في خضمِّ العواصفِ والأخطار. مضيْتَ أبدًا على طريقِ الشرفِ والتضحية والوفاء ومن حولك يضجُّ نهرُ الشهداء الذي لا ينبض غير آبهٍ لبندقيةِ الجهلِ والعبودية. أصبحْتَ مدرسةً أيّها العصاميُ المغوار لطريقٍ صعبةٍ وشاقةٍ لا يسلكُها إلّا ذوي النفوس الكبيرة التي اختارَت وارتَضَت أن تكونَ أجسادُها جسورَ عبورٍ للأجيالِ الصاعدةِ. في حضوركم يفتخرُ ويفاخرُ بكم ويقدّرُ تضحياتِكم ويقدّمُ لكم تحيةَ إعجابٍ ووقفةَ عزٍّ وينحني أمامَ تفانيكم بأمثال المناقبية
Posted by HK | April 10, 2011, 8:31 amQN,
I think the HK’s scarface worship and spamming has reached epic proportions…It’s a turn off trying to read comments then having to scroll down this troll’s spams…
Posted by danny | April 10, 2011, 9:13 amLife has taught us that love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction…
The real troll and spammers are those who pretend to be for justice; liberty; democracy;freedom and equal treatment for all; while displaying daily despicable sectarian rants about their countrymen.
The real troll and spammers are those who deliberately distort; destroy and defame other people’s record daily.
The real troll and spammers pretend to care for justice and truth and STL and all that Jazz; while denying the same treatment for another fallen Hero; because of blatant lies and utter distortions going on since 82.
The real troll and spammers are those who distort the record of the Valiant Resistance in the 70s…
The real troll and spammers are those who distort here daily the record of the Valiant Resistance of Hezbollah.
Posted by HK | April 10, 2011, 10:54 amIt is not culturally chauvinistic to assert that popular political ideologies vary according to historical perceptions of often distorted circumstances…
When everyone gets equal treatment and respect by ALL; there will not be any need to be repetitive in the defense of fallen Heroes and the events surrounding their tragic assassination!
Posted by HK | April 10, 2011, 11:14 amQN
I think it’s about time to ban HK.
Posted by ih | April 10, 2011, 11:23 amIf these are not crimes against humanity, then what is?
Warning: do not watch if you’re faint at heart,
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/_47FnLakrzs?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 12:07 pmSimilar scenes were taking place yesterday and perhaps even today in Homs, Banias, Der’a, Latakia…
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 12:10 pmSyrian sources in USA have told me that Asef Shawkat’s Goons have been positioned in towns where disturbances have taken place; shooting sniper fire at both demonstrators and Syrian police intermittently… in order to “justify” the further crushing of any demonstrators with brute force; while claiming that the demonstrators are doing All the shooting. Typical thuggish behavior by Asef Shawkat!
Posted by HK | April 10, 2011, 12:50 pmResistance NewZ
R2D2,
Thanks for posting the SHN speech. Interestingly, I didn’t see anything in his speech concerning Hezbollah’s buddy Bashar Assad and the demonstrations there.
Nuf said (or not said in this case)…
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 10, 2011, 1:11 pmAP,
Not much about the Shebba Farms either. Why has this topic not been so popular with Nasrallah lately?
Posted by AIG | April 10, 2011, 1:23 pmHK
No more Hobeika, or no more HK.
thanks
QN
Posted by Qifa Nabki | April 10, 2011, 2:14 pm“The 12th Imam” could be Bashar Assad.
AIG,
Yes, what “resistance” is SHN talking about? The Arab world is imploding, suddenly Israel is not the main focus, and Hebollah is “resisting”?
Sounds good to me.
The Syria Comment website is now a battle between reformers and the Assad loyalists. I dare not bud in on an issue that doesn’t pertain to me. But it is truly amazing. I’ve never seem so many Arabs being accused of being friendly to “Zionists”. The worse curse known to man…
And AIG, congrats on the Iron Dome system. It seems like it is working well. And being a completely Israeli system, Israel, I suppose, can export this whenever they want.
Pinch me, but maybe the Moshiach has come and no one told me?;)
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 10, 2011, 2:47 pm“Uncivilized Authoritarians” Newflash
But wait, no reason to feel gloomy, there’s STILL hope! Coming across the news wire, one theocratic muslim leader has some cause for optimism…
“I can safely say that they will simply not be able to do anything and that this is the end of the road. With the Lord’s mercy, the people of the region will be victorious and the business of cruelty and malevolence will be shut down forever, and where the just and humane leadership will replace the inhumane and uncivilized authoritarians.”
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/ahmadinejad-a-mideast-without-israel-and-america-now-possible/
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 10, 2011, 3:07 pmThis could be a valuable source material for QN’s upcoming post on Syria,
http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2011/04/09/144815.html
It is from a man who lived through it and paid the price, not from someone who lives far off and perhaps gets a ‘price’ for his services.
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 5:22 pmThis too could be useful,
http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2011/04/10/144934.html
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 5:29 pmCracks in the ‘edifice’ are begining to appear on the surface,
http://thawrtalsoryienalahrar.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post_628.html
Most honorable soldiers, indeed, who will no doubt inspire more like them.
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 6:11 pmI make no pretense to predict to know what will happen or even to understand what is happening now. But I’ll make my guess.
A) As an Egyptian, I pray for the fall of the Assad regime. Because 1) It is best for Syria, 2) It strenthens the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and 3) It brings us closer to the day when the world’s worst government (Saudi Arabia) is toppled. Which is probably why King Abdullah, at first eager to see Assad squirm a bit, now wishes to see him survive.
B) Contrary to popular belief on this board, Hizbullah will survive and even prosper after the fall of the Assad family. Syria does not support HA because Aliwites are close to Shiites. It does so because that is their best ally against Israel and their best chance of regaining the Golan someday. That will not change in a democratic Syria, or even a Sunni run autocracy.
Just my guess.
Posted by Lysander | April 10, 2011, 10:09 pmLysander,
1) Why, as an Egyptian, do you want to see the Saudi regime fall? What benefits do you gain as an Egyptian? Few drops of oil?
2) What makes you think it is possible even after the Assads are gone?
3) what makes you believe the Assads are in fact opposed to Israel or even want the Golan back? (we have participants here who may overwhelm you with evidence that the Assads and the Israelis are more than buddies, even more so than the late Mubarak was with the Israelis)
4) With all due respect to the great intellect of the Egyptians, do you really believe in the ‘fallacy’ of so called ‘resistance’?!!
Since you were guessing, I may add that you may not have heard some of the protesters in Syria voicing their DISGUST at both Iran and HA. Just a thought you may want to verify on your own.
Finally, I suggest that as an Egyptian you should concentrate on building a free Egypt rather than worrying about unachievable goals. The Lebanese can advise you best about the ‘cons’ and ‘pros’ of such resitance ‘halucinations’. On the whole there are only cons and no pros. Just check the main topic of this post if you want a real taste of what is in store in such ‘culture’ of absurd outcomes.
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 10:38 pmAnon, why do I want to see the fall of the Saudi regime??? Why do you want to see this North Korea with oil survive? Why is the House of Saudi better than the House of Assad?
Chants by a crowd are not national policy. Whether or not Assad may or may not want the Golan back. I suspect Syrians do.
Thanks for your advice on what I should do with my time. In between building a free Egypt, I’ll spare a moment here and there to make a post (with the host’s permission, of course)
Posted by Lysander | April 10, 2011, 11:26 pmLysander,
You cannot answer a question with a question. That is avoiding the issues
But here are my answers to your questions of my questions, as I have no qualms about saying what is obvious.
Is the house of Sauds better than the house of the Assads? That is for the Saudi nationals to decide. Neither the Egyptians nor the Lebanese can speak for them. But I am not afraid to give you my OWN opinion and say the Sauds are MILLION times better than the Assads.
Of course chants of crowds are not national policy. But what will be the national policy IF the Assads go? That is the question that you have avoided.
Of course the Syrians would still want the Golan back after the Assads are gone. In my opinion it is their land and they should get it back.
But tell me please, do you envision, or would you personally like to see, the new Egypt abrogating the Peace treaty with Israel? If so then what would Egypt achieve by doing so? Regain its past role of Arab leadership? What next? Go to war?
Of course you do not need permission from any one to post. But I understand that you accepted part of my advice about building a free Egypt. Don’t you see that would be sufficient to achieve other goals that most Arabs agree upon even without firing a single bullet? Or do you still need to fall into the abyss of so-called ‘resistance’?
If Egypt fails to build a free society, then the best course of action for the Syrians after Assad falls (hopefully) is to outflank Egypt and do it themselves, i.e. build a free Syria; and, in this case, they would need help neither from the Egyptians nor the Iranians to achieve their national goals, including getting the Golan back.
So make your choice; and there are many other questions that you avoided. And please continue to post.
Posted by anonymous | April 10, 2011, 11:53 pmAnonymous
Your apology for the Saudi regime continues to baffle me. How can you look at that country and all of its repression — of freedom of speech, freedom to worship, women’s rights, etc. — and all of the excesses of its elite, and still pretend that it is “a million times better than the Assads”?
If you’ve answered this question in the past, feel free to link to your previous comment.
Posted by Qifa Nabki | April 11, 2011, 6:57 amHizballah’s fate ultimately lies in the hands of the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.
It will be interesting to see how the new Egyptian Govt. will deal with this issue as it will, in part, determine the longevity of Hizballah’s military presence in Lebanon.
Lysander #92
I guess your comment begs the question whether a post-Assad Syria would want to maintain the ties it currently has with Iran, or would rather reach out to the West?
30 years of maintaining the Hizballah-Iran axis hasn’t done much for Syria in terms of getting back the Golan, has it?
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 8:08 amWhat’s to prevent a post-Assad Syria from signing a peace deal with Israel in return for the Golan within months of forming a democratically elected new Syrian President?
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 8:12 am#98 … democratically elected new Syrian Govt. ?
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 8:13 amWhat’s to prevent a post-Assad Syria from signing a peace deal with Israel in return for the Golan within months of forming a democratically elected new Syrian President?
R2D2,
Just the usual fanatical Islamists like SHN and ‘nejad. “Peace deal” does not even exist within the vocabulary of the extremists.
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 11, 2011, 8:50 am#95
QN beat me to it.
Seriously Anon, where does one begin defending KSA, with their track record, or even more to the point, what they stand for.The kingdom is a sham.
Following these revolutions, there is one undercurrent common to all, and that is the injustices whether political,social,or economic that the local population suffered under authoritarian dictatorships. Those who view these revolutions as a victory for the Iran/Syria/Hizbollah axis, or the pro-western axis are shortsighted in their perception.
Thus, going back to the common undercurrent theory, the KSA falls perfectly in place as an authoritarian oligarchy stripping the local population of any God given rights.Oh the irony.
Posted by maverick | April 11, 2011, 8:52 amOn the subject of the Israeli-Syrian track, Is it in the interest of Israel to sign a peace deal with Syria? what is there to gain? for over 3 decades Syria has posed no real threat to Israel, so why would they rush out and sign a peace treaty and give up the highly strategic Golan Heights? I never knew the Israelis were into giving gifts to their neighbors.
On the other hand, What has Syria got to gain from a small strip of land populated by farmers who produce on a small scale.Returning the Golan is nothing more than symbolic, it adds nothing to the woeful economy.I doubt that that the Golan is their priority.
Posted by maverick | April 11, 2011, 9:06 amLysander;
I read your contributions on this and other forums and I fully agree with you. Every time I read your posts; your nationalism shined through and through. What I found most interesting in your approach to issues whether in Egypt; Iran;Syria; Lebanon; the GCC or the Resistance of Hezbollah you have proved to be completely Non-sectarian and balanced in your opinions. Given the climate we are living in today in MENA; the Persian Gulf and beyond; your positions deserve utmost praise and recognition. You have my full support and admiration and we all wish the best for Egypt in these tumultuous times.
Thanks again for being who you are and keep up the good work.
Posted by HK | April 11, 2011, 9:10 amMaverick,
Peace must be the priority for everyone in this region, for people to thrive, prosper and survive the oncoming future realities of the world.
The only ones that benefitted from the status quo in the region for over 30 years were the despots and the dictators in the region (as well as our entire Lebanese political class) … and the Weapons Industry.
Peace between Syria and Israel is vital for both countries, vital to the Palestinian peace process, vital to the US administration Middle East foreign policy, a debatable game changer in Iraq … and will leave Iran isolated.
What is the alternative?
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 9:54 amAnon, #95 in answer to your questions.
1) I despise the Saudi royals because a) they are a family that controls the wealth of an entire nation and distributes it as it pleases. b) they are the primary financiers of Wahabism and Salfism throughout the middle east. c) Yes, I do hate that they conspire with Israeli/American plans. The same way Mubarak did. d) It is a police state without pity or remorse for its own people. The list goes on, but I can’t write that long.
But you are correct that that is up to the “Saudi” people if when and how they will rid themselves of their curse.
2) Re: Egypt-Israel peace treaty. Now that it’s there Egypt can’t afford to break it. But Egypt can open the Raffah crossing. It can improve relations with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. It can stop participating in the sham peace process. It can lend its weight to combating sectarianism and the perception of a so called “Sunni Shia'” divide.
R2D2, 97, 98. Egypt has been aligned with the west for more than 30 years and its still poorer than Syria. Most of the region’s economic problems are structural and there is not much the west can do to help, even if it wanted to. Besides, I don’t think any of the Syrian protesters are demanding better relations with the west.
There will be no peace deal between Israel and Syria because Israel isn’t ever going to return the Golan.
HK, 103. High praise that I have not earned. Thanks.
Posted by Lysander | April 11, 2011, 10:05 amLysander,
Ironic that you seek closer relations with Iran … but not “that” regime’s demise 🙂
An Egypt that will justify closer ties to Iran, just because “it” opposes American and Israeli policies and not take into consideration the utter disgusting rot that constitutes “that” regime will be a hypocritically failed one.
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 10:22 amQifa and Maverick,
Regardless whether you like or dislike the current Saudi form of government, the final decision rests with the Saudis themselves.
My argument is the Saudi Monarchy is very well entrenched and there is no substitute for it at the moment.
The Saudi Kingdom is not a police State as the case is in Syria. More than half the Syrian population is employed as mukhabarat agents. We all know there is NO free speech whatsoever in Syria. Syria ranks as the most repressive regimes in the world by all measures. Are there any prisoners of consciousness in KSA? Hardly any. But, as a qualifier, there are detainees that mostly fall, by government account, under terrorist category with ties to al-Qaida. Believe me, the Saudi government has been the most successful from among all other governments in de-ideologizing them while in detention and they are set free immediately afterwards.
There is no comparison whatsoever between the repression in Syria and a similar state of affairs Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have freedom of speech. They have far more media outlets than we, the Lebanese, claim to have. Yes, the women do not have equal rights as we define rights here in the west. But you are talking here about a different culture. Any one from the outside raising this issue will only aggravate the situation. In my opinion, the women in Saudi Arabia in general do not feel they are deprived of any rights except (jokingly) the right to drive a car. So, the first question you will face raising such issue is what’s your business doing so as an outsider? The culture is male dominated and it is extremely hostile to foreigners discussing what is considered an absolutely private matter.
Having said that, the conditions of the Saudi women have improved tremendously in the last 20 to 30 years. Many of them went to western colleges and achieved a certain level of academic standing and many work in highly professional positions. They are also engaged and are successful in major businesses. I would even say women in other Arab countries are envious of the status of their Saudi sisters.
I have no solution to the issue of freedom of worship across the board in Saudi Arabia. I do not think that even the most liberal Saudi, and there are many of them, have such a solution. I am not a Mufti and I do not think even a Mufti can deal with the issue.
And now, I want to raise a historical event that Lysander, as an Egyptian, must be aware of. It is well known that the control of the house of Saud of Arabia took over 200 years to entrench itself as we see today. The first time the Sauds took control was in the early 1800s. They were able to control all of Arabia and even spread out to southern Iraq. The Sultan of Turkey considered that a direct threat to his authority and to the State itself. He instructed the Egyptian governor at the time to send an army to reclaim Arabia. The governor assembled his commanders and among them was his own son. He laid down a huge carpet in the middle of the hall and put an apple in the middle of it. He told the generals the one who can get the apple without stepping on the carpet will get the command of the expedition. They all tried and failed. His son came up with an ingenious solution. He rolled the carpet until he reached the apple. He took the apple and then unrolled the carpet back. His father was impressed and put him in charge. He succeeded in his mission with the help of a huge amount of money buying out tribal loyalties. Yet, the Sauds came back with greater force few years later.
I do not believe that we have an Egyptian governor at the moment with a shrewd son and a bag full of money to outsmart and out-spend present-day Sauds. Simply put, the Sauds have the full loyalty of the tribes. And that is all there is and which counts in Saudi Arabia
Another question that I forgot asking Lysander is what does he mean by saying that King Abdullah would like to see Bashar squirm, but now would like to see him survive? Does Lysander have any information supporting such statement? I am really eager to know if he has any ‘inside’ information about such Saudi role in this Syrian development. This is the official bullshit of the Syrian ministry of information. Can Lysander corroborate this story?
Finally to Maverick,
The Golan is much more important to the Syrians than what you seem to think. After these revolutions come to an end, what makes or breaks the Middle East is the closure of the 60 year old conflict. The Israelis, with unlimited and short-sighted American support, may choose to continue to act foolishly or they may decide they want to become full members of the mosaic. That cannot happen without the closure of the conflict. I am not going to rely on the usual mantra of whose side time is on this time. But someone remarked in a previous thread the following: how will Israel survive with its current policies once it becomes surrounded with 10 Turkeys? There is only one possible answer.
Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2011, 10:28 amLysander,
I posted my last comment before I saw you last comment. I will answer you in details.
Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2011, 10:32 amI think it’s noteworthy that Syrian University students in Damascus have dared protesting today:
http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/04/11/student-protest-in-syrian-capital-turns-violent/
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 11:05 amAnd more from Hawran.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/8CTrCZC1XGc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2011, 11:52 amLysander 105,
As I said I will respond to you.
But first show me and the other participants what do you know about Salafism? And please stay away from stereotypes and let’s keep it to an intelligent level. Please explain if you can its historical development and how it fits within mainstream Islam.
I will not be prepared to discuss any other issues such as your claims about the ‘apparent Shia-Sunni division’ before you satisfy me about your ‘in depth’ knowledge of what you seem to be opposed to.
Please show me the money.
Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2011, 12:27 pmQN,
What do you make of JL’s latest post on SC?
Is that “relative” a colonel (i.e., an Alawite) … or one of the 10 dead “foot” soldiers?
Wonder who JL believes is responsible for his demise.
Posted by R2D2 | April 11, 2011, 2:34 pmAnon,
regarding my problems with Salafism: They tend to enforce their beliefs by force, as evidenced in the attacks on Sufi shrines in Egypt. (AlAhram online, April 6, 2011) What will they do with Coptic Churches? Full disclosure: I’m a non-practicing Sunni. Have lived in the US since the age of two. Can barely read Arabic but can speak Egyptian dialect pretty well. I have trouble understanding Lebanese, though, because you all talk funny. I’m not an expert and make no pretenses. If I’m not up to your standards, feel free to ignore my comments.
Regarding Saudi attitudes towards the Syrian revolt, it’s the impression I get from looking at Al Arabia 2 weeks ago and looking at it today, when it is not anything like a lead story.
I’m sure the Saudis have a strong grip on power. As did Mubarak. As did Ceausescu, as did the Soviet Union, etc. This does not mean they will fall tomorrow, but someday. This is something that will have to come from within the KSA and certainly not from Egypt.
Posted by Lysander | April 11, 2011, 3:20 pmR2D2,
If most Iranians seek the overthrow of their government then I wish them well. But assuming the IRI is overthrown, how do you think an Iranian government that reflects the public consensus conduct foreign policy differently than now? Iran’s influence over Iraq, Lebanon, etc. are strategic assets of enormous value. No Iranian government is going to give them up for free and probably not for any price the west is willing to pay. Any Iranian government (except for a puppet imposed from abroad) is going to want Iran to be the most powerful country in the middle east.
Posted by Lysander | April 11, 2011, 3:31 pmLysander,
I truly appreciate your last comment. But this is not what I asked for. Your previous comment (105) presupposes a ‘thorough’ knowledge of a certain ‘school’ of thought which cannot be reduced to mere stereotyping and heresy information that you may get from news channels. Very few people really have an answer to the Shia/Sunni divide and I do not claim to possess one. When you come up with such generalizations you need to have more thorough knowledge, otherwise you would be speaking over your head. I too lived in the West since early childhood. I am glad you know Arabic. I too lived in the west since early childhood. Without condoning any of their contents, or claiming to prescribe to their teachings, I give you these two links in order to better understand what Wahhabism really mean. We need to understand before we criticize. That is my objective,
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/5yp-FEuzxVA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/rW1478235eg?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
In addition you may want to check on your own an Egyptian scholar by the name of Mohammad Hassan (you can simply google his name in Arabic) and see what he can enlighten you with.
Having said all that, what is mistakenly termed Salafism goes back in history to the very early days of Islam with its founding father being none but the great scholar, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.
Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2011, 3:54 pmBy the way Lysander, there was no proof that Islamists or Salafists were behind the Coptic church incident. The last thing I heard before Mubarak fell, gangs associated with him or his family were involved.
Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2011, 4:02 pmAbdul Wahhab espoused probably the most literalist, rigorous, antique and exclusivist interpretation of Sunni Muslim orthodoxy ever attempted as a form of governance. The Wahhab-Saud forces came to be known as Wahhabis, but often refer to themselves as the Ahl al-Tawhid, people of the oneness (of God). They regard
any apparent deviation from monotheism – particularly evident to them in the practices of the Christians and the “idolatrous” and “rejectionist” (Rafadah) Shia Muslims, for whom they reserved the lowest circle of hell – as infidel or apostate. This (in the strict sense of the word) totalitarian creed anathematized all other beliefs as illicit. It defined everyone else as “the Other”, drawing up as broad a definition of “non-believers” as has ever been devised; it’s a pure Sect that has nothing to do with tolerant Islam. Wahhabism thus provides limitless sanction for jihad (making it hard for jihadis or their victims to understand how al-Qaeda, as the al-Saud insist, is in any way “deviant” from this orthodoxy).
The Wahhabi claim is to have found Arabia in a tribal stew of idolatry and chaos, war and pillage, ignorance and vice. In effect, the Wahhab-Saud forces claim to have ended the second Arabian jahiliyya or age of ignorance. If true, that would put them on a par with the Prophet himself – a heady boast indeed. In fact, Saudi-Wahhabi propaganda is a mirror image of the orientalist discourse about the Hobbesian fate from which the west saved the east. It is a self-serving myth to justify the hegemony of the al-Saud and the Nejd over a regionally and religiously diverse nation, which was unified by force only after King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud fought 52 battles across a 30-year war of conquest, ending in 1932. Tawhid came to mean not just the “oneness” of God but the oneness of Arabia under Saudi hegemony.
In return for this religious cover, the Wahhabi clerical establishment was given decisive social control, not only over religion and public comportment, but also over education and justice. Above all, it derived power from conferring legitimacy on the Saudi rulers, who had now named the land of the Prophet after themselves. The politico-religious symbiosis of the House of Ibn Saud and the House of al-Sheikh, as it is now known, built the world’s first modern Muslim fundamentalist state.
The state created by Ibn Saud has remained essentially static, while its subjects have been dragged into a modernity that rests on the shakiest foundations, imported like the air-conditioners that cool the gleaming malls and gated residential compounds. Within loudspeaker distance of a fire-and-brimstone mosque in Riyadh, close to the hotels where I have stayed many times, a shimmering mall houses a Harvey Nichols emporium with an outlet for La Senza, the lingerie chain. It is identical, in all respects except the gaudier range, to a similar shop anywhere else. But there is one fundamental difference. Because women may not mix with men outside their family and are kept in a mixture of seclusion and segregation, it follows that they cannot work in a lingerie boutique – which is therefore staffed entirely by men.
Saudi businesswomen, who operate with signal success but in a more or less separate environment from men, have increasingly been calling for a boycott of these kinds of arrangements, which are beyond satire.
A similar absurdity arises from the ban on women driving, which in practice has required the importation of more than a million foreigners to serve as drivers. In other words, a prohibition supposedly intended to keep women from temptation by denying them any independence leads to them being thrown into daily contact with male strangers. Only a society that has living memory of the social conventions of slavery could be capable of countenancing such a paradox.
But it is probably in the field of education that this schizophrenia is most vividly and wrenchingly lived out. On the one hand, Saudi Arabia has an educated middle class, almost one million of whom have studied abroad. The kingdom has schooled its girls for nearly two generations. Saudis often have an intellectual depth to them that is less readily encountered in many Arab countries, where political and commercial pressures have debased and ground down the currency of ideas to convenient and remunerative cliché and myth. “There is something curiously uncalloused about the Saudis,” says a veteran diplomat to the kingdom.
But then turn to school textbooks, drawn up under the authority of the Wahhabi establishment. These drill into impressionable young Saudi minds the religious duty to hate all Christians and Jews as infidels, and to combat all Shias as heretics. A theology text for 14-year-olds, for instance, states that “it is the duty of a Muslim to be loyal to the believers and be the enemy of the infidels. One of the duties of proclaiming the oneness of God is to have nothing to do with his idolatrous and polytheist enemies.” The history textbooks typically emphasize the al-Saud hegemonic myth, burying any attempt to weave regional specificity or religious breadth into national identity under a suffocating narrative of Nejdi supremacy and Saudi redemption.
“It is really not very difficult to understand how we got to where we are,” says one reformist intellectual, asking rhetorically if there was any difference between the sectarian bigotry of Osama Bin Laden and the intolerant outpourings of the Wahhabi establishment. Saudi Arabia is a laboratory for jihad – that is its strategic dilemma…
Posted by HK | April 11, 2011, 7:42 pmOff topic maybe, but worth reading :
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/middleeast/12egypt.html?_r=1
Posted by marillionlb | April 12, 2011, 2:53 amAs every one is revolting and for a cause, the Lebanese have now the perfect cause for revolting.
As it turns out the Lebanese national anthem was fake and plagiarized,
http://www.nowlebanon.com/BlogDetails.aspx?TID=1400&FID=6
Why did they keep it secret and for almost hundred years?
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 3:01 amNow we all know why Lebanese quality most unique is that they are pretentious. 😀
Posted by danny | April 12, 2011, 7:13 amNOWlebanon tagging the Wahhabi line; pure FDDC information warfare
!
Nic Noe has this on MEOWlebanon: from FLC….
“…Now Lebanon has this incredible passage on Nasrallah’s speech Saturday:
“…But if the so-called Arab spring has highlighted March 8’s chronic dependency on Damascus, it also brought into sharp relief Hezbollah’s propensity for hubris. The most damaging of Hezbollah’s recent blunders must surely be the support Nasrallah voiced for the Shia of Bahrain, what was tantamount to a declaration of war on the island state.”
– I just don’t understand, is Now Lebanon supportive of the Bahraini regime’s crackdown of protesters but against the Assad crackdown? How do they square the difference save for the thinly veiled political opportunism? It is passages like this over the years that lets NL get so easily tagged as mere information warfare – much to their frustration – rather than a dogged adherence to pursuing their oft-stated, lofty goals.”
Posted by HK | April 12, 2011, 8:21 amLysander #114
Even with oil prices $150 a barrel, Iran cannot afford the foreign policy it maintains, financially backing Hamas and Hezballah.
Regime change in Iran could see oil dropping down to $50-65 a barrel.
I highly doubt a post-clerical regime in Iran would continue to focus, in the same intrusive manner, it has on Palestine and Lebanon … even Iraq.
Posted by R2D2 | April 12, 2011, 8:21 amThis news item caught my eye:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/174441.html
Look at the list of participating countries in the next Oil and Energy Exhibition in Teheran in a couple of days ?!
Posted by R2D2 | April 12, 2011, 9:52 am1-Hungarian deputy Foreign Minister rejects allegations of Iranian meddling in Bahrain. Now that we know that Mossad has close relations with Manama’s thuggish Wahhabi regime, we know where these reports of meddling originate.
2-An ill wind blows across South Pacific. Knesset Speaker in Tonga. Israel obviously lining up votes against UN General Assembly recognition of Palestine.
Posted by HK | April 12, 2011, 10:01 amAnonymous
I started to respond to your comment until I read your claim that there is freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia, and then decided that there is no way to bridge our differences on this issue.
I will now move to Saudi Arabia and start a newspaper that criticizes the Saudi regime. I’m sure I will be welcomed with open arms.
Posted by Qifa Nabki | April 12, 2011, 10:19 amQifa,
You don’t need to start one. There are quite few and most often criticize the religous establishment. However, I haven’t seen any criticizing the king or his close circuits. But after all this is an absolute monarchy. What is the point of arguing about a forgone conclusion? I agree with you for not proceeding with your reply.
But starting a newspaper is something you can definitely do and see if you can make a change, by all means.
The question is do the Saudis feel they cannot say what they want besides avoiding criticims of the King? That of course depends on how much the person likes or dislikes the king. Those who like him may not miss the luxury of attacking him. Those who don’t, may obviously feel missing on something.
But regardless, as an outsider you will not get a chance to criticise anything with or without open arms. IT IS A CLOSE SOCIETY.
And also for those who think that the Saudi regime may face challenges as a result of these ongoing revolts, here is something to ponder upon. These revolts seem for all practical reasons to be driven by the economic conditions that have worsened worldwide in the last few years after the 2008 economic crash. If we agree that this is the main driving force behind the revolts then it is safe to expect nothing to happen in the Gulf region in general. The Syrian percapita income is perhaps in the very lowest range in the region if not the whole world. Likewise the Egyptian percapita income was low enough to ignite the revolt. We all know that the Tunisian revolution was trigerred by a symbolic act of economic implications.
Now, the Saudi percapita income per year is about $25000 and the other Gulf states have similar per capitas. It is not the highest in the world but it is at least 10 to 20 times those of Egypt and Syria. Why do you think people would want to revolt? Just to get the luxury of criticizing the government and imitate their Arab ‘brothers’?
Let’s be realistic. Do you really believe that the Western values and standards (assuming that the West is not hypocrite enough to uphold them universally) will at sometime become the guiding light of the masses worldwide?
Each culture had its own charactersitics. You want to deal with that culture as an outsider, you must abide by its rule. You do not come from the middle of the Mighty US of A and all of a simply ask people to conform to your world view. These guys have been around when there was nothing on this planet called USA. There is an old saying in Arabic which goes back in origin to the earliest tribal mode of existence: A person may cohabit with certain people for 40 days. He may either become one of them or he may move on. This is still very much in force today in much of the Middle East. A Saudi would live in the West for four or five years. He would behave, I wouldn’t say as a completely westernernized person, but very much so. The moment he steps out of the plane back to his home, he is a full fledged Saudi both externally and internally. He knows and believes in the value of the his customs and he is not willing to or even think of challenging it. Does that mean he was a hypocrite when he lived abroad? NO, by no means. In both cases he is acting in the spirit of respecting the culture with which he finds himself in. and I have witnessed that first hand. As a matter of fact I was once on a plane in KSA on an internal flight and the time was just about sunset when the plane took off. I think I was the only non-Saudi on that plane. They were all dressed in the traditional saudi costume. At the very moment the sun was about to set, we were in the air, they all burst in unison singing one of Joseph ‘Azar famous songs (Bouktob ismik ya bladi 3a shams li ma betghib). It was a surreal moment for me. I said to myself we Lebanese are really stupid if we think we can teach these people anything while we are killing each other. They already know far better than us. I bet you very few Lebanese would remember Lebanon at the very moment the sun sets. But we all know that right? We already discovered even our national anthem was plagiarized!!!
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 12:01 pmI have to agree with anon.
I’ve known Saudis personally since high school. I have also lived in Dubai for 10 years and travelled around the Arab Gulf extensively on business and also on private visits.
Levantines and Gulfs Arabs are not cut from the same stone.
Posted by R2D2 | April 12, 2011, 12:23 pm“Anniversary of the Lebanese civil war
On the anniversary of the Lebanese civil war, I wish to extend my congratulations to all Lebanese and hope that they will enjoy many, many future civil wars. Happy anniversary.
Posted by As’ad AbuKhalil”
Posted by R2D2 | April 12, 2011, 1:22 pmAnonymous, I don’t know what fairy tale world you live in.
How can you talk about Saudi freedom of speech and saying “what you want” when they imprisoned people for speaking (yes, that same freedom of speech) on an LBC sex-talk program? Or imprisoned and condemned to death that so-called Lebanese Medium guy basically, for stuff he SAID (again, speech) not even on Saudi soil, but elsewhere?
And those are but 2 examples to came to mind in 5 seconds. I’m sure there’s plenty more.
Not to mention that these had nothing to do with politics or criticizing the King.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 12, 2011, 1:25 pmOne thing I have realized through this and other blogs on the region is that a lot of people want to have an opinion on subjects and issues around the world … even though they have never stepped foot in any of them.
Posted by R2D2 | April 12, 2011, 1:50 pmBV,
You can rest assured I am not living in any fairy tale at all? Perhaps you are.
Some cultures consider talking about sex in the open unacceptable and unethical? Why do you want to force your ethics on that culture? Doing so would be infringing on other people’s rights. Or no? And again why are you so arrogant to demand from that culture to abide by your rules and allow such talk? That looks like real fairy tale to me on your part. But I still cannot understand how could the Saudis imprison somebody speaking from outside their country. Was LBC broadcasting from within Saudi Arabia? Please explain.
I am not sure what the story of the other guy is. You did not explain very well.
Again, I second R2D2’s observation. What’s your experience interacting with other cultures? I do not mean just visiting as a tourist.
The overriding principle here you do not seek to impose your worldview on a culture as an outsider. Can you comprehend that much?
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 2:14 pmWell, I assumed everyone was familiar with both stories. For someone who claims to know so much about Saudi Arabia, it’s funny that you aren’t familiar with either story.
I am not trying to impose my morals or Saudi Arabia. I am however, explicitly responding to your comment about freedom of speech. If you told me “There is no freedom of speech in KSA, but who are we to impose our morals.” I’d say fine. But you’re denying something that is fact: KSA does NOT have anything like freedom of speech. You are not free to say what you want, publish what you want, criticize, etc, in KSA. You are also not free to drive or have a job, if you’re a woman, among many other things. So please do not use the term “freedom” when describing KSA. It may be many things, but “Free”, it ain’t.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 12, 2011, 2:31 pmAnother blast from the past is that women again will be banned from voting in KSA. The municipality elections were announced to start on April 23rd and it was confirmed that women will be completely excluded from the process. For a country that states that it’s constitution is the Quran, excluding women does not fit in with the statement; the Prophet (PBUH) and later caliphs took pledges of leadership (very close to the concept of voting) from both women and men. These are the second elections to take place in the kingdom, and the first excluded women too under the pretense that the logistics of including women and avoiding gender mingling would postpone the elections too long. This was six years ago, and all these years obviously have not been enough time to prepare for the impossible task of actually treating women as full citizens.
The Saudi Women Revolution is now a healthy cooing toddler. A group of women headed by one of Saudi’s biggest women rights activists Dr. Hatoon Al Fasi have decided to start their own municipalities parallel to the government’s. If only we would start parallel cities where women can enjoy their full rights, I bet more and more Saudis will want to move there until the parallel becomes the majority and the current status becomes a margin.
a collaboration between a multi generational group of Saudi women who prefer to remain anonymous for now but are currently planning and working towards a bigger online presence.
I can’t wait until the women revolution here hits it’s teen growth spurt.
http://saudiwoman.wordpress.com/
Posted by HK | April 12, 2011, 2:37 pm“One thing I have realized through this and other blogs on the region is that a lot of people want to have an opinion on subjects and issues around the world … even though they have never stepped foot in any of them.”
Thank goodness you have visited Israel a few times before criticizing it.
Posted by AIG | April 12, 2011, 2:50 pmBV,
Call it whatever you want. I certainly know about KSA a lot more than what you know with your blind stereotyped and I may even say elitist one-sided attitude. I know it enough to appreciate it and respect it with all its perceived negatives as well as its positives. Why should I care if someone gets imprisoned for engaging in something that violates the general sentiment of the culture? He/she may have a price to pay in order to learn for next time. Isn’t that what laws are all about?
I could assure you that the Saudis feel they have a lot more freedoms than you think you have wherever you live. They may call it by different names but who the heck cares?
Is this a stasis point? Settled? See you again.
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 3:12 pmanonymous,
Please remind me of your ideal political system for Lebanon.
Posted by Badr | April 12, 2011, 3:12 pmI could assure you that the Saudis feel they have a lot more freedoms than you think you have wherever you live.
haha. I love this line. Thanks for making me laugh, anonymous.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 12, 2011, 3:17 pmDirect experience can be helpful in gaining an insight into a certain culture or country, although, ironically, it is sometimes the case that being “inside” the culture gives one a more provincial perspective, and it is only when one steps “outside” that culture that one is able to accord it its more proper place.
In the end one has to rely on the historical and public record through news events, research papers, statistics, governmental policies etc, to get to the right and proper analysis. Going by R2D2 argument, we would all be unqualified on redering judgment on any nation or event in history as well.
Posted by Saint | April 12, 2011, 3:25 pmWhatever happened to let them believe in what they believe in ?
**They’re not your children, are they? **
Who’s trying to educate who in this world?
And what makes you think you’re the one qualified to?
Posted by R2D2 | April 12, 2011, 3:30 pmR2D2,
I am not sure what you are talking about. But suffice it to say that in a country where freedom of speech is curtailed and punishable, how do you offer to know what the Saudi people really believe?
Posted by Saint | April 12, 2011, 3:44 pm“Please remind me of your ideal political system for Lebanon.”
Why do you want to know without enlightening us with any of your ‘foresights’? You seem to be only eavesdropping without providing anything. Time to hear from you. Let’s listen to you for a while.
…..
Again BV, you’re welcome. The pleasure was mutual, especially when you make your ridiculous ‘elitism’ so obvious to make others laugh as well. Should I make it loud? OK, hahahaha.
……
But did QN realize that I was refuting equating perceived repressions in KSA with what everyone now knows about Syria’s repressions? This is how it all started, right? Come on QN at least you should be objective and admit that the comparison is not valid, even if you do not agree there is freedom of speech in KSA. After all you made the comparison and made them look the same.
……
Also there are some who always enlighten us with valuable insights and easy generalizations. Well, the point here, you do not need to be totally immersed in the culture to qualify for making an informed opinion about it. The key word is ‘interact’. Interaction is a completely different ‘species’ than ‘immersion’. There is no substitute for real world experience unless you are totally happy with mediocrity. That is one reason why courts quite often ask and pay for expert witnesses…. not to mention that the whole human edifice of accumulating and documenting knowledge would fall apart if that chain gets neglected or breaks up.
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 3:59 pmanon,
We’ll agree to drop this one. You believe what you will and I will believe what I will.
But I would like to state there is no “elitism” in anything that I said. I am just going by facts as they are known to exist.
Whether we choose to apply our own morals to certain facts entirely subjective. You may find it ok to imprison someone for breaking a law. I may find it objectionable, if I deem said law to be barbaric. Those are both matters of opinion.
But neither one of us can deny the fact that someone was indeed imprisoned. No?
I choose to believe in certain basic human rights. The way I see it, those are inalienable, no matter what culture one lives in. But that is indeed my own opinion. I fully understand that some people don’t see it that way.
I also understand that different cultures and different legal systems have different norms. And in my opinion, that is fine, as long as we’re not talking about the BASIC human rights. I do not wish to impose my culture or beliefs on anyone or tell anyone how they run their country. But again, as long as that doesn’t infringe on BASIC and INALIENABLE rights.
For example: I don’t care if a certain culture makes rape legal. I will condemn rape anywhere, no matter the legality of the matter. Ditto torture, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and other such basic rights of men and women worldwide. Everything else is fair game, but not the basic human rights.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 12, 2011, 4:47 pmanonymous,
I dream of a democratic system, in a secular, deconfessionalized Lebanon.
Posted by Badr | April 12, 2011, 5:09 pmBV,
Agree to drop. Also if I was wrong thinking you are being ‘elitist’, I take your word for it and apologize.
I need to say one last thing and make it clear. I do not believe there is or there should be any dichotomy between BASIC human rights and enforceable LAWS. I can cite legislations in countries that you may consider conformant to your standards of BASIC human rights and yet they would enforce punishments on cases that would look to many even more ridculous than your example. I hope you reconsider your perspective and at least try to resolve this apparent ‘dichotomy’. In my opinion it is the well known “your freedom ends when others’ begin”.
That brings it to a close from my end.
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 5:13 pmBadr,
Why are so shy then?
Posted by anonymous | April 12, 2011, 5:18 pmFair enough anon. Let’s move on.
IMO, there is no dichotomy when it comes to basic rights. Everything else…is up for debate/interpretation/etc.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 12, 2011, 5:56 pmGeagea says: ‘he has between 7,000 and 10,000 well-trained Lebanese Forces fighters who could be mobilized.’ this was May 9 2008. If they could be mobilized and armed then, it also means that they were not armed and mobilized by then. Wikileaks cables can be read in many ways.
Posted by Nadim Shehadi | April 12, 2011, 6:59 pmBV,
I lived under Taliban rule for years, and now that Im living in the Kingdom, I cant even begin to express the level of freedom here.
I guess its all relative.
🙂
Posted by maverick | April 13, 2011, 3:25 amThis is beyond outrageous IN THE KINGDOM OF CRAZY WAHHABIS. Remember this whenever CAIR, MAS or any other Wahhabi / Salafi organization tries to tell you their version of Islam is a religion of peace or how WAHHABI Islam protects the rights of women. This is medieval barbarity – and that is the essence Wahhabi / Salafi Islam.
http://wolfhowling.blogspot.com/2007/11/outrageous-sharia-brutality-from-saudi.html
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE23/010/2000
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2011/me_gulf0379_04_04.asp
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 12:39 pmSo KSA is one step freer than living under the Taliban. Wow! “All relative” indeed.
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed is king. 🙂
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 13, 2011, 1:01 pmTo assert, as some here do, that a movement like Hezbollah lacks legitimacy because it represents a resurgence of rebellion is arrogant self-righteousness. It is also self defeating because this assertion drives the very people whom they despise toward the tendency that they fear. Hezbollah will never be a sectarian militia; it is a nationalist Resistance movement par excellence; and one that succeeded at every turn of events and still does today. Hizbullah’s management style; skills and Resistance tactics are taught the world over at military academies; and scores of books praising its achievements have been published. The best is yet to come anyway; no matter what happens in Syria or Iran for that matter ! What counts is the will of our people; looking in the same direction; rejecting sectarian bigots; craving to defend our land with blood and treasure.
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 2:56 pm“Hezbollah will never be a sectarian militia”…I needed a laugh.
Enlighten us as to the sect of HA’s fearsome bearded militiamen!!
Posted by danny | April 13, 2011, 3:40 pmMy Wahhabi is bigger than Yours
HK,
What makes you different than a Wahhabi? Aren’t wahhabis just fanatically fundamentalist moslems? Well, aren’t Hamas, Hezbollah, salafis, al Queda, the MB, etc fundamentaist moslems also? Aren’t we splitting hairs.
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 13, 2011, 4:27 pmdanny,
I got a good laugh out of that one too.
I guess HK’s definition of “sectarian” is pulled out of a different dictionary.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 13, 2011, 4:29 pmMaverick,
I guess you would like to call the “Kingdom” as a reformist society.:D
Posted by danny | April 13, 2011, 4:37 pmIn a state of distress over the follies of the March14th CIA puppets , you may relieve the pain by shifting your neurological attention to Hezbollah’s resistance, It’s the technique of ignoring a hammered thumb by hammering another digit. Prospects in MENA carry the added promise of hilarious doings even more entertaining than those provided by master agent pigment challenged Samir Geagea; a criminal thug and a convicted killer with a CIA proxy Militia waiting in the wings to do the bidding of foreign masters again…
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 4:56 pmBack from 2 months in lovely Afghanistan… Great to see all the enlightening comments and ideas. i am not surprised by the sectarian zealot and fool anonymous and his idiotic defense of the Wahhabi evil empire… as it turned out the Kingdom is an oasis of freedom thanks to the Al Saud family… can’t wait for that RFP to build a new highway system for women only in KSA.
Posted by V | April 13, 2011, 5:06 pmI am still laughing…When embarrassed rant and try to sling crap…Must see movie lol. 😀
Posted by danny | April 13, 2011, 5:13 pmMaverick,
Glad tidings to you and all these so-called BASIC human rights ‘zealots’.
The King has heard your agony and felt deep compassion about your complaint not feeling fully at home after the ‘ordeal’ you suffered under the Taliban. He just issued a Royal decree to immediately create a full-size copy of Las Vegas in the middle of the Empty Quarters for you and ex-Taliban subjects to feel at home. He felt your complaint is a grave ‘insult’ to the ‘legendary’ reputation of Arab hospitality and nothing will salvage this reputation except by acting Royally as hr did. All funds have been allocated in order to complete the project within six months. The new Las Vegas will be equipped with the most voluptuous and curvaceous 7houris your eyes ever set sight upon. Please, stay where you are, be patient and do not leave the Kingdom and go away and deprive it of the light of your countenance. Soon you will be right at home in the ‘Avalon’ of the Empty Quarters.
But for the claimant of being non-elitist, you are a big disappointment. How about if someone says to you or an American this is the United States of idiots? You may at one point in your life have to remove both eyes with your own hands and not just one. This may turn out to be a destiny preordained since the dawn of history which ‘guides’ your foolish elitism. And here is why? The ‘mighty’ US of A screwed it up in Iraq and is on its way to swallow one ignominious defeat but soon will swallow another if you are following up on Gen. Petraeous’ manoeuvres. And at whose hands? None but the blind Taliban. Well, that will be two empires destroyed in less than fifty at the hands of these ‘backward’ and blind ‘fundamentalists. Elitism is interwoven deeply with your psych but you are obviously not aware of it. When you become aware, then both eyes will be gone.
And what are HA’s most recent achievements?
http://www.14march.org/news-details.php?nid=Mjg4NTk1
Posted by anonymous | April 13, 2011, 6:18 pmjust to clear a few things, I was being sarcastic yeah?
I was having a go at anon’s relentless defence of the KSA. My point was if one was to support the people against dictators as I , and many others have done, with Nth Africa, the Gulf and now Syria without any political bias, then naturally the KSA would be the perfect criminal.
I don’t know where to begin pointing out the hypocracy,the double standards, and pure adultery of the KSA, so I wont.
I will leave you to your opinions, but for the love of God, lets not throw remarks around like ‘bigotry’ and ‘elitist’. there are no grounds for your baseless accusations.
Posted by Maverick | April 13, 2011, 6:45 pmI’m wondering why no one has even mentioned April 13 today…
I’ve noticed over the past several years that the date is hardly noticed anymore amongst the Lebanese blogosphere. Is that also true in Lebanon proper?
Is the memory of our civil war waning, with a new generation of kids born after 1990 coming into the fore?
I, for one, think we need to stop trying to brush the sad days of 75-90 under the carpet and acting as if they never happened, specially considering the situation these days, is really not all that different than it was in April of 1975 (with some of the same actors having put on new names, and a couple of actors replaced by new ones).
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 13, 2011, 6:54 pmBV,
I think because the sectarianism and racism in Lebanon today dwarfs any instances in our history. Currently we are governed by men in robes and turbans. From Hassan the great to Qabbani, Sfeir…I believe the religious hatred and schism is more pronounced today than in 1975. Remember the civiil war started with a backlash against the punks and hoodlums of PLO and evolved into Christian vs. Muslim…
I think the new generation is more mesmerized and fueled with hatred then anytime in history of Lebanon…
Posted by danny | April 13, 2011, 7:10 pmOn this most awful anniversary; April 13th!
“اننا نؤمن بلبنان السيد الحر المستقل، وكثيرون يقولون هذا الكلام، متسائلاُ ما هي المؤشرات التي تدل على هذا الإيمان؟ معتبراً أن هناك نظريات تتحدث عن الوطنية من خلال التنظير عن اللاوطنية، من خلال القول “نعم نريد تحرير لبنان من إسرائيل ولكن عبر الجيش اللبناني، ومطلوب أن يتسلح الجيش اللبناني عبر السنوات القادمة ليكون قادرا، وبعد أن يتسلح هو الذي يواجه إسرائيل، وعندها نكون بذلك قد عبرنا عن الوطنية.
“وماذا نفعل في الفترة الفاصلة بين قوة الجيش الذي يحارب إسرائيل ووجود إسرائيل التي تحتل أرضنا، هل نتفرج عليها؟ هل نتركها تستمر في احتلالها؟ هل ندخلها بيوتنا وأرزاقنا؟ هم لا يجيبون على هذا السؤال، المهم أن لا تكون هناك مقاومة، وتنظيرات عظمة إلغاء المقاومة جاهزة وحاضرة”، وأضاف “أدركنا عملياً أن المقاومة شرف لبنان ووطنية لبنان، وبذلنا الدماء في هذا الاتجاه ولا تراجع إلى الوراء حتى لو وصل الصراخ إلى السماء”.
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 7:11 pm” I was being sarcastic yeah?”
Oh!! Didn’t know that!! Hope you found the ‘perfect’ match!!
“but for the love of God, lets not throw remarks around like ‘bigotry’ and ‘elitist’. there are no grounds for your baseless accusations.”
No?!!! Not even the wholesale pronouncement such as “the Kingdom of the blind”?
Posted by anonymous | April 13, 2011, 7:12 pmanon; You’re an utter sectarian and racist low-life bigot and your Hariri was a thief who was murdered in a typical gang shoot-out.
Thus; your buddies in the Wahhabi Kingdom of filth deserve to be sent to the dust bin of History soonest.
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 7:35 pmit’s interesting to see more voices calling the US administration to take a firmer stand against Assad and putting Hilary’s ‘reformer’ naivety into question.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/syria-sly-mrl-president-t_b_847311.html
Posted by MLK | April 13, 2011, 7:38 pm166;
A typical American response that you hear ALL over America from good ol’ Americans is this:
Stopped reading the Zionist Ginsburg’s rants after this, “Syria matters because it is Iran’s strategic partner in its effort to tilt the balance of power in the Middle East to a new Shiite crescent of Resistance linking Hezbollah-dominated Lebanon through Syria to Iran.” I am getting sick and tired of the hype that gets us involved in one conflict after another. Shiite Crescent of Terror? Puhleeze Ambassador! At the moment we are involved in two endless wars (Aghanistan and Iraq), a new war (Libya–yes we are at war), and a semi-war (Pakistan). It’s time to give it a rest Ambassador. If you are worried about Israel’s security take that up with them, but in the meantime please keep our soldiers and money out of it….
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 7:51 pmMLK 166,
Thanks for this link. In my opinion the US must stay out of it. Let the Syrians do completely it on their own without giving any undeserved credits to a hypocrite USA as happened in Egypt and Tunisia. And the Syrians are doing just fine on their own,
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/cIx279LpVKI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
Posted by anonymous | April 13, 2011, 8:02 pmBahrain’s thuggish Sectarian bigots and brutal Wahhabi Dictators
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2064934,00.html
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 8:53 pmSpending conceived as a way of avoiding political change may end up fueling popular demands, said Christopher Davidson, author of “Power and Politics in the Persian Gulf Monarchies.” “You have the people in Saudi Arabia, for example, now asking: ‘If all that money was lying around all this time, why wasn’t it used on us earlier?’,” Davidson said. “These rulers are just reacting to the events around them, and their citizens know it.”
Posted by HK | April 13, 2011, 9:48 pmI read this book called confessions of an economic hitman not so long ago, which details the real wheeling and dealing between developing states and the U.S. “commitment” towards these states.One example was Saudi Arabia and how some members of the house of Saud frothed at the mouth when the U.S. generously provided some American Blondes, and the rest was history, and this is how the Cowboys slipped into the oil rich Kingdom.
“The deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia transformed the kingdom practically overnight.” It also marked the beginning of an ongoing relationship between the House of Saud, the bin Laden family and the Bush family, which benefited greatly from a financial standpoint thanks to the deal.”
http://www.wanttoknow.info/johnperkinseconomichitman
Posted by Maverick | April 13, 2011, 9:57 pmAgain disappointing information Maverick (no sarcasm in this)
If you want to be taken seriously, you have to dig deeper into history books. Check what happenned immediately after the meeting at Yalta by the trio who assumed they owned the world at the time.
There are quite few books that would tell you exactly what went on.
This is a piece of garbage that you have linked.
Posted by anonymous | April 13, 2011, 10:20 pmI love your tenacity. You’re not a lawyer are you?
We can throw examples at each other,but that is not going to convince either of us. I told you before, I respect your opinion, and I dont go accusing you of all sorts of things.
All I did was point out hypocrisy in some regimes, regimes that are no longer with us, thank the good people. The KSA, I thought is a regime that begs scrutiny and should be no different than the other ME’ern despotic regimes. There is a myriad of examples to suggest that.
John Perkins, the economic hitman turned environmental and political activist wrote a personal account of his career for the purpose of unveiling the true nature of U.S. foreign policy especially, in regards to foreign aid.
Anyways, we agree to disagree, lets leave it at that. I won’t “dig deep”, not cos im not bothered but because one doesn;t have to when looking for hypocrisy in the KSA.
Posted by Maverick | April 13, 2011, 10:36 pmSure,
But we also know for a fact that most major contractors in KSA are not American. They are mostly Asian and homegrown. Ben Laden by the way is one of the giant and oldest contractors. We also know for a fact that in the last 15 years there has been a deliberate shift by this same King towards Asia and Russia away from the US. If you think cowboys still have much leeway in the kingdom then you may be digesting some very old and stale information.
If the cowboys still believe they have any acrobatic skills to perform on the world scene, they better fix their own backyard and fast and do something about the Chinese and Indian economic invasion of the crumbling USA. They have a very tiny window of opportunity before they become the fossils of the world. And actually it may have closed already. Do you think the ‘backward’ Saudis are not aware of this? But they shouldn’t be, right? Otherwise, they wouldn’t be backward.
That is why elitism is such a good escapist refuge for many.
So let’s suppose they are hypocrite by your account, what next?
Posted by anonymous | April 13, 2011, 11:03 pmanon,
I haven’t butted in..but are you on drugs? Really dude…Do you see KSA turning to China for protection now? Don’t be so silly and childish and stop reading the headlines.
Your rage is taking over and it is normal in most cases. USA is still the engine that makes the world go…
Until you prove otherwise…
Posted by danny | April 14, 2011, 12:16 amI am not a political advisor, just a mere observer, I’m not one to say what is next. But I can wish that they had utilized the petro dollars in a wiser way, that they had shown more equality to their people( there is a large segment of the population who dont get to benefit from all petrol blessings)and I dont mean the women.That is a case in itself, but who am I to critique the social/cutural norms, I am no elitist.Can people express themselves freely? are there any platforms for political expressionism, social reform? etc
It does not matter, which direction the Saudi’s shift, this is besides the point.
Instead of reacting to what bloggers post about KSA, you could have backed your opinions with convincing arguments or points that show the cons of the KSA ruling elite….and how they are different than ,say, the Assad’s and the Mubarak’s. I am all ears, in fact I will be very interested in knowing. until then, lets not drag this pointless debate.
Posted by Maverick | April 14, 2011, 12:17 amBV 161, I asked myself the same question and I am still without an answer. Even your poke on QN did not generate interest. I guess the Lebanese have become masters of “la politique de l’autruche”, and care only about foreign allegiances and religious affiliation. I still believe that another war is looming in the horizon and wonder how long this new war will take and if finally (and yes I say finally) one side will actually win over the other. Then and maybe then I will decided either to call Lebanon my home or move back to the UK.
Posted by marillionlb | April 14, 2011, 3:53 am“USA is still the engine that makes the world go…”
You blew it up dan. I am not going to even respond to your rant about drugs. You should come up with something more intelligent.
The US is still the engine of the world? Really? For how long? I am really surprised we are witnessing these revolts happening in the Arab world and not in the USA. But there is an obvious reason for that. Thye do not have the social cushions of the US that are fast drying up. If you know what happened to corporate America in the last 10 years and how it sold out the US economy, as an American you would be camping day and night on the street and not watching the Arabs toppling their despots. I am not reading headlines. I have been in it since it all started. What planet are you living on?
Don’t even think that I am enraged by any of these comments. I find them very entertaining.
Maverick,
You are right. You are in no position to advice on political or even economic policies. I do not even think you are in a position to make an opinion on the wisdom or lack thereof of how the Saudis are spending their money. There are only two motifs for an ill-informed elitist outsider to criticise the Saudi economic policies: jealousy and a deep seated lamentation for not being in a position to get a piece of the pie. His/her elitism gives him the mistaken belief that he/she is entitled for some of the spoils due to the fact of his/her belief that these are a bunch of idiots and why they have it and I don’t. And tell please, since when did outsiders like you started to care about the well being of the inhabitants of this part of the world? Were they not until very recently the forgotten ‘Bedouins’ of the far away and inaccessible barren desert of the world? Who cared about them when they had no oil? This is the first thing a Saudi would tell you when he/she hears you discussing their ‘plight’ or their government, and if you come to that, here is a hint of and ‘advice’ from the field: it would be his polite and very subtle way of telling you and others like you to butt out.
Posted by anonymous | April 14, 2011, 5:33 amanonymous,
I withdraw my comments about drugs. It was uncalled for. However, your rant against USA is still unsubstantiated. Until you prove with statistics otherwise.
Respectfully
Posted by danny | April 14, 2011, 6:54 amSaudi Arabia is a country that treats half its population like property or animals. It is the equivalent of South Africa in its apartheid days – it’s created a gender apartheid that is in some respects worse than racial apartheid was because it invades and limits every aspects of women’s lives.
Other countries in the region have similar wealth, similar social set-up and are not as deeply misogynist.
KSA and the Wahhabi sectarian bigots qualify as one of the worst countries in the world to live in for women – only rivaled by places like the Congo. Probably in the bottom 5.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/14/saudi-elite-revolution-conservative-modern
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 8:52 amNot good !
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&8733E3B1BF92EA23C2257872004A98AC
Posted by R2D2 | April 14, 2011, 10:44 amR2D2
The frontal attack on Lebanon has started…As I predicted Lebanon will pay the price either way for the demonstrations in Syria.
Besides the BS propaganda on TV…
“16:53 SANA: Lebanese security forces stop two cars loaded with weapons headed toward Syrian border
(Now Lebanon)
“Hezbollah MPs accuse Future Movement of interfering in Syria”
Here comes the Iranian/Syrian response. Cancel the summer vacations to Lebanon…
Posted by danny | April 14, 2011, 11:15 amFor USA and Al-Jazeera Bahrain doesn’t even exist…..
“Pan-Arab broadcasters who played a key role reporting Arab uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt are helping dynastic rulers police the gates of the Gulf to stop the revolts from spreading on their patch, analysts say. Qatar-based Al Jazeera, the leading Arabic language network, was pivotal in keeping up momentum during protests that toppled Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak, both entrenched rulers who were no friends of Qatar’s ruling Al Thani dynasty. When Al Jazeera’s cameras turned to Yemen, it was as though its guns were trained on the next target in an uprising longtime Arab leaders were convinced was of the channel’s making…..
For viewers watching protests spread across the region, the excitement stopped abruptly in Bahrain. Protests in Oman and Saudi Arabia have also received scant attention in recent months. “Bahrain does not exist as far as Al Jazeera is concerned, and they have avoided inviting Bahraini or Omani or Saudi critics of those regimes,” “Most glaringly, Al Jazeera does not allow one view that is critical of Bahraini repression to appear on the air. The GCC has closed ranks and Qatar may be rewarded with the coveted post of secretary-general of the Arab League.”…. Al Jazeera acknowledged “challenging terrain” in Bahrain. “There has been a particularly heavy news agenda in recent months, with uprisings taking place simultaneously in multiple countries across the Arab region,” a spokesman said.”Editorial priorities are weighed on a number of factors at any given moment. All news organizations have faced these pressures, but despite this and the challenging terrain in Bahrain, we have covered events in the country extensively.” (bla, bla, bla, blaaaaaa…) ………. “There has been fantastic pressure from Saudi Arabia on Qatar to join in (the Gulf military operation) in Bahrain, and at least to rein in Al Jazeera,” said a London-based analyst who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. Qatar and Saudi Arabia — rivals for leadership roles in the Gulf — ended years of frosty ties in 2007. The result was the end of any serious discussion of despicable Wahhabi Saudi bigoted sectarian politics on Al-Jazeera…”
“… “Things are getting worse, both quantitatively and qualitatively,” according to Toby Jones, an expert on the Gulf states at Rutgers University. “It seems that across the board – from allegations of torture to reports of sweeping arrests – the regime has not just continued its crackdown, but intensified it…. And while it has justified it as restoring law and order, what it seems to be doing is pursuing a vendetta; that’s the only way to explain the severity of the situation,” he added. At the White House, however, silence has prevailed, suggesting to many observers that Obama is effectively acquiescing in, aiding and abetting and condoning, what is taking place in Bahrain and Yemen…”
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 12:21 pm…and how about this?
Click to access Syria_document.pdf
Posted by danny | April 14, 2011, 12:26 pmI find it amusing that every single one of these Arab regimes, when faced with turmoil, have the exact same scripted lines: Foreign interference and plots.
I find it even funnier that anyone would REALLY think that anyone in Lebanon is capable of arming and organizing a revolt in Syria.
And i find it triply hilarious that perhaps the only Lebanese group with the organizational skills and resources to pull off interfering on foreign soil; a group that has actually been caught red handed interfering on foreign soil before (Remember the HA cell in Egypt); this same group, also currently interfering in Bahrain (at the very least in words, thanks to SHN, if not in more ways we don’t know about), would be, of all parties, the one to start accusing anyone of interfering in Syria (or anywhere else). This is rich! You can’t make shit like this up.
Posted by Bad Vilbel | April 14, 2011, 1:05 pmWhether the existential threat is real or manufactured 12 years ago…?
The “State of Emergency” seems more and more to define our national state here in the USA. Unbeknownst to most, the United States is currently being ruled under a state of National Emergency, first declared by the head of the most infamous White house Murder INC. in the Levant and Worldwide, George Bush and continued ever since. Obama last extended Bush’s “National Emergency” declaration until September 2010
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/10/letter-president-continuation-national-emergency-with-respect-certain-te Under the National Emergencies Act. and under the Patriot Act, the President has essentially dictatorial powers. If the leaders of the federal government ever turn on the people, they already have a complete legal infrastructure, bolstered by Supreme Court opinions, sufficient to destroy liberty and to create a full police state in the US of A.
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 3:15 pmHK,
Before you spill out inaccuracies all over these pages; I suggest you read about the National Emergencies act as well as the Patriot act. In no way your characterization fits the act.On contraire mon ami; it restricts the president from declaring open ended emergencies. Also, Bush had nothing to do with the act. He just followed what was available to him under the constitution of USA.
I think you should stick to your field of drugs (Hobeika) & Terrorist hoodlums(HA)
You must think you are in Hizbistan and can rhyme off scatology ad nauseam.
Posted by danny | April 14, 2011, 4:33 pm“There are only two motifs for an ill-informed elitist outsider to criticise the Saudi economic policies: jealousy and a deep seated lamentation for not being in a position to get a piece of the pie.”
That, along with my Arabica beans and tobacco fix is a good start to the day, I say.
My bottom line: KSA has issues that can be noticed from outer space. There is no envy, I’d rather live in the Favellas in Rio, rather than the Kingdom of hypocrisy.At least, in Brazil they don’t hide what they do behind false righteousness.
Posted by Maverick | April 14, 2011, 5:31 pmThe United States is entering a period of acute stress not unlike the Soviets withdrawal from Afghanistan and breakup. All that Russia experienced in the 1990s, military reduction in force, rise of the oligarchs, declining life expectancy, and loss of pensions, is or will happen in America. The criminal Empire is crumbling and laden with insurmountable debt; and it is thoroughly hated worldwide for its utter savagery and barbaric behavior since 2000.
There are differences; the dollar has been the reserve currency until the recent decline and corporate marketing (propaganda) is still working despite 14 million unemployed who for all political purposes have disappeared from the face of the earth.
The US Government does not give a damn for its citizens. The Tea Party Movement hates the government for this reason. It’s just that the tea-baggers still believe the propaganda and were hijacked by the criminal oligarchs and masters of the infamous White house Murder INC. Still, they are the vanguard of future. If Allen West is the face of the Tea-Baggers, the future is dire for they are true believers totally divorced from reality.
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 5:49 pmBRICS pact opposes use of force in Libya. Emerging counter-NATO alliance criticizes civilian casualties in air assault. NATO needs several “BRICS” thrown at it in order to destroy, once and for all, the evil alliance of Brussels.
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 6:00 pm” I’d rather live in the Favellas in Rio, rather than the Kingdom “
The whole Kingdom feels a profound and deep sense of sorrow for your loss, and another Royal decree has just been issued declaring three days official state of mourning.
Posted by anonymous | April 14, 2011, 7:35 pmPer recent poll of the French electorate, Sarkozy’s disapproval rating currently stands at 74% in France…
Le Petit Empereur Sarkozy will soon be opening the Cannes Film Festival…the feature film this year is a highly embarrassing expose on the private life of Nicolas Sarkozy…the French are chuckling in anticipation…
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 7:52 pm
Posted by R2D2 | April 14, 2011, 8:07 pmhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,756575,00.html
No wonder that the whole Libya situation was a gross diversion from the troubling barbaric intervention in Bahrain by the Wahhabi crazies of KSA!
This is a shocking interview with the Neocon buffoon NATO Secretary General. He makes it clear that there is no military solution to the crisis in Libya …. that it is up to the Libyan people (who is that?) to find a political solution to this war. This interview clearly illustrates that there is really no NATO/U.S. leadership, plan, or strategy to defeat Gaddafi …. a troubling situation in view of the suffering that is now occurring on the front lines in Libya and NATO’s/UN/US empty promises.
So much for the spin that this was going to be a very short war. Unless there are NATO boots on the ground and NATO supervision, the reality is that this is going to be a long and bloody conflict that will cost the U.S. and member NATO nations like Britain and France billions of dollars. In the interim, the bloodletting continues in Libyan cities like Misrata and the monster Gaddafi and his Mafia family will remain in charge!
Posted by HK | April 14, 2011, 9:32 pmYou can only find it in Syria, a family with half its members ‘shabbi7ha’ and the other half ‘rulers’.
Posted by anonymous | April 14, 2011, 10:01 pmImagine Whirled Peas
I nominate Dr. Bashar Assad for the Qaddafi International Prize for Human Rights:
http://www.neurope.eu/articles/104930.php
Another recent winner has been Neve Gordon of Ben Gurion University (inside joke)…
http://thejewishpress.blogspot.com/2011/04/qaddafi-prize-in-human-rights-to-ben.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | April 14, 2011, 10:06 pmYour links, # 196, somehow do not truly capture the spirit of the moment. Here’s a better one,
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=261698
Posted by anonymous | April 14, 2011, 10:21 pmThe people of Homs, Syria never fail to be original in their ‘humor’ even at times like these. It is reported on one of the Syrian Revolution webpages that at some Mosque entrances they are offering the shrouds used to cover dead bodies before burial for the euivalent of six dollars for demonstrators before they go out on demonstrations. The crier who promotes the shrouds shouts repeatedly: If you do not want it (the shroud) we also have headscarfs you can take home with you. This may sound unacceptable to a westerner, but this is Syria of course.
Posted by anonymous | April 14, 2011, 10:44 pmSorry I’m a bit late to this discussion, but on item #2 (the Future Movement’s alleged militia), I think the reports of this were always overstated. Much of the commentary on this was rumour (what the intelligence community derisively labels “RUMINT”), which then was so frequently repeated that it became accepted as fact (“circular reporting”).
Did the Future Movement make some minor efforts in this direction? Probably. Was it a major initiative? Probably not.
Posted by Rex Brynen | April 15, 2011, 10:57 amHere’s a question and a report I would love to read:
Does Syria’s thirst for Lebanon reach beyond the Assads?
Posted by R2D2 | April 15, 2011, 2:01 pm