When Michael Young and Joshua Landis agree about the situation in Syria, it’s usually worth paying attention.
The news is full of reports about rebel victories in Idlib and Jisr al-Shughur, and the clashes with Hizbullah in Qalamoun. Apparently, there are factions of Jabhat al-Nusra contemplating a break with Al-Qaeda, so as to make themselves more palatable to a notional Western ally. The Alawites are fleeing, the Syrian Army is weakening, Assad’s domain is shrinking, the Saudis are winning, the US-Iran deal is the key, etc.
I have nothing in particular to add, but as QN has been dormant for the past month or so (sorry, commenters, for freezing you out), I thought I’d open things up again. Classes are over, the summer is approaching, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a hot one in the neighborhood.
Open thread.
Qifa Nabki 
Hope not
Posted by Roger | May 4, 2015, 11:38 pm“One swallow does not make a summer.” The Young-Landis interpretation of a few rebel victories in a frequently shifting landscape strikes me as wishful thinking. It is hard to believe that the Russians will allow their base in Tartus to be endangered and it is hard to see how Tartus will remain safe without Assad. OTOH, we once gave Lebanon to Syria, so I wouldn’t put it beyond us to give Syria to, say, the Saudis, the Qataris and the Turks. But the U.S.-Iran deal would, it seems to me, most logically operate in exactly the opposite direction. The NYT article linked to in QN’s short blog entry refers to the deal prominently in the headline but not at all in the article, which rather focuses on Mr. de Mistura’s alleged incompetence. We shall see, or, more likely, we’ll have a few more years of guessing.
Posted by sam adams the dog (@samadamsthedog) | May 5, 2015, 12:24 amSeriously? Michael Young’s essays are secretly auto-generated by plugging Saud family interests in generic software.
Posted by Maroun | May 5, 2015, 1:43 amIncluding his attacks on Saad?
Posted by Qifa Nabki | May 5, 2015, 6:43 amsurely even the Iranians would be thinking of plan B at this stage, they can’t just keep supporting a losing horse unconditionally. I believe it is only a matter of time before Islamic factions dig their heels in deep across the whole of Syria and the more time passes, the more it will be difficult to remove them or deny them greater shares in post-Assad Syria. Not a good scenarios for all parties involved. Iran used the IS threat to soften the Wests anti-Assad stance But the recent gains by the Islamists and the gradual eroding of the Syrian army has the West throw the ball back in Iran’s court. If the Iranians stubbornly back Assad to the end, then there is no breaking the impasse unless a third way is seriously implemented in the form of a western backed Nationalistic movement aided by a Saudi led coalition to defeat the regime and neutralise the Islamic factions.
Posted by Maverick | May 5, 2015, 8:19 amSome room for optimism (see article below). I hope Obama and Kerry don’t “F” things up…
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4653868,00.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 5, 2015, 10:07 amCertainly missed those. I only peruse his essay comments now. Perhaps he did criticize Hariri’s public posturing.
Posted by Maroun | May 5, 2015, 10:19 amDon’t you love it when Joshua Landis cites his friends and those friends cite Joshua Landis in the same publication! Joshua Landis, the cheerleader for the takfiris, who announced 3 years ago the fall of Aleppo in their hands!! As for Michael Young, he has been writing about the beginning of the end in Syria since the beginning of his pontifications in the Daily Star whcih was saved by Rafiq Hariri and Qatar. Wow for him attacking Saad (formerly Eddine) Hariri.
Posted by Jawad Hanna | May 5, 2015, 11:40 amIt seems the new king of KSA is more proactive in squashing “dissent” and actively supporting anti Iranians everywhere. The issue is that once the rebels are armed with better equipment and intelligence; they will eventually dismiss the Alawite army as well as HA. It is very hard to dismiss the rebels as Islamist. They are fighting for four years now to liberate their land from a tyrant and nowadays from Persians and HA.
I don’t know how far the pendulum is swinging but the longer this lasts the weaker will HA/Assad be.
I think once they Assads are exhausted from their losses and empty rhetoric; it’s masters, the Iranians want a deal brokered. However; it just might be too late. As for the Russians they can’t do much but observe.
Posted by danny | May 5, 2015, 12:04 pmAfter listening to nassy today it is more and more evident that HA is very concerned about their situation. Poor sucker is trying to calm the frayed nerves of his followers.
Again; he seems to be pissed that the LAF is not eager to get involved in his stupid battle.
Never seen him more worried.
Posted by danny | May 5, 2015, 4:05 pmI’m not sure if this is the first time Nasrolla doesn’t mention Israel in his rants. Who knows, down the road they may become allies to fend off the marauding hordes from the north.. Good times!
QN, welcome back!! 😀
Posted by Vulcan | May 5, 2015, 4:34 pmUndoubtedly, Wisdom abounds in the Wise Kingdom.
Pounds of Wisdom are certainly better than ounces of luck.
Thanks to a Wiser than ever Wise King, the world is now breathing easier every day. On our end, we feel fully vindicated.
Posted by Mustap | May 7, 2015, 5:29 pmThanks to a Wiser than ever Wise King, the world is now breathing easier every day.
I’m glad everything is working now. I was getting worried.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 8, 2015, 11:47 amIt seems to me that Young considers Assad in (much?) more trouble than Landis does.
I tend to believe the following is an accurate account:
Assad not finished yet
By Jonathan Spyer
Jerusalem Post
Posted by Badr | May 8, 2015, 2:32 pmRegardless of what a so-called analyst of a JPost thinks, the Wiser than ever Wise King will finish off Assad, Hezbollah, and other Iranian tails for good. Today is Yemen. Tomorrow will be Syria and Iraq.
No one should ever doubt the outcome. The Wiser than ever Wise King shall prevail.
Posted by Mustap | May 8, 2015, 3:13 pmJonathan Spyer is the real deal and understands that wishful thinking is inappropriate for inclusion in the analysis of security matters. Don’t forget, Nusra Front is an Israeli proxy asset and it wouldn’t do to promote frothy pipe dreams of the challenges they face.
Qalamoun is interesting to behold. Is it true that, as one commenter said re an TDS article:
“slow and steady, the hez grind slowly, but they grind fine!
I guess we will find out…..
Posted by lally | May 9, 2015, 10:37 pmYeah, the grinding is going really fine.
Except that the hezies are the ones under the grinding wheel.
Hezie-dust all over. Houthie-dust everywhere. Iranian-dust storm brewing.
Thank you Wiser than ever Wise one for doing the world such a great favor and decisively storming the dusties stirring so much dust in the process.
Lally, our brave eagles are waiting patiently for the mullah fleet at the gate of Aden in order to send the ships to its bottomless pit. Show us your courage instead of your empty propaganda. At least let them do as they say instead of doing empty posturing.
With Iron and fire, one way or another, your mullahs will be taught to respect their words or at least learn to shut up.
Posted by Mustap | May 10, 2015, 10:27 amReturn of the Pro-Hezzie Conspiracy Theorist
Don’t forget, Nusra Front is an Israeli proxy asset…
Lally,
I trust the WSJ. Where do you get your info?
“It is just a matter of time before some of these Syrian rebels start launching attacks against Israel,” cautioned Eyal Zisser, the dean of the faculty of humanities at Tel Aviv University and one of the country’s foremost experts on Syria. “Nusra is al Qaeda. Maybe a little bit more pragmatic, but still al Qaeda.”
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 11, 2015, 8:04 amWSJ link:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/al-qaeda-a-lesser-evil-syria-war-pulls-u-s-israel-apart-1426169708
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 11, 2015, 8:05 amYeah, the grinding is going really fine.
Except that the hezies are the ones under the grinding wheel.
Mustap,
The pendulum keeps swinging… apparently…
Hezbollah, Syrian army make big gains in border battle
http://news.yahoo.com/islamic-state-attacks-army-held-areas-central-syria-090314167.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 13, 2015, 12:49 pmI thought you don’t want me to comment on your NON-comments Akbar!
What kind of NON-event is this so-called state media NON-report?
Who believes this NON-sense?
Anyway, rest assured the grinding wheel is moving full steam ahead, with more hezies sent today to dust bins in that same area the so-called state media claims imaginary ‘successes’.
Assad is ‘always successful’ according to his state media and the so-called resistance media. He never fails by default. We should all know that by now.
Posted by Mustap | May 13, 2015, 5:28 pmMustap,
Might I ask why do you so smack of anti-shiite’ism and so full of hatred for Hezballa?
The report in
http://news.yahoo.com/islamic-state-attacks-army-held-areas-central-syria-090314167.html
is a Reuters report, not a Syrian regime media or a so-called resistance media report…
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 9:44 amRoger,
Is it possible to hate Hezbollah and not be anti-shia? I could care less about a person’s religion as long as they keep it to themselves.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 14, 2015, 9:51 amIt is possible, but maybe not in the case of Mustap’s case.
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 9:54 amRoger,
May I ask you why do you smack of being anti-Mustap?
Anti this, anti that, anti those…….NOM-sense
It all smacks of anti-speech to me.
In other words, look at it this way. Did any one ask you to say things one way or another or not anti one way or anti another.
I don’t give a rat’s hole what you or a Shiite believes in as long as you don’t try to shove down others’ throats in the name of presumably grand schemes such as resistance bullshit.
I’ll be happy with hezies when they come out and openly admit their agenda is full of bullshit as it actually is. Until then, I’m openly anti-Hezies, anti-Houthies, anti-mullahs, anti-Assad….
Of course, long live the Wiser than ever Wise King of the Wise Kingdom.
Posted by Mustap | May 14, 2015, 10:50 amTrying my best to remain objective here, but have to admit that despite its prestigious “Reuters” branding, the linked article referenced above doesn’t impress me at all. Here’s why:
1) The first thing I do is read who the authors are and try to discern where they are based. More often than not, I get the impression that they’re holed up in Beirut, and honestly (not that I expect anyone to trek into Syria to find out what’s truly happening there) I end up thinking that these guys, despite their best efforts and intentions, aren’t really all that well informed.
2) The article cites sources and releases from Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and even ISIS, but doesn’t cite any anything from either Jabhat Nusra (JN) or their allies in the rebel coalition. The media loves to slap the “Al Qaeda” label on JN and hint that they are the only ones fighting their battles, but the truth is that they have been allied with dozens of “divisions” and “brigades” from a large group of rebel forces on the ground which include the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Ahrar Al Sham, etc.
3) How significant is it really that anyone captured anything? Citing the “Baiji refinery” example of Iraq, a lot of strategic territory has been captured, only to be recaptured, and recaptured, and recaptured …
4) There is a weird dissonance of language going on this article which in my opinion confirms a fairly obvious media bias! The operative phrase in the whole article is “border battle” which basically suggests that what happens close to the Lebanese border (and may or may not involve Hezbollah) is weighted more significantly than what happens deeper in the Syrian hinterland. The authors describe “big gains” but then cite measly casualty figures by the end of the segment on the Qalamoun, with Hezbollah only supposedly losing 4 fighters.
5) The article then moves on to cite far greater casualty figures and even the downing of a jet fighter in a different theater of the Syrian conflict (regime-held Tadmr linking Homs to Deir El Zor) but euphemistically describes that activity as “clashes”! It’s strange!
6) Lastly, I want to highlight what in my opinion is a major faux pas in the article. The article makes reference to a place called “Tadmr”. My first problem with this is its weird, consonantal spelling which I think should have been corrected to a more acceptable “Tadmor”. My second problem with this is that in English this place is known as “Palmyra”. If I was editing this piece, I would have definitely included that detail in the article so the Western reader can assign greater significance to the place being described! I would have insisted on phrasing like “Tadmor, known in the West as Palmyra” or something similar …
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 14, 2015, 11:22 amMustap,
Seriously now, we know you love the wise kingdom and who ever is king there these days. But what makes you hate Iran? Isn’t this just Sunni Shiia hatred at its best? Do you fear that Iran is on a mission to Shiia’tize the Islamic world? What is it that you have against Iran and its allies? I mean you can love your Kingdom all you want but why fear and hate everyone who is not in a political alliance with it? Is this blind love or allegiance?
By the way I am a lazy blog reader and get easily bored or arguing on comment threads. I fear though that knowing what I gathered about your ideas, I might just give up only because you seem just too fanatically bent on hating who ever happens to be against the kingdom’s policies and maybe also too in love with its allies.. All emotional, nothing rational that I can discern.
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 11:23 amSamer,
I agree with all the points you made about the Reuters’ article.
Let me add however that when it comes to the war in Syria, the vast majority of western media has been citing far more alleged “rebel sources” than “regime sources”, Reuters included.
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 11:30 amRoger,
I don’t consume enough Western media from diverse enough producers to either agree or disagree with what you’re saying regarding how frequently rebel sources are cited versus regime sources. But I will say this:
1) To the extent that regime sources aren’t cited, a lot of it is because technically the regime is officially “anti-Western”. Barack Obama basically said this himself when he asserted (I’m paraphrasing from memory here), “We intervened in Iraq because we have relations with the Iraqi government. We didn’t intervene in Syria because we don’t have relations with the Assad regime.” (yes, I’ll admit that the “weasel words” alarms were going off in my head big-time when I heard this)
2) Also, I am no information connoisseur, but I tend to think of regime sources as not just unscrupulous but also inscrutable. A lot of what they say I have absolutely no need for and has no bearing on my perceptions of reality. Paranoid notions of grand conspiracies or whatever don’t have any pull on anyone who is not invested in or otherwise benefiting from the perpetuation of these rather silly and indefensible ideas.
3) You can’t argue that the rebels (or opposition, or revolutionaries, or whatever you want to call them) have been dealt a debilitating handicap with the perpetuation of the notion that they are worse than the regime, despite all the hardships that not only they but also the people living in areas they are trying to administer have endured.
For example, just yesterday, I was listening to Rand Paul (US Republican presidential candidate) argue on CNN that Saddam Hussein should not have been toppled, that Muammar Gaddafi should not have been defeated (apparently this is attributable to Hillary Clinton) and that Bashar Assad should not have been weakened (this is apparently attributable to Barack Obama). This coming from a guy who inside of US borders is fanatical about liberties and paranoid about government overreach. So yeah, I’ll admit that the hypocrisy (not to mention stupidity and complete ignorance of even recent history) had me flying into a bit of a rage!
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 14, 2015, 12:17 pmDo you fear that Iran is on a mission to Shiia’tize the Islamic world?
Roger,
Just my 2 cents, but it seems to me the Iranians ARE “on a mission to Shia-tize the Islamic World”, except that they are doing it on the ground militarily. The KSA gives out huge sums of money to spread it’s religion mostly by setting up schools. Before the current crisis, the KSA was not supporting active armed militias inside foreign countries.
Meanwhile, Iran has a long history of supporting Hezbollah, Assad, the Iraqi government and now the Houthis.
Rand Paul
Obviously, his father was an anti-Zionist, so “the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree”. I believe GWB’s Iraq regime change WAS, in fact, the right thing to do. And with the current mess, more so. The ME is in dire need of stability and when “the surge” was implimented, it was fairly peaceful and quiet. This region needs a “plan” similar to that of Europe after WW2. The US could have led the way, but Barrack seems contend “leading” from behind.
Apparently, the US has fallen back to the Iran-Iraq war model of “let them kill themselves”, which, is basically, Rand Paul’s position. Conversely, I think the US has to lead.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 14, 2015, 12:35 pmRoger,
To me hating or loving something is my own business and no one else’s.
For example, I know for sure that you hate the Wise Kingdom and its Wiser than ever Wise King. But, I never make it a topic (or thread as you prefer) for discussion. It is meaningless and you’re absolutely right. It turns you off and everyone else. So who exactly is boring you? It’s no one but yourself.
I could answer your question in which you clearly conflate Iran, Hezzies, Assad etc. with your Shiism. But it is also meaningless. Because I already pointed out to you the cause of what you call my hatred of these entities. To me, they need to come out clearly, unequivocally and say openly that their agenda sucks and is full of bullshit. Because, this is exactly what it is. Until then, this is how it is. They’re rejected, dejected and ejected. Whether you call it hate or anti-bullshit, it doesn’t matter. This is nothing but playing semantics on your part, which not only bores you, but it bores me as well as everyone else.
Now, do I fear that present mullah Iran will Shiitize the Islamic world as you claim? The answer is NO. Why would I fear some entity(ies) that are seeking to accomplish a mission impossible?
Posted by Mustap | May 14, 2015, 12:48 pmThe oil-rich Sunni kingdom views Shiite Iran as a regional rival that is perhaps even more menacing than Israel….In a column published in Asharq al-Awsat, a daily owned by King Salman’s family, Abdulrahman al-Rashed wrote “Iran’s fingerprints are everywhere.”
“Iran is currently in an offensive state, the likes of which we have not seen in modern history,” he wrote….An editorial by the al-Sharq newspaper went so far as to suggest that Netanyahu wants to scuttle the deal in order to allow Iran to get nuclear weapons, “which will not be directed toward Israel, but toward the Arabs, so that Iran can see its project through and achieve what Israel could not.” But the editorial did note that his assessment that Tehran is expanding was “right.”
Saudi columnist Dawoud al-Shiryan wrote in al-Hayat that if Israel was so worried about Iran getting nuclear weapons, “why haven’t they stopped it by force as they always do?”
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/03/05/saudis-in-unusual-agreement-with-netanyahu-about-iran-but-question-israel/
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 14, 2015, 12:58 pmSamer, Akbar,
Rand Paul? Come on, the boy is a joke!
Akbar,
So KSA never interfered militarily you say to fund militias? The Moujahidoun – later turned Al Qaeda – were self-funded in Afghanistan it appears, the Iran-Iraq war (where the aggressor was Iran, not Iraq) was not fueled by bankrolling of Saddam by the KSA? Ah, and about those innocent schools they fund, have they not turned out to be in so many cases (maybe not all) nothing but covers for incubators for terrorists, the likes of those that brought about the Sep 11 attacks? Even those madrassas in places like the southern Lebanese city of Saida, let alone Pakistan and some European countries.
Also Akbar,
So you believe the narrative that KSA in its al-Sharq is trying to spin? That Israel is KSA’s real enemy not Iran? If so, then perhaps you could explain KSA’s stance on the occupation of Palestine, south Lebanon, the 2006 war in Lebanon… never mind.. no need, let’s just believe al-Sharq…
Mustap,
You’re paranoia with the ‘agenda’ is funny sorry to say… Could you enlighten us as to what you suspect that agenda may be? Maybe it is not that different from the agenda your dear wise kingdom has been implementing?
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 1:50 pmRoger,
Me too I’m sorry for you being paranoid.
But seriously speaking, do you really believe that it’s a matter of choice between a Wise Kingdom and a middle age Iran?
I don’t see choices here. There is only ONE path forward which is the Kingdom Of Wisfom.
Posted by mustap | May 14, 2015, 2:21 pmCome on, the boy is a joke!
Roger,
To me “joke” isn’t the right word. More like “dangerous” or “kooky”. Like his Dad. No chance of winning.
So KSA never interfered militarily you say to fund militias?
Yes, I stand corrected. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, both the US and probably the KSA funded and armed al Queda, that is, until the turned on their benefactors. That’s the trouble with these terror organizations, they take no orders from anyone and often go rogue.
BUT, there has not been any Saudi military acting anywhere in the ME unlike the Iranian Republican Guard in Syria and Lebanon nor has any KSA proxy infiltrated a “stable” ME government like Hezbollah in Lebanon. I don’t really count Afghanistan, which basically was ungoverned and lawless.
Ah, and about those innocent schools they fund, have they not turned out to be in so many cases (maybe not all) nothing but covers for incubators for terrorists, the likes of those that brought about the Sep 11 attacks? Even those madrassas in places like the southern Lebanese city of Saida, let alone Pakistan and some European countries.
I agree with you. No different than Hamas and Hezbollah indoctrination. Still, the KSA military isn’t operating all over the ME. Iran is.
Don’t you think the situation is so bad, that we should have stayed in Iraq and Afghanistan??
Al-Sharq
My view is that KSA is similar to the Ultra Religious in Israel Very Ideological, but not very militant. I feel the KSA moved against Yemen because now we’re talking about a close neighboring country. I feel Iran is more aggressive than the KSA. Iran sticks its nose in non-neighboring countries like Lebanon and Palestine and arms them to the teeth. Why? Saudi Arabia doesn’t arms Lebanese and Palestinians to the teeth. OK, the Saudis are pro-Palestinian. What’s the surprise there? They also have called for peace with the Zio Entity with the pre-’67 peace plan. Iran has never proposed anything of the sort.
In short, I have to agree that Iran is the main obstacle to peace in the region and because of their aggressive behaviour, is causing the KSA to return likewise with their equally awful proxies.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 14, 2015, 2:29 pmAkbar,
Excuse me but the main obstacle for peace in the region is Israel. And where Israel goes, so will KSA go. They have Mustap’s wise kings in their pocket. (I am sure the country’s population is not in Israel’s pocket, only its rulers)
Mustap,
I hope you are not serious. Either you are a fraud pretending to be on the defense of progressive KSA and I have fallen for that joke, or you are for real, in which case I will pity you for sticking to that belief. You know, KSA has beheaded (in a race with ISIS) 45 people since Jan 1 2015? Iran, 0. Not claiming that Iran’s mullahs are not medieval, but KSA’s certainly are far worse.
And there it is… I hit boredom. Good bye.
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 2:43 pmQN’s ME Learning Central Website for Coordination & Follow Up NewZ
Excuse me but the main obstacle for peace in the region is Israel.
Roger,
This is obvious. Sorry, I forgot. I was busy counting the hundreds of thousands killed by muslims by other muslims vs. those killed by Israel and I got all confused and discombobulated. Thanks for the reminder.
Besides the extremely rich kings, the only thing that Israel has that no other ME country has is: democracy, freedom of religion, freedom to speak, rights, and a solid legal system. Other than that it’s a living hell compared to the rest of the Utopian ME.
Cheers;)
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 14, 2015, 3:58 pmthis is like arguing which dung smells better.
Posted by Vulcan | May 14, 2015, 4:05 pmAt the end of the comment thread here on QN, we have this question: “ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE AND NOT RESPOND?”
To Akbar, I say, Yes. And if you ask why? I say because what you last wrote, is wrong on so many levels that I can’t believe any well informed person could have written that, unless they’re a modern Zionist – as even Zionists of older times had clearer sense of logic.
Posted by Roger | May 14, 2015, 4:15 pmDenial is just another Occupied Zio Land
… because what you last wrote, is wrong on so many levels…
Roger,
You seem like a reasonable guy. Why don’t you pick a “level” or two to discuss. We can chip away at it one level at a time…
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 14, 2015, 5:49 pmRoger,
You need to save all the pity you can have. You need it all.
Posted by Mustap | May 15, 2015, 7:00 amAkbar,
“…the only thing that Israel has that no other ME country has is: democracy, freedom of religion, freedom to speak, rights, and a solid legal system…”
The hell with Israel’s “democracy” when all it produces is a militarized state bent stealing land every day and succumbing to the wishes of the backwards minded religious fanatics.
Freedom of religion you say? The whole freak of a country is created on the premise that its a land for Jews! What freedom if you are not a Jew? Where are the rights of the non Jews. You should ask Jews that Israel invited and in cases forced to leave their homes throughout the Arab countries if they were living happily in those countries before the creation of the state of Israel or not. They were prosperous and happy among Arabs of different religions, Muslims, Christians and non believers all alike. Even until today Jews and Christians in countries like Morocco and Iran live free and practice their faiths freely without having their places of worship regularly raided by the terrorist state army like the IDF does in Israel with both churches and mosques.
Freedom of speech? Yes, let’s see the IDF allowing even mild critics Israel’s wars entry to Israel – even when these critics are Jewish or even Israeli nationals in some cases.
Akbar, you clearly are blinded by your deep love for Israel you have no way of seeing any wrong it does. Maybe when she breaks your heart you would start to see her in a different light.
Posted by Roger | May 15, 2015, 9:13 amRoger,
Your hate for Israel has clouded your thinking.
– Israel has a high defense spending per capita, but it actually less than the USA. What does “militarized state” really mean to you? There are MANY other countries where the military is quite strong and active. There are many state where the military controls the state like in Egypt. Right off the bat, I can see you aren’t fully informed. Take a trip to Israel and find out. Moreover, there a many countries with territorial disputes. The territorial dispute with the Palestinians came down to a few square miles with Camp David 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditure_per_capita
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_territorial_disputes
– You write off Israel’s “democracy” because of emotional hate of Israel. OK. Go talk to Palestinians. Ask them where they would prefer to live. Ask them if they would like to give up their voting, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion privileges. Ask them to give up their opportunity for economic improvement. Israeli arabs have one of the best lives in the ME, Why discount that? Israel as a “Jewish State” means they are a state of the “jewish people”. If you don’t think there is a jewish people, like Iran, then too bad. When the population of Israel changes to an arab majority perhaps that will change. Many countries have an official religion like Great Britain (The Church of England). Israel does not, but as a Jewish State, it favors immigration of “jews”, whether they practice the religion or not.
What freedom if you are not a Jew?
– As I stated previously. Freedom to vote, speak, move, work, take your grievance to court. Not too shabby for non-jews and jews alike.
They were prosperous and happy among Arabs of different religions, Muslims, Christians and non believers all alike.
You are incorrect on this issue. Jews in other countries, whether from Gemany, Poland, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Russia and now France came to Israel mostly to avoid the threats they were facing in their “homelands”.
If you think about it and are honest, Israel is a nation created out of anti-semitism and intolerance.
Even until today Jews and Christians in countries like Morocco and Iran live free and practice their faiths freely…
The remaining jews living outside of Israel in the ME are insignificant. They are usually elderly people who are too old to uproot and move. Most Persian jews left Iran for Israel after the raggamuffins took power. Same for Syrians, Iraqis, Egyptians, Yemenites, etc. I talk from experience. My ex-wife was an Israeli whose father was Syrian and mother was Yemenite.
Freedom of speech?
Er, yes. Do a search on Hanin Zoabi, MK in the Israeli Knesset and see some of the statements she has made.
Israel doesn’t have to let in anyone they think is helping an enemy state/organization like Hamas, just like the USA doesn’t have to let in an avowed communist sympathizer, etc.
Akbar, you clearly are blinded by your deep love for Israel you have no way of seeing any wrong it does.
Yes, Roger, I admit I am not totally objective. But here are some things you can look at:
http://www.israellycool.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_citizens_of_Israel
http://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-vote-to-surge-following-political-union-polls-find/
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/05/the-idf-is-worth-it-some-arabs-agree.php
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 15, 2015, 11:32 amSpoken like a true propagandist…Bravo Akbar!
Disputed land? Are you for real or trying to be funny. It’s not disputed, it’s stolen. You have so much pride in your for Israel, good on you. This powerful state gives you pride, regardless of whether it’s the aggressor – as in thief – or not. Take your propaganda media links and whip them out at someone else who would be gullible and willing to swallow all that one sided BS. Hope at least you get well paid by your employer for the trolling work that you do.
Posted by Roger | May 15, 2015, 1:59 pm“Excuse me but the main obstacle for peace in the region is Israel.”
Roger,
If you want to fight Israel and get killed or wounded, please do. Just don’t call Israel an “aggressor” for the fight you initiated. That’s like a bully crying when he gets punched in the face. Pul-eeeeze! Anyway, Israel can live with the status quo and I think the Palestinians can too (sans Hamas).
Instead of responding to my reasonable post, you blow it off as “propaganda”. Which just shows me you aren’t as “moderate” and as smart as I first imagined. Finding that “moderate” arab in the ME has always been a difficult proposition. They tend to be the first ones getting killed by fellow muslims (which of course never matters to Israel-haters).
Have a nice day,
AP
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 15, 2015, 2:54 pmAP,
Don’t get too smug with your assertion that Israeli Arabs (or ‘Palestinians’) would prefer to live in Israel than in any other Arab country. Sure, this is the result of polling, but the methodology here is extremely problematic. The question is not honest and fair, and instead reeks of coerced authoritarianism.
Your buddy AIG has already gone on the record here saying that Israel should purge its Arabs if they become subversive or a “fifth column”. There are Israeli politicians who speak of “cancers” and “physical transfers” all the time! Jerusalemite Arab residents who remain abroad for an arbitrary length of time have their residencies revoked.
And “Israeli Arabs” are not a monolithic block of people. The poll is usually asked of naturalized Israeli citizens. West Bankers who wait in line at checkpoints and endure all sorts of other humiliations are not asked this question! Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria or Jordan are not asked this question! Gazans dying in the rubble of their homes are not asked this question!
And even if they were asked, it’s not as if answering one way or another will change anything! Israel is here to stay! The Jews are here to stay! The Arabs better like it, and if they don’t, they can just pack up and leave! Isn’t that the Israeli Jewish mentality? The door to make Aliyah to Israel and become Olim is open forever to all Jews worldwide, and if it results in the Arabs getting crowded out of the country, then so be it, right? It’s only a thin sliver of land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan, right?
And besides, what utility do you derive from brandishing this argument here on this blog? None of the Arabs you deal with here have Israeli citizenship? They have no prospect of acquiring Israeli citizenship! So why should it frickin’ matter to them how great Israeli citizenship is? What victories do you hope to achieve by taunting and tormenting them with something they cannot ever have?
And also, please try to get the scale and proportion of your arguments right! There are only 5.5 million Jews or so in Israel! It doesn’t take much to make an arrangement like that work! Most countries, even Arab ones, with populations that small are doing fine, more or less! But even Israel has problems with poverty, abuse and all sorts of other social ills!
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 15, 2015, 3:06 pmAP,
To you and the likes of yourself a “moderate Arab” is one who simply accepts Israel as it is today or any Arab willing to give up, surrender and live “in peace” with Israel and never forgive all of its past present and future atrocities – case in point, Mustap’s wise KSA. We’ve heard this term “moderate Arab” ever since the Israeli freak of a state was created and the conflict began. So to use that annoying thing you did, Pul-eeeeze, take your silly “moderate” and other cliche’s and use them on the gullible… they won’t have any effect here. It’s tired old propaganda man..
Posted by Roger | May 15, 2015, 3:54 pm*and never forgive -> and forgive
Posted by Roger | May 15, 2015, 3:54 pmThe day Israel (and other minorities) disappear, the Arab states will magically turn into liberal democracies and the large scale racism, sectarianism, corruption, violent religious extremism, poverty, ignorance and illiteracy, will also magically disappear. The current state of affairs in the Arab world is simply the direct result of the existence of the pesky minorities, especially those that were forcefully installed by the colonialist west. Under Palestinian rule, there is no doubt Jerusalem would have been the real “light unto the nations”
Posted by Vulcan | May 15, 2015, 3:59 pmAP, please, before being so smug, go see how happy the Palestinians are in their camps in Sabra, Shatila and Yarmouk, see how the Arabs treat them and then come lecture us about their so called fair treatment in Israel.
Posted by Vulcan | May 15, 2015, 4:11 pmVulcan,
I don’t blame Israel for current state the rest of the Arab world is in. I blame it though mostly on the Arab “moderates” that Israel pretends to love and and whom it supports. Your point is off point anyway. However, for the people in the Middle East to have better governance (including those living free in Israel and those under occupation) they should all rid themselves of the sectarian regimes governing them. Yes, that applies to Israel before the KSA and Iran and Lebanon and the rest. As you said yesterday Vulcan “it’s like arguing which dung smells better.” So it’s all dung. Don’t pretend that Israel is today’s “light unto the nations” or that it’s any bit better than any of its neighbors or enemies. It’s just as backwards as they all are if not more and particularly because of the nature and reason for its existence, which is sectarian and based on a big religious myth.
Posted by Roger | May 15, 2015, 4:19 pmI’m not pretending anything, I just find it the height of hypocrisy to criticize Israel while I am in the state I am in.
I know and I’ve seen who we are, I’m ashamed of pointing at injustice, while I practice an equal or greater injustice. But hey that’s just me! If you are an Arab, you should know about that little habit the Arabs have, they can’t stop blaming everyone else for their misery, little do they know, they are just highlighting and increasing their impotence and incompetence.
Posted by Vulcan | May 15, 2015, 4:50 pmVulcan,
You can join Likud and work for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs prosecuting arguments like the one you just made about how bad Palestinians have it in Sabra, Shatila and Yarmouk!
Fine, dude! You want to go there? Let’s go!
The Israeli remedy to this tragic situation is not to repatriate these people back to Palestine, but to defund the UNRWA and naturalize them as Lebanese and Syrian citizens!
I actually am fully on board with this! If I could, I would snap my fingers and do it right now! But I can’t!
Can you? 🙂
P.S.: Just remember that even after such an unlikely event, a Palestinian family in Hebron will still look forward to waking up tomorrow and having Jewish settlers living above them throw their garbage and excrement down onto their premises while Israeli soldiers look the other way!
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 15, 2015, 5:00 pmSilly me, I forgot the reason we treat the Palestinians the way we do in Lebanon is just so we maintain their right of return.
Posted by Vulcan | May 15, 2015, 5:24 pmPersonally, I think it’s downright maniacal to insist on the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees and to lament “forfeiting such a trump card attributable to being such a just and righteous cause”.
But I’ve gotten into enough arguments with people over the years that I respect that I can’t go ramming this opinion down other people’s throats! There are people out there who feel very strongly about this issue, and so I’ve learned over time to tread very carefully around it! 🙂
Plus, to be strictly pragmatic, most people who scream about these things don’t have even an iota of authority to resolve them one way or another! So perhaps it’s best not to talk about these issues at all, but I keep thinking that would just be jaded, cynical and unhealthy!
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 15, 2015, 5:37 pmThe Wise Kingdom recently cancelled the contract of Air carrier High Fly for landing in an Israeli airport contrary to the terms of the contract. This proves that the Wise Kingdom has a well defined and clear policies regarding this Israel thing.
The Wise Kingdom wisely considers Israel an enemy. This has never changed and will never change until the Palestinians return to their homes that they were driven from.
Having said that, those who are in the so- called camp of resistance always baselessly argue that the Wise Kingdom is somehow allied with this enemy entity. This is total non-sense and an absurd fabrication. The Wise Kingdom has always made its position clear on this issue and always acted on it.
Having said that, the Wise Kingdom considers present day Iran and its stooges are creating more harm and mischief than the entity referred to previously.
On the other hand, Israel not only caused the Palestinians to flee their homes and go live in misery in camps like Sabra and Shatilla, but it also sought to massacre them in those same camps after causing them such misfortunes. That’s why Israel is such a bad thing to have in the neighbourhood. Definitely, the Arab world would much better without mullah Iran, Assad, and Israel in that exact same order.
Posted by Mustap | May 15, 2015, 9:38 pmAgain with regards to so-called state media claims of so-called successes quoted above by AP:
Hezbollah, Syrian army make big gains in border battle
Today, you can be assured that these so-called successes were nothing but mirage. The hills in that Qalamoun area are clear of hezies and Assad thugs.
The grinding wheel goes on. More hezies turn to dust.
Posted by Mustap | May 16, 2015, 7:07 amA consensus seems to be forming with regards to Assad’s days becoming numbered,
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article4441821.ece
However, the mere suggestion that such a genocidal maniac should be given asylum somewhere instead of being dragged to be hanged is repulsive and proves once again the hypocrisy of so-called powers to be.
On the other hand, with Assad gone and thanks to Wise Kingdom’s efforts in defeating the Houthie Iranian stooges, our Arab region now looks heading towards a much brighter future than it did few months ago.
Posted by Mustap | May 16, 2015, 8:41 amQN’s Fixation on the Zionist “Enemy” continues
Don’t get too smug with your assertion that Israeli Arabs (or ‘Palestinians’) would prefer to live in Israel than in any other Arab country.
Samer,
Thanks for the reply. As usual, a simple comment (“Excuse me but the main obstacle for peace in the region is Israel.”) made by another “reasonable” participant caused the forum to gravitate toward the same issue: Israel. I find this pattern, very telling.
Samer, short of apologizing for Israel’s existence and her accomplishments in the face of a region going backward, what do you want from me? I never claimed Israel was perfect. What’s your point? I have no problem with anti-zionists boycotting Israel, bad-mouthing Israel, or going to war against Israel. If this imaginary figment happens to return fire and hurt someone, than I guess it isn’t just a ghost or phantom state. If you want to war with Israel and complain about the consequences, fewer people will listen. This is what has transpired. The world community isn’t naturally going to side with the Palestinians (i.e. Hamas) if they’re going to start wars, build tunnels, and launch missiles instead of building infrastructure.
I can understand the disappointment arabs and muslims have against Israel. I say, build and bridge and get over it. Waste of time and energy. That’s just my advice. Of course, no one listens to me. C’est la vie.
Roger,
One other thing. You said,
Freedom of religion you say? The whole freak of a country is created on the premise that its a land for Jews! What freedom if you are not a Jew? Where are the rights of the non Jews….Even until today Jews and Christians in countries like Morocco and Iran live free and practice their faiths…
Here are the number of Islamic states in the world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_state#/media/File:Islam_World.svg
Please explain why you take up for and apologize for Islamic states by citing that they allow for freedom of religion (BTW, other Islamic states do not), but don’t offer the same apology for Israel that, in fact, guarantees freedom of religion AND has no religious law. Your questions above show a complete double standard.
Vulcan,
I can see you have been able to rise above the crowd and see that arab politics has ruined the ME, not Israel. I don’t need to say more about that, except that because of your views I find you “special”. We will put you in a museum;)
AP, please, before being so smug, go see how happy the Palestinians are in their camps in Sabra, Shatila and Yarmouk, see how the Arabs treat them and then come lecture us about their so called fair treatment in Israel.
Vulcan,
I have always recognized the difficulty Palestinians have experienced. They got the short end of the stick. Palestinian nationalism really started with the onset of Zionism. I firmly believe if there were never any Nazis or WW2, Israel today would be divided up between Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Certainly, that’s the way it was before Israel’s creation. Jordan claimed the West Bank, Egypt claimed the Gaza Strip. And when they controlled these lands, no one was complaining.
I’m seeing the word “smug” a lot in these rebuttals, and I admit I’m guilty. I am proud, and yet I am rather tired of the complaining. Arafat could have taken Gaza, the West Bank, half of the Old City of Jerusalem along with $90 Billion or so, and an influx of Palestinians into Palestine for a peace treaty and “end of conflict” with Israel. Again, it isn’t Israel’s fault Arafat and other arab leaders have continued to opt for nothing except conflict.
We don’t exist.
(which brings me to our resident KSA cheerleader, Mustap)
Mustap said,
The Wise Kingdom wisely considers Israel an enemy.
Whatever you say Mustap. If the KSA promotes a plan to normalize relation with Israel, they don’t seem like an enemy to me. And frankly, as much as we don’t like Iran and Hezbollah, the Iran axis has done more to scuttle Israel’s security than the KSA. What is the KSA doing militarily against this so-called “enemy” Israel, pray tell?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Peace_Initiative
Apparently, Egypt and the KSA weren’t so critical of Israel after their last confrontation with Hamas. Not the “usual” response from an arab country. Times are a-changin’. Seems some arabs consider Israel less of an enemy than the Palestinian Islamic party Hamas.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/saudi-israeli-alliance-forged-blood-601611381
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 1:08 pmEnemy State NewZ
The article linked to above quotes:
Prince Turki waxed lyrical about the prospect of peace in an article published by Haaretz. In it he wrote: “And what a pleasure it would be to be able to invite not just the Palestinians but also the Israelis I would meet to come and visit me in Riyadh, where they can visit my ancestral home in Dir’iyyah, which suffered at the hands of Ibrahim Pasha the same fate as Jerusalem did at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Romans.”
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 1:15 pmAP, what are you gonna do with people who have been taught how to hate all their lives. The fact that this conflict have been going on for so many years is nothing but an indication of their psychology, they are racist, tribal, intolerant, they practice daily rituals of fear and hate, they idolize their so called leaders who are in most cases their true tormentors. Forget the Jews, (thankfully they can defend themselves) look at what these hypocrites have done and continue to do to each other, the Kurds, the Azidis, the Sufis, the Christians and many other people. Don’t expect a Gandhi or MLK to be amongst them. Maybe in 50 years or so they will repent and decide to catchup to the rest of the world, for now, just watch how their world is turning into a rotten cadaver, how their savagery is on display for the world to see who they truly are, and just be thankful we have the United States of America on our side.
Posted by Vulcan | May 16, 2015, 1:51 pmUnbelievable! Simply unbelievable! AP, I swear you have a full fledged personality disorder! 🙂
It wasn’t the comment from Roger that you quoted that got us going on Israel in this most recent round! It was YOU!
Go back and read the thread more carefully! We were doing just fine until you butted in with your selfish Israel remarks.
Nobody here is more obsessed with Israel than you are! NOBODY! I wish the resistance buffoons didn’t constantly feed your paranoia, but that’s the way it is around here! As for me, I am sorry but I will never pander to your conceited, pro-Israel messaging! I probably know more about what’s going on in that country than you do! But I also completely recognize Israel, respect its right to exist in peace and security, and don’t wish any harm to anyone either living in Israel or in an adjacent country!
Also, you really, really, REALLY need to start realizing that the sentimental stuff uttered by a Saudi prince doesn’t compensate for the far more real and consequential stuff that happens between Jews and Arabs in Israel every single day! You play lots of games with substitution and seem completely oblivious to the basic statistics of the things you talk about (this is a curse I find all political conservatives are afflicted with, which admittedly is why I generally can’t stand them). I’ll be honest, I don’t trust you any farther than I can throw you! 🙂
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 16, 2015, 2:11 pmWow, Vulcan! You really are as stupid as you are unscrupulous! This half-Moses/half-Mickey Mouse thing that you’re doing is not amusing at all!
How is everything going over there in Basra, by the way? Yes, you Shiites have not just the US but also Iran on your side! Good for you! 🙂
Now just get Hezbollah and Assad to stop talking about the resistance and all that nonsense, and go ahead and naturalize all those Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Syria, will you? 🙂
See AP how stupid you are? You’ve been identified as the dumbest person around here, and you’re being played like a frickin’ violin!
By the way Vulcan, surely you remember that I’ve already admitted here that I am a Christian! I don’t know what religion Roger is, but I can guess that he is Christian as well!
Gosh, this blog is such trash! All we need now is Lally to chime in with her garbage and we’ll be well on our way to Crazytown, yet again! 🙂
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 16, 2015, 2:24 pmSamer Nasser, respect yourself, no I don’t remember what you are and I don’t give a rats ass what you are, to hell with you and all religious affiliation including the Shiaa, don’t try to pin that on me. Stay in your filth and keep it to yourself. As far as Assad and hizbiz, I don’t see how you deduced that I support such filth, of course since you are so dumb you didn’t miss a chance proving your bigotry with your stupid assumption.
Posted by Vulcan | May 16, 2015, 2:39 pmVulcan,
You once made a remark here about how you work in Business Development in Basra!
You once taunted Mustap with a “Haidar Haidar” chant!
You once gave QN dining recommendations on where the best steakhouse was in Beirut!
You exchange pleasantries with Lally, who is just as deceitful, duplicitous, inscrutable and unscrupulous as you are!
The only reason I brought up my own practically non-existent Christian faith was to deflect from your attempts to bait me as some kind of radical Islamist barbarian!
Unlike AP, my only loyalties are to the US, not to any entity in the Middle East! My interest here is to ensure that the garbage of the Middle East doesn’t infiltrate US borders!
Go ahead and test me, bro! I am confident that I can take not just you on but 100 idiots just like you! You’re way, way out of your league here and I LOVE a good fight! 🙂
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 16, 2015, 2:56 pmFYI idiot, If I visit Basra, it doesn’t mean any of that utter stupidity you mentioned, I am there on official U.S. business, which is none of your god dam business. I have no respect for parasites like you who immigrate to America and never shed their inherited bigotry.
Posted by Vulcan | May 16, 2015, 3:06 pmhow analytical, thank god your not in some real capacity. Buzz off cz I never addressed you nor attempted to bait you into anything. You are irrelevant to me. Now just stay polite and quit the ad hominem, out of respect to the blog owner.
Posted by Vulcan | May 16, 2015, 3:15 pmI’m totally confused. Why is everyone so angry? Samer, you’re a smart guy, you went to Hopkins. Why are you calling everyone stupid? We all have our biases. Surprise! Let’s talk about it and try to bridge the gaps.
Meanwhile, I’m going to an Orioles game now.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 4:59 pmSaner,
Don’t mind this confused Vulcan. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. His problem is he really thinks what he’s talking about. Truth is he knows nil.
He used to be an SLA. You know? The so- called South Lebanon Army presumably under the protection of his idols – so called IDF. To his surprise and bewilderment it didn’t turn out to be much of a protection. When the IDF quit south Lebanon he and his comrades were abandoned to the wolves. So, he began to make friends with Neighboring Shiites and reluctantly grew accustomed to a new protector. But that was still not enough so he ended up on some coast in the U.S. As a Vulcan.
And voila confusion personified. Sometimes he speaks of himself as an Arab which he may well be but the true intention is to lend some sort of pseudo-Arab legitimacy to his former mentors and so-called protectors.
Samer it is typical Lebanese. You should know it very well. He should have been banned long ago for his regular ad hominems. But somehow he received special and undeserved treatment. Our sherif is not really unbiased. But that’s his choice.
Posted by Mustap | May 16, 2015, 5:06 pmUnlike AP, my only loyalties are to the US, not to any entity in the Middle East!
Samer,
Please, enough of the dramatics. I am just as loyal an American as you are. I support my people in Israel, and you support ur people in Palestine. And thanks for using the term “entity”.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 6:45 pmAP,
Believe it or not, I think of myself as supporting all the peoples of the Middle East, not just the Palestinians. I’ve written enough the past 48 hours so you’ll just have to take that statement from me at face value!
And more importantly, again you may or may not believe it, but I WASN’T referring to Israel when I used the word “entity”. I realize now that it was not a wise choice, and I apologize! I was thinking about the huge groups of stateless people, like Palestinians refugees for example, and I didn’t want to use “countries” or “states” because in a way a lot of countries are betraying those weakest and most vulnerable of populations and don’t really deserve the strong association!
Also, I work in IT and I come across the word “entity” a lot when dealing with databases! It’s technical jargon. I am so familiar with it, I guess using it just came naturally! Again, sorry if it struck a nerve!
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 16, 2015, 7:15 pmSamer,
If you “support all the peoples of the Middle East”, do you agree with Roger that “the main obstacle for peace in the region is Israel.”?
And whether you agree with him or not, what exactly can we do to improve the situation in the ME? What can I do? What can you do?
I think the best chance of improving the ME is boxing in Iran. Just my POV.
No need to apologize for ur “entity” statement. It was me again and my sensitivities.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 7:24 pmAP,
I definitely and unequivocally disagree with Roger’s statement that “the main obstacle for peace in the region is Israel”. I’m sorry but I’m not going to go back and read everything he wrote on the subject again, and I don’t really remember it all that well, so I’ll refrain from commenting further!
Also, just fyi, in matters business, taxes and accounting, structures like corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and such are also routinely described as “entities”. That’s another area where I routinely come across the word!
Posted by Samer Nasser | May 16, 2015, 7:34 pmOk Samer. Thx.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 8:03 pmRoger Dodger
Just saw this article. The Egyptian mufti needs to review Islamic law to determine if Morse should deserve an untimely death….
http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-sentences-deposed-islamist-president-morsi-death-092809254.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 16, 2015, 10:06 pmSo. It’s okey-dokey for US Special Forces asassination squads to operate in Syria but not for the Hezzies who are stopping the export of takfiri suicide vehicles into Lebanon?
Posted by lally | May 17, 2015, 1:04 amIsrael is definitely the main obstacle to people staying on topic. Oy.
My two cents. Even the collapse of the Syrian government would not lead to rebel victory. Idlib is gone, maybe Aleppo falls, but total victory would require rebels to capture areas that are populated by minorities who know that defeat means their expulsion from the region. Those groups could resist for a very long time. What the recent events make clear is that very likely, the Somialization of Syria will continue for the foreseeable future.
One more cent: I’ve been to Palmyra, I will be very sad if ISIS destroys it.
Last cent, is it just me or has Hezb been winning in the Qalamoun forever? Like they are always winning victories, but there is still fighting there. Reminds me of wars America has fought.
Posted by Rotsapsky | May 17, 2015, 1:33 amMustap, I am not what you call SLA. Resorting to personal accusations and insults is just an indication of how you and Samer are feeble when faced with the reality. I know it’s difficult for you to hear it like it is. Do your best to remain calm and civilized. Again, let’s make an effort to respect QN’s hospitality and patience.
Lally, yes it’s okey-dokey…. hizballa’s envolvement only adds fuel to the fire and it won’t stop the barbarians, it just adds more takfiri recruits. Watch it now and don’t exchange pleasantries with me, or else you’d be accused of being a Shiaa and your cover as a Gringa would be compromised 😀
Posted by Vulcan | May 17, 2015, 3:00 amOh! Very interesting!
Vulcan wants to respect QN’s hospitality and patience!!
That’s news!!
Lally,
Hezzies are not fighting so-called takfiris in Syria.
Hezzies are acting on behalf of the grand mufti of Iran the so-called ayatollah in order to help a genocidal maniac to continue committing his sadistic crimes. As I said above our Arab region is heading towards brighter future now once Assad falls and now the Houthies have been defeated thanks to the efforts of the Wise Kingdom. Hezzies fate will be no different.
We wish all the peoples of Iran including the remaining Persians, Hazaris, Baluch, Kurds and other ethnicities similarly bright future once the cancerous ayatollah regime has been gotten rid of very soon inshallah.
Posted by Mustap | May 17, 2015, 7:12 amBy the way Lally, it looks like your Ayatollahs are only good at posturing as expected. The so-called aid ship was finally returned to Bandar Abbas after doing its posturing duty of roaming the seas but never dared to approach the Gates of Aden.
‘Poor Houthies’ now are left on their own. No ayatollahs to help only blood to pay on their behalf.
Posted by Mustap | May 17, 2015, 7:18 amSo. It’s okey-dokey for US Special Forces asassination squads to operate in Syria but not for the Hezzies who are stopping the export of takfiri suicide vehicles into Lebanon?
wow lally…We all should thank the yellow Jackets for their generosity! BTW; it was your Hizzies and the murderer Assad who sent car bombs to Lebanon and killed off the politicians and terrorized the population. If it weren’t for the Hizb, those filthy Salafists would stay on their side of the border eating human organs.
…and Yes the continuous Qalamoun divine victory continues. 😛
Posted by danny | May 17, 2015, 7:41 amHere’s my two cents on the effectiveness of operations;
1) the U.S. With aerial precision targeting are actually honing in on IS and IS only. There is ample evidence to prove that this has been very successful.
2) HA has for now ‘cleared’ a large swathe of area from rebels but there is no end to this advance. IS damage has been minimal, even non existent with HA’s war in Syria. In fact one car bomb in Beirut can have the same psychological effect and victory as a few Qalamoun’s. HA rating, not so high. RIP young lads from Sth Lebanon and the Bekaa.
3) the glorious regime in what used to be Syria react to losing a city by barrel bombing the f*#k out of civilian centres perhaps to punish them or to eradicate any medium where rebels can ‘Osmose’. Not much on the IS front really, just civilians and rebels.
It is clear who the main opposition is to IS threat and probably the only formidable entity that can change the reality on the ground if they can only gave The Syria file more concern. Otherwise the war of attrition will go on indefinitely.
Posted by Maverick | May 17, 2015, 9:11 amJust an addendum to the above, now you have Nusra and other rebels in an all out war against IS. That makes HA and the pathetic regime of backwardness the least effective group to cause any threat to IS. Bravo lads, good thing this world is infested with conspiracy theorists and guilt ridden westerners who have just woken up to the ‘evils’ of the West.
Posted by Maverick | May 17, 2015, 9:16 amMustap, you are mistaken, not in defense of Iran or its proxy in Yemen (Iran’s support for the Houthis is overblown) Unfortunately, the Saudi tantrum will note bode well for the world’s most repressive regime, continuing to destroy a poverty stricken country for some paranoid religious principle without achieving any of their stated goals, does not equal a brighter future, they lost the war, and has lost it badly. Not only they couldn’t return Hadi to power as their puppet, but also they lost more lands in fighting with Houthis. Wiith the humanitarian disaster they have caused, they have certainly bought the hatred of Yemenis and in the long run, Yemen definitely turns to Iran. The Iranians must be loving every minute of this Saudi incompetence.
On a positive note, at least your beloved Wahabis are good at gambling in casinos and their elite sure live the high life with the proverbial wine women and song. They also have the worlds best beheaders as well as racing camels.
Posted by Vulcan | May 17, 2015, 9:18 amI don’t think the Wise Kingdom is in need of a vulcanized advice.
Posted by Mustap | May 17, 2015, 2:16 pmCan’t we just get along?
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 17, 2015, 10:31 pmRecent developments in Anbar province, the fall of its main city and the now familiar scenarios of desertions of so-called American trained Iraq army and abandoning their weapons proves once again that the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003 by GWB was a disaster and a grave error of judgement and strategy on the part of the U.S.
It further proves that Mr. Abadi, so-called PM is no different than mr. Maliki in terms of his reliance on sectarian paramilitary militias ( Iraq version of Iranian Bassij) to save himself from further defeats.
Posted by Mustap | May 18, 2015, 6:24 amWhen will Hassan Nasrallah come out clean and say the truth about him being full of bullshit?
http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/syria/2015/05/18/سوريا-تصعيد-إعلامي-من-حزب-الله-على-وقع-معركة-القلمون.html
Even the coffin drape is an insult to every Lebanese. When will this idiot say it clearly as it is that he’s nothing but a mullah Trojan horse?
Posted by Mustap | May 18, 2015, 7:13 am…proves once again that the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003 by GWB was a disaster and a grave error of judgement and strategy on the part of the U.S.
Really?
Iraqi Body Count’s database base shows that from 2009 to 2012, when US forces were in Iraq, civilian deaths were way down. Obama’s decision to leave Iraq has suddenly caused civilian deaths to increase. Not that US forces are killing these civilians, but because there is no one countering the violent militants there. Obama seems to be inching his way back into the ME, especially with the little operation that killed ISIS leader Sayyaf.
We disagree Mustap, Imagine that!
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 18, 2015, 8:24 amAkbar,
All experts and pundits agree now that GWB invasion of Iraq was the most disastrous war the U.S. Was led to fight and lose. It overshadows the Vietnam disaster and every other disaster the U.S. Fought in its entire history.
Iraq would have been in much better shape today under Saddam than under these Iranian supported idiots pretending to be governing an entity they call Iraq.
The skirmishes that you refer to with regards to such unknowns like Sayyaf and whoever else don’t weigh even a feather compared to the grave strategic blunders of a naive GWB.
And no Obama is not to blame for idiocies of others.
Posted by Mustap | May 18, 2015, 8:37 amIt overshadows the Vietnam disaster and every other disaster the U.S. Fought in its entire history
In what way does the war in Iraq “overshadow” other wars? We lost 4500 in Iraq. Vietnam was over 10 times that.
In any case, we’ll be back, because the region is simply ungovernable.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 18, 2015, 10:42 am“we’ll be back, because the region is simply ungovernable.”
Arrogant, yet an entertaining joke. I can’t stop my laughter.
America cannot even govern itself to dream of governing others. Yet not all dreams come with colours or even entertain.
The era of neo-conism has come to its ungraceful demise. Wake up dreaming is over.
Posted by Mustap | May 18, 2015, 11:28 amArrogant? Maybe. I just read the Zionist – owned media to draw my conclusions.
(Forum brothers, notice how no one ever answers my specific questions)
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 18, 2015, 12:07 pmWas it not the wise kingdom that invited the US to rescue it from Saddam? And how would Iraq be better under Saddam? His mass graves and atrocities against the Shia, Kurds and anyone who opposed him weren’t bad enough? I do agree that the situation in Iraq is horrendous, Maliki and his group turned out to be just like Saddam or any other Arab ruler, once in power, instead of forming an inclusive democracy, they went for revenge and elimination of their opponents. But to say Iraq would have been better under Saddam makes you no different than those you are complaining about in Iraq. Your just upset the Sunni lost power over there.
Posted by Vulcan | May 18, 2015, 1:08 pmI agree with Vulcan.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 18, 2015, 1:25 pmOnly an idiot and perhaps a few diehards who were directly involved in the Iraq debacle Vulcan 😉 would argue that Iraq is better off without Saddam and our interference.
I must admit though, that this is the first time I have seen the claim that the wannabe princeling warriors from KSA begged for rescue from the neutered Saddam.Were they all still ascared of his sideways drilling rig?
Posted by lally | May 18, 2015, 2:43 pmThe safest Iraq has been in recent times has been the 3 years after the “surge”. This “idiot” can count. Saddam killed more during his self-appointed reign than since US and Allied forces conducted regime change.
We gave Iraq an opportunity and it was squandered. We should have permanent bases there. C’est tout.
https://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_graves_in_Iraq
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 18, 2015, 2:55 pmC’mon Lally you’re not upset because Nasrallah is called the idiot he is? Are you?
A Lebanese dying for an Iranian Mullah is utter idiocy by every measure. Don’t you think? Worse is the insult of draping him in a yellow mullah flag!
Despite his blunder in Kuwait,Saddam was a great ruler of Iraq, especially when one considers the defeat he inflicted on Khomeini who had to drink from the cup of poison in Khomeini’s own words.
Posted by Mustap | May 18, 2015, 9:22 pmSaddam Great Ruler of Iraq.
Okayyyyyyy, you win, let’s shut down the internet folks.
Posted by Vulcan | May 19, 2015, 3:37 amOne thing is for sure, the Middle East sure knows how to churn out despots…
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/30/world/middleeast/30saddam.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 19, 2015, 7:40 amWithout any doubt Saddam was a great ruler of Iraq. What’s left today of Iraq is a living testimony to the man’s legacy.
It’s unfortunate that he blundered in Kuwait. But no one is perfect. However, his defeat of Khomeini is reason good enough for forgiving him.
Posted by Mustap | May 19, 2015, 2:17 pmMustap,
At the risk of getting banned from this blog, I just have one thing to say to you that maybe others would like to say as well to you:
Stop eating man, because you’re so full of shit.
Posted by Roger | May 19, 2015, 2:53 pmIt’s clear to me that anyone who launches Scuds against the KSA should be forgiven. Especially if they’re Sunni and sport a mustache.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 19, 2015, 3:10 pmAkbar,
I don’t think you’ll be banned but you should be suspended for at least a week just so that everyone may respect the rules of avoiding ad hominems. Otherwise, our sherif will have a hard time maintaining rule of law.
However, from my point of view knowing that my comment has such a strong emotional impact on you to go to that length and violate the rules set out by the sherif yells me that you’re so- full of neo-con and GWB bullshit that even if you stop eating you’ll not be less full of you know what.
Posted by Mustap | May 19, 2015, 4:50 pmSorry Akbar, my last comment was meant for Roger and it should be modified as follows:
However, from my point of view knowing that my comment had such a strong emotional impact on you to go to that length of violating the rules set out by the sherif tells me that you’re so full of mullah bullshit that even if you stop eating you’ll not be less full of you know what.
Posted by Mustap | May 19, 2015, 4:55 pmMustap,
You make me laugh with pity, that’s the limit of emotions you stir in me dear boy
Posted by Roger | May 19, 2015, 5:01 pmExactly, you need all the pity you can have. We know that already.
😄
Posted by Mustap | May 19, 2015, 5:10 pmOuf ma abyakhak…
Posted by Roger | May 19, 2015, 6:48 pmOuf ma ahdamak.
In any case, any personal attacks from any mullah brain washed individuals are looked upon as trophy victories in line with what the poet said:
وان اتتك مذمتي من ناقص
فهي الشهادة لي باني كامل
😄
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 4:06 amThe brave eagles of the Arab coalition for saving Yemenis from Mullah bullshit have made good on their promise to prevent any mullah so-called aid ships from entering Yemeni waters except in accordance with the rules as enforced by the military command of the coalition.
After posturing for more than week and insisting that the so-called mullah aid-ship will not submit to search in Djibouti port, now the said ship has changed course to that port in order to be searched and cleared if it is indeed cleared. The mullahs winked and submitted to the rule of Law.
It is clear who is now calling the shots in that Arab region of ours. It remains incumbent upon the few Lebanese to wake up and to realize that dying for a turbaned mullah has never been a Lebanese tradition. Lebanese always prided themselves of being leaders and not followers or vassals of some far away idiot carrying a yellow colored flag.
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 12:01 pmRoyal Mess
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/rejuvenated-royals_946673.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 20, 2015, 12:24 pmMustap,
I surrender, I may need your help now though as you have had this experience. How does one get to kneel before the wise king and kiss his wise feet to offer one’s subservience? Please help me! I am afraid, I think the mullas are after me. Help.
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 12:37 pmYa Lateeeeeeef Chou fahlalawi.
Did you tell the mullas to buzz off?
😄
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 12:52 pmNo fan of the KSA, but certainly no fan of the Resistance Pros™. My man Krauthammer sums it up here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/obamas-nixon-doctrine-anointing-iran/2015/04/23/c5e42846-e9e9-11e4-aae1-d642717d8afa_story.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 20, 2015, 12:55 pmMustap,
How was your childhood like? How did you end up being so sectarian?
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 1:14 pmKrauthammer is just another fool, but a different type of fool than the mullah fools – he’s the neo-con type.
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 1:15 pmRoger said,
”
Mustap,
How was your childhood like? How did you end up being so sectarian?”
Luckily, I was not raised by a mullah.
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 1:17 pmHow is being sectarian in any way a lucky thing?
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 1:20 pmDid I not say earlier: ya lateeeeef Chou fahlalawi? Here. I say it once more.
Who said I’m sectarian? It was you. Right?
Does it mean I’m sectarian if YOU say it? Being fahlawi, the answer to you is of course yes. But that’s only because YOU’re fahlawi.
I said I’m lucky I wasn’t raised by a mullah. Does a fahlawi consider that lucky. Apparently, you don’t.
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 1:59 pmWhat makes you hate the Shiia so much?
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 2:13 pmWhy do you love the Shiia so much?
Not that it’s my business or MY thread.
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 2:18 pmI don’t hate them I don’t hate the Sunnis I don’t hate any other sect. Tell me though, seriously, why do YOU hate the Shiia?
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 2:23 pmFahlawi,
Why should anyone bother to answer any of your subjective perception questions?
Posted by Mustap | May 20, 2015, 2:32 pmHere’s a non subjecting not perceptive question then. Do you have the Shiia?
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 2:35 pm*hate
Posted by Roger | May 20, 2015, 2:36 pmGive it up Roger, we’ve all tried this before at least those who see through him, believe it or not he’s got fans over here too, the likes of Samer and 3issa. Unfortunately, our part of the world is full of people like that.
Posted by Vulcan | May 21, 2015, 12:44 amLove you brother
Posted by 3issa | May 21, 2015, 3:20 amArticle about Hezbollah protecting Lebanon…
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-lebanon-border-hezbollah-hardest-battle-104524744.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 21, 2015, 9:35 amIt’s puzzling to me that you all find each other more interesting than what is happening in the region.
So strange, humans…
Posted by Qifa Nabki | May 21, 2015, 10:52 amQN,
You should post more here. We need a scholar here, not a cheerleader.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 21, 2015, 11:15 amAkbar said,
”
QN,
You should post more here. We need a scholar here, not a cheerleader.”
Very well said. And you might as well start acting on it. We don’t need neo-connish GWB cheerleaders. Of that you can be certain.
So when will you start acting accordingly?
Posted by Mustap | May 21, 2015, 1:00 pmMustap,
I’ve acknowledged by conservative, pro-Israel leanings.
Nevertheless, I find your cheer-leading monotonous e.g. “…Saddam was a great ruler of Iraq… and your “Wise Kingdom™” chants.
I don’t call Israel a “wise” anything nor any of it’s elected leaders.
Anyway, I’ve always respected QN’s POV (though not always in agreement).
Yes, since QN and AIG disappeared, the forum has gone from ham radio to CB…
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 21, 2015, 1:37 pmHaha,
If this were a real CB channel, Mustap and his wise king would be crying by now because there’s just so much that would be said that can’t be written here
Posted by Roger | May 21, 2015, 2:54 pmBut this exactly what you do Akbar Palace. You cheerlead GWB’s invasion of Iraq and hate anything which challenges that. You want to present that I’ll-conceived barbaric invasion of a sovereign country as the ultimate panacea when it is the exact opposite. GWB created the mess which is today’s Iraq and yet you continue to argue against reason. And yes, Saddam was a great ruler of Iraq. Iraqis of all colours and stripes still attest to that and the fact that he defeated Khomeini adds to that greatness. If he’s still around we wouldn’t need to deal with these idiots who came after Khomeini. Saddam would have dealt with them.
With regards to the Wise Kingdom, this is not only my view. It is shared by millions upon millions of people. So, I’m really sorry that you’re unable to see the Wisdom inherent in this Wise Kingdom.
Posted by Mustap | May 21, 2015, 3:07 pmMustap,
Why did your wise kingdom condone GWB’s invasion of Iraq? Was the king back then still in his puberty and very naive to oppose GWB?
Posted by Roger | May 21, 2015, 3:15 pmThe Wise Kingdom did not condone GWB’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
In fact, the Wise Kingdom wisely refused U.S. Requests to fly over its airspace in order to conduct missions for that barbaric invasion of Iraq by GWB
Posted by Mustap | May 21, 2015, 3:24 pmAh, then only in 1990 it helped the US, because back then the wise king was really still in his puberty, he only became a man in 2003. Couldn’t have the KSA gotten Saddam out of Kuwait on its own without the help of the USA? Or was Saddam back then too evil and scary but in 2003 he was a great ruler.
Posted by Roger | May 21, 2015, 3:32 pmWe talked about this already. Saddam blundered in 1991 but was later forgiven.
Posted by Mustap | May 21, 2015, 3:35 pmWarning Will Robinson! Warning!
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-warns-israel-hezbollah-rockets-attacked-185517180.html
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 21, 2015, 4:04 pmYes, those Wise Kings™ were caught between Iraq and a hard place… nice to see their strategy worked out so well.
Saudi Arabia
Pre-war, Saudi Arabia’s public position had been one of neutrality in the conflict; worldwide media reported that, despite numerous American attempts, Saudi Arabia would not offer the American military any use of its land as a staging ground for the invasion of Iraq. In an interview, Prince Saud Alfaysal, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister when asked whether Saudi Arabia would allow more US troops to be placed on Saudi soil, the foreign minister replied, “under the present circumstances with no proof that there is a threat imminent from Iraq, I do not think Saudi Arabia will join in”.[17] This was later explained to have been a public front, as Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey and Kuwait, was actually one of the most important allies in terms of offering coalition soldiers its land, including military bases. It was also eventually learned that a high-ranking Saudi prince had been at the White House on the day that the Iraq war began, and Bush administration officials told the prince to alert his government that the initial phase of the war had begun, hours before missiles first landed in Baghdad. Officially, Saudi Arabia wished to see Saddam Hussein and the Ba’ath regime go, but feared the aftermath.[18] As the US invasion of Iraq became inevitable, the question of whether Saudi Arabia wanted the Baath regime replaced by a pro-Western government “pumping oil in greater quantities than Saudi Arabia” posed a dilemma for the Saudi government.[19] Furthermore, Saudi Arabia worried about the possibility of an Iraqi Shia pro-Iranian government installed at its doorstep, following the demise of Saddam’s Sunni regime. Saudi Arabia’s response to the war had to be handled carefully so that the US-Saudi strategic alliance did not suffer, while at the same time maintaining the semblance of Arab solidarity against US aggression to appease its own indigenous population.[20] In October 2002 Saudi Arabia declared that his country would allow US use of Saudi military facilities to attack Iraq, provided there was UN approval for it; but on 4 November 2002, Faysal told CNN that it would not . Moreover, in the same month, during a televised address on Saudi television, Crown Prince Abdullah insisted that “our armed forces will, under no circumstances, step one foot into Iraqi territory” . However, the contradiction and ambiguity of the Saudi position reflected the regime’s desperation both to appease Washington and not be seen providing a territorial base for the US attack. It also reflected a lack of consensus among senior members of the royal family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governmental_positions_on_the_Iraq_War_prior_to_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 21, 2015, 4:12 pmWords of wisdom that are as true today as when they were spoken 12 years ago. Undeniably prophetic,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2773759.stm
Wisdom on this planet has one known address. It is the Kingdom of Wisdom.
Posted by Mustap | May 21, 2015, 5:14 pmSupported by the Arab coalition from the air, the Yemenis fighting on the ground to liberate Yemen from the Iranian Trojan horses have now turned the tide and are now conducting offensive operations. The Trojan horses have almost been cleared from the south with their last position near Shabwa getting cleared as we speak. In the north, the Yemenis are now poised to enter the main province (صعدة) of the Trojan horses and the province will soon inshallah be cleared of Abdu-al-Malik and his ilk.
Posted by Mustap | May 21, 2015, 7:55 pmQN,
You said it. It is a real shame that this blog regressed into a mock ridden childish exchange of ad hominem attacks when this space was for a long period a great place for debate and opinions on current events in the ME. I had hoped that after such a long hiatus it might return to the old days especially when the ME is so rife with events today. Not to be, and I don’t think you or the other frequent posters see any point anymore. For those of us who crave politics and are desperate for news and debate, this was the place. Sorry to lament but it pisses me off to no end.
Posted by Maverick | May 21, 2015, 9:27 pmQN,
In class today (summer course) we were talking about the 19th century “discovery” of the ancient past and its integration into developing narratives of nation — Pharaonic in Egypt, Achaemenid in Iran, etc. I recall having read that Jurji Zeidan’s historical novels were important in the articulation of a modern, national-oriented Arab consciousness. Wasn’t Zenobia of Palmyra one of his exemplary heroes? Today the gleeful iconoclasm of Daesh may mark the death knell of this particular kind of identity articulation, which after all is just a little over a century old. Or perhaps Daesh’s depredations will be a shock that makes people realize how much they had integrated these ancient symbols, etc. into their collective psyches. Moreover, Daesh’s sickeningly gleeful and unapologetic beheadings, killings and enslavements are a big flip of the finger to any hypothetical adherence to supposedly “universal values” such as those cited in the UN’s Int’l Declaration of Human Rights. “Revolutionary nihilism.” I don’t know if the old categories that we grew accustomed to using for explaining/analyzing politics in the (mostly) Arab Fertile Crescent are of much help in making sense of any of this.
Bringing it back to Lebanon, what do you think of Michael Young’s musings about Hizballah’s “Plan B” in the event that the Assad regime loses control of Damascus? Young argues that Ta’if likely will be deep-sixed as a byproduct, and he blames Aoun’s intransigence for making this outcome more likely.
Posted by Jim Reilly | May 21, 2015, 10:50 pmAkbar Palace’s comment “Hezbollah, Syrian army make big gains in border battle” Revisited.
OK Akbar just so you may know the Hezzie commander who briefly planted the yellow flag on top of that Qalamoun hill is now dead. He was burried today wrapped in a yellow flag of course.
Qalamoun is now renamed Qalamounada. It makes Hassan Nasrallah drink lots of lemonades while making his customary tiring speeches.
Posted by Mustap | May 22, 2015, 7:10 amSorry to lament but it pisses me off to no end.
Maverick,
Since QN has no time, why don’t you post more and set the tone?
Jim Reilly,
What is the plan if/when ISIS over runs Syria? Would this turn into a Hezbollah/ISIS war in Lebanon? What will the Lebanese army do?
You guys should post more.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 22, 2015, 7:22 amMaverick,
I hear you, but my experience generally is that when the posting picks up, the quality of discussion does as well. I have devoted my energies over the past year or two to teaching and research, and the little time I’ve had for other types of writing has gone into periodicals rather than blogging.
If/when I ever have time to return to a regular blogging schedule again, I think that some other folks will come out of the woodwork.
Jim,
I like your point about Jurji Zeidan. My feeling is that history is as important today as it has ever been in shaping political identity. It’s just a question of which histories are privileged and by whom. Da’ish may represent an extreme of puritanical, fundamentalist religious chauvinism, but how far away are they, really, from the views of many Saudi clerics? Or what about the Kuwaiti gentleman who is calling for the destruction of the Pyramids and the Sphinx?
As you say, the fact that these proposals kick up such a fuss is a sign that they are viewed as beyond the pale by most people. The trouble is that merely “being against” the destruction of Palmyra is not going to save Palmyra.
As for Hizbullah and the end of Ta’if, I don’t really buy it.
Posted by Qifa Nabki | May 22, 2015, 8:57 amOr what about the Kuwaiti gentleman who is calling for the destruction of the Pyramids and the Sphinx?
Or what about the Iranian supreme who is call for the destruction of Israel?
Jim,
The clerics run the whole ME. Not just from Saudi Arabia. To me, this region has a few centuries to fast-forward through.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 22, 2015, 9:30 amI find it interesting and intellectually challenging that while genocides are going on (such as continued use of air dropped barrel bombs and sometimes chems to mention but few) that some are more concerned about destruction of ancient stones than the mass destruction of lives. Had anyone of you devoted even one comment to crimes that have been ongoing since 2011 throughout Syria? Hypocrisy at work!
And you wonder why you guys are so irrelevant with all your so-called thoughtful writings?
Who remembers Jurji Zeidan these days? And how relevant is he to current issues? No one that counts really cares anymore about that era and what it produced.
Posted by Mustap | May 22, 2015, 10:11 amAs a student of the past, I’ve wondered if the goals/ideals/assumptions of the Nahda have been on a death watch for some time now (since 1967? since 1979?). Is Daesh’s open and boastful flouting of supposed international conventions and norms a kind of coup de grace for the older discourses and pieties? What next? Ideas are important, because they’re used to justify or instigate large-scale organized violence (up to and including genocide). By the same token, ideas also might aid in (re-) constructing social and national life in different, more favorable circumstances.
“So-called thoughtful writings.” Well, we could all emote and polemicize. But isn’t there enough of that in circulation already? Better thoughtful than not….
Posted by Jim Reilly | May 22, 2015, 1:05 pmBy the way, the Michael Young piece that I referenced a couple of messages ago (Hizballah’s Plan B) is here:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2015/May-21/298736-why-hezbollah-may-seek-to-change-taif.ashx
Posted by Jim Reilly | May 22, 2015, 1:14 pmMichael Young’s article seems to assume that ISIS will stop at the Syria/Lebanon border. And if I’m reading the article correctly, that could be a bad assumption.
Is Daesh’s open and boastful flouting of supposed international conventions and norms a kind of coup de grace for the older discourses and pieties?
Jim,
So are you implying before Daesh, no one was “flouting….international conventions and norms”? Long as I can remember, “flouting” was/is a rite of passage for every ME dictator.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 22, 2015, 1:43 pmMichael Young doesn’t know what he’s talking about, or perhaps he knows and is using the context of recent developments to compose his narrative according to his own worldview.
Here’s how all of Young’s premises are destroyed: once Assad falls Hezbollah loses all its power in Lebanon and beyond. In this case it can no longer implement the changes Young is worried about neither by force nor by persuasion. As for the presidency, it’s been proven now it is no longer required as an institution in Lebanon. As for Aoun he better be hauled to a senile house as soon as possible and rid Lebanon of him but not for the reasons that Young cited.
As for emoting, no one is suggesting anyone to emote. But bringing up the issue of destroying ancient stones while genocides are ongoing exposes the party concerned about the stones to accusations of hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty. What human rights are flouted by destroying stones? I fail to digest the concept of stone rights conflated as human rights. Also, in terms of sheer numbers daesh crimes fade in comparison with Assad and co. Crimes.
Posted by Mustap | May 22, 2015, 2:06 pmMustap,
Well, I’m relieved that I never brought up the issue of destroying ancient stones while ignoring ongoing genocides, etc. (Were you implying that I did? If so, look again.)
At the same time, a lot of cultural energy was expended post-1880 to tie the ancient stones to formulations of modern identities and aspirations. Daesh is, in its own perverse way, using these same ancient stones to make declarations and statements about history and identity.
AP,
True, international laws and norms are frequently flouted, and not only in the Middle East and not only by dictators. What I find worth remarking is that Daesh doesn’t care and they make no pretense otherwise.
Posted by Jim Reilly | May 22, 2015, 3:32 pmJim,
Yes. I think what sets Daesh apart is that they are totally independent from any state, and so far, more powerful than the governments they’ve come up against. It seems as if they are unstoppable.
Is ISIS infiltrating Lebanon is any way? Does ISIS have any supporters in Lebanon?
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 22, 2015, 3:48 pmJim,
Well I don’t believe that the so-many ancient stones we have in our region played that much of a role in formulating identities. The majority of people do not identify with these stones as essential to their identities. In most cases they’re looked at as relics or artifacts from bygone eras and even civilizations that the people of today do not identify or associate with.
I’m inclined to think now that those accusing the U.S. Of creating daesh may be right after all (😄). The U.S. Has no artifacts or ancient stones within its realm to help it formulate an identity. In fact, if similar artifacts were present in the U.S. They may have hampered US as a nation (if there’s such a thing). The U.S. Progressed to what it is now by freeing itself from all the shackles that come with ancient histories. So, perhaps the U.S. Is now trying to replicate its experiment by creating daesh to destroy these stones after it miserably failed in its barbaric invasion of Iraq and removing its ruler which kept it as a functioning state.
I’m usually skeptic of conspiracy theorists and theories but I can see merits in the above, especially when we have so many neo-cons still lurking in the background seeking to defy reason and common sense.
Nevertheless, shedding tears on ruins as in Qifa Nabki (😪) is quite scandalous endeavour to be involved in while genocides are ongoing. I still cannot digest the concept of ruins-rights under these circumstances.
Posted by Mustap | May 22, 2015, 4:47 pmMustap,
Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Destroying antiquity doesn’t seem bother you or ISIS, so for some reason you both have something in common. Go figure.
All people, nations and countries have an identity.
When a group of people want to create a Utopian society, like the Nazis, the Islamists, and the Communists, they have to rid themselves of anything that doesn’t fit with their worldview. Destroying valuable and historic antiquity is just an indication of their rigid, uncompromising thinking. It is also a loss to the nation and the world.
The main purpose of the IAA is to connect jews today to their ancient homeland. Every people have a history.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 22, 2015, 6:33 pmA Palace.
“Is ISIS infiltrating Lebanon is any way? Does ISIS have any supporters in Lebanon?”
Yes and yes; Hariri Jr, the current Justice Minister Asaf Rifi and the burghers of Arsal/Irsal
Just kidding.
Politically tainted “analysis” aside, this thorough Memri article/compilation of the situation vis a vis the Lebanese Christian factions re HA and the threats from Daesh et al is extremely useful and worth reading in full:
“It seems that several considerations influence the Christians in the various
areas in deciding whether to arm themselves and on whom to rely for their
defense. One consideration is their political affiliation: some Christians
are affiliated with Michel Auon’s Free Patriotic Movement, which is part of
the March 8 Forces, headed by Hizbullah, while others are affiliated with
the Kataeb Party and the Lebanese Forces party, which are part of the rival
stream, the March 14 Forces. The latter oppose the possession of arms by
non-government elements, including by Hizbullah. Another consideration is
proximity to the Syrian border,and thus to the area where ISIS and JN are
fighting the Assad regime and Hizbullah and from which the gunmen made their
incursion into Irsal and into other towns in northeastern Lebanon.
Naturally, Christians living close to the border feel a greater need to arm
themselves. A third factor is a disinclination to take up arms feltby some
Christians, especially in the Mount Lebanon area, due to their experiences
in the Lebanon civil war. The Al-Akhbar articles point to a certain gap
between the position of the Christian public, which expects the Christian
leadership, with all its parties and streams, to take steps to arm the
Christians, and thestated position of this leadership itself, which is
opposed to taking up arms.”
http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=67300
That Michael Young piece could be the basis of a new thread. He is engaging in sectarian fear-mongering.
Posted by lally | May 22, 2015, 6:43 pmYou don’t seem to understand when you read Akbar.
I wasn’t saying I’m OK with destroying antiquity. I was saying it’s scandalous to choose to shed tears over stones while ignoring ongoing genocides.
And no I don’t believe ruins are needed to have an identity. The U.S. Had no need for that. It had neither antiquity nor ancient stones.
When we consider Khazari Jews, then we must admit based on what you said above that these Khazars are deceiving themselves by identifying with a so-called antiquity (imagined or real) that is not part of their own history. So they’re impostors. Therefore, Jews are not a nation. In fact, there never was a Jewish nation nor there will be one.
Posted by Mustap | May 22, 2015, 6:55 pmThe following tidbit is from the pen of a French operator with extensive experience in the region of the Levant. Be aware that his audience is populated with other actors with the background to vet his revelations. The committees’ consensus seemingly confirms his credibility:
“The man in charge of the “martyrs” training and recruitment is a former officer of Saddam Hussein’s army who has joined the Islamist insurgency very early on. Interestingly, he’s not Arab, but a Turkman from Tefallah, in Northern Iraq. A long time associate of Abu Ali al-Anbari, he was put in charge at one time of creating ISIS cells in Tripoli, Northern Lebanon, which has since turned into a stronghold of the organization outside of its heartland.”
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2015/05/isis-a-black-hole-in-the-heart-of-the-middle-east-the-armies-of-the-caliphate-.html
Posted by lally | May 22, 2015, 7:09 pmLatakia is next and then bye bye Bashar,
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/arabic/2015/5/10/المعارضة-السورية-تهاجم-قوات-النظام-بمشفى-جسر-الشغور
And bye bye Nasrallah. Enjoy your lemonade.
Posted by Mustap | May 22, 2015, 10:54 pmLally,
Thanks for the IRA article….they are usually a good source of information.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 22, 2015, 11:40 pm“when the posting picks up, the quality of discussion does as well”
In the absence of secularism, which implies that all citizens of the state have equal rights and duties, and beats hands down any other political system, discussion of a problem at best is no more than trying to find a patching solution to it, that is the least unfavorable.
Posted by Badr | May 23, 2015, 7:47 amCAIRO – The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia, warning that more “black days” loom ahead in a direct challenge to the rulers of the Sunni kingdom.
I didn’t know there were shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia. You learn something new every day.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 23, 2015, 7:55 amUnlike many pathetic states in the region (Iran, Israel for example), the Wise Kingdom deals with all its citizens wisely.
Thanks to the Wiser than ever Wise King(s).
Posted by Mustap | May 23, 2015, 8:21 amAP,
The Saudis conquered the mostly Shiite al-Hasa region in 1913. Later they renamed it the Eastern Province. That’s where the oil is. Oil + minority Shiite population = Very Sensitive.
Posted by Jim Reilly | May 23, 2015, 9:44 amIt is a known fact that there’s never been a Sunni/Shia problem before Khomeini showed up. We also know for a fact that what Khomeini and his followers are calling for will definitely fail eventually.
Rest assured that the Arab region (and the wider Iskamic world) will be ruled by none other than its Sunni majority. The Sunnis will offer no one or owes no one any apologies for exercising its historic and unquestionable legitimate right and responsibility. That doesn’t mean that the minorities will be crushed in this outcome, since historically it’s been proven that the Sunnis always accommodate them. It is also known fact that some special interest groups are capitalizing on the recent Sunni/Shia problems by addressing the minorities in a narrative that is often contrary to the minorities own well being and survival. You just need to look at Iraq and Syria to convince yourself that the minorities suffered tremendously when non-Sunni mis-rule was/is present.
So make your own choices intelligibly and wisely and don’t foolishly capitalize on a transient issue, because the future will be determined based on what you make out of your present available choices.
Posted by Mustap | May 23, 2015, 10:45 amNo one has a problem with the majority rule as long as the rights of all minorities are guaranteed by the law, all minorities, including all the heretic “Kuffar”
Something your wise Arab Sunni majority never implemented or achieved.
Posted by Vulcan | May 23, 2015, 1:31 pm“That doesn’t mean that the minorities will be crushed in this outcome, since historically it’s been proven that the Sunnis always accommodate them.”
It’s been proven alright. Just like Saddam accommodated the Kurds or the Shia although the Shia are a majority in Iraq. Or just like your beloved Wahabis accommodation of any religious minority ( the Saudi school curriculum is a leading example on religious tolerance) Or just like Syria and Lebanon accommodated their Jewish minorities.
I have no idea where you get your ” well know facts” from.
Posted by Vulcan | May 23, 2015, 1:43 pmI have no idea where you get your ” well know facts” from.
Comic books?
Therefore, Jews are not a nation.
The khazar theme is popular on anti-semitic websites. The “jews are not a nation” theme makes anti-semites’ brains explode because our nation which doesn’t exist, also doesn’t seem to go away and Israel’s per capita GDP is greater than any other state in the region including that of the wise wahhabi kingdom.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 23, 2015, 4:09 pmYour mere existence in this Sunni sea is the most well known fact that testify to the fact that your ancestors were allowed to exist and therefore were never crushed through the ages unlike well known historic events in areas where the circumstances were different such as Andalus.
Despite his pitfall Saddam is still the best ruler Iraq ever had in modern age. Whatever he did with the Kurds, if true, it was due to purely national reason. The Kurds were rightly accused of collaborating with the Iranians and allowing into Oraqi territory that only themselves (the Kurds) know it’s terrain. In terms of sheer numbers Saddam’s record pales with what kMaliki and current Ibadi record. But GWB is responsible for all what we see happening in Iraq today.
And what would like to see the Wise kingdom implement in order to make you happy? As you well know the Wise Kingdom is 100% Muslim. So why would any laws be enacted in order to accommodate non-existing populations?
As for you Akbar don’t blame me for what I said. Blame yourself. You made so-called antiquity an essential element of identity definition. Therefore, the Khazzars who have nothing to do with this antiquity of yours cannot identify with it. Therefore they are not part of it. Therefore, they cannot be part of this imaginary nation which exists only in your brain. And thank uncle SAM for all the handouts that it bestows on this parasitic entity living like a leech off American tax payer money.
Posted by Mustap | May 23, 2015, 4:35 pmToday’s Key Word:
“Wise Kingdom™”
Please remember this phrase when discussing Middle East politics. It will show others that you aren’t just a mere observer, but an astute professional cheerleader.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 23, 2015, 6:38 pmMustap,
Fyi, GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product. It accounts only for goods and services produced, and has nothing to do with foreign aid.
Sbeaking of foreign aid, the US has wasted boatloads more blood and treasure protecting arab countries like Kuwait, the Wise Kingdom™, Iraq and Afghanistan and pales in comparison to the money we invest in the country that doesn’t exist.
Anyway, it’s all good. The toughest decision I had to make today was whether or not to by a $35 bottle of gin or go with a $15 bottle of a lesser brand. I suppose there are millions of Middle Easterners who have more difficult decisions to make right now.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 23, 2015, 6:51 pmYou’re a big joke Akbar and very entertaining one for that matter.
The Wise Kingdom’s GDP is about a trillion dollars. It’s relstionship with the U.S. Is strictly business. The Kingdom does not rely on the U.S. For defense and it pays cash for every piece of hardware (military or otherwise) whether it buys it from the U.S. Or elsewhere. And it buys a lot more from other than the U.S.
Israel is like a beggar,
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/5558-us-aid-to-israel-totals-234-billion-since-1948-
In addition to direct and indirect US hand-outs (see above link) it gets its arms for free. It has been proven time and again during times of war that within few days the U.S. Will have to establish direct supply flights of weapons and ammunition otherwise it will get annihilated.
The U.S. Is not protecting any Arab country and no Arab country is in need of US protection and in particular the Wise Kingdom. The U.S. Is an invading unwelcomed force in all the countries that you cite. Particularly, it has no military presence on Wise Kingdom’s soil and will never have any under any circumstances.
Israel is a parasite pure and simple whether you drink gin or your own…,,,
Posted by Mustap | May 23, 2015, 9:31 pmQN,
The following is more an interest in sort of logical reasoning than in a particular commentator! 😉
“VULCAN”,
Do you strongly believe that “MUSTAP” is being paid to write what he does write? (I myself have no strong opinion on it either way.) If you answer “yes”, I have more to say about it, otherwise end of story.
Posted by Badr | May 25, 2015, 12:59 amJust to let you proceed with your so-called logical reasoning I’ll play your game FULL MOON and say YES to your inquiry.
MUSTAP is on Wise Kingdom’s payroll. Let’s proceed BLOSSOMING MOON. Curious for logic’s sake and to see a shining moon in action,
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 6:51 amThe Lebanese Maronites must be the strangest beings on Planet Earth.
They will argue themselves to death if they have to. Just as long as they bury themselves together.
Really, a very weird bunch of people.
Posted by Inquisitor | May 25, 2015, 8:14 amI think the best is for them to appoint the Patriarch Al Rahi for the Presidency. That should settle it.
Posted by Inquisitor | May 25, 2015, 8:54 amEverybody in this region thinks they should be ruled by a “higher” authority. So be it.
Posted by Inquisitor | May 25, 2015, 8:56 amI would also suggest for Israel to be run by a Rabbi next to make it fully complete and have them integrate into the region properly.
Posted by Inquisitor | May 25, 2015, 9:26 amIt’s been noted that the effects of over consuming Qalamonade while making monotonous and yawn-inducing speeches by Nasrallah have been profound and far reaching.
It has been particularly observed that the effects have resulted in major overhaul of the narrative towards stressing the defense of Lebanon theme rather than the customary worn out resistance theme.
We believe that more Qalamonade consumption will result in further revisions and modifications to the stratagems and plans envisioned by the yellow flag bearer in Lebanon.
Latest news indicate that the newly formed revolutionary army in Syria, armed with lethal weaponry confiscated from deserting regime units in the north in Jisr al-Shoughour, is poised to conduct a massive protracted campaign to liberate the Qalamoun once and for all ridding Nasrallah of the need to continue to consume the substance leaving him more time to address the ‘faithful’ in order to keep the flag raised.
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 9:54 amInquisitor = Ray
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 9:55 amYes Mustap. 100% correct.
I just couldn’t remember my old log in account details. It’s been that long 🙂
Posted by Inquisitor | May 25, 2015, 10:27 amBadr, I don’t think so, the guy is seemingly a genuine “Takfiri”. (I’m being extremely PC here)
Among other gems, he argues that not crushing and allowing certain minorities to just exist, is the ultimate form of equality and human rights. Besides, what’s the going rate for putting lipstick on the Wise Pigs? It can’t be that much.
Posted by Vulcan | May 25, 2015, 10:37 amFor those Americans here, tip ur hat to those who have kept America safe and free on this Memorial Day…
Carter, in his first comments since the key town of Ramadi fell to ISIS, blamed the weak state of Iraq’s military as one major reason for the city’s fall, in an exclusive interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” aired Sunday.
“What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight,” Carter told CNN’s Barbara Starr. “They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and yet they failed to fight, they withdrew from the site, and that says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight ISIL and defend themselves.”
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/24/politics/ashton-carter-isis-ramadi/
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 25, 2015, 11:18 amSemper Fi
Posted by Vulcan | May 25, 2015, 11:28 amBy the way, how long is your beard now, Mustap?
Is it now fully Sharia compliant?
Posted by Inquisitor | May 25, 2015, 11:29 am“The Iraqi Army wasn’t driven out of Ramadi, they drove out”
Posted by Vulcan | May 25, 2015, 11:34 amWhat else do you need Vulcan?
Do you need some hand outs like your Zio neighbours down south? Ask uncle SAM if ‘he’ can spare some coins or some human rights petty cash for you? While at it don’t forget to ask for your shares in the newly minted rights for stones to exist undisturbed. Apparently, stones (ancient ones in particular) now have rights to exist which supercede human rights to exist. If you can get it, it’s worth a try.
Tell me how I can send you a photo then you be the judge for compliance or no compliance.
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 12:12 pmLally,
Here’s a good article by someone who knows Israel, Dr. Meyrav Wurmser. Not sure if she’s a “khazar” though;) Her parents are Yeminite.
The Wurmsers have their own company now (Delphi Global Analysis), and I suspect a lot of people want to know how the ME is going to shake out the next few years. I suppose a lot depends on the next POTUS. If anyone can predict the outcome, they would.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/415664/netanyahu-won-because-he-moved-right-meyrav-wurmser
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 25, 2015, 2:06 pmNeo-con’s project Ametican Century dead, cremated and disgracefully burried.
Terrorist Neten addressing US congress to resuscitate the dead a NON-event at best.
Zio so-called elections NON-event always.
Are Yemeni so-called Jews THE REAL JEWS with so-called antiquity credential identification papers? Akbar made sure they’re Yemenis on purpose……,.,
😆
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 2:36 pmMustap,
I don’t know who “THE REAL JEWS” are, so I let the comic book readers define it for me. 😉
As far as who “The Real Muslims” are, this is something I let the Wise Clerics handle.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 25, 2015, 3:46 pmMuslims have no antiquity prerequisites. So we’ll never have to struggle with the issue.
Wisdom does not rely on antiquity to justify its relevance. It is justifiable by itself in itself.
Posted by mustap | May 25, 2015, 3:54 pmBy the way, Akbar, I bought today all of Batman’s TV series (seriously no kidding). Do you think it will help me define who the real Jew is?
I hope it does. Because, I paid for it a lot more than what you paid for your bottles of Gin.
Any way, I’ll find out but would like your opinion.
Posted by mustap | May 25, 2015, 3:58 pmMustap,
Mazal tov on your purchase of the old Batman series. Hopefully, you got the one staring Burt Ward.
This series is a great way to decipher the many secret jewish/khazar codes creating havoc across the world. The “R” on Robin ‘ s costume is actually a Glatt Kosher symbol and is worn to show khazar superiority. Just ask Lally.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 25, 2015, 4:46 pmYeah, that’s the one I bought. But I thought R stood for Roses are Red or RR for the wicked.
If the Khazars were so superior why would they fall for an antiquity that is obviously not at the same level of their own superiority? I also wonder how they would fare against Nazi superiority. I believe the latter would not agree with your assessment. Nor would the mullahs.
You must admit that Jews were obliterated before they got infused by non-antiquated Kazarias.
So perhaps there are no real Jews after all. It could be all a fiction of your imagination.
I personally think the Arabs are the most superior of all including Robin and his mentor.
😄
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 5:19 pmMustap,
Yes I agree. There are no real jews afterall. And the arabs are the most superior of all.
Keep up the good work. I now understand why QN sometimes closes his website.
Posted by Akbar Palace | May 25, 2015, 5:35 pmWell, Akbar, QN may close the site every once in a while because some like you believe the Jews are superior or some like me believe Arabs are superiors.
Obviously, these are irreconcillable views and QN is not the confrontational type. Do you blame him?
So would you like the site to close again?
😀
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 5:53 pmMUSTAP,
Kol khara !
Kheyyy… this feels good, now I can sleep
Someone please ban me from visting or commenting on this comment thread
Posted by roger | May 25, 2015, 6:43 pmYou see what you just did Akbar with your Khazars superior claims? You just drove roger insane.
The guy just came out from the regular Nasrallah brain washing sessions and read your thread and he just couldn’t take it. Nasrallah told him in the most absolute terms that he and his fellow comrades attending the session are the most superior of all. And now your thread is telling him the opposite of what the sayyed proclaimed. How could you contradict what the bearer of a yellow flag black turbaned sayyed say. Do you, Akbar, really understand and comprehend what the yellow flag, the black turban and the term sayyed signify. Obviously, you don’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have made such irresponsibke claims which could drive the emtions of the superior roger to the hot zone.
Roger, go to sleep and wake up early tomorrow. There are quite new few burrials of the اشرف الناس from Qalamonade to be taken care of.
Posted by Mustap | May 25, 2015, 7:21 pm