Blogging the democratic revolution
President Bush is stepping up the verbal pressure on Iran. And remember, verbal pressure from the U.S. can be deadly when ignored. “The Iranians just need to know that the free world is working together to send a very clear message: Don’t develop a nuclear weapon,” Bush said. “And the reason we’re sending that message is because Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a very destabilizing force in the world,” he said during a meeting with Poland’s president. Bush said he looked forward to discussing concerns about Iran with European allies. “It’s important we speak with one voice,” he…
They are recounting 300 ballot boxes from outlying regions to confirm the count. Doesn’t sound so bad to me, but it is somewat demoralizing to those who want to keep the energy high and know the outcome for sure. Iraqi election officials admitted on Wednesday that the result of the country’s elections 11 days ago would be delayed to allow a recount of 300 ballot boxes from outlying regions. The officials did not say when the final results, which had been due for release on Thursday, would be published. “It will be a little bit delayed,” said Farid Ayar, spokesman…
The Transitions Trends blogger is somewhat pessimistic to say the least. I have to agree, but mostly because I like to see things done quicker than they are currently being carried out. Praktike has a few good notes and links worth having a look at. My favorite is this tidbit from an interview with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah: Question: Do you expect this to ever become a representative democracy? Abdullah: I believe it is now a democracy. I hope that isn’t telling of the future. As he notes, John is more optimistic.
The LA Times is running a story by a female Iranian journalist under a pseudonym. She details the process by which she was taken by the state, interrogated, and imprisoned. It is filled with enraging details and ends with sick irony. TEHRAN ???????? “Excuse me, Miss, but here in my hand I have a warrant for your arrest,” said a middle-aged man with a few days’ growth of beard. “Please do not make any noise as you walk calmly to the Mercedes parked at the corner.” When the man approached me, I had just left a bookstore. It crossed my…
John Burgess blogs on the recent cabinet appointments made by King Fahd. He also gives his impression of them and what reforms they have (or haven’t in some cases) made for their country.
As you have all probably heard by now, Sharon and Abbas have agreed to a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt (AP) _ Grinning broadly, the two men clasped hands as they strained to reach across water bottles, their national flags and a bouquet of yellow and white flowers atop a wide table that spoke of the distance remaining between Israel and the Palestinians. The warm and lengthy handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, repeated three times for the cameras at a breakthrough summit at this Egyptian resort Tuesday, lifted…
John Burgess posts an article about a uniquely Saudi way of handling terrorists: This is a pretty interesting piece. It give a gimpse at a very Saudi way of dealing with problems. Social pressure????????from families as well as religious figures????????is applied to would-be terrorists. It????????s also the method used to resolve many issues that are not aptly handled with Western legal or policing techniques, like child abductions.
Arthur Chrenkoff has posted his good news from Afghanistan roundup part nine. I hope you havea few hours set aside!
The mainstream media hadn’t really gotten it yet, but those Christians protesting that they didn’t get the ability to vote hit the streets in Baghdad: ”We are protesting because we have been deprived of our right to participate in the elections,” said Shameil Benjamin, a member of a Christian party called the Democratic Assyrian Movement. ”There were irregularities and we felt that the injustice was inflicted on us.” A spokesman for Chaldean and Assyrian parties, William Warda, said the irregularities prevented 200,000 people from voting. The demonstrators gathered outside the Green Zone, which houses the offices of the interim Iraqi…
Pejman notes an article in the Washington Post that recognizes how Sunni groups are willing to participate in writing the new constitution of their country. Influential Sunni Arab leaders of a boycott of last Sunday’s elections expressed a new willingness Friday to engage the coming Iraqi government and play a role in writing the constitution, in what may represent a strategic shift in thinking among mainstream anti-occupation groups. The signs remain tentative, and even advocates of such change suggest that much will depend on the posture the new government takes toward the insurgency and the removal of former Baath Party…
Big Pharoah from Egypt posts why he hopes that the “Iraq tsunami” of democracy doesn’t hit Egypt just yet: Several people emailed me right after Iraq’s election telling me that they hope that Egypt would one day witness such a day. I too hope this but I have to be very cautious as to when I wish that to happen. A quick look at Egypt’s current opposition entities is enough to install tremendous fear within me. Today there is no viable attractive opposition in Egypt that could replace the rule of Mubarak. I am sure that my country has a…
John Burgess posts an article relating that the biggest threat to Arab countries is terrorism. If you read no other article today, read this one. … Do read it. And note that it????????s being published in a Saudi paper. I suggest you all do that.
i-Newswire, 2005-02-06 – Movements are afoot in both the House and Senate to pass legislation that would enable the U.S. government to support foreign and domestic pro-democracy groups opposed to the current Islamic republic of Iran. Aides for Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said the senator is drafting legislation that would resemble a bill he introduced in the last congressional session, the “Iran Freedom and Support Act.” Though the language in the new bill is being worked out, it is expected to echo the prior bill in that it would include financial assistance for opposition groups. The original bill did not…
Fayrouz Hancock of Live From Dallas posts about over 100,000 villagers who did not receive voting materials in the elections this past Sunday. For fear of this post being way too long, just go to the link and check it out. There are several updates to the situation. During the last two days, I’ve been following the news of the Christian villages in Mosul that didn’t get the chance to vote. The real reason is still unclear. There are 100,000 eligible voters in those villages. Those voters are disappointed by not being able to vote. I don’t blame them. ……
One of the more interesting stories I have been reading lately is how a village of Iraqis fought back against insurgents threatening them with violence. MARK WILLACY: That’s right, Tony. The Iraqi police have investigated a case in the village of al-Mudhariya, which is just south of Baghdad. The villagers there say that before the election insurgents came and warned them that if they voted in last weekend’s election, they would pay. Now the people of this mixed village of Sunni and Shia Muslims, they ignored the threat and they did turn out to vote. We understand that last night…
John Burgess posts an interesting article relating the mixed attitude of the citizenry toward the upcoming municipal elections. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an article entitled Election fever catches on in Saudi Arabia: Already there are unfamiliar scenes on Riyadh’s streets. For the first time there are forums – daily meetings at candidates’ headquarters – where people can discuss social issues away from the control of religious authorities. One woman even called a candidate praising his looks and offering to be a second wife. Candidate fliers are thrown into open car windows, and brochures are folded into newspapers. Carpeted tents have…
Daniel Drezner writes about the mention of Egypt in the SOTU address last night. The lines about Egypt and Saudi Arabia were nicely phrased, in that they represented a challenge to the regimes there. Coincidentally enough, the Wall Street Journal has a front-pager by Karby Leggett on Egypt’s economic reforms. From the opening, it appears that Egypt’s latest prime minister is adopting a much more market-friendly posture: … So, what does the U.S. do? Hope that the economic reforms trigger future political reforms, or apply more leverge on the Mubarak regime — even if a more democratic government might not…
It looks like Iran is getting upset that talks aren’t going anywhere. But that’s to be expected, really. I can’t think of a recent event in which European negotiations came to a benificial fruition. Except for Libya… oh, except it was the U.S. doing that. My apologies: TEHRAN, Iran – Iran will never scrap its nuclear program, and talks with Europeans are intended to protect the country’s nuclear achievements, not negotiate an end to them, an Iranian official said Wednesday. The remarks by Ali Agha Mohammadi, spokesman of Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council, are the latest in a hardening…
I find this symbolic in a way: Via: Reuters
John posts an article showing some poll results about Middle Eastern attitudes toward western democracy. An online poll was recently carried out by the Arabic website of Aljazeera satellite television, where well over 80 percent of voters said that they distrust ???????Western democracy”. The poll results simply restated the obvious. The query, of course, hardly meant to question ???????Western democracy??????? in its own right, but rather its imposition on the Arab world. Like John notes, the statistics may or may not be off. I remember when the Democratic Underground built up a huge list of online polls for its users…
Make sure to be checking out Crossroads Arabia; John is revving up the posting due to the oncoming municipal elections. I’ll leave this up to the experts.
I came across this awesome blog today called Window on the Arab World, and more!. It is done by a guy named Kirk H. Sowell, a specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs and a published author. Read his website, the information and commentary is awesome. To start, here is something cool I read: Just now I watched a segment on Al-Jazeera about the attack earlier today in Kuwait against foreigners. The commentator, a Kuwaiti named Ahmad Shiraf, was asked who was behind this, and he responded enemies of civilization who are encouraged by those who glorify terrorism, such as Al-Jazeera!!! The…
Norman Geras is pissed at the Guardian’s editorial section. But honestly, it’s no use getting mad at people who can’t write.
John Hawkins has his own roundup of favorite quotes from blogs on the Iraq election. I’ve posted similar lists earlier on if you’re interested, just scroll.
I hope Bloggle doesn’t mind too much, but I just had to post this in full: Jack Chirac told president Bush in a phone conversation that “The participation rate and the good technical organization of the elections were satisfactory.” Say what you want, but the famous silver-tongued French certainly know how to gussy up a phrase, don’t they? I can see Jack making the moves on one of the tarts on the Champs d’Elysee, running a hand through his thinning pate, leaning in to fill his Gallic nostrils with sweet Parisian parfum, and whispering, “Ah mademoiselle, your lips are quite…