Monday 21 February 2011

Which country will be next to go?

Here's a good wrap up from Agence-France Presse about the latest developments of unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. This follows the mass uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, bringing the fall of two long-time leaders.

Which country will be next to go? Will it be Bahrain or Libya?
God help China when the euphoria reaches there.


LIBYA: Protesters seize Libyan military bases, weapons. The premier denounced a "plot" to turn his country into a terrorist base, as anti-regime protests reached the capital and world powers slammed an iron-fisted crackdown said to have cost hundreds of lives.

IRAN: A massive police deployment in Tehran prevented large-scale protests from erupting, although Iranian opposition websites reported stray clashes and officials said the capital remained calm.

BAHRAIN: Bahrain's Sunni Muslim ruling family came under increased pressure to open in-depth talks with the Shiite-led opposition, as protesters erected more tents on the capital's Pearl Square and unions called off a strike.

MOROCCO: Thousands staged rallies in Moroccan cities demanding political reform and limits on the powers of King Mohammed VI, with protesters shouting "the people want change."

KUWAIT: Hundreds of stateless Arabs demonstrated for the third day running to press for basic rights and citizenship of the oil-rich Gulf state and Human Rights Watch called for the release of dozens detained on Friday.

YEMEN: Hundreds of students demonstrated on the eighth straight day of anti-regime protests in Sanaa, while police shot dead a protester in south Yemen and the opposition vowed to join protests.

EGYPT: Three police officers in Alexandria face questioning over the shooting of protesters in the early days of the Egyptian uprising, as banks reopened and workers at Egypt's largest factory ended a strike.

TUNISIA: Tunisia's interim government asked Saudi Arabia to extradite deposed strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as it faced a second day of protests on the streets of Tunis, demanding its resignation.

DJIBOUTI: Djibouti authorities have "provisionally released" three top opposition leaders briefly detained after unprecedented protests demanding regime change, the state prosecutor said.

IRAQ: At least eight people, four police and four civilians, were reported wounded when clashes erupted during a rally in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.

JORDAN: King Abdullah II urged speedy reforms, comprehensive dialogue and more efforts to battle corruption amid popular discontent and pro-reform protests.

SYRIA: A jailed Syrian Kurdish blogger and rights activist, Kamal Hussein Sheikho, is on a hunger strike, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

ALGERIA: Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci told Spain's El Pais newspaper the anti-government revolts in Tunisia and Egypt will not spread to Algeria, a day after riot police clashed with protesters in the centre of Algiers.

11 comments:

Mark ☭ Archer said...

Next to go will be Libya

Unknown said...

Waiting for our resident conspiracy theorist (whose web site has been down for a while now) and his mates to come out with claims that this is all a Zionist conspiracy and that the all mighty Mossad is behind it all.

Israel cops a lot of criticism, a lot of it deserved, but have a look at how those, who constantly condemn and attack Israel, treat their own people.

Let's just hope this is the start of a radical change across the entire region and that the Israelis will be inspired to change their government with one that will actively negotiate peace with its neighbours.

Of course Israelis can do that at the ballot box, unlike those who seek to destroy them...

Syd Walker said...

Since Nick appears to know what I believe before I know it myself, perhaps he'd consider purchasing the franchise to speak on my behalf?

My website, with luck, shall be back online shortly. My phone line was down for 12 days, at a time when Telstra had an A1 excuse for not bothering to fix it anytime soon. Meanwhile my website was subjected to a temporary hostile attack and the web host disabled it. Nice people all round.

Unlike most wiseguys within the bought-and-paid-for western Commentariat, I don't profess to know with any certainty what's happening in the current upheavals and what the future holds. Am I cautiously hopeful? Sure. Am I concerned it may turn out to be another dead-end for the long-suffering folk of the middle east? That too.

Nick sneers pre-emptively at suspicions only a fool would refuse to contemplate. He also slips in a plug for "the only (apartheid) democracy in the middle east" on the least excuse. Both rhetorical tricks are typical of the modus operandi of apologists for apartheid Israel.

I will say this. If there is truth to the view that Nick suggests I hold, it bodes ill for the protestors that social media they find so useful are - like others key elements of the western media - decisively dominated by one tribal affinity group unlikely to have their interests at heart.

After all, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin and Larry Page are not Arabs. Some folk have even been so rude as to suggest these fast-tracked whizz kids are effectively Mossad agents.

That, as Nick will affirm, is merely an outrageous 'conspiracy theory'. Like Egyptian bloggers, we can all be 100% confident our personal data never ends up in data banks in Tel Aviv.

Isn't that right Nick?

Unknown said...

PS was it Mossad or the Jewish lobby in Australia that carried out the hostile attack on your website ?

PPS I have never "pre-emptively sneered " at anybody, but I might start doing that now. That was beautifully said, Syd (sad Syd). You certainly have a way with words, I'll grant you that.

Al-Salam السلام Shalom

Syd Walker said...

You terminology grosses me out Nick. It's repulsive, along with your pro-apartheid bias.

It's as though you're determined there will be ugly, xenophobic language used in this debate to validate your paranoia about 'anti-Semitism'. As you don't get any from me, you invent it yourself. That's similar behaviour to the suprisingly numerous (although not widely reported) cases of Jews who paint swasticas themwelves, then call the cops claiming victimhood. Here's a pathetic example.

Incidentally, 'free speech' and 'social media' was the theme of a recent speech by Hillary Clinton. Watch and enjoy. Be sure to watch to the end. That's when a 71 year old peace protestor is evicted forcibly for having the effrontery to silently turn his back on the US Secretary of State while sporting an anti-war T-shirt.

It makes for great TV. Remember seeing that clip on Lateline, the the 7.30 report or Sky News? Me neither. Thank God for Australia's free media!

Unknown said...

And you are not grossed out by links posted on your web site by one of your faithful supporters suggesting Jewish collusion with the Nazi's during WWII ?

Will you publish "the Elders of Zion "on your web site next" ? There will be plenty of gullible people out there who will swallow it whole.

Funny that many of those Jewish internet geniuses have Eastern European names. Why would that be ? Maybe because their grandparents were murdered by the Nazis or the Russians or both ? Or maybe that didn't actually happen and they gassed themselves.

I believe your point about free speech in the USA without having to watch the link. But you don't seem concerned about free speech in Iran or Palestine or Lebanon or Libya. Nor do you seem concerned about the violence dished out to demonstrators in these countries. Now of course, if Israel did a thing like that...

You seem to think that the rest of us can't think for ourselves and believe everything we read, hear and see in the mainstream media. Only you and your mates know the truth ! The arrogance of a true zealot. It reminds me a bit of those serious Marxists-Leninists in the 70's who couldn't wait to overthrow the establishment and hang the bourgeoisie from the lamp posts. They knew the truth and the hell with everyone else. Little 'kommisars' in the making.

Debate, Syd ? What debate. As far as you concerned Israel is wrong on all counts and whatever happens in the Middle east, in North Africa or Iran is irrelevant and you will ignore it, like the great Palestinian massacre that took place in Jordan.


There are plenty of people both in Israel and Palestine who have the same narrow focus as you and as long as these people have any influence, there will never be peace. Of course peace is not what you and your followers wish for. Israel must completely disappear for you to be satisfied.

If both the Israelis and Palestinians one day will see the light and stop being so ignorant and try and live together, what would you do with your life ?

Maybe you could run a campaign for another suppressed people whose native lands have been occupied. One that's much closer to home .

Syd Walker said...

Thanks Nick.

We apparently check out similar websites, except that I critique disgusting pro-Apartheid propaganda from a universalist perspective - whereas you parrot it like the hasbara functionary you are revealing yourself to be. That the difference between us, I guess?

See these references for instance...

The Israel Project's secret hasbara handbook exposed

The Israel Project’s Secret Hasbara Handbook Exposed

Unknown said...

I admire your technique Syd. Keep the focus on Israel and Israel alone. Keep using loaded words like "apartheid" and never respond to anything else.

As an apologist for some of the most onerous regimes in the area, you really have no credibility when you criticise Israel.

And that's a pity, because there is much Israel deserves to be criticised for. And so do many other countries in the region.

You and your faithful followers are not interested in any "solution" of the problem, unless it is a "final solution". And that has been tried before.

I think current events in the Middle East, Iran and North Africa demonstrate how out of touch you are and what a narrow focus you have.

Try and have a look at the big picture Syd, instead of through "Zionist-conspiracy" cploured glasses.

What is wrong by the way with "public diplomacy " ? You can give it a Hebrew name, but isn't that what you are doing for the enlightened Iranian regime ? Explain and/or try to justify their actions ?

I am waiting for revelations that current events in Libya are also the work of the Zionists and have nothing to do with the fact that the general population is sick of a mad dictator who has been robbing them for decades.

Syd Walker said...

Nick. In your first comment on this thread you chose to (a) put the focus on Israel (b) provoke me into getting involved by making absurd comments about what I may think without asking me first.

I pointed out the Hasbara handbook because so much of your rhetoric finds parallels in that handbook of deceit.

Keep putting lipstick on your favourite pig if that's what you want to do. I think most folk are seeing through the gloss.

As for Libya, I'm no big fan of Ghaddafi, but when I hear former UK Foreign Minister David Owen (aka Dr Death) today calling for a UN-enforced no-fly regime in Libya on the basis that the Iraqi no-fly zones of the 1990s were a "great success" I do think Libyans should be very concerned they aren't leaping from frying pan to fire.

Unknown said...

Syd,

I have never heard of, or read the Hasbara handbook, but provoked you were, all too easily.

It is not nice to call Jewish people pigs. If I publicly called a Palestinian a pig there would be bomb threads and fatwas !

One of the regular posters on your web site claims that Israelis (read Jews) harvest and sell human organs.

Can you confirm that Jews also eat babies ?

You spread as much misinformation as you accuse me of doing.

I am prepared to look at all the issues that affect all sites in this on-going conflict.

All your views are based on the so-called world wide Zionist conspiracy , which according to you and your fellow believers, is behind nearly everything that is wrong in this world.

And you consistently refuse to speak out on Iran, instead supporting the murderous regime there, because they are sworn enemies of Israel.

So much for objectivity, Syd. I think most folk see through your biased views without too much trouble.

Syd Walker said...

Nick writes: "It is not nice to call Jewish people pigs".

I agree with that. As you may have noticed Nick, I didn't do it. For the nth time, you are trying to misrepresent my words. I won't say please again. STOP doing it.

The rest of your latest comment is also a lame attempt to frame me with views I don't hold and beliefs I don't share.

You write: "All your views are based on the so-called world wide Zionist conspiracy". No they're not. That's plain rubbish.

You write: "So much for objectivity". But you're the one who raises the issue of 'objectivity' (when it suits you).

Most people on this forum understand full well that when they read my comments they are reading the opinions of one person. Most people can tolerate the fact that someone holds views such as mine - even if they don't agree with them. But not our resident Zionist minder.

How typical.

As for the trade in human organs, I don't recall discussing it in the past, but as YOU mention it, I wonder if you're referring to this case?

Incidentally, do you remember seeing that fairly recent (and very shocking) story on Lateline, the 7.30 report, Fox News, in the pages of the Australian, in the Cairns Post etc etc etc

Me neither. :-)

Would the story have made the headlines worldwide had the organ traffickers in this case not been rabbis with Israeli connections, but Roman Catholic priests or Iranian mullahs? I think so.

One great tragedy of the Jewish people (as a whole) in this era is that their leading organisations pillory and jail the finest Jewish people alive. I can't adequately express my admiration for individuals such as Richard Falk, Gilad Atzmon, Mark Lane and Mordechai Vanunu. But all of them are widely reviled in apartheid Israel (although the mean-spirited regime won't let nuclear whistleblower Vanunu have his freedom to travel or even to meet 'foreigners' - not after 25 years in captivity!)