Posts Tagged ‘Middle East’
Yesterday, USDemocrazy brought you a cartoon and news of President Obama’s speech on the condition in the Middle East.
On Friday, the fireworks over the President’s speech continued as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to chat with the President. The conversation could only be described as “tense”.
The official lines were they “acknowledged their differences”, reading between the lines it is more likely they “were ready to throttle each other”.
It seems Netanyahu wasn’t the only one ticked off at the President.
In Syria, protesters were angry at both their government and President Obama. Anti-government groups claim that Obama’s speech didn’t outline US support for their cause to the degree they were hoping for.
In a demonstration on Friday, shots were fired at Syrian protesters. 27 were killed, including a 10 year old boy. It appears the crisis in that country is growing deeper.
The Syrian government took shots at the President as well… suggesting President Obama stop lecturing Arab leaders and mind his own business.
To us, this shows that the situation in the Middle East is delicate, complicated, and hard to remedy.
We’re also looking forward to seeing how this will play out in the President’s reelection campaign. After all, Ms. Palin has suggested that she’s got the “fire in her belly” to make a Presidential Run in 2012.
President Obama gives lots of speeches.
But on Thursday, he gave a pretty big one… a long awaited speech addressing the historic changes in the Middle East.
While the main focus of his words was intended to be the “Arab Spring” citizen uprisings… somehow another subject got in the way.
The always-thorny-ever-lasting-mind-numbing conflict between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors raised its ugly head once again.
During his speech, in an effort to re-ignite faltering peace talks between the obstinate opponents, Obama proposed
“The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognised borders are established for both states.”
This is a serious No-No for some Israelis who claim guarding the smaller 1967 borders would be a security nightmare for them.
The issue also has political implications for Obama in the US. Republicans are in full attack mode, accusing the President of betraying an old friend.
This is one of many Middle East problems dogging the region ( see cartoon above).
It seems these dogs just won’t go away.
Recently, headlines around the world have featured citizen uprisings against repressive regimes. After successful government overthrows in Tunisia and Egypt, efforts for change in Libya and Syria have met violent opposition.
Clampdowns in China, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have tempered democratic aspirations those countries. The cartoon above captures the current scene in a nutshell. Are there other countries that you would add to the cartoon? ( drawing by KAL)
We have heard lots recently about social media. Things like Facebook and Twitter which weren’t around 10 years ago are now powerful forces in the world. Experts have been particularly interested in how social media has impacted the changing Middle East.
One of these experts is Zeynep Tufekci. She has particular interest in”the social impacts of technology and social media.” She has made numerous media appearances discussing these issues as they pertain to the Middle East.
We at USDemocrazy had the good fortune to interview her recently (See above).
This interview is the first of a series we are offering in conjunction with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Talking Heads blog.
Check out the video and give us your thoughts.
Bahrain, a small country in the Persian Gulf, is creating big news.
The spreading unrest in the Middle East is now gripping the country. Reports of government crackdowns leading to deaths have coincided with the arrival of Saudi Arabian military forces.
The instability in Bahrain is a big issue for the USA as Andrew Sullivan notes
this, unlike Libya,requires an American response. Because Bahrain hosts the Fifth Fleet.
The Fifth Fleet is America’s naval presence in the Persian Gulf. This is a pretty important strategic area for the US to maintain a fleet so we care quite a bit about what happens in Bahrain.
What should America do? Matt Yglesias thinks that the situation proposes a much cheaper soultion than any presented about Libya as
if the Secretary of Defense were to call the relevant royal families and say that the United States does not intend to sell weapons in the future to countries that use them to crack down on peaceful democratic protesters, that this would be an important spur to political change.
Just because there are options to put pressure on the government doesn’t mean the US will. Nick Turse, of Mother Jones, worries that maintaining our ‘friends’ and thus our Naval base in Bahrain
seems to be more powerful than the President of the United States’ commitment to support peaceful, democratic change in the oil-rich region.
So far President Obama has demanded that Bahrain’s government shows restraint. We’ll have to wait and see if there are any teeth in that request.
One headline grabbed our attention immediately: “Gaddafi: ‘My People Would Die for Me’”
Considering the news of all that violence and killing going on in his country, maybe that’s really what Gaddafi thinks is going on. Talk about delusional!
Gaddafi sat down with Christiane Amanpour for an interview and explained that he won’t be leaving Libya anytime soon, while also insisting that it’s the will of the people that keeps him in power. Clearly, he doesn’t know what’s going on outside his own window. (Actually, he does seem to be in total denial of all of those protests.)
Seems like Gaddafi wants some US support since he blames the craziness in the Libyan streets on al Qaeda and hallucinogenic drugs, but listening to Secretary of State Clinton, Gaddafi could be getting just the opposite.
Clinton spoke up yesterday to let the international community know that “nothing is off the table” when it came to that situation, and that the US military is ready to do what needs to be done in Libya.
Anything can happen at this point, it seems! We’re keeping an eye out…
It’s hard to know where to start with the uprising in Libya.
Since the Libyan”day of rage” last week (February 17), tensions have dramatically escalated in the North African nation (which shares its eastern border with Egypt).
After 42 years under the regime of Colonel Gaddafi (or Kadaffi, Quadafi, Gaddaffi, Kaddifi, Qaddafi… see our post on that matter here), the Libyan people have grown restless.
Why? Because of (what else?) government corruption, extremely high unemployment (like, 30%), and Libyan oil money that doesn’t find its way to the nation’s people or infrastructure.
Libya also has a very young population, and these guys have lost faith in their government. (I mean, democracy would help with that, but Gaddafi isn’t such a fan.)
The mainstream media was slow to embrace this story. The fact that the Libyan government has blacked out channels of communication didn’t help.
When Gaddafi started using mercenaries and the air force to attack demonstrators, the Internet started bursting at the seams with tweets, blog posts, and video of the massacre. (That word is not an overstatement!)
While Egypt and Tunisia’s uprisings brought about regime change, there is reason to be concerned that Libya’s leadership won’t go down so quickly.
Gaddafi’s son, Seif Gaddafi, took to the airwaves (as reported here by The Atlantic) to give an alarming indication of the relentless assault the government will wage against its protesting people:
“We will not lose one inch of this land,” he warned. “We will flight to the last man and woman and bullet.” His father, he said is “leading the battle” and will hold on to power “by any means necessary.” He echoed the same vague, hollow promises made by Egypt’s Mubarak and Tunisia’s Ben Ali, adding, in the dramatic and menacing flair his father has honed for decades, a threat. “We will tomorrow create a new Libya. We can agree on a new national anthem, new flag, new Libya. Or be prepared for civil war.”
Gaddafi is flaunting his continued presence in the nation’s capital, Tripoli, calling news stations reporting that he has fled “dogs.”
Gaddafi in Tripoli. Courtesy of Libyan state TV.
No word yet on what the U.S. will do in response, except that Secretary Clinton has joined in the international conversation condemning Gaddafi and his treatment of the people.
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. must step carefully here, because it does not have the “leverage” of a strong relationship with Libya to influence the outcome.
The situation in Libya is changing by the hour and you can keep up-to-date on the goings-on at Al Jazeera English’s live blog or with the UN Dispatch’s recommended Twitter accounts for reliable news. This great Mother Jones article has helped keep us in the loop on the background of the conflict and is updating regularly as well.
We will keep you informed.
Egypt’s most recent change of government has inspired calls for change across the Middle East.
Protests haven arisen in Iran, Bahrain, Libya, and potentially Djibouti.
It looks like the Egyptians have started a regional call for change. The question is will these protests succeed or will they be crushed? Only time and the “skillful” words of a particular blog will tell.
Human error? Watson stumbles on final jeopardy.
Come to papa: President Obama calls for an “Adult Conversation” on U.S. budget.
Government cracks down as protests pick up in Iran.
There is a new number two in the economic world.
And, your grocery bags might be able to get you to the grocery store.
Now that you’ve celebrated Valentine’s Day in you own special way, see how weird and grim it used to be.
The world watch as Egypt revolted, and now its eyes are fixated on Yemen, Algeria, and Iran…
Ding! Round one of the battle over the federal budget commences!
Also — check out this lost cat ask for directions:
The changing events in Egypt will likely have historic implications both for the country itself and the Middle East in general.
For decades, this tense and very combustible region of the world has been grappling with a dangerous standoff between Israel and Arab states. Egypt has been central solving the problems between the two warring sides for 3 reasons:
- It is the most populous Arab state
- It borders on Israel
- Though it fought wars with Israel in the past, it has a peace treaty with the country today.
While uncertainty rocks the region, the hope of long term peace is on hold, as the cartoon above points out (cartoon by KAL).
Hopefully, the tense situation will resolve for the benefit of Egyptian citizens…and in time for all the citizens of the Middle East.
If you are unfamiliar with the Middle East there are two things you need to know about the region:
- There will be no peace in the world until there is peace in the Middle East
- Peace in the Middle East is a long way away.
The cartoon above addresses a current thorny issue in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict… the increase building of new Israeli settlements in land that Palestinians also hold a claim. The cartoon above is a pessimistic about the subject but this article is a little more hopeful.
Note in the cartoon: The “Bibi” mentioned in the piece refers to Benjamin”Bibi” Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. (Cartoon by KAL)
As if President Obama did not have enough troubles on his plate… US ally Israel is causing continued heartburn for the President. We are told there will be no peace in the world until there is peace in the Middle East… and the prospect for long term peace seems to be in pieces at the moment. What would you tell the President to do?
Are looking for an excuse to avoid homework, house work, or really any kind of work? (Join the club)
We have found a way to procrastinate with a purpose… look no further than incredibly amazing TEDtalks.
These short 5 minute videos are the product of the elite TED conference where the world’s best innovators gather each year. Now these cool talks are available online for all to see!
The topics vary but here are just a few of USDemocrazy’s favorites:
Barbie, music videos, and comic books aren’t just for the western world. Watch this video (above) to see how the Arab world shapes its own pop culture.
America Idol boasts of similar shows springing up across the globe, but how does this idea translate to non-democratic nations?
Ever wonder how oil gets from the ground to your car? What does that even look like?!? Watch to see how industrialized landscape is shaped by this prominent resource.
The Obama Administration has used its Presidential sharpie to drawa big oval around the ‘October 1′ on the White House calendar.
That’s the day U.S. plans to sit down (with 4 other nations) and talk with longtime arch enemy Iran.
“Death to America” Iran? “Axis of Evil” Iran”?
That’s the one. …read more.
