Empire: Iraq to Mali: The changing calculus of war (24 Feb 2013)

‘It has been 10 years since the US-led invasion of Iraq, which marked a turning point in the West’s so-called war on terror. The pretext of the Iraq war was security and freedom, but the bombastic and openly pronounced objective was no less than remaking the greater Middle East region. For the US, Iraq became a quagmire and a humiliation – a strategic and moral failure that the country has spent the last four years trying to forget. But how much has America’s calculus of war really changed? And as Africa becomes the new frontline in the ‘war on terror’, have the Europeans learnt from America’s mistakes? Empire explores the merits, objectives, costs and morality of these wars with our guests: John Nagl, a retired Lieutenant Colonel who co-authored the US army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual; Jean Marie Guehenno, the director of the Center of International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University, and former United Nations under secretary general for Peacekeeping Operations; Barbara Bodine, a professor at Princeton University and a former US Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen who also served with the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq; and Christopher Hedges, a senior fellow at The Nation Institute, former New York Times Middle East bureau chief, and author of several books, including War is a Force That Gives us Meaning and Empire of Illusion’ .

Breaking the Set: 9/11 First Responders, US Funds Syrian Opposition, Food Stamps

‘On this episode of Breaking the Set, Abby Martin highlights Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, as the hero of the day for raising awareness of the 850,000 people in New Jersey who face hunger every day, and calls out white house advisor Bob Ryan for being the perfect example of the revolving door relationship between Washington and Wall Street Banks. Abby then talks to 9/11 first responder Michael McPhillips about the Zadroga Act and the delay to the funding that first responders not only need, but deserve. BTS wraps up the show with an interview with Syrian Blogger, Mimi al Laham, about the civil war in Syria and how to break through the propaganda and misconceptions of the crisis’.

Egypt Update: Morsi and the Constitution???

‘Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi has announced the referendum on the new constitution will be held on December the 15th. That’s as the country is gripped by unrelenting protests, with thousands coming out both for and against Morsi. Middle East expert, Doctor Omar Ashour, says Morsi is not doing enough to pacify his opponents (2 Dec 2012)’.

The Syrian Opposition: Oil and Other Special Interests or the Rise of Moaz al-Khatib

The new head of the Syrian opposition, Moaz al-Khatib is no stranger to the wicked ways of the West, in spite of his position as the imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The Guardian’s Luke Harding and Martin Chulov declare that “his moderation lends him credibility”.[1]  But there is more than meets the eye, Harding and Chulov describe him as “religious moderate, with impeccable revolutionary credentials, and a geologist as well”, but al-Khatib also “studied geophysics [and] spent six years working as an engineer. He is also a member of the Syrian Geological Society and the Syrian Society for Psychological Science, and was president of the Islamic Society of Urbanisation”.[2]  And where did he work as an engineer???  The investigative Voltaire Network‘s Thierry Meyssan explains that Moaz al-Khatib “worked for six years for the al-Furat Petroleum Company (1985-91), a joint-venture between the national company and other foreign enterprises, including the Anglo-Dutch Shell, with whom he has maintained contact”.[3]

What a surprise . . . and oil man is to lead the Syrian opposition, hell-bent on ousting Assad and turning over Syria’s oil proceeds to the highest bidder. Meyssan continues his biographic sketch of al-Khatib as follows: in “1992, he inherited the prestigious charge of preacher at the [Umayyad] mosque [in Damascus] from his father, Sheikh Mohammed Abu al-Faraj al-Khatib. He was rapidly relieved of his functions and forbidden to preach anywhere in Syria. However, this episode did not occur in 2012, and has nothing to do with the present contestation – it happened twenty years ago, under Hafez el-Assad. At that time, Syria was supporting the international intervention to liberate Kuwait, in respect of international law, in order to get rid of their Iraqi rival, and also to forge closer ties with the West. As for the Sheikh, he was opposed to “Desert Storm” for the same religious motives which were proclaimed by [Usamah bin] Laden – with whom he aligned himself – notably the refusal of Western presence on Arab lands, which they consider sacrilegious. This position led him to deliver a number of anti-semitic and anti-Western diatribes. Following that, the Sheikh continued his activity as a religious teacher, notably at the Dutch Institute in Damascus. He made numerous trips abroad, mainly to Holland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Finally, he settled in Qatar. In 2003-04, during the attribution of oil and gas concessions, he returned to Syria as a lobbyist for the Shell group”.[4]

Meyssan concludes his picture of the new Syrian opposition leader thus: Moaz al-Khatib “is a member of the Muslim brotherhood, and declared this quite clearly at the end of his speech of investiture at Doha. According to the usual technique of the Brotherhood, he adapts not only the form, but also the content of his speeches to his audience. Sometimes leaning towards a multi-religious society, sometimes towards the restoration of sharia law. In his writings, he qualifies Jewish people as “enemies of God”, and Shiite Muslims as “rejectionist heretics”, epithets which are the equivalent of a death sentence”.[5]

How this bode for the future of Syria???  What do these facts indicate about the direction of a post-Assad Damascus???  Upon the urging of Washington, the Syrian opposition convened in Doha recently, where the umbrella organisation called the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was proclaimed and then, the U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Stephen Ford prevailed upon the assembled “revolutionaries” to appoint the supposedly moderate and quite camera-friendly Moaz al-Khatib to head those who to end Assad’s life and rule, in a fashion similar to Qaddafi in Libya.[6]  Robert Ford’s appointment dates back to April 2011,[7] at the very start of the current unrest. The Obama administration judged the appointment prudent at the time, as the position had been left vacant during the Bush years, leaving the U.S. without any way to influence the situation on the ground. And once more, the law of unintended consequences seems to come into play now, in a way somewhat reminiscent of the blowback caused Brzezinski’s actions during the Carter administration.[8]

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[1] Luke Harding and Martin Chulov, “Moaz al-Khatib: ex-imam charged with uniting Syria’s opposition” The Guardian (13 November 2012). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/12/moaz-al-khatib-syria-opposition.

[2] Luke Harding and Martin Chulov, “Moaz al-Khatib: ex-imam charged with uniting Syria’s opposition”.

[3] Thierry Meyssan, “The many faces of Sheikh Ahmad Moaz Al-Khatib” VoltaireNet (23 November 2012). http://www.voltairenet.org/article176707.html.

[4] Thierry Meyssan, “The many faces of Sheikh Ahmad Moaz Al-Khatib”.

[5] Thierry Meyssan, “The many faces of Sheikh Ahmad Moaz Al-Khatib”.

[6] Cfr. Thierry Meyssan, “The many faces of Sheikh Ahmad Moaz Al-Khatib”.

[7] Abby Philips, “Ford in spotlight amid Syria revolt” Politico (25 April 2011). http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0411/a_useful_guy_528d2a43-3845-42b3-a9d1-c07b41fbf2fb.html.

[8] Cfr. C. Erimtan, “The War in Afghanistan: The legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski and the Volatile Situation in Pakistan” Today’s Zaman (07 October 2010). http://tiny.cc/7gsi2.

Egypt Today: Morsi’s Political Course Unsustainable???

‘Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s push for a new constitutional declaration will prove to be unsustainable, an analyst tells Press TV. On Thursday, Morsi issued a new constitutional declaration to expand his powers. The decree opens the way for retrials of officials involved in the clampdown on popular protests that toppled long-standing dictator Hosni Mubarak in early 2011. It also bars courts from challenging Morsi’s decisions. To further discuss the issue, Press TV’s News Analysis has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor at the Pan-African News Wire, from Detroit, Wafik Moustafa, UK Chairman of Conservative Arab Network, from London, and Nii Akuetteh, an African Policy analyst, from Washington (24 November 2012)’.

President Mohammad Morsi Assumes Full Power in Egypt: A New Pharaoh in the making???

Early last month, the BBC’s Shaimaa Khalil stated that in “the [first] 100 days of his presidency Mohammed Mursi has managed to surprise Egyptians on many occasions. The very fact that he was elected at all was surprising to many. Mr Mursi was propelled to power by the Muslim Brotherhood when their original candidate, business tycoon Khairat al-Shater, was disqualified from the presidential race. This won Mr Mursi titles like “The Accidental President” and “The Spare Wheel”. From the outset there were many doubts about whether he would be able to take charge of a country marred by a collapsing economy and a volatile security situation . . . The country had, for the 18 months before President Mursi was sworn in, been ruled by Egypt’s formidable military. They had a tight grip on power and made sure they continued to do so even after a president was elected. They announced a constitutional declaration just days before the election results. It gave the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) legislative and executive powers including the ability to veto any article in the drafting of the country’s constitution. But last August, Mr Mursi took the nation – and the world – by surprise when he cancelled Scaf’s constitutional declaration and transferred full executive and legislative authority from the military council to himself. He also forced the Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and his second-in-command Sami Enan into retirement. He appointed Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the former head of military intelligence, and the youngest member of Scaf as defence minister. Mr Mursi then continued his reshuffling of Egypt’s top brass when it was announced that 70 other generals in the Egyptian armed forces were to be retired. This was the president’s first real assertion of power and many argue his biggest achievement to date”.[1]

Another month has now gone by, and now Mursi has performed his most unexpected and shocking manoeuvre, as reported by Reuters: Egypt’s President “has issued a decree that puts his decisions above legal challenge until a new parliament is elected, of being the new Mubarak and hijacking the revolution [on Thursday, 22 November 2012] . . . [this] decision to assume sweeping powers caused fury amongst his opponents and prompted violent clashes in central Cairo and other cities on Friday [, 23 November 2012]. Police fired tear gas near Cairo’s Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, where thousands demanded Mursi quit and accused him of launching a “coup”. There were violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez. Opponents accused Mursi, who has issued a decree that puts his decisions above legal challenge until a new parliament is elected, of being the new Mubarak and hijacking the revolution”.[2]

The BBC’s Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen opines that the “Muslim Brotherhood, of which President Mursi is a leader, is a cautious organisation. The demonstrations might persuade it to dilute its controversial measures. If that doesn’t happen, then the split in Egypt between political Islamists and the rest will grow deeper and more bitter. President Mursi argues that he has taken exceptional powers to deal with Egypt’s enormous problems. But the scenes on the streets of Cairo, and Egypt’s other major cities, show that the medicine could be making the disease worse. The country has had no political or economic stability since President Mubarak fell in February last year. Creating both should be at the top of the agenda for Mr Mursi. Egypt is close to getting a big loan from the International Monetary Fund – but the accusations that he is turning himself into a new Mubarak will worry Western donors”.[3]  Being the objective BBC journalist that he is, Bowen ends his analysis on this even-handed note: “Mr Mursi was praised as a pragmatist by the Americans after he negotiated the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But Egyptians who didn’t vote for him – almost half the people who turned out in June’s election – believe he has taken the new, sweeping powers to ram through an Islamist agenda”.[4]

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[1] Shaimaa Khalil, “Egypt: President Mursi’s 100 days in power” BBC News (09 October 2012). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19882135.

[2] “Egypt President Mohamed Morsi Seizes New Powers, Called ‘Pharaoh’” Reuters (23 November 2012). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/23/egypt-mohamed-morsi_n_2176978.html?utm_hp_ref=world.

[3] Jeremy Bowen, “Analysis” BBC News (23 November 2012). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20458148.

[4] Jeremy Bowen, “Analysis”.

Syrian Opposition United: George Sabra

‘Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, has agreed to join forces with other opposition groups at a meeting in Qatar Made up of various anti-government factions, in a step toward forming a broad-based interim government, the new umbrella organisation will be called the Syrian National Coalition. Al Jazeera‘s Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Doha (10 Nov 2012)’.

Also from Doha, Reuters’ Regan Doherty reports that the “new chief of the main Syrian opposition group overseas said on Saturday [. 10 November] he still had hope for more military aid from Western powers in the revolt against the rule of Bashar al-Assad. “Now we will push the Arab countries and the international community to change their position. We need a new decision,” George Sabra told Reuters in Doha, where Syrian opposition figures have been meeting for the past week to try to forge a new leadership including activists overseas and in Syria itself. He spoke after the Syrian National Council (SNC), formed last year as Damascus tried to crush the protest movement for democratic reform, voted him as its new leader on Friday night. “We need military equipment – rockets against tanks and airplanes to protect ourselves… We hope we will get something soon,” said the 65-year-old Sabra, when asked if the SNC had received any assurances of more military support forthcoming”.[1]

Now that the CIA seems to have admitted that its Syria strategy is not working, given Petraeus’ unexpected departure, would a Christian figurehead at the helm of the anti-Assad coalition inspire sufficient confidence to overtly arm the “rebels” or “terrorists”???  Last June, Eric Schmitt disclosed in the pages of the New York Times that the CIA was funnelling arms and training towards Syrian recruits in an effort to oust Assad.[2]  Petraeus was undoubtedly the brains behind that semi-covert attempt at regime change in Damascus . . . now the General is gone and a Christian has been appointed the public face of the “United Opposition to Assad” . . . As long ago as last April, the journalist and blogger Malik Al-Abdeh wrote that “George Sabra is being increasingly touted as a future leader of the Syrian opposition, and potentially, of Syria itself”.[3]

Al-Abdeh continues his sketch as follows: “Many factors have shaped the forceful yet understated politician that is George Sabra: disillusionment, as for so many other Syrians communists, with the Soviet brand that forced itself onto them and against which they rebelled; a work ethic that saw him distinguished as a primary school teacher then a Geography student at university, and which, by 1985, made him a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party – Political Bureau at the age of 38; perseverance, having spent two years in solitary detention, and almost a lifetime in a country where, up until very recently, the prospects for democratic change appeared very slim indeed”.[4]  In other words, Sabra has been a long-standing opposition figure, not necessarily enamoured with the U.S. or its agenda, and thus his current appointment will in all likelihood not last very long nor will it be very effective in steering the opposition into a more powerful position. But as a Christian, Sabra will undoubtedly be used to convince the leaders of the West that an extremist Islamic takeover following Assad’s demise can be avoided . . . Reuters’ Doherty even mentions that “Sabra also played down the presence of jihadist groups among rebels in Syria, saying such talk was ‘exaggerated’. Al Qaeda-linked militants from Iraq are thought to have joined the fight in Syria, where militants are accused of beheading some of those thought to support Assad and warring against the Alawi sect of Assad and much of the ruling elite”.[5]  And adding even more colour to Sabra’s rosy picture, the Reuters’ piece also states that “Sabra said the SNC would appoint some women to the general secretariat to make up for their failure to win seats”.[6]  I wonder what the ‘Al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militant group’,[7] in VOA parlance, would have to say about that . . .

 

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[1] Regan Doherty, “Syria opposition leader still hopes for military aid” Reuters (10 Nov 2012). http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/10/us-syria-doha-sabra-interview-idUSBRE8A90DC20121110.

[2] “The New Cold War: The CIA Prepares Battleground Syria???” A Pseudo-Ottoman Blog (22 June 2012). http://sitanbul.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/the-new-cold-war-the-cia-prepares-battleground-syria/.

[3] Malik Al-Abdeh, “George Sabra: A man for all seasons?” Syria in Transition (09 April 2012). http://syriaintransition.com/2012/04/09/george-sabra-a-man-for-all-seasons/.

[4] Malik Al-Abdeh, “George Sabra: A man for all seasons?”.

[5] Regan Doherty, “Syria opposition leader still hopes for military aid”.

[6] Regan Doherty, “Syria opposition leader still hopes for military aid”.

[7] “Car Bombs, Air Strikes Kill Dozens in Syria” VOA News (05 November 2012). http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/11/05/car-bombs-air-strikes-kill-dozens-in-syria/.

The Mubarak Verdict

Less than 16 months after he was forced from power, Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, was sentenced to life in prison. It is a dramatic turn of events for a man who once controlled his country with an iron fist. Al Jazeera‘s Charles Stratford reports on Mubarak’s career, and his eventual downfall (2 June 2012).

After a trial that lasted 10 months, Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, and his former interior minister have been found guilty for their roles in the first week of the revolution, where hundreds died at the hands of police. Mubarak was convicted for conspiring with security forces to kill anti-government protesters and sentenced to life in prison, but was acquitted on corruption charges. His former Interior Minister was also convicted for conspiring to kill protesters, and given a life sentence. Following his sentence, Mubarak has been flown from the court to his new home at Torah prison, on the outskirts of the capital, Cairo. Al Jazeera‘s Rawya Rageh reports fromCairo,Egypt (2 June 2012).

Across Egypt, reaction to the verdict in the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak has been mixed. Even those who welcomed it were shocked to see Mubarak’s former security chiefs walk free. Many also feel cheated by the acquittal of his sons on corruption charges – although they are still awaiting trial for insider trading. Al Jazeera‘s Sherine Tadros reports from Cairo (2 June 2012).

President Mubarak is gone now, and will this departure now also mean the waning of America’s influence in the country???  As I indicated at the time, the Egyptian Revolution itself seems to have been orchestrated by the U.S. State Department. Mubarak had become too old and corrupt. The old man on Egypt’s throne had in fact become a liability.[1]  The Egyptian Army, which had been pulling the strings behind the scenes for decades, decided to replace Mubarak . . . and now that the first round of presidential elections has taken, the winner of the second round better be prepared to cooperate with the Army . . . As Time magazine’s Lauren Bohn reports from Cairo, however, “critics have argued that the investigation had been flawed and highly politicized. It occurred under the military rule of a council of generals who took power at Mubarak’s ouster. What’s more, instead of a sweeping examination of the systemic abuses under his rule, the prosecutors rushed the case to trial last April in an apparent attempt to placate street protesters”.[2]  The prominent Egyptian activist Dalia Ziada matter-of-factly declares that “The same people who have killed and tortured Egyptians are now free to go back to their jobs . . . They’re manipulating us with an illusion that we are winning, but in fact they’re undermining all our efforts. Our 18-day revolution has been killed in 15 months”.[2]

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[1] “Op-Ed on Egypt: Revolution or Orchestrated Regime Change?” A Pseudo-Ottoman Blog (02 February 2011). http://sitanbul.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/op-ed-on-egypt-revolution-or-orchestrated-regime-change/; C. Erimtan, “Behind the scenes of Egypt’s revolution” Hürriyet Daily News (27 February 2011). http://tiny.cc/fz7tf.

[2] Lauren E. Bohn, “Mubarak’s Life Sentence: A Game of Smoke and Mirrors in Egypt” Time (02 June 2012). http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2116325,00.html?iid=tsmodule.

[3] Lauren E. Bohn, “Mubarak’s Life Sentence”.

Egypt Election Results

‘Most of the votes have been counted. And it looks like Egyptians will choose in June between a man jailed by Hosni Mubarak, and one of the former leader’s prime ministers. The Muslim Brotherhood is pitching its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, as a guardian of the revolution. And its urging other candidates to join a reformist coalition. Morsi was jailed for seven months under former president Mubarak. Now, unofficial results give him a quarter of the vote. But Ahmed Shafiq – who was prime minister while Morsi was in prison – also has a lot of support. As a former air force commander, he is a military man who has emphasised his political experience. Al Jazeera‘s Sherine Tadros has more now on Friday’s events’.

 During the so-called revolution in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood took care not to be seen as part of the Tahrir Square movement, yet now the organization is presenting itself as “guardian of the revolution”. Curiouser and curiouser . . .

Egypt Elections 23 May 2012

A day before Egypt’s historic presidential poll, Al-Monitor speaks to voters on the streets ofCairo (22 May 2012).

Al-Monitor is a new media organization focused on introducing a global audience to theMiddle East in their own words. Founded in the wake of Arab Spring, the site provides reporting and commentary from the diverse, independent media in the Middle  East.