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Egypt's Revolution: Obama Backing Regime Change?
by Stephen Lendman
In July 2003, a USAF Institute for National Security Studies report titled, "Egypt as a Failing State: Implications for US National Security" suggested "Mubarak's traditionally autocratic and oppressive short-term fixes" weren't working. As a result, "the possibility of unrest is real; with the correct confluence of domestic, regional, and international events, Egypt can quickly be added to the list of failed states....This paper (thus) contends that (the appearance of) democracy is a security imperative for the post-9/11 world."
Berlusconi: the man of scandals
Kourosh Ziabari
Silvio Berlusconi is an internationally renowned figure, but not for his good reputation as an upright and respectable statesman, rather as a notorious man who can be called one of the most corrupt politicians of the world in all terms.
An unflappable and defiant politician who has accumulated a collection of criminal charges for which he hasn't been held accountable so far, Berlusconi is approaching the first stages of punishment for several crimes he committed during his three terms of premiership in Italy.
Egypt and the False Dilemma
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Image: Cairo, January 2011
The people of Egypt have had enough of a failed dictatorship masquerading as a democracy. As events unfold, we're seeing a cautionary message entering the corporate media coverage of this event. Having never exposed the dire conditions that prompted the massive protests and demands for change, we're now told that this could negatively impact oil supplies, the stock market, and anti-terror efforts. No foundation for the claims was provided but they're repeated regularly on CNN, the NBC's, Fox, and the print media.
Thus a false dilemma is created for the public: support the right of people to determine their own fate or protect your safety and the current standard of living, as it were.
5 Stages of the Awakening
Silver Shield
“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” -Henry Ford
One of the greatest challenges to becoming Totally Free is to be able to think independently from everyone else. You know instinctively that no one cares about you, as much as you care about yourself. Yet we constantly listen to others about what is best for us, instead of thinking about what is best for us. That is because we live in a world where everyone tells you what to think, but no one tells you how to think. We are blasted everyday with advertising, financial sales pitches, political media propaganda, religious dictates and more and more social pressure to conform. The danger to you is if society your is driving off of a cliff and you are there just going along for the ride. Most of our lives we don’t make any real decisions we kind of just fall into a routine. You see when you do not really think, you leave your mind open to those who do think. The real and most often unnoticed danger is a class of predators manipulating societies for their own selfish benefits. If you go along to get along and not think outside of the box, you risk being caught in the undertow of a doomed society or worse.
Political Prisoner Ameer Makhoul Update
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article discussed him in detail, accessed through the following site:
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/10/israels-persecution-of-ameer-makhoul.html
Following former prime minister Ariel Sharon's dictum that, "This is our land, and we'll settle it and build on it in order to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state," Palestinians have been ruthlessly persecuted, imprisoned, or slaughtered in gross violation of international laws.
Ameer Makhoul is one of many thousands of victims, vilified for being Muslims in a Jewish state. An Israeli citizen, human rights activist, and head of the internationally recognized Ittijah NGO for Palestinian empowerment, he also chairs the Public Committee for the Defence of Political Prisoners within the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee in Israel. Besides championing human rights, he also supports the global BDS movement, what many believe is perhaps the most effective nonviolent tactic against Israeli lawlessness, and another reason for his targeting.
Revolutionary Change in Egypt: Internal or Made in USA?
by Stephen Lendman
US imperial policy includes regime change, affecting foes as well as no longer useful friends. Past targets included former Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos, Iran's Shah (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi), and Iraq's Saddam Hussein, among others. According to some reports, Mubarak is next - aging, damaged and expendable.
George Friedman runs Stratfor, a private global intelligence service. On January 29, he issued a special Egypt report, saying:
On January 29, "Egypt's internal security forces (including Central Security Forces anti-riot paramilitaries) were glaringly absent" after confronting protesters forcefully for several days. Army personnel replaced them. Demonstrators welcomed them.
Iran’s Green Movement Still Inspires
Jalal Alavi
In a televised interview broadcast just a few days ago, University of Michigan History Professor Juan Cole described the Tunisian uprising as not only “the first popular revolution since [the Iranian revolution of] 1979,” but also “something that other Arab countries might well look to -- the publics, at least -- for inspiration” [1].
Coming from a Middle East expert, who is also a trained historian, this analysis is totally unacceptable because it fails to so much as even mention the historical fact that Iran’s Green Movement preceded the “mass movement” in Tunisia, thus making it not only the first popular uprising since the 1979 revolution, but also the inspiration by which Tunisians from all walks of life took to the streets across Tunisia in the attempt to overthrow their oppressors [2].
Middle East at Strategic Crossroads, U.S. as Well
By Nicola Nasser
The Arab world is the beating heart of the overwhelmingly Muslim Middle East, and the Arab masses are angrily moving for a change in the status quo, practically dictated by the military, economic or political hegemony of the United States, which in turn is whipped by the regional power of the Israeli U.S. strategic ally. But any change in the regional status quo would place the Middle East at a strategic crossroads that is not expected to be viewed tolerantly by the U.S. – Israeli alliance, a fact which expectedly would warn of a fierce struggle to come. Despite the U.S. rhetorical defense of the “universal rights” in the region, it is still premature to conclude that this hegemonic alliance will allow the Arab move for change to run its course, judging by the historic experiences of the last century as well as by the containment tactics the United States is now adopting to defuse whatever strategic changes might be created by the revolting Arab masses.
Palestine Papers … Uncovering the Well-Known
By Dr. Elias Akleh
It seems that the Palestine Papers, leaked by WikiLeaks, exposing the behind-closed-doors shady Palestinian/Israeli negotiations and security cooperation, and broadcasted by Al-Jazeera TV had surprised many in the Western world. The Palestinians, on the other hand, were not surprised at all for they had lived through such fruitless negotiations during the last twenty years.
The Palestinians had not gained any positive results through these negotiations. On the contrary they have been witnessing their land being gradually snatched from under them few meters at a time, more of their rights being continuously violated, and more and more of them being routinely murdered by Israeli army and extremist colonizers (settlers).
The Palestinian people betrayed
By Saree Makdisi
The leaked papers published by Al Jazeera show how craven Palestinian leaders are and how willing they were to sell out their people's rights. Yet all they had to offer wasn't enough for Israel.
A massive archive of documents leaked to Al Jazeera and Britain's Guardian newspaper offers irrefutable proof that years of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians have been an empty sham. The papers make clear that the time has come for Palestinians and anyone interested in the cause of justice to abandon the charade of official diplomacy and pursue other, more creative and nonviolent paths toward the realization of a genuine, just peace.
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