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February 2012
Why Israel fears a nuclear Iran?
By Dr. Robert Dickson Crane: The Israeli concern about Iran becoming a nuclear power is that a nuclear-armed Iran would eliminate the Israeli nuclear deterrent as its only security against conventional attack. As long as Israel can wipe out all the major cities in the Middle East, Israel is impregnable. If Iran can wipe out Israel, it would be foolhardy for Israel to wipe out anyone. Such a standoff would reduce the Middle East to a strong Israeli conventional force against the combined conventional forces of half a dozen Arab countries, plus Turkey and Iran, perhaps reinforced by both Russia and China. This would eliminate the Israeli option someday to drive all the Palestinians out of Palestine. Read More
The Syrian elites are united against a divided opposition
By Stephen Zunes: The Syrian pro-democracy struggle has been both an enormous tragedy and a powerful inspiration. Indeed, as someone who has studied mass nonviolent civil insurrections in dozens of countries in recent decades, I know of no people who have demonstrated such courage and tenacity in the face of such savage repression as have the people of Syria these past 10 months. The resulting decline in the legitimacy of Bashar al-Assad’s government gives hope that the opposition will eventually win. The question is how many more lives will be lost until then. Read More
Who are the Syrian Sunnas?
By Prof. Arthur Kane Scott: Today, the Free Syrian Army opposition forces are gathering position and strength in the suburbs of Damascus. The great fear however still remains that the collapse of Bashir’s regime will trigger sectarian violence of the same fury which engulfed Iraq in 2006. One can only hope that when Bashir does resign that the Sunna majority, especially the Islamic Brotherhood, will exercise the restraint essential to building a civil society in dialogue with other Syrian segments: Christians, Kurds, Alawites, Druzes, Shiia’s, so that chant within the Syrian street for “freedom” can be realized in the noblest tradition of Islam; namely, peace, surrender and unity. Read More
January 2012
U.S. – Pakistan Relations in Deep Turmoil
By Syed Mahmood: From the last few years, the U.S – Pakistani relations were going on a slippery slope. After the killing of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. Naval Seals on Pakistani soil -- in Abbotabad without even informing and consulting Pakistani authorities -- It was the most humiliating action taken by the Americans, according to Pakistanis. Pakistan has been an ally of United States in the war of terror for the last ten years, yet, the United States has violated the sovereignty of this independent country, according to the Pakistani public. After this incident, the relationship between these two allies went into further turmoil. Read More
A Saudi-Israeli-Palestinian negotiation table
By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim: The Palestinians met the Israelis in Jordan for the first time in 16 months. And these days there is talk about what is the best solution to end the issue of the Palestinian refugees before the UN withdraws its financial support. In addition to serious talks about a two-state solution. But, the whole world heard this many times before. So, is the Palestinian issue solvable and who can really have a solution? Could it be some one the Israelis never met? Read More
Iraq: Remembering those responsible
By Stephen Zunes: The formal withdrawal of US troops from Iraq last month has led to a whole series of retrospectives on the invasion and the eight and a half years of occupation that followed as well as a host of unanswered questions, including - given the tens of thousands of Americans and others on the US government payroll, many of whom are armed, who are remaining in Iraq - just how total the withdrawal might actually be. Read More
Protesters persist despite crackdown: US policy may undermine Bahraini struggle for democracy
By Stephen Zunes: Of the popular pro-democracy civil insurrections that have swept the Middle East over the past year, none were as large -- relative to the size of the country -- as the one that took place in the island kingdom of Bahrain. And while scattered resistance continues, none were so thoroughly suppressed. Read More
Some questions for Gingrich
Abdulateef Al-Mulhim: If he believes Palestinians were ‘invented’, would he explain whether they were invented before or after July 4, 1776? Read More
Murder of Dr Shah highlights the insurgency in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: In an apparent attempt to erase key forensic evidence in the Kharotabad, killing of five unarmed foreigners by Army led para-military force, Dr Baqir Shah was gunned down Thursday in Quetta, the capital of the strife-torn Balochistan province where a nationalist insurgency is underway. Read More
2011 another hard year for Muslims in America
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: “Where there are Muslims, there are problems.” This alarmingly sweeping comment by the New York Post best reflects the dilemma of the seven-million strong American Muslim community which remains under siege in the post-9/11 era. The New York Post comment came amid heated discussion and opposition to the proposed Sheepshead Bay (NY) Mosque. In a hard hitting article titled “New Yorkistan? Don’t rule it out!” Shavana Abruzzo wrote: “There’s no denying the elephant in the room. Neither is there any rejoicing over the mosques proposed for Sheepshead Bay, Staten Island and Ground Zero because where there are mosques, there are Muslims, and where there are Muslims, there are problems.”In the post-9/11 America, it has become difficult to build new mosques or expand the existing places of worship which became frequent target of hate attacks. Ironically, the Board of Standards and Appeals on Nov 22, 2011 unanimously rejected opponents’ biased claims and gave approval of the mosque. Read More
December 2011
Memogate scandal escalates in Pakistan
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: President Asif Ali Zardari has returned to Pakistan apparently after assurances from the Army Chief General Ashfaq Kiyani that he will not be implicated in the so-called Memogate scandal that has destabilized Zardari’s US-installed government. Read More
Pakistan’s Options as Islamabad-Washington remain tense
By Yasmeen Ali: The policy of restricting her major economic interactions has given USA immense leverage to call the shots where Pakistan is concerned. There are lessons to be learnt here. Political independence & sovereignty is the outcome of economic independence. Read More
Assad and the Christian minority
Arthur Kane Scott: Although Syrian Christians are reasonably well off, affluent and politically entrenched as members of Bashir Assad’s inner circle: a Christian heads the Central Bank and another Defense; they are nevertheless well aware of their minority status in Syria, and fear that if Assad goes there will be sectarian bloodbath on a scale greater than what occurred in Iraq between Shiia/Sunna or in Bosnia. Their fear is not groundless, and is based on several critical events that have profoundly shaped their psychology and historical relationship to the Muslim majority. Read More
Atlanta and Saudi-US Business Forum
By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim: Atlanta is one of the most interesting cities in the US. I have visited Atlanta many times. The most important two visits were in 1996, for the Summer Olympics, and the other in 1994 for the Super Bowl. This year I really wanted to be in Atlanta from Dec. 5 to 7. During those 3 days in Atlanta, there will be a very important gathering for Saudi and American businessmen and women to review business opportunities. Read More
Arabs and NASA’s science fact
By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim: To the Arabs, every new gadget is a science fiction, because we know how to buy and use, but not how to invent. When we measure the gap between NASA and any Arab educational institute, then the gap is so huge, you would think the number is science fiction. Read More
Arab revolutions and the power of nonviolent action
By Stephen Zunes: While sitting in a Cairo café just a couple blocks from Tahrir Square recently, I couldn’t help but notice the television in the corner broadcasting the evening news. Traditionally, TV news in Egypt and other Arab countries has consisted of the president (or king) giving a speech, greeting a foreign visitor or engaging in some other official function. This evening, however, the news was about a labor strike in Alexandria and ongoing developments in the pro-democracy struggles in Yemen and Syria. Read More
US-led NATO attack on Pakistan worsens Islamabad-Washington ties
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: The already frayed US-Pakistan relations have fallen to their worst point after US-led NATO helicopters destroyed two Pakistani military check posts killing 24 soldiers and injuring 13 others. The checkposts - located about 2.5 kilometres inside the Pakistan-Afghanistan border - were set up to stop the cross border violation and infiltration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistani area. Read More
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