The Russian ambassador

I for one have never ever met with the Russian ambassador and don't have plan to meet with him. Does that make me a better human being?

This is an important book that you should read about the Middle East: Shadow Wars by Christopher Davidson

I like that from his early books to this one, Davidson is becoming radicalized, based on his scholarship.  This book Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East is an important book which came out last year.  It has not received the attention it deserves: in my book, it is the People's History of US-British policies and conspiracies in the Middle East region.  There is original materials and there is some known materials about Western conspiracies and machinations in the region, and especially the use and misuse of reactionary Islam: from Egypt under Nasser to Syria today.  But Davidson knows how to tell a story, and he tells it very well.  He is quite knowledgeable that he is capable of putting together the various parts of the puzzle.  His narrative is logically linked from the Western plots after WWI to the current Western policies in the wake of Arab uprisings.  There is so much in the book that my weekly article in Al-Akhbar only dealt with the section dealing with the Cold War but up to the war of Afghanistan.  This would be (in it paperback edition) an excellent text both in an introductory course on IR in the Middle East and also in an introductory course on Middle East politics.  It is time that we treat Western intervention in the Middle East as an integral part of domestic Middle East politics (only Israel is allowed to be entitled to have its own domestic politics).  Warning: the account about the Arab uprisings clashes with the propaganda account contained in all Western media.  

It says in Arabic: "Draw A Sun".

Shadow Wars by Christopher Davidson

My weekly article in Al-Akhbar: "Shadow Wars: A Contemporary History of Western Counter-Revolutions".

Trump and accepting the results of the elections

It seems that it was Democrats and not Trump who were unwilling to accept the results of the presidential election. 

Where is the feminist outrage at this disgustingly sexist Democratic congressman?

Where is the outrage at his disgustingly sexist statement?

The UN rationalizes the Saudi killing of children in Yemen

This is an incredible account.  The UN commission on human rights is controlled by US and Israel, which appointed a Jordanian official as its commissioner.  It made allegation about child soldiers without providing any evidence or detail except by referring to "reports" and to trickery.  It said that children are being tricked into fighting.  "An estimated 1500 boys have been verified as child soldiers in Yemen, but the actual number of children who have been drawn into the war is probably far higher, a United Nations spokeswoman said yesterday.  Most of the boys were recruited by Houthi rebels over the past three years, spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a press briefing in Geneva.  Recruiters often entice the boys by promising them financial rewards or social status. "Many are then quickly sent to the front lines of the conflict or tasked with manning checkpoints," Shamdasani said."  The UN also added that toddlers have been seen driving tanks and operating cannons.  Of course, Saudi regime media loved this report and have been blasting to justify its regular killing of children in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia's cultural diplomacy

"It’s ironic, then, that some of Indonesia’s leading jihadists have passed through Saudi institutions. Although Salafism is largely “quietist,” or discouraging of political activity, there is a growing faction of Salafi jihadists in Indonesia, according to Din Wahid. In 1972, Saudi money helped to found the “ivy league” of jihadist pesantren, the Al-Mukmin school in Ngruki, Central Java. The Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah received funding from Saudi charities in the early 2000s." "Indonesia may be the largest stage for Saudi Arabia’s cultural diplomacy, but it’s hardly the only one. Saudi Arabia built satellite campuses for Egypt’s Al-Azhar university in the 1980s, funded Bosnian rebels and later built them schools in the 1990s, bankrolled numerous madrassas in pre-Taliban Pakistan and Afghanistan, and sent 25,000 clerics to India between 2011 and 2013. Al-Hattem, of LIPIA Jakarta, was previously stationed at Saudi outfits in Bosnia and Djibouti." (thanks Amir)

Sleazy Qatari regime Arabic Huffington Post has an article on Ivanka Trump's bra

I am not making this up: a whole article n the bra of Ivanka Trump.  Media of sleazy Gulf rulers have an obsession with Ivanka Trump.  

It is not Shakespeare

It has always cracked me up that in contemporary Arab culture people cite a saying (Dogs bark while the caravans roll on) and falsely attribute it to Shakespeare. It should be obvious that it is not Shakespeare.  In fact, in Western culture the saying appears (rarely) and is identified as "an old Arabic saying".  Hilarious.

How Western media report advances and retreats by ISIS in Syria

When ISIS forces advance in Syria, it is a huge story, occupying front pages in the US and Europe.  Yet, when ISIS is pushed back and is forced to retreat, it is ignored in the media which wishes to stick to its narrative (derived from Syrian rebel narrative) that Syrian regime and its allies never fight ISIS.  

Arkansas plan to ban Howard Zinn from public schools

Bill Introduced to Ban Howard Zinn's books from Arkansas Public schools.

That lousy speech by Bernie Sanders at J Street conference

It is a lousy speech by all means.  Here are excerpts:
"and removed the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon from the list of global threats." Notice he does not care say a word about the threat of Israel's WMDs.
The criteria for Sandars are always (like every member of US congress) is the security of the occupation state: "In contrast, the Iran nuclear deal helped the security of the U.S. and its partners – yes, it helped the security of Israel, as many Israeli security experts have acknowledged". 
He then brazenly says: "I saw and experienced for myself many of the progressive values upon which the State of Israel was founded." Yes, Israel was founded on such progressive values: ethnic cleansing, occupation, settler colonialism, mass explosion, apartheid, sectarianism, massacres and war crimes. But this Vermont Senator was very impressed.
"to acknowledge the enormous achievement of establishing a democratic homeland for the Jewish people".  Would you support a homeland for Muslim people? How could a secular support a religious identity based state? And democratic? You mean democratic for the European Jewish segment of the population but not for the rest, right?
Whenever someone uses the word "painful" about Israeli war crimes, I know that the person is about to justify war crimes.  Also, the analogy with the US is intended to convince listeners that it is OK and that the victims have to move on: "But as you all know, there was another side to the story of Israel’s creation, a more painful side. Like our own country, the founding of Israel involved the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people already living there, the Palestinian people. Over 700,000 people were made refugees."
And here he provides the typical ignorant narrative: "Nobody gains when children are trained to be suicide bombers." Nobody is training anyone on anything. Some people are driven to commit extreme acts of violence by virtue of the mass violence of the occupiers. Read Richard Pepe's Dying to Win and you will understand what you are ignorant of: regarding the impact of foreign occupation on the occupied.
He concludes the speech by asserting that in his view George W. Bush has the best solution to the conflict.  

Iraqi musician Nasser Shamma explains that he did not know the man who asked to take a picture with him was Israel's ambassador

Iraqi musician, Nasseer Shamma explains that the man who insisted on shaking his hand and have his picture taken with him was the Israeli ambassador. Here, Shamma explains his stance on Palestine.
Naseer Shamma

2 hrs · 

نصير شمه

(توضيح لما جاء في الصحافة الأسرائيلية) 

حدثني أبي عن مدن فلسطينية، أخبرني عن القدس وحيفا ويافا وغزة ورام الله وجنين وبيت لحم وغيرها مدن فلسطين العزيزة حيث كان الفلسطيني المسلم واليهودي والمسيحي يتشاركون الأفراح والأتراح.

وفي العراق حيث كبرت وترعرعت التقيت بالكثير من اليهود العراقيين الذين لم يختلف حب بعضهم للعراق عن حبي لهذه الأرض، وفي تونس كنت أنتظر دعوة صديقي التونسي اليهودي موريس للعشاء لأن ما كان يقوم بطهيه من طعام كان من ألذ ما أكلت، ولم يكن ينسى أبدا أن يحملني بالشاي المخلوط بالهال والزيتون قبل أن أغادر منزله.

لم تختلف نظرتي أبدا للإنسان بخلفيته الدينية أو الاجتماعية، كنت دائما أقرأ الإنسانية ، وما كان يقف دائما بيني وبين غيري سوى التعامل من خلال هذا المنظار .

آمنت دائما بالديمقراطية، وآمنت بأن العدالة هي أول الطرق لتكتسب الإنسانية معناها الأصيل، فكيف من الممكن أن يتحقق سلامٌ من دون عدالة؟ وهذا ماأكدت عليه في كلمتي أثناء أحتفال تنصيبي فنان اليونسكو للسلام وسط حضور عالمي لاأعرف أغلبه بشكل شخصي.

يوميا أصافح العشرات بشفافية وبيد بيضاء كيد موسى، لكنني لا أستطيع أن أصافح يدا‘ بقفازات، من يتحدث عن الديمقراطية عليه أن يعيشها ممارسة، ومن يأتي لحفل السلام عليه أن يترجم السلام، كان حريا بالسفير الأسرائيلي أن يترك لي الحرية لممارسة خياراتي وأنا المؤمن بالسلام والعدالة لا أرفض إنسانا على هذه الأرض، لكن أن يأتيني بوجهه المعلن لا كما تصرف السفير الإسرائيلي بنشره صورة أو خبرا أنا منه براء لجهلي بمن كان، براءة الذئب من دم يوسف. 

لفلسطين في قلبي مكانة لست مضطراً لتأكيدها.
ومنظمة اليونسكو التي منحتني شرف تمثيل العلاقة بين الفن والسلام لا تعترف بالاحتلال، بدليل قرارها الأخير حول القدس. الفن عدالة أولاً، والسلام عدالة، ولا مسرة للناس تحت نير
المظالم.

ملاحظة لم أكن أعرف أن الرجل الذي جاءني مرتين وفي الثالثة طلب صورة معي هو السفير الأسرائيلي ،
كون الأمر مازال غير واضحاً للبعض.

The Joke of the Day

"The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is pleased to welcome former U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry as its inaugural visiting distinguished statesman." This is the guy who was for the Iraq war before he was against it.  A true statesman indeed.  

Adam Shatz assures you that Orientalist depictions of Arabs are rather accurate and true: he found a group of natives who told him that over dinner, damn it

"I had dinner with a group of Algerian intellectuals who grew up in socialist Algeria, under the rule of Colonel Houari Boumédiène, and who told me that Sattouf might as well have been writing about their childhood."  That is what I can Orientalist documentation as its best.  Where is Thomas Friedman's tax driver or Robert Fisk's Abed when you need them?

See: Muslims can be good

All Western media and governments can agree: Muslims are really good if they obediently serve in armies which fight wars against Arabs/Muslims. 

Censorship on campuses

"Activists for Palestinian rights have long known that our universities are overwhelmingly-hostile environments where freedom of speech about, and critical inquiry into, Israel’s oppressive policies are heavily censored." "Indeed, as activists today are tying in various intersecting struggles, we must not forget the larger context of the wars being waged by campus administrators against their very own students and faculty. The struggle against censorship on campuses must be incorporated with the larger national struggle.  Because, ultimately, we are fighting the same oppressive forces that seek to quash resistance to unbridled power by distorting the facts, censoring free speech, and thwarting critical inquiry."

Gerald Kaufman

" “My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza,” Kaufman said." “Israel was born out of Jewish terrorism,” Kaufman reminded fellow lawmakers, referring specifically to the notorious 1948 massacre by Zionist militias of Palestinians in the village of Deir Yassin." (thanks Amir)

How many chemical weapons attack by Syrian regime?

I am confused: the UN talks about "at least three times" of use by the regime, but the Syrian Network of Human Rights have "documented" hundreds of times. Why this huge discrepancy? 

Where was the liberal sense of outrage during the Obama and Bush years?

Rachel Maddow is going on at length about a Russian conspiracy and yet she has been silent about Israeli war crimes, carefully avoiding any criticisms of Israel.  She also has been very mild in criticizing Obama/Bush wars in the Middle East.

How many umbrellas does a man need?

The Russians have been doing this for centuries, you know

"WILLIAM BRANGHAM: John Sipher, you spent a quarter-century in the CIA. Do all of those allegations against the Russians and their involvement, does this all ring true to you?

JOHN SIPHER, Former CIA Officer: Oh, absolutely.Russians have been doing this for decades, if not hundreds of years." (thanks Basim)

This mainstream media focus on Trump

It basically absolved the administrations of Bush and Obama from any crimes or responsibilities for the current global mess.  It leaves the reader with the impression that "if only we can go back to the sane policies of Bush and Obama".  

The Mad Man Theory

I am increasingly convinced that Trump's purposefully promoted the Mad Man theory of his leadership.  In reality, no one can become a president without having enough imperial discipline.  The speech confirms yet again that it does not matter who the president is and that the Empire has foreign policies that are beyond the ability of one president to change or steer.   Bipartisan ship will quickly set in.

Western media have such low standards

They often judge the presidency on the basis of a speech (or paintings, in the case of George W. Bush who has been transformed into a liberal in the age of Trump).

Trump's speech

He mentioned one ally of the US in the whole speech.  Name that ally.

Western media complain about Russian-originated "fake news" but they vomit their own fake news

"Unexpected deaths of six Russian diplomats in four months triggers conspiracy theories | The Independent".  This is the Independent, mind you.

This is the darling of US media and American liberals: more dangerous than Trump

"McCain: Trump defense budget not enough for 'world on fire'"

For some reason, this picture bothered American liberals

I thought it was conservatives who care about protocols and about the "majesty" of the White House. I say: good for her for not showing reverence to the silly oval office.  

Why can't Muslims learn civilized behavior from the White Man? Virginia man, accused of biting victim's face in anti-Muslim attack

"Robin McGreer, 35, approached a 31-year-old man in a Tysons Corner Center parking lot Nov. 27, started a conversation and then threatened him using anti-Muslim slurs, Fairfax County police said. An altercation ensued and McGreer bit the man’s face, leaving him with a “significant face wound,” police said." (thanks Amir)

News media would like you to think that Obama and Bush never lied to the American people: Newspeak

"Yet Orwellianism isn’t just about big government; it’s about authoritarianism coupled with lies. Newspeak, as Orwell described it in “1984,” is language that means the exact opposite of what it says. Contemporary examples include the labeling of news organizations as “fake news” and falsehoods as “alternative facts.” "  As if Newspeak does not apply to the Bush and Obama administration, or to the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Liz Sly, yet again, pleads for more arms for Syrian rebels

You read this headline "Syrian rebels are losing out to extremists" and you think that maybe Liz Sly finally gets it that her beloved Syrian rebels are not moderate as she has claimed all along.   But you read the piece and you realize it is yet another plea for more arms to the Syrian rebels. All throughout this war in Syria, she and other Western correspondents in Beirut have been pleading for more arms to Syrian rebels under the pretext that this alone will lead to moderation.  "Suspending the supplies seems guaranteed only to ensure that al-Qaeda continues to expand, the rebel commanders say. “Of course if you cut off the moderate rebels, al-Qaeda will grow more powerful,” Malahifji said."

Human Rights Watch reminds Israel of its pro-Israeli credentials

"Bashi said that in the past year, Human Rights Watch has not only reported on alleged violations by the Israeli government but also investigated and condemned the arbitrary detention of journalists and activists by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and executions by Hamas authorities in Gaza. It also probed and denounced a Jerusalem bus bombing claimed by a suspected affiliate of Hamas, the Islamist militant organization that runs the Gaza Strip and has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and Israel."

Is this not a racist tweet by Kenneth Roth?

Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth)

2/25/17, 12:43 PM Even Zuma gets it more than Trump: “It is wrong to brandish all non-nationals as drug dealers or human traffickers.” bit.ly/2kW9oYWpic.twitter.com/GziIHHZ6QB

What does he mean by "even Zuma"? Does he mean that even a black man gets it?  No wonder he is a big champion of the International Criminal Court for the prosecution of black officials.

No debate on the Middle East in DC

The Zionist-Gulf alliance has been reflected in Washington, DC with a rigid restriction on discourse and debate about foreign policy.  There is little room for dissent.  This alliance through their control over the Arab-American and Muslim-American organizations, and through the media presence of Qatari regime media activists, are trying to impose this rigid restriction on speech also on college campuses.  If the Zionist lobby had limited freedom of speech in the US, the Gulf regime alliance with the Zionist lobby has restricted speech even further.  

Hollywood self-delusions

I hate how Hollywood folks really think that they change lives and change the world. So self-delusional.  Their sense of self-importance is worse than Trump's.  Trump is a mere product of the Hollywood mentality.  

Samantha Power on Churkin

She says: "At the same time, Vitaly was a masterful storyteller with an epic sense of humor".  So basically, he was everything that you are not.
She says: "The Russian government has murdered its political opponents, seized territory that belongs to its sovereign neighbors, killed countless civilians in Syria and meddled in democratic elections, including in the United States." US did all that, but only on a much larger scale.
She says: "I challenged him to answer for the carnage, asking during the joint Syrian-Russian-Iranian assault on Aleppo, “Are you truly incapable of shame?”. Yes, here he think that she is being eloquent and witty.  If this is your best memorable line, no wonder you are viewed as boring and vapid.
She says: "I got the sense that he valued Mr. Putin’s restoration of Russia’s relevance on the global stage, but would have preferred peaceful methods. "  Yes, because the US pursues its interests around the world through peaceful means.  Why can't Russia learns from US?

I think that the media should end its pretension that the public did not notice its pro-Democrat bias this election season

The Times makes it as if it is in doubt.

Radioactive weapons are killing innocent civilians in Iraq

"Ironically, the United States went into Iraq in 2003 with the claim that it wanted to destroy weapons of mass destruction. In turn, it was the United States that used weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq. The United States dropped at least 116,000 kgs of DU ammunition during the bombing campaign of the 2003 Iraq War. At that time, A-10 fighter jets were used for these missions, the same planes used in Syria."

Australia joined Iraq war to please the U.S., declassified report

"The report concludes that Howard joined US president George W. Bush in invading Iraq solely to strengthen Australia’s alliance with the US. Howard’s – and later Kevin Rudd’s – claims of enforcing UN resolutions, stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction and global terrorism, even rebuilding Iraq after the invasion, are dismissed as “mandatory rhetoric”."

Evangelicals are the only group whose support of a Muslim Ban has gone up

"Just on grounds of compassion and common sense, you’d think people would be aware of how Donald Trump‘s temporary Muslim ban is bad for the country, bad for our national security, and bad for the innocent people affected by the Executive Orders (both the old one and the one scheduled to arrive soon)." "In fact, only one group goes in the opposite direction: white evangelical Christians." (thanks Amir)

Chelsea Clinton, the politician

I am rather surprised that Chelsea Clinton is becoming more and more political. I remember in the 2008, when she traveled around college campuses to speak on behalf of her mother, and how much college students could not stand her.  She has that same famous Clinton streak if insincerity and unprincipled.  But hey, she cares about elephants in Angola. Also, like all the Clinton, she is so boring and has a speaking style which puts insomniacs to sleep.  

I assume she was congratulating him on his longstanding support for repression, war, and human rights violations

Fake News versus Fake News

I am really disgusted with the media consensus and with the media's self-righteousness. The notion that I should prefer the fake news of the New York Times and the Post to the fake news of the administration is ridiculous.  I prefer neither.