Middle East Policy

When the resolution 1757 was adopted by the United Nations Security Council adopting the establishing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to try those found responsible for several attacks and political assassinations of pro-independence and democracy activists in Lebanon, we celebrated the resolution as a turning point for the Middle East that it would be for the first time in the Middle East's history an international accountability for political and against-humanity crimes. A history that knows plenty of such crimes in a region has an international reputation of such violations and brutality, especially while this region is still serving as the authoritarianism's haven even after the dismantling of the Soviet Union and its brutal totalitarian system. Therefore, eventually, this would be a breach of the impunity norm and tradition for those who kill people in the Middle East in the political and ruling context. Given the long history of the leading international powers in pro...

Reporters Without Borders has issued its annual report about press freedom in the world, Press Freedom Index 2008 . The results came as usual in terms of the Middle East region. The report supports my suggestion that the Middle East is one of the worst regions, if not the worse, in the world as regards freedom of expression, in general, and freedom of the press in particular. As I always say, this region still lives the era of the eastern campaign of former Soviet Union under the totalitarian system or the authoritarian system at best. Although the world has significantly changed after the Cold War, this change has stopped at the Middle East's borders. This situation becomes persistent, I am afraid. It is time now to declare the failure of various attempts to change the situation of repression as regards freedom of expression in the Middle East. Europeans tried in 1990s through Barcelona Process and completely failed. Americans tried in 2000s and achieved minor improvements while ...

Internet now is an essential source for information, and indispensable means for communication. It is well known that there is increasing international wave of people who indispensably depend on Internet with their affairs. The story goes, few days ago, when I was surfing the net and I found out that our internet censorship geniuses have developed the blocking technology. So, my unblocking technology is not working anymore, and I have to use another technology (cgi proxy) which encrypt the address of the blocked page. With hundreds of blocked websites range from news sites to cultural, political and even academic sites in addition to blogs, you have no choice but to unblock them. This is the case of many countries but, in particular, this is the case of the Middle East region ― most of its countries. It is really funny and ridiculous that regimes and governments armed to their teeth in front of armless peoples are fearful of information and clearly and publicly fear the word. Is the wo...

Some good news on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has been coming that it has begun recruiting announcing many vacancies on its official website . The vacancies are: - Chief of Information Technology Support Section - Senior Computer Systems Technician - Senior Desktop Services Technician - Chief, Security and Safety Section - Chief of Investigations - Senior Investigator - Strategic Analyst/Coordinator - Senior Investigator (Head of Evidence and Information Management) - Senior Legal Officer - Supervisor, Staff Administration Unit - Chief, Public Affairs and Outreach Section - Human Source Coordinator - Head, Beirut Office - Chief of Prosecution - Senior Trial Counsel - Deputy Chief, Security and Safety Section - Detention Officer x 3 - Senior Political Affairs Officer - Press Officer - Chief of Procurement - Security Officer - Finance Assistant - Administrative Assistant - Facilities Management Technician - Facilities Management Assistant For more information see STFL's official...

Terror in Damascus, where the last Baath is located, has no face like other things in this country (the Baath's state as Baath call it). So I think that we should ask petit Sarkozy and his Israeli friends, they may have some faces for us--well-known faces. But if Sarkozy were a little bit busy, the next accident might have some answers. Second Car Bomb in Damascus Since Mughniyeh Killing Naharnet 27 Sep 2008 A car bomb exploded near a Shiite shrine in southern Damascus on Saturday killing 17 people and wounding 14 others in one of the deadliest attacks to hit Syria in a dozen years, state media said. The car packed with 200 kilograms of explosives blew up near a security checkpoint on a road to Damascus international airport. Interior Minister General Bassam Abdel Majid told state television the attack was "a terrorist act" and that all the casualties were civilians. "A counter-terrorist unit is trying to track down the perpetrators... We can't point the finger a...

This is the news section of June issue of Arab Reform Bulletin Published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Kuwait: New Cabinet Appointed After Elections Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Activist Detained Yemen: Zaidi Rebellion; Local Council Elections Bahrain; Minister Cleared; Bahraini Jewish Ambassador Appointed Iraq: Amnesty; Radio Station Closed Lebanon: Political Deadlock Ended Egypt: State of Emergency Extended; Bread Riots Resurface; Anti-Monopoly Law Palestine: Talks Renewed Syria: U.S. Sanctions Renewed Jordan: Public Gathering Law Deferred Morocco: Al-Jazeera Rabat Broadcast Suspended Algeria: Magazine Issue Banned Libya: Activist Freed Sudan: Newspaper Shutdown; Journalist Arrested Kuwait: New Cabinet Appointed After Elections On May 17, some 361,700 eligible voters (55 percent of them women) went to the polls to elect deputies for the National Assembly's fifty elected seats (appointed cabinet ministers also join the assembly, raising the overall number of seats...

(picture: Prime Minister of Lebanon Fouad al-Saniora) Lebanese independence government got the job done in Lebanon. Yes, the heroic government did it led by an extraordinary statesman, a real hero is Fouad al-Saniora . This government achieved the political independence from the Baath occupation and made Lebanon a free, sovereign and independent country under the sole and exclusive authority of the government of Lebanon after long decades of totalitarian occupation. This government extended the state's control over all Lebanese territory and ended the Iranian canton of Hezbullah armed militia in southern Lebanon, which came back to the Lebanese Republic. This government achieved the international tribunal for Lebanon (Special Tribunal for Lebanon) to protect Lebanon and save the freedom, democracy and independence of Lebanon in spite of all sacrifices and painful costs it had to pay. This government saved Lebanon, maintained the civilization in Lebanon, and protected the diversity...

This is the news section of May issue of Arab Reform Bulletin Published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: - Egypt: Salary and Price Increases; Local Elections; Brothers Sentenced - Kuwait: Elections; Tribal Demonstration; Anti-demonstration Law Revoked - Bahrain: New Press Bill; Minister Questioned on Naturalization - Yemen: Qatari Mediation; MP Killed; Newspaper License Revoked - Saudi Arabia: Blogger Released - Iraq: Journalists Released - Jordan: Political Party Law; Brotherhood Selects Leaders; Prison Demonstrations - Syria: Economic Initiatives; Activist Sentenced - Lebanon: Political Deadlock Continues; Worker Protests - Tunisia: Opposition Newspaper Seized; Appeals Court Upholds Journalist Sentence - Algeria: Ban on Passport Photos with Veil and Beard Contested - Morocco: Criminalizing Violence against Women; Demonstrators Pardoned - Sudan: Efforts to End Censorship Egypt: Salary and Price Increases; Local Elections; Brothers Sentenced The Egyptian parliament rush...

Following is the most recent UN stance on Lebanon, which represents the international community's stance and international legitimacy in this regard. Ban Urges Immediate Presidential Election, Disarming of Hizbullah 22 April 2008 Naharnet U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate presidential election in Lebanon without foreign interference, underlining concerns over the political stalemate that has kept the post empty since November. Ban also warned Monday that Lebanon will not be a fully sovereign, democratic state until Hizbullah is disarmed. He told Syria and Iran they must support efforts to disarm the group. The secretary-general's six-month report to the Security Council focused on the implementation of Resolution 1559 that calls for presidential elections under the constitution and the disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. "Parliament, which has not met in more than a year, must be allowed to convene urgently to fulfill its constitutional d...

Christians lose their potential presence in the East, and their allies the modernistic Sunnis are humiliated. Yes, it is not believable, but it is true. Beirut under Iranian terrorist occupation. Many many stupid people around the world, especially in Europe, would not believe me when I previously qualified Hezbullah as an Iranian terrorist armed gang. Now, the whole world just needs to look at occupied Beirut. The Iranian terrorist regime with its terrorist Revolutionary Guard's branch in Beirut so-called Hezbullah has occupied Beirut using the Israel-Baath alliance and European Union's stances and policy in the Middle East, especially when they bought the last Baath that occupies Syria. Neither the region nor the world can afford the Iranian-led Middle East totalitarian axis taking control of Lebanon. This would be an ultimate strategic disaster. Now, I am waiting for the international action to say my word. In the meantime, my message to the US, do not wait for some things ...