Middle East Policy

To understand the censorship system, we should understand the totalitarian and authoritarian systems, and the essential association between the censorship system and non-democratic systems. In the authoritarian system, the authority represented by the ruling regime cannot be contested (including its opinions) even at the intellectual and theoretical levels, and here is the rule of censorship. The totalitarian system, the most dangerous and brutal of all governing systems, there, definitely, is one ideology serving as the base for every single part the state's structure that is imposed on the society, including a total system of values. There should be one rhetoric and one truth are represented by the de facto ruling regime, mostly the dictator. Therefore, the censorship here is an indispensable means for the regime, which excludes, and sometimes executes, any other views or discourse on politics, economics, society and even culture. Some main examples of the totalitarian system are...

Many experts, organizations and even countries tried to work out the international financial crisis blowing world's financial markets, but neither succeeded. One party in the world has the solution to this serious crisis. Yes, it is one party is the 'last Baath' located in Syria for ruling it. So, our Baath geniuses appeared on our revolutionary TV and with a huge dose of confidence and pride announced that Syria was not affected by the international financial crisis, simply, because there is no financial market in Syria. And problem is solved, actually, there is no problem to solve because there is no financial market at first. The revolution (Baath's revolution) always has the solution, and most of times, if not always, a preemptive solution. And here is the success story, the blessed revolution of Baath group extended its achievements to the financial market in Syria by eliminating it and relieving Syria from such huge and serious problems coming from colonial evil p...

Lebanon and Syria formally reached an agreement to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries for the first time since independence. Finally, Lebanon could formally gain the recognition of its existence as an independent sovereign country from Syria for the first time in Lebanon's history. This, actually, constitutes a historic moment for Lebanon. From the beginning of independence, Syria considered many parts of Lebanon as deducted parts of its territory, not to mention the Lebanese suspicion that Syria does not recognize Lebanon as independent country, and intends to 'regain' its authority over it. In this regard, Lebanon always cites the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries since independence as an indicator of this thinking. Furthermore, the Syrian military presence in Lebanon for about 30 years during and after the Lebanese civil war, including about 15 years of Syrian regime's dominance over Lebanon after the Gulf War II and foll...

Many argue that removing the Baath totalitarian regime in Iraq has empowered Iran, especially by opening Iraq to Iranian influence. First of all, it is really funny to assume that the Baath weak isolated helpless regime in Iraq, after more than a decade of harsh international sanctions and isolation, would be a barrier to any serious activity coming from behind the borders. This regime survived previously in its last phase after Gulf War II only to exist there, and this was because of an American decision and under a balance of power in the Middle East supported by the United States after the Cold War. In reality, we do not find the typical elements of the political influence used to be in such cases between countries. In particular, there are no means available to the Iranian government to influence the decisions of the Iraqi government and the Iraqi parliament, and nor there are examples about such incidents. More precisely, referring to the facts of some crucial events and milestone...

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...