Middle East Policy

In honor of this occasion, when the wind of change began blowing in the Middle East and when the long aspiration for freedom and dignity started its path into reality despite all huge sacrifices and costs in Iraq, I am reposting excerpts from my previous article, " Iraq Victory: Middle East Salvation, International necessity" , which tries to change the approach of perceiving the Operation Iraqi Freedom through a realistic perspective based on international and regional facts and goals. IRAQ VICTORY: MIDDLE EAST SALVATION, INTERNATIONAL NECESSITY By Nassim Yaziji The U.S. will not abandon Iraq. To me, it means that the U.S. will not abandon the Middle East. Abandoning Iraq means abandoning the new Middle East, a moderate, stable, civilized, modern and prosperous Middle East, and the nascent Middle East democratization movement, for Iranian regime's Islamic Middle East dominated by the Middle East totalitarian axis consisting of Syria's Baath, Hezbullah, Hamas and led

The annual release of the report on human rights by the U.S. State Department is mandated by law. The report reviews progress and pitfalls around the world—not including the United States—and highlights major offenders. The world’s most systematic human rights violators according to the report are ten countries including Syria for the first time. Following are some excerpts from the introduction of this report concerning the world’s most systematic human rights violators and Middle East's countries highlighted in the introduction: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2007 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 11, 2008 Countries in which power was concentrated in the hands of unaccountable rulers remained the world’s most systematic human rights violators. The repressive North Korean regime continued to control almost all aspects of citizens’ lives, denying freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association, and restricting freedom of movement

Does the US have a Syria policy finally? Or the U.S. conduct, which is similar to crisis-management, continues with respect to Syria? (Read a previous opinion of mine: The U.S. Syria Democracy Program ) We are finally close to know. Here are some very interesting materials on this question may reflect a serious change in the U.S. Syria policy: The White House Statement by the Press Secretary February 13, 2008 Today the President signed an Executive Order that takes additional steps with respect to the Syrian regime's continued engagement in certain conduct that formed the basis of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004. This order expands sanctions to block the property of senior Syrian Government officials and their associates who are determined to be responsible for, to have engaged in, or to have benefited from public corruption. The order also revises a provision in Executive Order 13338 to block the property of persons determined to be respons

(Picture: the building of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague) Ban Ki-moon names top official for Lebanon tribunal 11 March 2008 – A veteran of numerous international court proceedings has been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the Registrar of the tribunal being set up to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon, particularly the 2005 attack that killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Robin Vincent of the United Kingdom will start his duties on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at a date yet to be determined, but “the appointment of the Registrar reflects the steady progress being accomplished in establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson. From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Vincent served as Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). Since then, he has served as the temporary Deputy Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and

This is the news section of the February issue (latest issue) of Arab Reform Bulletin Published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Syria: Crackdown on Political Activists Lebanon: Presidential Vote Delayed; Official Assassinated: Journalist Threatened Iraq: Flag Change; Justice and Accountability Law; Kurdish Press Law Updates Palestine: Gaza Crisis; Hamas and Fatah Meetings; Crackdown on Journalists Saudi Arabia: Live Programming Banned; Blogger Arrested; Civil Society Law Kuwait: Minister Survives Confidence Vote; Crackdown on Cross-Dressers Bahrain: Crackdown on Protestors; Human Trafficking Law UAE: New Social Assistance Package; Plans for Women Judges Yemen: Websites Blocked Egypt: Brotherhood Arrests; EU Resolution; Torturers Convicted Sudan: Janjaweed Leader Promoted; Southern Ministers Rejoin Government Libya: Human Rights Criticism Tunisia: Journalist Sentenced to Prison Morocco: Polisario Talks; Homosexuals Sentenced Mauritania: Return of Refugees; Attack on Isr

Ban Ki-moon sets up 'management committee' of Lebanon Tribunal UN News 14 February 2008 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has established a Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon being set up to try those responsible for political killings, particularly the February 2005 car bombing in Beirut that killed the former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others. “The Secretary-General believes that this step, along with other steps announced in December of last year – the selection of the judges, the appointment of the Prosecutor, the finalization of a headquarters agreement with the Government of the Netherlands enabling the Tribunal to be based in that country, and agreement on a building near The Hague to house the Tribunal – are decisive landmarks in the process of making the Special Tribunal a reality,” Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement. The Committee, which will among other tasks provide advice and policy direction on all non-judicia

A moment of glory, and the struggle goes on. Lebanon's Independence and Democracy The Conflict over the New Middle East ACT NOW NOT LATER. Million People Show Up for Hariri Memorial in Beirut Naharnet 14 Feb 08 More than one million people showed up in downtown Beirut on Thursday to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on the third anniversary of his assassination as just a few kilometers away Hizbullah prepared to bury top commander Imad Mughniyeh who was killed by a car bomb in Syria. Amid fears of clashes between rival pro- and anti-Syrian factions, army troops and security forces were deployed in force in the capital. The factions have faced off repeatedly in recent weeks. A sea of people gathered under pouring rain and poor visibility in Martyrs' Square in central Beirut, where Hariri is buried, waving Lebanese flags and photos of the slain leader as well as other politicians and figures killed in the past three years. Rally organizers said about one million p

Freedom in the World 2008: Global Freedom in Retreat Freedom House January 16, 2008 The year 2007 was marked by a notable setback for global freedom, Freedom House reported in a worldwide survey of freedom released today. The decline in freedom, as reported in Freedom in the World 2008 , an annual survey of political rights and civil liberties worldwide, was reflected in reversals in one-fifth of the world’s countries. Most pronounced in South Asia, it also reached significant levels in the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. A substantial number of politically important countries whose declines have broad regional and global implications—including Russia, Pakistan, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, and Venezuela—were affected. Complete survey results reflect global events during 2007. A package of charts and graphs and an explanatory essay are available online. “This year’s results show a profoundly disturbing deterioration of freedom worldwide,” said