Notions

* There comes a time in history when people must forget, forgive, and move on. Everyone suffered. Rights were returned. The page must be turned. *Image provided by http://www.myriamabdelaziz.com/#!portraitofagenocide/c24vr 

     The visit of Michelle Obama to Saudi Arabia to condole Al Saud for their loss caused vehemence on social networking sites. The first lady was portrayed as an arrogant, defiant, disgruntled and critical little princess who laughed at Saudi culture in the face of the royal family. The virgin eyes of many Saudis could not stand the image of an unveiled lady standing between men in a funeral (the horror). How dare she? How dare she use her position as the president’s wife to defy the essence of Saudi social conduct? Slamming the Saudi attire as inappropriate and feeling relaxed in her wardrobe...the shame. It baffles me to see how double standards are so easily accepted in many Arab states, Saudi Arabia being crowned at the top of the list. The argument used by some Saudis (not all are closed minded of course – many are enlightened, educated and civilized) is that when in Rome do what the Romans do. Respecting the Saudi culture, good or bad, is only polite. Jus...

Paris. The world had it with Islamic militarism… the Charlie Hebdo incident and the shootings at the Jewish store east Paris were the last straw. World leaders joined hands in the anti-terror rally in Paris to express solidarity with victims’ families, renounce violence and reject any form of suppression to the freedom of expression. EU leaders are also holding meetings to study mechanisms to curb violent Islamic radicalism. Jewish communities in France and elsewhere in Europe are being provided extra-protection against possible acts of vengeance and retaliation. The Israeli government, mourning events, took full advantage of the situation and ran to the podium to draw parallels between jihadism and terrorism, ISIS and Hamas and Islamic extremism and the holocaust. From the many articles and analysis I read on the matter, one particular op-ed stood out. The author, the respectable journalist and expert, Dr. AbdelBari Atwan, sympathized with the victims and renounced all act...

I was in a philosophy class back in 2003 when my professor warned me/gave me a public advice: “you better stop right now as you already got yourself into too much trouble”. He was referring to some comments I made – undiplomatic and not-so-eloquently-phrased – about the Great Arab Revolt in 1916. Probably influenced by a book I read about the Revolt and how some Arab forces joined hands with the British Empire to topple the Ottoman rule, I criticised the revolutionary forces, the Hijaz leadership and their putsch . Back in my idealistic days, I believed that loyalty must trump interest and that problems should be solved from within, not without. Now the professor feared for himself perhaps and decided to cut my ramblings short, considering that those leaderships I was criticizing (strictly in the 1916 context) were the same leadership ruling the country today (noting that later on I worked in fact in public institutions loyal to this leadership). In any case, I am sure my profess...

Marine Le pen’s interview with Euronews on December 1 st was – unfortunately – impressive. The notorious leader of the anti-EU Front Nationale, who never shies away from protecting the French identity and interests at any cost – is an important contender for the presidential elections set for 2014. Her stances on the international and regional spheres were clear, direct and confidant. Her over-confidence and conviction in what she stands for and how she will translate these convictions into policies pose a challenge to the consistence of France’s foreign policy. Incremental politics? No cheri. Le Pen said in her interview that she admires Putin’s “cool head”. She acknowledged that there is a cold war being waged against him by the EU at the behest of United States, defending the rights of Crimean citizens to take back the 1954 gift and return it to its natural owners and condemning the ousting of Viktor Yanukovich and the illegitimate government that came after the putsch . In...

New rounds of talks took place between Iran and the United Nations Security Council’s Permanent five members (USA, Russia, France, UK and China) and Germany in Oman in November. The meeting set a November 24 th deadline to reach an agreement with Iran and its nuclear program, where in exchange of lifting economic sanctions, Iran must draw back on its nuclear activities. The deadline was not met, and no one cared really. Before going into that, a brief historic review of Iran and nuclear aspirations will be presented first. Iran, under the Shah regime, was a western ally. Israel and Iran in fact were buddies. The nuclear program (for civilian purposes) started back then in the fifties and sixties and Israel even offered to help Iran out – an offer snubbed for some reason by Tehran. International cooperation was also offered to Iran, and things went smoothly and peacefully. The Islamic Revolution in 1979 changed everything however, and Iran was no longer the region’s watchdog. T...

The Arab Spring swept the Arab world and its regimes by surprise in 2011 when a Tunisian activist inspired millions of Arabs to rise against dictators and authoritarian regimes. Many countries in North Africa and the Middle East took their lead from the Tunisian popular revolt, and soon Egypt, Libya and Syria witnessed mass demonstrations demanding change, whilst other countries witnessed softer forms of manifestations that called on reforms and democratization. Unfortunately, and after three years of the initiation of the Arab Spring, only Tunisia found itself stable, quasi-democratic and on the path of reform. Things did not turn out the same in other countries, and the process of regime change and democratization has failed. Challenges facing each country vary, and conditions on the ground do play a role in hindering any assistance offered by the international community to assist countries in reforming and opening up to democracy. Three examples will be offered in this context, ...