Hermain Cain thinks the Taliban are in Libya
November 19th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Okay, maybe he doesn’t actually think this. Republican White House hopeful Herman Cain was probably just exhibiting yet again how little he knows about North Africa and South Asia. The irony is that he did it while trying to explain this recent painful moment away.
Unsettled, with Amira Hass
November 15th, 2011 § 3 Comments
An excerpt from my interview with Israeli journalist, Amira Hass for Guernica Magazine:
When it comes to her coverage of Palestinians, Israeli journalist Amira Hass is one of a kind. Yet she blends right in at the Canadian bus station where I pick her up. Vancouver is the second stop on the nationwide speaking tour organized for her by the advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. She greets me with a warm smile and lifts her small but heavy bags into the trunk of the car. Hass is used to taking care of herself while traveling, doing it weekly as she navigates through Israeli military checkpoints while tracking a story or simply trying to visit a friend. Before I can help her with her bag, in fact, she helps me with mine. When she sees me struggling with my bag outside her lecture venue, she takes it from my shoulder, laughing, “I know. I do it too.”
Hass has worked for the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz since 1989. She left her academic roots during the First Intifada and started her media career there as a copyeditor. A few months later, she convinced the paper to send her to Europe to cover the Romanian revolution. In Romania she proved her skills as a writer, and in 1993 her editors assigned her to Gaza. She had become familiar with the area while volunteering with a group that had her visiting Gazans to deliver money they were owed from Israeli employers who’d withheld their pay. It was during this time that her “romance” with Gaza began.
No one encouraged Hass to live in Gaza; in fact, she was specifically told not to. But determined to learn about the occupation from the inside, she moved there in 1993 and made a permanent home in the West Bank in 1997. This initiative made her the only Israeli journalist to live and work among Palestinians full-time.
Who’s in favour of sanctioning Iran?
November 10th, 2011 § 2 Comments
The following is an excerpt from my latest article in Al Jazeera English.
Not two months after the US’ highest-ranking military officer repeated calls for diplomacy with Iran, a key congressional committee approved two bills that would impose the severest sanctions that we’ve seen yet. Among their draconian measures is a last minute revision that would make it illegal for US officials to even speak to Iranian officials unless the president issues a special waiver and provides congress with a 15-day notice.
Obstructions to diplomacy and increasingly harsh moves against Iran recall the lead-up to the Iraq war, which was preceded by waves of sanctions and alarmist rhetoric justifying a pre-emptive strike. Not coincidentally, as the war drums in Israel and the US grow louder, “crippling” sanctions against Iran seem like a peaceful alternative. The mainstreaming of this idea has also resulted in less scrutiny of those who have been pushing for sanctions, resulting in a concealed playing field that continues to tilt in favour of the hawks. Now, as the already muted debate about sanctions is shifting to talk of far more militant measures, the balance of power in this tremendously uneven political landscape must be highlighted.
The players
The loudest, most influential organisations pushing for sanctions against Iran have an open pro-Israel agenda, regardless of their positioning on the political spectrum. The best resourced of all is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), self-described as “the most influential foreign policy lobbying organisation on Capitol Hill”. AIPAC lobbied aggressively for the recent bellicose bill proposals, featuring them and its lead sponsors on the front page of its website. Sanctions are “having an impact” and “more are needed”, the accompanying captions read. AIPAC is also a key backer of the push to sanction Iran’s central bank, a move that some Iranian officials consider an act of war.
‘Romeo and Juliet is a great plea for peace among men’
October 29th, 2011 § 2 Comments
My leisure book (the book I read when I tire of trying to understand politics) is an incomplete collection of Pablo Neruda’s essays and letters. His prose is similar to his poetry, imbued with his passion for love and his Communist spirit, but it is more personal, more direct. For example, in “I Refuse to Chew Theories”, Neruda explains why he can’t get through poetry disquisitions which are written by “overly learned persons” who “obscure the light, to turn bread into a coal, a word into a screw.” Most infuriating for Neruda is the way these “adulators” isolate “the poor poet from his brothers” by telling him “fascinating lies” such as “You are a Magus”, and “You are a god of obscurity.”
One of the great pleasures of reading this inimitable poet’s prose is the insight it provides into the way he saw the world and how his own experiences and convictions informed his readings of literary classics.
What is Romeo and Juliet about? Most people will answer with something along the lines of love and death. But Neruda’s description goes further than that, pointing out something which on second thought seems obvious but has been overshadowed by the story’s plot, or, by our simplistic exaltation of it.
Excerpt from ‘Shakespeare, Prince of Light’
This Autumn I was given the task of translating Romeo and Juliet.
I accepted the request with humility. With humility, and with a sense of duty, because in fact I did not feel capable of decanting that passionate love story into Spanish. But I had to do it, since this is the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, the year of universal veneration of the poet who opened new universes to man.
Translating with pleasure, and with honor, the tragedy of those star-crossed lovers, I made a discovery.
I realized that underlying the plot of undying love and inescapable death there was a second drama, a second subject, a second principal theme.
Romeo and Juliet is a great plea for peace among men. It is a condemnation of pointless hatred, a denunciation of the barbarity of war, and the solemn consecration of peace.
Some Preliminary Questions about the Alleged Iranian Terror Plot
October 12th, 2011 § 3 Comments
Manssor Arbabsiar in a mugshot from a 2001 arrest for theft (Neuces Co. Sheriff's Office)
Earlier today the FBI issued a press release stating that two Iranian men have been criminally charged in a New York court for allegedly plotting to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir. Here are some examples of how the U.S. mainstream media initially headlined the story:
ABC News: Iran ‘Directed’ Washington, D.C., Terror Plot, U.S. Says
New York Times: U.S. Accuses Iranians of Plotting to Kill Saudi Envoy
Washington Post: Iran behind alleged terrorist plot, U.S. says
So from the looks of things, Iran has been planning a terrorist plot on U.S. soil, right? Wrong, at least for now that is. There are many holes in this story that need to be filled before the government of Iran can be credibly accused of committing what could be interpreted as an act of war. For a summary of related events so far, read Jim Lobe’s report, and following are some preliminary questions that need answering:
1) Who has the authority to operate on behalf of the Iranian government?
If a relative of a member of the U.S. military or CIA plans a murder on foreign soil and claims he was ordered to even though the U.S. denies it, would we consider that a terrorist plot by the U.S.?
The accused named in the FBI press release are Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old Iranian-American from Texas with dual citizenship, and Gholam Shakuri, an alleged Iran-based member of Iran’s secretive Quds Force. What does the U.S. have that proves they were acting on behalf of the Iranian government, which, by the way, quickly denied the charges?
2) Who approached who first?
If Arbabsiar approached the agent first, how did he find them? If the FBI put Arbabsiar under surveillance for suspicious activities and then lured him into direct communication (which could have been the initial point of contact), was the FBI involved in other persuasive activities as well? Considering the loony aspects of this story which even Hillary Clinton has alluded to, is it wrong to question the sanity of Arbabsiar? Is it unfathomable that the FBI could have found a crazy and/or impressionable person who was acting on his own accord but was in some way related to elements of the Iranian government?
Update: A report in the Washington Post by Greg Miller and Julie Tate sheds some light on who Arbabsiar really is. According to House intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.):
It is my belief he was recruited for this particular operation
Al Jazeera Correspondent – Haiti: After the Quake
September 21st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
If you watch only one documentary on Haiti, watch this. It is about the country’s past, its present and the inefficient, corrupt world of large, non-governmental organizations and international organizations that often do more to compound problems in developing nations than alleviate them. I hope Al Jazeera’s Sebastian Walker is appropriately recognized for his brave investigative coverage of life in Haiti after its devastating earthquake.
William Hague Endorses Linkage for the UK
September 20th, 2011 § 1 Comment
First published on Lobe Log
Last night during an interview with Charlie Rose British Foreign Secretary William Hague endorsed linkage — the notion that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will help promote U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East. Here’s what was said:
CHARLIE ROSE: But also you know that the Israelis have said that’s not acceptable, ‘67 borders are not acceptable, shared Jerusalem as a capital is unacceptable. The Prime Minister has said that.WILLIAM HAGUE: If they want as I believe they do want long term security for their country then they will have to embrace those things, arrive at a settlement around those parameters. And I think it’s vital for Israel that they do so.
Look, the Arab Spring brings many benefits. It has many — it’s a hugely positive thing for the world on the whole but I don’t think Israel would want the democratic politics of Egypt, in Libya, in Tunisia, to come in the years to come a bidding war among different parties about who can become more hostile to Israel because the Palestinian issue is not being settled. That is a danger for Israel.
Also they affect Iran, their nuclear program is a major threat to peace in the region and the world. And to focus on facing up to that threat also requires making the agreement with the Palestinians. It is vital for Israel’s security that they do so.
Hague thus joins the highest levels of the U.S. military in arguing that solving the Israel-Palestine conflict is central to progressing on other heated issues in the Middle East, such as Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions. A secure and independent Palestine would not only remove one of Iran’s main rallying causes, but also undermine the impression that Washington permits Israel to behave with impunity in the region, leading to a less polarized and therefore more stable environment.
Hague’s words will likely be received negatively by neoconservatives who propagate reverse linkage, the argument that pressuring Israel to make peace should be postponed until the U.S. has dealt with Iran’s nuclear program and other potential challenges to Israel’s military dominance of the region.
Harold Pinter on Love
September 16th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
This poem was written for Harold Pinter’s second wife, Antonia Fraser. You can listen to him read it here. It is one of those rare, perfect expressions of love that a thousand pop songs taken together couldn’t come close to in terms of depth and meaning. Anyone who has been in a relationship with someone they’ve loved has experienced this moment, this feeling.
It Is Here – Harold Pinter
(For A)
What sound was that?
I turn away, into the shaking room.
What was that sound that came in on the dark?
What is this maze of light it leaves us in?
What is this stance we take,
to turn away and then turn back?
What did we hear?
It was the breath we took when we first met.
Listen. It is here.
1990
Blowback and U.S. Policy in Somalia
September 11th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Al Shabab fighters. Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP
Somalia is hell on earth, ravaged by war, famine and lack of infrastructure — but do you know why? News coverage of its famine and ongoing violence has been devoid of context, placing blame on the brutal Islamist forces fighting for control of the country without explaining where they came from or why they’ve risen to power.
Fortunately, one of the world’s best investigative journalists, Jeremy Scahill of The Nation, has produced an exemplary report detailing how U.S. proxy wars and support of warlords has proliferated militant Islam resistance movements in Somalia.
“Blowback in Somalia” exposes the covert role of the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command in a decade worth of operations, ranging from supporting warlord-run death squads to the 2006 US-sponsored Ethiopian invasion of Somalia to scores of targeted killing operations. It also reveals how U.S. policy was central to creating and strengthening the very forces it claimed to be fighting in Somalia and elsewhere, namely al Shabab and al Qaeda. According to Scahill: “The chaos and violence of the past decade in Somalia is blowback that was utterly predictable.”
The story is long and well worth every minute it takes to read it. Find a clipping after the break and be sure to check out photojournalist Rick Rowley’s slideshow.
Sakher al-Hallak brutally tortured and killed, Syria says he committed suicide
August 31st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
This is just one story from the living nightmare that Syrians have been forced to endure since pro-democracy protests began in January leaving thousands of civilians dead, injured and arrested. According to Hazem al-Hallak, his brother Sakher was savagely tortured before he died in Syrian custody. The authorities claim he committed suicide, but al-Hallak says his brother’s eyes were gouged out, rope marks were on his hands, his genitals were mutilated and his body had electric shock marks.
Al-Hallak’s death is documented in a new report by Amnesty International about 88 people who have died while in Syrian detention.
