- OwlBot 2000
- Jun 1, 2009
-
|
Looks like the Brotherhood is on the side of the military regime, not the Egyptian people.
How much real support do these guys have, and how much is just them being the status quo's new best friend?
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 01:15
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
?
May 17, 2024 23:04
|
|
- Xandu
- Feb 19, 2006
-
It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.
|
I don't think the latter is a fair generalization, but they got more votes in the election than they would have once (or if) Egypt becomes a more mature democracy. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 and have been arguably the most effective opposition group over time. They have a huge network of supporters and their party (FJP) was the only one that succeeded in GOTV. They have a very mature platform and I think a lot of people view them as a known, experienced entity. It would also be foolish to deny that Islamism is a powerful force in Egypt, given how many votes al-Nour got.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 01:46
|
|
- pantslesswithwolves
- Oct 28, 2008
-
|
The source is escaping me, but I recall reading a FJP figure saying something to the effect of "We got the Muslim vote, al-Nour got the peasant vote" or something to that effect. The MB is championing itself as the face of political Islam in Egypt and has been pretty hostile to the Salafists.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 02:13
|
|
- OwlBot 2000
- Jun 1, 2009
-
|
A little sad that the revolutions thus far have taken a reactionary Islamist bent rather than a leftist, social-justice oriented movement. I guess it's unsurprising, given that most governments they've thrown out or are trying to overthrow (aside from Bahrain) are nominally secular, pan-Arab socialist parties.
But with a properly functioning democracy, and when things settle, maybe things will improve.
A biased article from a questionable source: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=27407
quote:There are also tensions coming to the surface about the newly elected parliament. These were exposed by the extraordinary scenes in Cairo’s Tahrir Square during last week’s demonstrations.
Muslim Brotherhood speakers were heckled and crowds shook their shoes at them to show their disgust. They accuse the Brotherhood of selling out and collaborating with the military.
The Brotherhood’s majority in the parliament is a sign of their deep roots and wide support. But this raises all sorts of contradictions for them. Parliament has only been sitting since Monday of this week, yet it is already seen as letting people down.
A key slogan of the 18 days in Tahrir Square that brought down Mubarak had been “Raise your head up high—you are an Egyptian”.
On Friday’s demonstrations this was turned against the Brotherhood. “Raise your head up high—you are only a chair,” protesters shouted—meaning the Brotherhood had sold out the revolution to gain seats in parliament.
Some even threw their shoes in bitterness and carried on marching in bare feet. “This is a revolution, not a party,” they chanted.
One speaker tried to calm the crowd with slogans about all Egyptians being “one hand”. He said, “We need to go back to how we used to be.” The crowd roared back, “We will never go back to how we used to be.”
When the Brotherhood played verses from the Koran in order to calm the crowd, one protester got to the public address system and pulled the plug. This is unprecedented. Yet people do still have expectations that the new parliament will deliver some improvements.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 03:06
|
|
- Chortles
- Dec 29, 2008
-
|
OwlBot 2000 posted:
A little sad that the revolutions thus far have taken a reactionary Islamist bent rather than a leftist, social-justice oriented movement. I guess it's unsurprising, given that most governments they've thrown out or are trying to overthrow (aside from Bahrain) are nominally secular, pan-Arab socialist parties.
But with a properly functioning democracy, and when things settle, maybe things will improve.
A biased article from a questionable source: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=27407
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 05:11
|
|
- geegee
- Aug 6, 2005
-
|
Chortles posted:
Nominally secular pan-Arab socialist... I've heard though that the "organized political Islam" groups have been the ones that best survived regime oppression near-intact, to explain why they've done better. Although, of course, there's claims of stuff like "voting against FJP is voting against Allah" in Egypt...
Of course FJP would say this or something like it, after all it was an election, but you and OwlBot go back a couple of pages and reread the Gilbert Achcar piece Xandu posted, especially paragraph 4. The success of political Islamic groups was (is) to be expected.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 08:47
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
.`
Brown Moses fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Jul 1, 2014
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 11:45
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
quote:Gaddafi daughter applies to ICC over jailed brother
The daughter of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi asked on Tuesday to make representations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to help her brother Saif al-Islam, who is in a Libyan jail awaiting trial on rape and murder charges.
Aisha Gaddafi wants to hand information to the court about the welfare of Saif al-Islam, who has also been indicted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity dating from Libya's civil war last year.
Supporters of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who was captured disguised as a Bedouin in the Sahara desert in November, say they doubt he will be given a fair trial in Libya. They say he should be tried instead by the ICC in The Hague.
If he is found guilty by a Libyan court, Saif al-Islam faces the death penalty while if the court in the Hague convicts him the most he can be given is a prison term.
A document submitted to the ICC for Aisha Gaddafi suggested that the Libyan authorities were unwilling to let any foreign lawyer act for Saif al-Islam.
"Aisha Gaddafi wishes to protect the interests of her brother," said the document, which was seen by Reuters.
Saif al-Islam, the most high-profile of Muammar Gaddafi's sons, is the subject of wrangling between the new Libyan authorities and the ICC on where he should be tried.
Libya's ruling National Transitional Council says he should be tried at home and that he will be given a fair hearing. But the ICC has reserved the right to insist that he be sent to the Hague.
Aisha Gaddafi was also part of the legal defence team for Saddam Hussain, so Saif might want someone with a better track record.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 11:48
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
The-Mole posted:
What the hell is Oman doing right? or wrong?
Not butchering protesters by the looks of it:
quote:Unlike other protests in the region, Oman’s demonstrators have emphasized their loyalty to their ruler, while voicing their dissatisfaction on corrupt officials. The sultan responded to most of the demands which focus largely on more jobs and higher minimum salaries for Omanis, in addition to more power for the legislative council and the removal of several ministers
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 12:03
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
Third part of my interview with Kevin Dawes/Caro where he discusses prisoner executions, rebel bureaucracy, and a journalist whose identity I had to hide to avoid possible libel action:
http://libyavoices.blogspot.com/2012/01/kevin-dawes-part-three-returning-to.html
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 13:00
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
Russia's Special Presidential Envoy for Cooperation with Africa Mikhail Margelov spoke to Russia Today about Libya and Syria last week. From this response he's obviously not been watching Russia Today for the past year (crudely autotranslated by Google Translate):
quote:There are many reports on the causes of the Libyan Revolution, some say that the United States stands behind them and others say that the Libyan people. What novel are you?
I do not think the existence of a conspiracy against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at the beginning of the revolution. What happened to the younger generation is tired of the system that did not provide for young people only two options - either migration out of Libya, or internal migration, ie, isolation from society and live in the center of a small circle of people away from what is happening in the street. With the beginning of the so-called Arab spring in Tunisia was the spark events move to Libya is easy. The rule of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya for more than forty years has emerged under the leadership of at least two generations could not these two generations of young people to engage in any political process, and therefore demanded the change. Called for peaceful change, but the response was shocking. We know what happened after that.
It scans a bit better if you read it in a 60's style comedy Russian accent.
quote:Has already interpreted the reasons for Russia's interest in the protection of Syria and rejection of any form of intervention.
Sorry for the interruption. But we strive to protect Syria and not the Syrian regime. Syria, Syria, the country of the nation with which we have relations for a century. We have a close relationship Syrian Christian history, and what was known as the Middle East, Russia in the nineteenth century and part of Syria. For these reasons, we seek to help the Syrian people and Syria the country.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 13:38
|
|
- az jan jananam
- Sep 6, 2011
-
HI, I'M HARDCORE SAX HERE TO DROP A NICE JUICY TURD OF A POST FROM UP ON HIGH
|
A blogger for Syrian Comment returned to Syria and interviewed a few people. Most interesting-
quote:
The Third Encounter:
I get a call from a relative telling me how a young man in his building just came back from serving in Homs. He is allowed to see his family for three days before he needs to return. I ask if I can talk to him. That evening, a 20-year old shows up. He starts by showing me pictures with him in uniform as he sits on the front line of two warring communities in Homs. For the next 30 minutes, he describes how Alawi and Sunni neighborhoods face each other with his unit sitting in between. Both are heavily armed he claims. He seems resigned to the fact that the country faces a long ordeal as sectarian tensions mount. He is a Christian serving with 5 Sunnis. He assures me that the Syrian army is a lot stronger than many believe and that only 10-20% of its capacity has been used thus far.
Ehsani: If Damascus decides to end the Homs insurgency and use its full might, how many people would die?
Soldier: 50,000
Ehsani: What about all of Syria?
Soldier: 100,000. Presently, we have orders not to shoot. We gain little by shooting as the guns will be grabbed by others and the anger will ensure that many more join the revolution. Our unit is one of the weakest. Damascus could easily replace us with stronger divisions if the objective were to take over these neighborhoods and kill the armed elements. This is what I expect will happen at some stage, however.
Ehsani: What will you do once you are done with your service?
Soldier: “Get out of here as fast as I can. I don’t care where I go.” His cousin is sitting next to him nods in agreement. “I will swim across to Cyprus soon,” he adds.
He concludes
quote:
...Indeed, every Syrian who is in the military or who has served there in the past seemed to believe that it will be “years” before the regime is weakened enough to lose. This sentiment was shared by even those in the opposition that I spoke to. Syrians inside the country seem to be well aware of the might of the Syrian army and the security services. Perhaps this is why the hardcore elements of the opposition are pleading for foreign intervention. I think that it is highly unlikely that the regime will lose to the opposition without some form of foreign intervention and/or the Russians turning their back. Niether appears to be on the horizon.
Their comments section is one of the most interesting forums on the internet because it seems evenly split between the mnhebaks (loyalists) and revolutionaries. He comments-
quote:
12. Some on this blog assert without any scientific evidence or proper argument that the ruling minority has a bleak future in Syria if the regime falls; do you agree about this?
12- I absolutely agree with this. My meeting with the soldier confirmed this. Nearly everyone I talked to thinks that Alawis will get slaughtered if the regime falls. az jan jananam fucked around with this message at 14:00 on Feb 1, 2012
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 13:53
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
quote:Libya's "hostages of war"
'Fitna' is widely used in Arabic but difficult to translate directly into English. Roughly defined, it means the intentional stirring of chaos between people.
Fitna is why Muammar Gaddafi occupied the town of Tawergha, held its residents hostage and used it as a base to besiege and shell the coastal city of Misrata in last year's civil war, refugee Kareem al-Barra said.
"He wanted to turn Libyans on each other, to divide and rule," said Barra, one of thousands of displaced black Libyans who have suffered revenge attacks from victorious anti-Gaddafi forces since the war ended.
Barra and his family were forced from their homes and driven out of Tawergha in August, and now live in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Benghazi.
"We consider ourselves war hostages," he told Reuters.
Gaddafi's strategy last year stirred suspicion and hatred between the ethnically Arab people of Misrata and the black Libyans in Tawergha, refugees say. It worked so well that even after the dictator's death, it interferes with Libya's new rulers focus on rebuilding and reconciliation.
Although no-one here will admit it, a number of Tawergha's residents did serve voluntarily in the Gaddafi forces. Barra says his people are being persecuted for that supposed collaboration and being mistaken for the sub-Saharan African mercenaries who fought for Gaddafi in the war.
"Everyone wants to return but we are too scared. The rebels from Misrata think we fought with Gaddafi, but we were trapped inside Tawergha," Barra said, sitting in a corrugated iron building at the centre of Gargounis camp, one of five camps in Benghazi that house more than 19,000 Tawergha residents.
"Now (fighters from Misrata) are still destroying Tawergha and attacking black Libyans on sight."
The more than 28,000 displaced people from Tawergha and its surrounding villages add to the difficulties of Libya's interim rulers tasked with creating a democratic state from scratch.
In addition to addressing the refugee issue, the National Transitional Council (NTC) must quell regular clashes between rival militias, bring down youth unemployment and secure its borders against arms traffickers, al Qaeda insurgents and migrants trying to reach Europe illegally.
Elections are promised for June, but many here say they will have to be pushed back.
GADDAFI BRIGADES IN TAWERGHA
Barra paints a dark picture of life in Tawergha when Gaddafi's forces set up a base there at the start of the war in February 2011.
The electrical engineer-turned-refugee says 12,000 Gaddafi-loyal soldiers arrived in the quiet coastal town over the course of two nights.
"They were all black like us, some of them African mercenaries and some from Saba city, in Libya's Sahara desert," Barra explained, gesturing vividly with his hands.
"They seized fuel and set up checkpoints, making it impossible to escape," he added. A few tried one night but were caught, given on-the-spot trials and found guilty of treason: "Seven entire families were killed. Nobody could get out and if people were sick or injured, they would die in the street."
Other men from Tawergha, sitting idle in the refugee camps in Benghazi, said Gaddafi promised the town's elders that he would turn the city into a "paradise" after the war.
"Really he was scared about the rebels reaching Sirte," said a volunteer from a local religious charity working at the camp, referring to Gaddafi's hometown where he was killed in October.
Tawergha, known for its fertile soil and salt mines, lay between Misrata and Sirte.
After five months, the Misrata rebels pushed the brigades out of Tawergha, but raised hell as they did, Barra said.
"Then the Misrata problem started," he said, his eyes focused on the memory. "There were revenge attacks in retaliation for the siege of Misrata. People were killed in front of their families. The entire city fled between August and October."
Once inhabited by almost 30,000 people, Tawergha is now a ghost town. Horses, camels and goats roam the streets, feeding on rubbish and shrubs.
Above the doorways and windows of each of the concrete buildings -- some five or six storeys high -- black soot from fires paints the wall. Houses are splattered with bullet holes and many buildings have collapsed. The detritus of spent rockets-propelled grenades line the streets.
Human Rights Watch's emergencies director Peter Bouckaert, who has worked on and off in Libya since the war started, said Misrata rebels have looted and destroyed homes in Tawergha as well as the neighbouring farming villages of Kararim and Tomina.
"Every time we visit the area, we have witnessed rebels looting and burning homes," he told Reuters.
"The civilian and military leadership should remember that the International Criminal Court has full jurisdiction over war crimes being committed in Libya, and forcibly displacing a civilian population and destroying their homes are war crimes."
REVENGE ATTACKS
At a second refugee camp in Benghazi, Tawergha resident Ahmed Ali Farhat has been documenting abuses against his countrymen as the "fitna" continues.
"People fled from Tawergha to all over Libya, but they are still being harassed, especially by roaming Misrata rebels who pursue them," the elderly man told Reuters as he walked through the camp, the grounds of a empty cement factory.
"Two days ago some rebels from Misrata roughed up some Tawergha here in Benghazi," he said. A line of black men stood waiting in front of a USAID truck handing out clothes nearby.
"Another group of eight Tawergha people were caught in Sirte. One was stamped to death," he said. He plans to file a report on the incident to the interim government.
As rain started to beat down, Farhat looked at his townsmen, miles from home and cowering under makeshift huts. He was pessimistic Libya would address the atrocities committed before and after the war, or that he would ever be able to return home.
"There is no security as the Libyan government is still not in control of the country," Farhat said. "They have not looked seriously at our case."
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 15:57
|
|
- BCR
- Jan 23, 2011
-
|
I can't get the Caro interviews to load.
On the one hand, Caro is a headcase who shouldn't be near anyone medically.
On the other, I admire the get and go from a complete random to fly to a warzone and somehow survive it all.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 15:58
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
BCR posted:
I can't get the Caro interviews to load.
On the one hand, Caro is a headcase who shouldn't be near anyone medically.
On the other, I admire the get and go from a complete random to fly to a warzone and somehow survive it all.
Have you tried the main site?
http://libyavoices.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow is a good one, it's his time in Sirte, he got a lot of interesting videos I've added to the post.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 16:13
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
Syria is hotting up, this latest video shows the FSA using a armoured vehicle in combat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43YSPdPk-nk
There's also fighting in Tripoli
quote: Rival militias fought a gunbattle on Wednesday in the centre of the Libyan capital, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.
The reporter said exchanges of both heavy and light weapons could be heard coming from the area of El-Saadi beach, next to the heart of Tripoli. He said the road along the beach was blocked, and smoke was rising from the location of the fighting.
An Interior Ministry official said the fighting was between militiamen from the city of Misrata, and units from Zintan. Both groups fought to oust former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and maintain a heavy presence in the capital
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 16:23
|
|
- BCR
- Jan 23, 2011
-
|
Brown Moses posted:
Have you tried the main site?
http://libyavoices.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow is a good one, it's his time in Sirte, he got a lot of interesting videos I've added to the post.
My bad, its at my end, my internet spazzed out. Reading the third interview. The normal bureaucracy of you can't be here rings true, I just find it hilarious he got adopted by a couple of doctors for whatever reason.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 16:41
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
I'm really hoping I can get an interview with one of the members of the Libyan Women's Platform for Peace next.
Here's another FSA tank in Syria:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy-fgMbdK28
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 17:14
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
Yeah, my daughter was born the day before Gaddafi was killed, so her timing was only slightly off.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 18:06
|
|
- thiswayliesmadness
- Dec 3, 2009
-
I hope to see you next time, and take care all
|
I love how the guy pops out of the tank top as soon as the gunfire starts. It's hard to tell if they're piling up garbage in the streets for some kind of roadblock, or if it's just being piled away from homes. Just looking at the conditions of the buildings and such though, it probably won't be long till some Syrian cities end up looking like Sirte does now.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 18:24
|
|
- Brown Moses
- Feb 22, 2002
-
|
According to the Guardian live blog its been identified as being filmed in the centre of Homs, based off the visible street signs. That's not good news for the regime.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 18:28
|
|
- Pimpmust
- Oct 1, 2008
-
|
I saw this related video, no idea if it's from the same place (and maybe the same BMP). poo poo is really heating up over there (no pun intended).
Seems to be from Homs though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 18:35
|
|
- Herstory Begins Now
- Aug 5, 2003
-
SOME REALLY TEDIOUS DUMB SHIT THAT SUCKS ASS TO READ ->>
|
BCR posted:
I can't get the Caro interviews to load.
On the one hand, Caro is a headcase who shouldn't be near anyone medically.
On the other, I admire the get and go from a complete random to fly to a warzone and somehow survive it all.
I find the idea of Caro shooting at "sniper" silhouettes in windows far scarier than him giving people IVs for dehydration. Paranoid schizophrenia doesn't make you too stupid to adequately provide first-aid, it makes you absolutely horrendous at judging threats.
But yeah, I can't help but agree that as obviously ill-advised as his trips to Libya were, my god did he shoot some amazing footage. I hope (though it is a shot in the dark) that going through such a truly crazy experience (the kind of crazy that is around you, not in your own head) might give him a bit more perspective on some of the crazy ideas he's had.
Brown Moses: (if you don't want to answer this, that's obviously fine) How did Caro seem after all this? Crazier? Less crazy? Traumatized? All of the above?
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 18:52
|
|
- Xandu
- Feb 19, 2006
-
It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.
|
loving Heritage Foundation.
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/01/the-obama-administration-ill-informed-on-bahrain/ posted:
Last Friday, Bahrainis held a peaceful, though spirited, rally in front of the United Nations headquarters in Manama to protest what they consider to be misguided foreign efforts to pressure Bahrain’s government to make dangerous concessions to uncompromising opposition leaders, some of whom are linked to Iran.
Bahrainis, particularly those loyal to the ruling Al-Khalifa family, are outraged by what they consider the Obama Administration’s favoritism for an increasingly violent opposition movement. Dubbed “Hands off Bahrain,” demonstrators delivered a clear message to the United State government: “Back off.”
Since the crisis began last February, sparked by the “Arab Spring,” Bahrain’s government has grappled with the restoration of order. Initiated by a youth movement demanding government reform, demonstrations were quickly hijacked by the opposition party, al-Wefaq, and other actors, including Shia cleric Isa Qassim. Iran, as it has done repeatedly in the past, has also played a significant—though covert—role in inspiring unrest. In response, Bahrain’s security forces quickly issued a brutal crackdown that was later assessed in detail by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
Despite the government’s attempts to implement the recommendations of the BICI and political reforms created through the National Dialogue, the opposition demands more. However, these demands are often vague and inconsistent. While al-Wefaq and four other opposition groups have outlined their demands—which include drastic political reforms—its supporters are throwing Molotov cocktails at police and calling for the downfall of the royal family.
The Obama Administration has mistakenly treated Bahrain, which is governed by one of the most liberal governments in the Gulf, the same way it has treated other countries dominated by much more oppressive authoritarian regimes that have been affected by the “Arab Spring.” The Administration has hedged its bets in favor of the opposition. Such moves reveal how uninformed the Administration is to the events on the ground.
Last September, in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, President Obama effectively legitimized al-Wefaq’s influence when he urged Bahrain’s government to make additional reforms to appease al-Wefaq. Last October, the State Department also blocked a $53 million arms sale to Bahrain, claiming that the sale wouldn’t go through until Washington’s demands for reform were met.
While the sale of some military equipment was announced last week, some Members of Congress are furious at what they perceive as rewarding Bahrain’s government for too little progress, despite the fact that the arms sale is for Bahrain’s external military use and in support of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. The U.S. embassy in Bahrain has also come under heavy criticism after it was revealed that State Department officials met with al-Wefaq leaders.
Giving such credence to al-Wefaq, the Administration fails to consider what would happen to Bahrain if the monarchy falls to the opposition. Al-Wefaq has made no secret that, if it comes to power, the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, a major bulwark in containing Iran, would have a limited future. Iran, which considers Bahrain its lost 14th province, would also expand its influence and destabilize the region.
Bahrain’s government is far from perfect, and some of the opposition’s claims are legitimate. However, considering that Bahrain achieved independence from Britain in 1970, the small island kingdom has made remarkable progress in building a pluralistic and open society that respects freedom of religion, women’s rights, and economic freedom. The Obama Administration should not sacrifice an important ally in the Gulf region in a misguided effort to appease opposition leaders with dubious democratic credentials who are backed by Iran.
Pushing Bahrain to surrender to Islamist political parties intent on building a tyranny of the majority would not create a genuine democracy but would only strengthen Iranian influence, enhance its growing threat to other Persian Gulf states, and damage U.S. efforts to contain Iran, a major threat to freedom in the Middle East.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 19:46
|
|
- Golbez
- Oct 9, 2002
-
1 2 3!
If you want to take a shot at me get in line, line
1 2 3!
Baby, I've had all my shots and I'm fine
|
quote:
...and damage U.S. efforts to contain Iran, a major threat to freedom in the Middle East.
... What freedom? This is code for "Israel", that being by far the only nation in the region that qualifies as "free." They could at least have the stones to admit it. Iran may be a threat to many nations in the Middle East, but "freedom" only applies at most to one of them.
Tell me if I'm wrong that this is how things will go:
1) America becomes paranoid Iran wants a nuclear bomb, whether they actually do or not
2) The world places sanctions on Iran
3) Economically stifled, Iran does the only thing it feels it can do to equalize itself on the world stage, and... gets a nuclear bomb
See also: North Korea. Cuba is a special case, since they were a direct Soviet satellite, so had no need to get nuclear weaponry.
Golbez fucked around with this message at 20:26 on Feb 1, 2012
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 20:21
|
|
- Xandu
- Feb 19, 2006
-
It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.
|
Dozens dead in Port Said Egypt after soccer clashes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 20:53
|
|
- Golbez
- Oct 9, 2002
-
1 2 3!
If you want to take a shot at me get in line, line
1 2 3!
Baby, I've had all my shots and I'm fine
|
CNN Breaking News posted:
At least 68 people were killed when riots broke out at a soccer game in Egypt, the country's deputy health minister said.
Hundreds were injured in the riots, the deputy minister said.
The fighting occurred in a stadium in the northeastern city of Port Said at a match between Al-Ahly and the home team, Al-Masry.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 20:56
|
|
- Jut
- May 16, 2005
-
by Ralp
|
?!?!??! posted:
The Obama Administration has mistakenly treated Bahrain, which is governed by one of the most liberal governments in the Gulf, the same way it has treated other countries dominated by much more oppressive authoritarian regimes that have been affected by the “Arab Spring.” The Administration has hedged its bets in favor of the opposition.
What loving planet are these guys on?
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 21:01
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
?
May 17, 2024 23:04
|
|
- pantslesswithwolves
- Oct 28, 2008
-
|
The one where a $53 million USD arms sale to the bloodthirsty al-Khalifa regime is clearly a message of support to the perpetually teargassed and beaten Bahraini opposition, yup yup.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 21:09
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2012 01:15
SoroScrew 
