Monthly Archives: July 2007

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Is The U.S Military Assistance To Middle Eastern Countries A Good Thing?

There are two points of views on whether or not the billions of dollars military aid (and trade) by America to friendly Middle Eastern countries are sensible.

The case against such aid, especially to Israel, is best put forth by the Lebanese Prime Minister  Fouad Seniora.

In a nutshell, his arguments go as follows: More weapons to Israel -> More Arab and Muslim grievances against America-> More Terrorists.
Moreover, according to Seniora, the same money could be spent on promoting peace instead of war. (In his mind, he’s thinking of the Saudi peace initiative)

Proponents of the aid packages on the other hand view them as a critically important component in the new “cold war” against Iran.

Many strategists had argued that the best way to defeat Iran is by using a combination of containment and arms race. In the end, the Iranian regime would collapse just like the Soviet empire did, simply because its economy couldn’t keep up with that of the US and its (very rich) allies.

Recent signs of weakening in Iran have emboldened supporters of containment like secretary of States Condoleezza rice and Journalists like David Ignatius. From petrol rationing leading to violent demonstrations to rising popular discontent that lead to brutal crackdowns on women, students and the elderly, the mullahs are starting to pant.

Bringing in American warships close to Iran’s shores and arming Iran’s strategic opponents (Gulf states, Egypt + Israel) can scare Iran enough to divert even more resources out of basic services for its people into arms for itself and for Its proxies. At the end, the Iranian people would do the dirty work.

So which strategy is more sensible?

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New Syrian "Policy" On Lebanon

Syria insider Joshua Landis explains Syria’s new let’s-pretend-everyone-is-stupid policy towards Lebanon:

Syria’s new policy on Lebanon, begun with president’s speech two weeks ago, is to stop public pronouncements on Lebanon, tell Western diplomats what they want to hear – that Syria will do what it can in Lebanon – yet, at the same time, explain that the West must go to Lebanon to find answers. The public stand is that Lebanon’s problems are her own and Syria cannot do much about it. This is, of course, posturing and fits the Western insistence that Syria must not play a role, which Syria refuses. The result is that Syria and the West will both pretend that no one is influencing Lebanon. It is a good pretend policy.

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Syria, The Christians And The Metn Elections

It is becoming obvious that Syria is trying to divide and conquer the Christians…Again


(Photo: Michael Totten)

First, let’s clear a point: Aoun did not make the statements SANA (the Syrian News Agency) attributed to him. Scandalized opponents should chill. But the fact that SANA released that fake statement in a period of high tensions and rancor among Lebanese Christians against the background of the Metn elections, only confirms Michael Young’s theory: (Emphasis mine)

Back when [Aoun] was liberating Lebanon from the Syrian Army, he took time off to destroy the Lebanese Forces. The army and the militia ended up destroying each other, and the Syrians walked into the predominantly Christian areas on October 13, 1990. Not surprisingly, Damascus has been pushing for an election contest in the Metn, and has mobilized its client parties for that purpose. Whenever the Christians are divided, the Syrians are better able to help themselves to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Lebanese pundits are divided on whether or not the Metn elections should take place (as a politically important democratic exercise with far reaching implications) or settled to calm the tensions among the Christians. So what should Happen?

I suggest a competitive election with a code of honor between Gemayyel and Aoun. They should meet at Bkirki and declare that the best should win, but at the same time, they should promise not to ever use the past as a way of settling scores. The leaders bare a heavy responsibility and should be wise enough not to bring up the memories of a war where everyone was guilty, just to win a seat.

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In Lebanon, Sex…And Security Sell

These advertisements for City Mall on the first page of two of today’s newspapers combine skimpy models, security check paraphernalia and heavy sexual innuendo (especially in the first one) to advertise themselves.

In a way, the ads are ingenious if bordering on exploitative. People are scared to go shopping because of all the bombs, but with such babes making sure no bombs are coming in, perhaps we should go spend some bucks.

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Tent City Not Cool Anymore

Hanin Ghaddar wrote a piece for Now Lebanon on how the Tent city is losing its people. Ahh, the good ol’ days with all the parties, free food and endless speeches. Things never stay the same do they?

“The camp is not entertaining anymore,” complained Ghassan, a 23-year-old student from Beirut’s southern suburbs. “When the sit-in first began, we had the will and the enthusiasm to go down there every day, as we were convinced that the Siniora government would certainly give in to our demands soon.” Ghassan and his friends, however, have stopped going to the sit-in, because they started to feel that it was not leading anywhere.

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Global Warming Kills 15 Syrian Soldiers, Wounds 50

A military training compound in Aleppo was hit by a massive explosion that killed and maimed dozens of soldiers. Syrian officials blame the weather, but is it really the culprit?


The almushat military academy (photo: Alarabiya)

The story of the Syrian officials sounds fishy; extreme heat does indeed cause military equipment to expand and bolts to loosen, but Aleppo is a city well known for its mild weather. The Kuwaiti levels of 50?C that the officials mentioned to the BBC sound exorbitant. Moreover, according to Alarabiya, the explosion happened at 4:30 in the morning, hardly the hottest time of the day.

The likelier answer would be one or a combination of 3 things: Negligence, corruption or a terrorist attack.