Well, I'm feeling better. Or at least I was until I started looking at the news. The Middle East is going up in flames. Things are really getting bad in Bahrain. The Saudis sent troops there (GCC Peninsula Shield troops), and now the king has declared a "three-month state of emergency." This after 200 people were shot. One of the big reasons for the unrest in Bahrain isn't just having a king with little democracy. It's the fact that the king and most of the rulers are Sunni, while most of the population is Shi'ite. Does that sound familiar to anyone? It should. That's how Iraq was under Saddam Hussein. And look how well that turned out!
The GCC is supporting Bahrain, which makes sense. Even the UAE is sending some troops. The GCC is paranoid that if Shi'ites take over, they'll be under the control of Iran. So this battleground is a lot more complicated than some crazy dictator oppressing his people (like Libya). The US is also supporting the rulers of Bahrain. Things are probably going to get worse before they get better.
Showing posts with label protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protests. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
We Love Bahrain!
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, met with King Hamad of Bahrain last week. Apparently the US supports Bahrain, or at least the king. Too bad the US doesn't support democracy.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Protests in Oman
Several people may be dead following protests in Oman. Protesters blocked an industrial area in Sohar and some stores were looted. Two government buildings were set on fire. The Oman Daily Observer referred to it as "sabotage and vandalism." Protests also took place in Muscat.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Kurds Protest Corruption
Yes, the Kurds in Iraq are protesting too. Not in the way of Libya or anything like that, but some people are making comparisons to 1991 (protests against Saddam). They're protesting corruption in Sulaimaniyah. Apparently, as often happens, some government officials or political parties are getting too much control over business matters and making a fortune off of it, and the people are sick of it.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Free Ali Abdulemam: Update I
Ali is free! The king of Bahrain freed a number of prisoners and Ali was one of them.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Protests Protests Protests! Update I
Yahoo!'s Mideast protests at a glance.
Bahrain is in a world of hurt. More protesters were attacked and injured, overwhelming the hospital. So far, over 200 people have been injured and President Obama has been speaking to the Bahraini king. The king has appointed the Crown Prince as a kind of mediator with the protesters, and he has issued his own statement. There was also a pro-government rally.
Protests in Libya are getting very bloody with over 40 protesters dead, and there are reports that 2 policemen were hung.
Protests in Yemen are on their 9th straight day, and 4 more people are dead. Journalists are also being attacked. Protesters in Ta'iz were attacked with a grenade.
Jordanians have been protesting for 7 days straight. The 2,000 protesters were followed by some pro-government supporters.
Egyptians held a celebration protest. It's been a week since Mubarak left.
Oman is generally considered the safest country in the Middle East. When I visited, I found the Omanis very polite and nice. So it makes sense that when they held a protest today, it was a polite one. Really. Read the article.
Bahrain is in a world of hurt. More protesters were attacked and injured, overwhelming the hospital. So far, over 200 people have been injured and President Obama has been speaking to the Bahraini king. The king has appointed the Crown Prince as a kind of mediator with the protesters, and he has issued his own statement. There was also a pro-government rally.
Protests in Libya are getting very bloody with over 40 protesters dead, and there are reports that 2 policemen were hung.
Protests in Yemen are on their 9th straight day, and 4 more people are dead. Journalists are also being attacked. Protesters in Ta'iz were attacked with a grenade.
Jordanians have been protesting for 7 days straight. The 2,000 protesters were followed by some pro-government supporters.
Egyptians held a celebration protest. It's been a week since Mubarak left.
Oman is generally considered the safest country in the Middle East. When I visited, I found the Omanis very polite and nice. So it makes sense that when they held a protest today, it was a polite one. Really. Read the article.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Protests Protests Protests!
Things are heating up across the Middle East, and the latest is in Bahrain. Protesters are trying to take over the main square, just like the Egyptians did. Two people have already died in these protests. Funerals were held Tuesday and sparked even more protests. Several policemen have been arrested for the deaths. These protests are continuing today.
Protests in Jordan have included Bedouin, who want their land back. And the government recently decided to allow protests or rallies without government permission.
In Saudi Arabia some activists are trying to form a political party.
Protests have started in Libya as well, and several activists have been arrested. Protesters are calling for their own Day of Anger and numerous people have been injured. More on the protests.
Activists have called for protests in Syria. One of them was arrested and just released. And a female teen-aged blogger in Syria, held for over a year, has been convicted of spying for the US.
What's also interesting is what isn't mentioned online. For instance, the Gulf Times in Qatar has articles on Egypt, Tunisia, and even Yemen, but nothing about Bahrain. Whereas the Gulf Daily News in Bahrain does cover some of the protests. So does the Kuwait Times.
Protests in Jordan have included Bedouin, who want their land back. And the government recently decided to allow protests or rallies without government permission.
In Saudi Arabia some activists are trying to form a political party.
Protests have started in Libya as well, and several activists have been arrested. Protesters are calling for their own Day of Anger and numerous people have been injured. More on the protests.
Activists have called for protests in Syria. One of them was arrested and just released. And a female teen-aged blogger in Syria, held for over a year, has been convicted of spying for the US.
What's also interesting is what isn't mentioned online. For instance, the Gulf Times in Qatar has articles on Egypt, Tunisia, and even Yemen, but nothing about Bahrain. Whereas the Gulf Daily News in Bahrain does cover some of the protests. So does the Kuwait Times.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Egypt Rocks!
Congratulations to the people of Egypt! It's so inspiring to see the peoples of Tunisia and Egypt make a change for themselves. Let's hope that both countries will be able to create a new democratic government of the people.
I have been a little concerned with some of the media coverage of Egypt in the US. They keep talking about "what does this mean for us?" And harping on how good a friend Mubarak was in the fight against terrorism. Of course, they don't mention that one reason he was such a good friend is because the US could send suspected terrorists to Egypt to be tortured.
I am also really sick of hearing how "stable" the Mubarak regime was and how we need stability in the Middle East. I am all for stability, but not under a dictatorship. Some of the media outlets have been pointing to other Middle Eastern countries that are stable and what might happen if they have protests. This reminds me of US foreign policy during the Cold War, when we were propping up these brutal right-wing dictators in Central and South America. But hey - it was stable! It drives me crazy that so many Americans had no idea what was going on then, and have no idea what is going on now. How can a country that wields this much power have people who are so clueless?
I have been a little concerned with some of the media coverage of Egypt in the US. They keep talking about "what does this mean for us?" And harping on how good a friend Mubarak was in the fight against terrorism. Of course, they don't mention that one reason he was such a good friend is because the US could send suspected terrorists to Egypt to be tortured.
I am also really sick of hearing how "stable" the Mubarak regime was and how we need stability in the Middle East. I am all for stability, but not under a dictatorship. Some of the media outlets have been pointing to other Middle Eastern countries that are stable and what might happen if they have protests. This reminds me of US foreign policy during the Cold War, when we were propping up these brutal right-wing dictators in Central and South America. But hey - it was stable! It drives me crazy that so many Americans had no idea what was going on then, and have no idea what is going on now. How can a country that wields this much power have people who are so clueless?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Who Cares About Democracy?
The US news is worried about how the events in Egypt will affect America. Will we be less safe? Will Al-Qa'eda take over in Egypt? Will the Suez Canal shut down? Will the price of oil go up? But they're not talking about democracy. I thought the whole point of having a large democratic country and trying to convince other countries of democracy was that the US would actually support democracy? I guess I should know better by now. The US is interested in security, even if that means propping up brutal dictators who repress their own country and represent everything we hate.
What hypocrisy.
What hypocrisy.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Women Protest in Egypt and More
See photos on facebook here. (h/t @krmaher)
Latest rumor is that Mubarak was rejected by Saudi Arabia and is going to Israel.
Is Yemen going up next?
Latest rumor is that Mubarak was rejected by Saudi Arabia and is going to Israel.
Is Yemen going up next?
Friday, January 28, 2011
News on TV
Sorry - I've been in presentations all day and watching Egypt on my Twitter feed at the same time. I highly recommend Twitter for that. Also, here's Al-Jazeera's Egypt Live Blog.
We were all hoping to see Mubarak leave, but no such luck yet. Maybe tomorrow, insha'allah!
We were all hoping to see Mubarak leave, but no such luck yet. Maybe tomorrow, insha'allah!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Egyptian Protests: Update II
News on Twitter is that Egypt has blocked SMS and now has just turned off the Internet there. Apparently this happened right after AP posted video of a man being shot (h/t @arabist).
Things are getting more violent in Egypt, especially Suez.
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has arrived in Cairo now.
To my friends in Cairo - Stay Safe!
Edit: The hackers group Anonymous has joined the Egyptian protests, by attacking Egyptian government web sites. See their press release via Sophos.
Things are getting more violent in Egypt, especially Suez.
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has arrived in Cairo now.
To my friends in Cairo - Stay Safe!
Edit: The hackers group Anonymous has joined the Egyptian protests, by attacking Egyptian government web sites. See their press release via Sophos.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Egyptian Protests: Update I
Wow. Egypt is on fire. There are protests everywhere and the government is trying to crack down and beating and arresting people. At least 5 people are dead, mostly in Suez. This is the 2nd day of protests and it's not slowing down. Journalists are being targeted and Facebook and Twitter may or may not be shut down.
It's a shame that this is the only way Egyptians have of removing a president who has been in power for 30 years. The United States is worried about losing an ally, but it should be more concerned with helping Egypt become a true democracy.
It's a shame that this is the only way Egyptians have of removing a president who has been in power for 30 years. The United States is worried about losing an ally, but it should be more concerned with helping Egypt become a true democracy.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Jordanian Protests
Yes, even Jordan is having protests against the government. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy, which means they have a king and a prime minister with parliament. So far there don't seem to be any immolations happening there.
Saudi Flames
A man in Saudi Arabia has set himself on fire, and died. The Tunisian immolators have been copied by men in Egypt, Yemen, and now the Kingdom, hoping to spark political reform. Egypt and Yemen theoretically have public elections, although their presidents are basically in life-long terms. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy in the Al-Saud family.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Egyptian Protests
The tumult in Tunisia seems to be inspiring the Egyptians. Several of them have tried lighting themselves on fire, with at least one of them dying. Activists want January 25th to be a day of protest, although Mubarak supporters are now calling for it to be a day of support for Mubarak.
It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere. Surely if Tunisia can kick out a president, so can Egypt? Otherwise I don't see Mubarak leaving until he dies of old age. See more by Middle East bloggers.
It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere. Surely if Tunisia can kick out a president, so can Egypt? Otherwise I don't see Mubarak leaving until he dies of old age. See more by Middle East bloggers.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Revolution in Tunisia
I haven't commented much on Tunisia, because I really don't know that much about it. But the people have revolted and managed to kick out the president. See chronology of events. The former president is now in Saudi Arabia. And other people in the Middle East are starting to think, "hey, maybe we could do that too." It's probably the only way Egypt will get rid of Mubarak. If Tunisia can do it, why not other countries?
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