BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | TV shows Hariri 'murder footage'

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | TV shows Hariri 'murder footage'

Columbia Spectator - Committee Report Criticizes Grievance Procedures, Finds No Anti-Semitism

Columbia Spectator - Committee Report Criticizes Grievance Procedures, Finds No Anti-Semitism

"The committee also said it “found no evidence of any statements made by the faculty that could reasonably be construed as anti-Semitic,” and it said no students had received lower grades for holding dissenting viewpoints.

But throughout the 24-page document, a picture emerges of the Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures department as rife with tension and incivility, especially in an increasingly politicized climate after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Numerous students, the report says, felt unable to defend their views in class because they feared attacks from other students or the media. Some graduate student teaching assistants were similarly hesitant to express their views because of pressure from outside organizations critical of the department. This semester, a lecture class taught by Massad frequently suffered hostile interruptions by a group of unregistered students auditing the class.

And in February 2002, the report said, Massad “had good reason to believe” that another faculty member was using students in his class as spies to monitor his statements “as part of a campaign against him.”

Columbia University report rejects charges of bias

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "A Columbia University faculty panel said it found ``no evidence'' that comments allegedly made by some professors to students could be construed as anti-Semitic, according to a report released today by the New York-based school."

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: In the Name of Politics

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: In the Name of Politics

Pro-Syrians 'seek poll sabotage'

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Pro-Syrians 'seek poll sabotage': "The opposition says the government is staging a 'dangerous bid' to illegally prolong the parliament's mandate.
The charge came as 70 opposition MPs and party members met to renew a demand for a 'neutral' administration to oversee elections before 31 May.
Prime Minister Omar Karami announced an intention to step down on Tuesday, but delayed the move until at least Friday."

The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily

The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily: "Protesters heeded the call of the Kefaya movement in Cairo and the northern cities of Alexandria and Mansura, in the largest popular action against the 76-year-old ruler to date.
Security forces were deployed in thousands to thwart what some commentators have suggested could one day lead to Egypt�s own �velvet revolution� and organisers said 30 protesters were briefly detained across the country.
In Cairo, the capital�s chief of security himself ordered dozens of protesters heading towards the parliament building to retreat or face arrest, forcing the organisers to take the protest to the journalists� union building.
�Enough, enough,� the protesters sang, using a familiar opposition refrain against a new term for the veteran Egyptian leader, who has been in office since 1981. "

FBI probe into leaked secrets takes aim at AIPAC

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For Readers in the Boston area

The Institute for Human Sciences at Boston University, in cooperation with European
Studies at Boston University, cordially invites you to a CONFERENCE

Tuesday, April 5, 2005
5:00 PM

Muslims in Europe
This conference aims to contribute to the debate on Muslims in Western Europe and the emerging complex role of Muslims and Islam in the European public sphere. Speakers will address the diverse ethnic, religious, and generational identities among Muslims and will explore the different ways in which Muslims are adapting and integrating as well as resisting their European setting.

Opening Remarks / 5:00 PM
Augustus Richard Norton, Professor of International Relations, Boston University

Keynote Speech / 5:15 PM “BEING BRITISH, FEELING MUSLIM”
Farhan Nizami, Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies; Prince of Wales Fellow in the Study of the Islamic World, Magdalen College, Oxford

Panel Discussion / 6:00 PM
Jocelyne Césari, Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University and Harvard Divinity School; Research Associate, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University

Jytte Klausen, Associate Professor of Comparative Politics, Brandeis University

Ahmet Yukleyan, PhD candidate, Department of Anthropology, Boston University; Junior Visiting Fellow, IWM (July December 2005)

Moderator: Jenny White, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Boston University

RECEPTION TO FOLLOW

School of Management
Boston University
595 Commonwealth Avenue
(4th floor)
This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Inquiries: 617-358-2778 or ihs@bu.edu

This event is sponsored in part by the European Commission and the Humanities Foundation at Boston University.

The DeLay Factor--will it jeopardize the Republicans control of the House

TNR Online | Ethical Dilemma (print)

American Civil Liberties Union: Newly Released Army Documents Point to Agreement Between Defense Department and CIA on "Ghost" Detainees, ACLU Says

American Civil Liberties Union: Newly Released Army Documents Point to Agreement Between Defense Department and CIA on "Ghost" Detainees, ACLU Says
Also note this useful blog entry by Insomnia, and his comment on the next item.

US memo shows Iraq jail methods

BBC NEWS | Americas | US memo shows Iraq jail methods: "The Pentagon originally refused to release the memo on national security grounds, but passed it to the ACLU on Friday after the union challenged it in court under the Freedom of Information Act.

The ACLU says at least 12 of the 29 techniques listed in the document went far beyond limits established by the army's field manual.

'Gen Sanchez authorised interrogation techniques that were in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and the army's own standards,' ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said in the union's statement.

'He and other high ranking officials who bear responsibility for the widespread abuse of detainees must be held accountable.'

The techniques included 'environmental manipulation' such as making a room hot or cold or using an 'unpleasant smell', isolating a prisoner, and disrupting normal sleep patterns.

The memo also allowed the 'false flag' technique of 'convincing the detainee that individuals from a country other than the United States are interrogating him.'

It was during Gen Sanchez's time as commander that Iraqi prisoners were abused by US troops at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.

The cases - highlighted in photographs of hooded and naked inmates - sparked international outrage.

Army investigations have generally found that, where proven, abuses were not the result of policy set by senior leaders.

The ACLU is currently taking part in a lawsuit against Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accusing him of responsibility for torture and abuse of detainees in US military custody in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The Daily Star - Politics - Lebanon's military intelligence chief takes 'leave of absence'

The Daily Star - Politics - Lebanon's military intelligence chief takes 'leave of absence': "It is understood that Lieutenant General Georges Khoury, head of military intelligence in Mount Lebanon, has been appointed interim chief of military intelligence following Azar's departure. Khoury's promotion comes ahead of two of his more senior colleagues, Lieutenant Generals Ali Jaber and Ali Smeili.

Jaber and Smeili, both Shiites, are understood to have been overlooked because the post of military intelligence chief is traditionally granted to a Maronite Christian.

Pointedly, Khoury is also understood to be 'in good favor' with the opposition, because he enjoys the trust of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir.

Head of the military information office, General Elias Farhat confirmed Khoury's appointment.

He said: 'Georges Khoury is simply next in line and his appointment was natural.'

Farhat said that Azar's decision to go on leave came 'because of the political situation in the country.'"

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Lebanon PM postpones resignation

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Lebanon PM postpones resignation: "Rift denial

Mr Karami made the surprise announcement that he would resign after a meeting with President Emile Lahoud - who stands at the centre of the row about Syria's influence over Lebanon.

'I have informed Mr Lahoud that I am preparing to announce my decision to stand down because of the impossibility of forming a government of national unity,' he said.

'But I will do so only within the next 48 hours so as to consult with my allies' he told reporters.

He denied any rift with Mr Lahoud over the latter's reported wavering on a commitment to form a broad-based government.

'We are in the same camp,' Mr Karami stressed."

College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds (washingtonpost.com)

College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds (washingtonpost.com)

CNN.com - Ex-U.S. envoys oppose U.N. choice - Mar 29, 2005

CNN.com - Ex-U.S. envoys oppose U.N. choice - Mar 29, 2005
Stop-Bolton video
Salon reports:
"Bolton's opponents are using a videotape of his comments as Exhibit A in their case against him. You might expect Bolton's supporters to dance around the tape -- to say that it's old news, that his views have changed, that he was speaking then as a think tank thinker and not a government official. Instead, as blogger Steven Clemons notes, the anti-U.N. group Move America Forward is urging its followers to watch the tape as proof that Bolton is exactly the right man for the job. "The reasons [Bolton's opponents] are crying about Bolton�s nomination are the same reasons why we are celebrating it," Move America Forward says on its Web site. "Bolton is looking out for the interests of the United States over that of the U.N., and that is exactly what we need in a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.""

Syria Blogs

Joshua Landis
Amarji

On the scene in Doha

A link for the Fourth Doha Forum.

Shaikh Hamad's remarks are translated on the site. He reiterates his commitment to reform and his counsel to avoid exaggerating either the impact of the Arab-Israeli conflict or the Arab experience with colonialism.
Jordan's Prince Hasan offered impressive comments, but they are not reproduced on the web site. He emphasized the "freedom deficit" in the Arab world and need to give voice to the "silenced" majority.

Samir Khalaf reflects thoughtfully on national symbols, youth and the promise of developments in Lebanon

Is No One Accountable?

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Is No One Accountable?

In the Gulf, Dissidence Goes Digital

In the Gulf, Dissidence Goes Digital (washingtonpost.com): "Demonstrators use text messaging to mobilize followers, dodge authorities and swarm quickly to protest sites. Candidates organizing for the region's limited elections use text services to call supporters to the polls or slyly circulate candidate slates in countries that supposedly ban political groupings. And through it all, anonymous activists blast their adversaries with thousands of jokes, insults and political limericks. "

washingtonpost.com: Picnic Is No Party In the New Basra

washingtonpost.com: Picnic Is No Party In the New Basra: "Uproar Over Armed Attack on Student Event Redraws Debate on Islam's Role and Reach "

U.S. Embrace Can Be Fatal to Arabs

U.S. Embrace Can Be Fatal to Arabs: "That outpouring of support has left Jumblatt and other opposition leaders scrambling to woo Hezbollah � something that hardly pleases the American government, which views the guerrilla movement and political party as a terrorist organization. The counterdemonstration also backed the Americans into a corner and led the Bush administration recently to signal that it would not oppose Hezbollah's continued participation in Lebanese parliamentary politics, even as it unconvincingly insisted that its position hadn't changed. As with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Iraq, the American government was forced to soften its opposition to Islamist participation � to bend to Arab reality.

In the days after the Hezbollah demonstration, yet another rally was held � a counter-counterdemonstration of sorts, organized by the opposition � in which the Lebanese people bravely restated their desire for full sovereignty. It drew even more people than the Hezbollah rally had, and even some Shiites participated.

But what the Lebanese example reveals is not, as Wolfowitz would have you think, the influence of American hard power, but rather its destructive effect on American soft power. It was Rafik Hariri's assassination, not the Iraq war, that gave the Lebanese the courage to say 'enough is enough' to the Syrians. The excessive use of American military force has not only eroded our tarnished reputation in the Arab and Muslim world, it has made our support even more of a liability for groups like the Lebanese opposition seeking an end to Syrian domination.

As a result, the groups most likely to benefit from democratization, especially if it is pursued precipitously, are those that are the best organized and with the strongest claims to 'authenticity.' In a world where the "

The Daily Star - Politics - In veiled swipe at U.S. Abbas slams settlement policy

The Daily Star - Politics - In veiled swipe at U.S. Abbas slams settlement policy: "Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday it is unacceptable to support Israeli annexation of West Bank settlement blocs under a final peace settlement. "

Will Brandeis "Save" Middle East Studies in the U.S.?

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Ideas / Fields of battle: "Yes, Feldman has missed all that. But the president of Brandeis, Jehuda Reinharz, has ensured that Feldman will land in the thick of the controversy. He has boldly announced that his university would create a center that is ''not pro- or anti-anything,'' as he put it in a recent interview. Of the other centers in the United States-including those at Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Berkeley-Reinharz told the Jerusalem Post recently: ''My problem is not the anti-Zionism or even that many of them are anti-American, but that they are third-rate.''
Such comments won't make things easy for Feldman to build bridges with his American colleagues. According to Juan Cole, a history professor at the University of Michigan and president-elect of the Middle East Studies Association, Reinharz is ''talking out of both sides of his mouth,'' leveling ideological attacks on other centers while claiming to be above ideology.
Ali Banuazizi, current president of the association and co-director of the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies program at Boston College, is similarly unimpressed. ''What does it mean for a new center to start out by being so derisive toward the other centers? Why is that necessary?'' asks Banuazizi. ''Let them come and put down their suitcase and start their work-and hopefully they will achieve the highest standards of scholarship.''"

The stunning irony is that although the US invasion puts a power military force on Iran's doorstep, Iran's influence in Iraq has arguably grown as a result of the fall of the Ba'thist regime and emerging preeminence of Iraq's Shi'i Muslim community, much of which has close ties to Iran. 

And the winner is...Iran?

The New York Times > Magazine > The Security Adviser: Is a State Sponsor of Terrorism Winning?: "Yes, Iran, the nation the Bush administration calls the greatest state sponsor of terrorism, is having some good days, largely at our expense. In the 1980's, Iran suffered an estimated one million casualties in a seven-year war against Iraq. From Iran's perspective, the purpose of the war was to place Iraq's majority Shiite religious faction in charge, to unseat Saddam Hussein, to protect the Shiite holy places and, perhaps, to get its hands on Iraq's vast oil deposits. The costly war ended in a draw, after the two sides exhausted themselves. Seventeen years later, Iran has now achieved three of those four war goals, thanks to 13,000 American casualties and scores of billions of American-taxpayer dollars. "

One of the most important structural constraints on U.S. strategy in Iraq and elsewhere is the small size (compared to mission) of the Army.

Even sustaining the Army at its present size is not easy, as witnessed by the Pentagon's stop-loss policies that have forced soldiers to remain on active duty even when their committed period of active service has ended. The Pentagon rationalizes this as necessary for unit cohesion, but the real problem is that the Army cannot recruit and train enough replacements. Military recruitment is the Achilles heel of U.S. strategy. The present Pentagon insistence on avoiding a draft or a program of national service. As I pointed out several years ago, in a lead article in Current History, the aggressive use of the military by the Bush administration will necessitate a national debate about military manpower and perhaps a restoration of the draft.
In recent months, as this NYT article details, recruiting sergeants have fallen well short of their goals in recent months. This is a trend and will continue.
If you want to know why the U.S. cannot sustain it deployment in Iraq for years to come (now just under 150,000 troops and that does not count the "tail" of support and logistics that requires virtually the entire U.S. Army to focus on supporting the Iraq mission), just look at the present size of the Army. The Iraq deployment cannot be sustained without a sizable increase in the size of the Army, i.e., well beyond the 40,000 suggested by Donald Rumsfeld.

The New York Times > New York Region > For Army Recruiters, a Hard Toll From a Hard Sell
"The Army announced in September that it would add about 1,200 active-duty and Reserve recruiters to the field. It has also more than doubled bonuses for three-year enlistments to $15,000 and increased its advertising budget.

"For the first time since 1998, the Army has lowered its standards, last week increasing its age limit for Reserve and National Guard recruits to 39. Last year, it agreed to accept thousands more recruits without high school diplomas."

Recruiting men and women to serve in the all-volunteer military is a tough sell these days.

The Case The Saudis Can't Make (washingtonpost.com)

The Case The Saudis Can't Make (washingtonpost.com)

Salon.com News | Kuwait professor gives up on speech fight

Salon.com News | Kuwait professor gives up on speech fight:
"'Writing and living in the shadow of fear is impossible, and dignity is above all,' al-Baghdadi wrote in his final column Saturday. "

FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa - Lebanon gives ground on UN call for Hariri inquiry

FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa - Lebanon gives ground on UN call for Hariri inquiry

Iraq's insurgents �seek exit strategy'

FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa - Iraq's insurgents �seek exit strategy'
"Many of Iraq's predominantly Sunni Arab insurgents would lay down their arms and join the political process in exchange for guarantees of their safety and that of their co-religionists, according to a prominent Sunni politician."

Lebanon moving toward international probe per AFP

The Expansion of Ma'aleh Adumim--Israeli in your face decision to expand settlement continues to draw flak

"Also Friday, the EU's foreign policy chief accused Israel of breaching the internationally-brokered road map for Middle East peace by moving to expand Ma'aleh Adumim.

'The High Representative expresses his concern after the Israeli decision to issue building permits for the E1 project in Ma'aleh Adumim,' the EU's Javier Solana said in a statement issued late on Thursday.
'This decision contravenes the commitment of the parties to abstain from any unilateral measure that could affect the final settlement as the Quartet recalled in London on March 1,' he said, referring to the group of international mediators - the U.S., Russia, the EU and the United Nations.
The EU expected Israel to respect its obligations under the road map, which included a freeze on settlements in occupied territories, Solana said."

On March 24, Condie Rice told the Los Angeles Times:
Now, our position on settlement activity has not changed. We have said to the Israelis that they have obligations under the roadmap, they have obligations not to increase settlement activity. We expect, in particular, that they are going to be careful about anything -- route of the fence, settlement activity, laws -- that would appear to prejudge a final status agreement, and it's concerning that this is where it is and around Jerusalem. But we've noted our concern to the Israelis -- and David Welch and Elliott did. We will continue to note that this is at odds with the -- of American policy. So full stop we will continue to do that and we have noted our concerns about it.

QUESTION: You noted your concerns. Did you get what you consider a satisfactory response?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, I think that we got a response. I think anything that raises the prospect that you're going to have an expansion of settlements in this way, particularly in a sensitive area, is not really a satisfactory response. But we're going to continue to talk to the Israelis about it and we've got some time before any of this would actually take place.

U.S. rolls over again on Israeli settlements

On John Bolton from Business Week

UN Report on the Harari Assassination

I have posted a copy of the Fitzgerald Report on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and others on February 14. The report is available under the heading HOT.

Doubts Surface On Iraq Raid Toll

washingtonpost.com: Doubts Surface On Iraq Raid Toll: "Noting that an Islamic militant group had said 11 insurgents were killed, Goldenberg said: 'I would tell you that somewhere between 11 and 80 lies an accurate number.'"

A Wall of Faith and History

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: A Wall of Faith and History
This is a timely and splendid piece by my colleague David Fromkin. Given the pollyanish analysis that sometimes passes for thought inside the beltway this piece is very welcome. Many of us who have worked for years promoting political reform, civil society and democratization in the Middle East may applaud Bush's objectives, but we remain doubtful that the path will be either short or riskfree.
More on this later...

Maureen lays it on DeLay and Doctor Frist

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: DeLay, Deny and Demagogue: "The scene on Capitol Hill this past week has been almost as absurdly macabre as the movie 'Weekend at Bernie's,' with Tom DeLay and Bill Frist propping up between them this poor woman in a vegetative state to indulge their own political agendas. Mr. DeLay, the poster child for ethical abuse, wanted to show that he is still a favorite of conservatives. Dr. Frist thinks he can ace out Jeb Bush to be 44, even though he has become a laughingstock by trying to rediagnose Ms. Schiavo's condition by video.
As one disgusted Times reader suggested in an e-mail: 'Americans ought to send Bill Frist their requests: 'Dear Dr. Frist: Please watch the enclosed video and tell us if that mole on my mother's cheek is cancer. Does she need surgery?''
Jeb, keeping up with the '08 competition, vainly tried to get Florida to declare Ms. Schiavo a ward of the state."

Kyrgyz presidential compound stormed

Aljazeera.Net - Kyrgyz presidential compound stormed: "Protesters have stormed the presidential compound in Kyrgyzstan, seizing control of the symbol of power after clashing with riot police who were surrounding it during a large opposition rally.
Impoverished Kyrgyzstan looks set to become the third ex-Soviet state in two years to see its entrenched leadership fall to popular protests after disputed elections, following Ukraine and Georgia. "

Let's face it, Friedman has lost his credibility with his waffling and swerving on Iraq. He has been on just about point of the compass

Nonetheless, he regains some credibility with this piece, which says what needs to be said about America's new penchant for abusing, torturing and killing prisoners of war.
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: George W. to George W.: "President Bush just appointed Karen Hughes, his former media adviser, to head up yet another U.S. campaign to improve America's image in the Arab world. I have a suggestion: Just find out who were the cabinet, C.I.A. and military officers on whose watch these 26 homicides occurred and fire them. That will do more to improve America's image in the Arab-Muslim world than any ad campaign, which will be useless if this sort of prisoner abuse is shrugged off. Republicans in Congress went into overdrive to protect the sanctity of Terri Schiavo's life. But they were mute when it came to the sanctity of life for prisoners in our custody. Such hypocrisy is not going to win any P.R. battles. "

Kofi Annan on the Hariri Assassination

Naharnet News Desk

Army misses recruiting goals again. The overstretched military is a major structural constraint, which the generals worry about a lot.

The upshot of the overcommitted military is that is going to impose even more strains on the military to sustain the present deployment levels of 135,000-150,000. Expect the Pentagon to grab any feasible opportunity to draw down in Iraq. The loss of the Italian and Ukrainian contingents add to the U.S. burden.
My Way News: "The Army expects to miss its recruiting goals again this month and next, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said Wednesday, and it is developing a new sales pitch that appeals to the patriotism of parents who have been reluctant to steer their children toward the Army.
'There is a forecast that we will not meet the monthly goal' for March and April, Harvey said at his first Pentagon news conference since becoming the Army's top civilian official last November.
In February the Army missed its monthly recruiting goal by 27 percent. That was the first time it had fallen short for any month since May 2000, and it underscored the difficulty the Army faces in signing up young men and women during time of war."

Hariri killing may need wider inquiry says Annan

Guardian | Hariri killing may need wider inquiry says Annan

The Daily Star - Politics - Aoun's return is a 'moral guarantee'

The Daily Star - Politics - Aoun's return is a 'moral guarantee'

FT.com / Home UK - Syrian fingers in Lebanese honeypot

FT.com / Home UK - Syrian fingers in Lebanese honeypot: "Syrian fingers in Lebanese honeypot"

Hizballah anticipates a government of national union

L'Orient Le Jour
Hasan Nasrallah is now anticipating a government of national union notwithstanding the position presently of the opposition. The Daily Star has a more pessimistic line but the bargaining is underway and the reporting is part of the haggling.
Nasrallah continues to sustain the position that Hizballah's weapons are an internal matter for the Lebanese, but as he puts it David Satterfield is not going to spend three weeks in Lebanon to focus on the Lebanese economy. As al-Sharq al-Awsat notes, what is important is that the possibility of disarming is now being discussion by Hizballah.
Anticipate the major dialogue to occur between Nasrallah Patriarch Sfeir, as the Maronite Patriarch said, « si cela est possible ».
Meantime, there have not been two mysterious bombings, one in Jdeideh, one in Kaslik, a popular complex of shops, movies, restaurants and clubs not too far from Jounieh. These are ominous unexplained events that evoke similar episodes from the past, which often occured during a lull in fighting or during a moment when tentative moves toward reconciliation were occuring.

A leading Turkish commentator reflects on the chill in US-Turkish relations

Turkish Daily News - The Bush administration should be a little self critical: "If both the Erdogan government and the Bush administration ignore what is happening, there will be serious repercussions.
If developments are left to their own, both Turkey and the United States will lose.
We know the damage Washington may do to Turkey will be more than vice versa, but Turkey's influence should not be dismissed.
What is best for all of us is to ignore the contest of how much damage we may cause to each other and try to find a way to mend the relations.
Let's just cool down.
Let the Bush administration and the Erdogan government stop talking through their ambassadors and try to understand each other.
Let Erdogan go to the White House and explain what he is trying to do and ask Bush, �What are your plans?�
Damaging relations is not very hard. What's hard is to keep the relations strong and pay the necessary attention.
Unfortunately, neither Erdogan nor Bush is capable of paying the necessary attention right now."
In D.C., the undertone of anti-Turkish sentiment is growing as reflected in a recent string of nasty articles, includinng on in the Wall St. Journal a few weeks ago and not this one in the Neo-con flagship, the Weekly Standard.

Lethal US practice revealed in trial

Aljazeera.Net - Lethal US practice revealed in trial: "Brand is accused of beating Dilawar to death over a five-day period at Bagram Control Point just north of Kabul.

An autopsy showed that Dilawar's legs were so damaged by blows that amputation would have been necessary if he had survived.

Dilawar died from 'blunt force trauma to the lower extremities complicating coronary artery disease', according to a US Army report dated 6 July 2004. "

Just not Wolfowitz, plead World Bank workers

Mail & Guardian Online: Just not Wolfowitz, plead World Bank workers

Wolfowitz Dating Muslim Woman Causes Stir

Wolfowitz Dating Muslim Woman Causes Stir

EU will make Wolfowitz jump through some hoops before blessing his World Bank job

BBC NEWS | Business | EU is 'concerned' over Wolfowitz

Syria feels heat as evidence in Lebanon PM's murder points to bomb under road

Guardian | Syria feels heat as evidence in Lebanon PM's murder points to bomb under road: "Kofi Annan will present the findings of United Nations investigators later this week, and they are likely to challenge the initial theory that Hariri was killed by a suicide car bomber.
The balance of evidence appears to point to the explosion being caused by a bomb under the road - a method that some analysts are suggesting points conclusively to Syrian involvement.
In Beirut, though, the pro-Syrian authorities prefer to focus on a possible Islamist connection, in particular a white van which was captured on the closed-circuit television cameras of a nearby bank.
Another camera, at the Phoenicia hotel, which might have had a better view of what happened, went out of service a couple of weeks before the blast and repairing it proved unusually difficult.
The Lebanese have been reluctant investigators from the start. The Syrian-backed president, Emile Lahoud, was eager to fill in the bomb site, re-asphalt the road and get the diverted traffic moving again as soon as possible. It was only when the interior ministry intervened that he had second thoughts.
The UN report may also give the first official indications whether the Lebanese tried to cover up what happened"

Ibrahim al-Jaafari interviewed

SPIEGEL Interview with Iraq's Ibrahim Jaafari: "We Will Get the Upper Hand" - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Bill Arkin has written some fine analysis of US strategy and operations in Iraq

It now seems that somebody went to a lot of effort to try to discredit him. Secrecy News 03/21/05

King 'Abdullah Playing to the Gallery in Washington

Print
Jordan suggestion that the Arab League make unilateral concessions to Israel was a non-starter but it plays beautifully in Washington. By the same token, thumping on Syria and Hizballah rocks to the beat of Bushworld.

Want an example of how evangelical dogma gets in the way U.S. foreign policy interests? Watch Congressman Tom DeLay

WASHINGTON — Defying the wishes of the Bush administration, Congress approved a foreign-aid package this week forbidding any direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority and, in a rare snub, denying the president the authority to waive restrictions in the interest of national security.

One would think that DeLay would be preoccupied his legal troubles in Texas, but that seems to not be the case. What an unfortunate time for DeLay to rediscover that the Congress is a co-equal branch of government.

The key event to focus on is the election in May, as Jumblatt right notes

Naharnet Newsdesk - Jumblat Warns of 'Perilous Impasse' from Sabotaging Elections
Meantime, there was a waterborne demonstration:
Fishermen and opposition activists have staged a rare motorboat demonstration across Lebanon's 100-mile-long Mediterranean shores, demanding 'The Truth' about ex-Premier Hariri's assassination as mothers simultaneously marked their Day by lighting candles and tossing roses at his grave in downtown Beirut.

The unexamined voices in Islam, women's.

The New York Times > New York Region > Woman Leads Muslim Prayer Service in New York
Across the Middle East women are becoming the majority on college campuses. They comprise more than sixty percent of the student body in Tehran University, for instance. Notwithstanding the disadvantages that women face in patriarchic societies, all things being equal, a more educated, more articulate generation of women may be expected to demand a more active voice in all realms of social life, including religion. The coming generations are going to be fascinating to observe.

The meaning of intolerance in sartorial terms

The New York Times > International > Middle East > A Haircut in Iraq Can Be the Death of the Barber
Meantime, the top marine general in Iraq assesses the insurgency as fading.
Allied contributions in Iraq are shrinking as well. Last week's decision by Italy to withdraw its forces, is followed by the decision of the Ukraine to withdraw it troops by year's end.

Want a litmus test to see if Bush is serious about promoting an Israeli-Palestinian peace? Here it is.

FT.com / Middle East & Africa / Arab Israel conflict - Israel�s Jerusalem plan angers Palestinians: "Israel plans to build 3,500 new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank to cement its hold on Jerusalem, government sources says, drawing Palestinian warnings that peace efforts were at risk."
Israel's in-your-face decision to build 3,500 new homes in east of Jerusalem poses a challenge to the Bush administration. Will it simply remind both sides that it reminds them of the need to freeze settlement construction, as it did yesterday in the limpest terms possible, or will Bush get out front and show us that he is serious. My bet is that you should not hold your breath.
Boston Globe coverage also outlines the Israeli case and the Palestinian reaction.
Here is the State department's reaction:
The US State Department said Monday Israel must live up to its part of the “roadmap” and stop settlement activity in the West Bank.

Although department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli did not directly comment on reports Israel will build an additional 3,500 settler homes east of Jerusalem, he said the United States urges both Israel and the Palestinians to live up to their commitments to the “roadmap.”

“The roadmap calls for an end to settlement activity, and action against terrorist infrastructure,” he said. “Those are important commitments that both sides have made, and that we look forward to both sides following through on.”

He said Washington would look into the reports of the new settlements, adding it's “something we're regularly engaged with the government of Israel on.”

Waiting for Bush...

Bill Clinton on Bashar and the Assassination of Hariri

Bill Clinton Daily Diary: I can't sleep: "It took me almost eight years to understand that our way of thinking is not their way of thinking. Their way, I mean a country's dictator's way of thinking.

A dictator wants to stay in power. That's all. A dictator doesn't care about his population, war, peace. He only wants to stay in power. Everything else is negotiable."

The New AHDR will be out in April.

The expected release date is April 5.
Participants expect that the report on "Freedoms and Good Governance in the Arab Region"
will raise lots of noise.
This is the 2004 volume that was delayed by US objections to critical comments about US policy. The irony, given the promotion of democracy by the Bush adminstration, of US arm-twisting to stifle the expression views widely held not just in the Arab world but the world, seems to have passed largely unnoticed in official Washington.

Beirut, the harbinger of a rebirth of Arab liberalism?

Intolerance in the new Iraq

Healing Iraq: "No one seems to have reported the latest events in Basrah. Not any of the news services or the blogs.

Students of the Basrah and Shatt Al-Arab universities in Basrah city have been on strike for the last three days as a reaction to the attack last week by Sadrists and Mahdi Army militiamen on tens of students organising a field trip or a picnic at Al-Andalus park, downtown Basrah.

Hooded men assaulted the students with rubber cables and truncheons which resulted in the death of a Christian girl, Zahra Ashour, and another student who came to her rescue after militiamen had tore off her clothes and were beating her to death. He was shot in the head.

Students say that their belongings, such as mobile phones, cameras, stereo players and loudspeakers, were stolen or smashed to pieces by the militiamen. Girl students not wearing headscarves, most of them Christian, were severely beaten and at least 20 students were kidnapped and taken to Sadr's office in Al-Tuwaisa for 'interrogation' and were only released late at night.

Students also say the police and British soldiers were nearby but did not intervene."

Hawks Settle into New Home on Fifth Avenue

The New York Times > New York Region > Hawks May Be Awaiting the Stork: "Pale Male brought an offering of food - perhaps a pigeon or rat - each time he approached, she said.
Ms. Winn said that there may be a lesson in this for suitors: 'Always bring a gift.'"
Speaking of male and female behavior, Maureen Dowd further undermines the image of men by dissing the infamous 46th "Y" chromosome. She notes that "Research published last week in the journal Nature reveals that women are genetically more complex than scientists ever imagined, while men remain the simple creatures they appear."
But Ms. Dowd is denying credit to men for the role they play in propelling advantageous developments in the X chromosome, as a Nature article by Erika Check reports: "The X chromosome gets a chance to shine, or to fail miserably, each time it passes through the male line. Because a male carries only one copy, any new mutations are revealed in all their glory. And because successful males have the potential to sire very large numbers of children with multiple partners, mutations on the X chromosome that are advantageous to both sexes can spread rapidly through a population." This is only one reason why we should not enthuse about Dowd's pondering a future in which women may dispense with men.

It is easier to blame Turkey than admit the invasion of Iraq was ill-conceived and poorly planned, Rumsfeld shows

The New York Times > Washington > Rumsfeld Faults Turkey for Barring Use of Its Land in '03 to Open Northern Front in Iraq

America's Vindictive Cuba Policy May Win Rightwing Votes but Its Hurts Families

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Keeping Sgt. Lazo Out of Cuba

A new player in the Bush adminstration's campaign to improve its image in the Muslim world

The New York Times > Washington > White House Letter: A Mideast Strategy That Includes a Mideast Card: "When Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, was interviewed on the Egyptian version of the NBC's 'Today,' he says, he got fewer questions about his boss than about a 31-year-old Egyptian-American, little known in the United States, who is about to leave her West Wing perch to become a diamond bullet for the Bush administration's hopes in the Middle East."

Few African-Americans vote Republican. Might there be a bit of payback involved in the IRS questioning their activities?

The New York Times > Washington > Nonprofit Groups Question Motive for Federal Actions

"No to Mubarak" demonstrator in Cairo, March 21, 2005 

Will Bush make a Difference in the Middle East

Akiva Eldar, the respected Haaretz columnist suggests Bush may be finding a realist voice, and staying arm's length from Neo-cons. These personnel moves come at a time when US-European dialogue on the Middle East has improved considerably. Haaretz - Israel News - Now it s all up to Bush: "A recent series of appointments - or to be more precise, the 'kicking upstairs' that has taken place in the top echelons of the administration - seem to testify that the president no longer adheres to the neoconservative approach, which holds that what doesn't work by force, will work by greater force. To appoint Undersecretary of State John Bolton, who once said that nobody would notice if 10 stories of the UN building were shaved off, as ambassador to the UN, and to send the deputy secretary of defense, isolationist Paul Wolfowitz, to the World Bank, is like ordering the class he-man to play with dolls alongside the girls. Nor did the White House go out of its way to try to change the decision of the undersecretary, neocon Douglas Feith, to go home. "

Hizballah (this post is developing and will be updated)

Nasrallah replied to Bush's overture with toughness. "I am firm in keeping our arms because I believe the resistance is the best option for defending Lebanon against Israeli threats," the Hezbollah leader said in an interview with Al Manar. The party would keep its guns, he said, "as long as Lebanon is threatened, even if we remain threatened for a million years."
But his response wasn't as absolute as it sounded. Nasrallah did indicate that Hezbollah might one day be willing to discuss disarmament, but only with fellow Lebanese, not with Americans or other foreigners.
A defiant Nasrallah recently made it plain that his militias would keep their weapons even if Israel were to abandon Shebaa Farms, a disputed tract near the Israeli border whose occupation Hezbollah has used to justify its armed posture.
Party officials point out that Hezbollah prisoners remain in Israeli jails and that Israel continues to breach Lebanese airspace. Hezbollah officials say they need their guns to prevent the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and to guard against Israeli attacks."When these questions are all answered, then we don't have a problem discussing disarmament," said Abdallah Kassir, a bespectacled Hezbollah lawmaker from the southern city of Tyre. "When we say now that we're ready for dialogue, even on the question of disarmament, we're reasserting that we carried weapons to liberate our land, and that cause is not over with."
On the same topic see the Boston Globe.

Reportage in a class by itself

Anthony Shadid has been doing superb reporting from Baghdad since 2002, with a couple of interruptions. This set of reflections on the resilience and despair of Iraqis is very finely drawn. It bears noting the Shadid speaks Arabic and has been able to penetrate Iraqi society in a way that is beyond the ability of most western reporters.

Shoot first, pay later culture pervades Iraq

FT.com / World / News in depth - Shoot first, pay later culture pervades Iraq: "Scenes such as this, witnessed by FT correspondent Awadh al-Taee on January 23, repeats itself time and again across Iraq. This Baghdad neighbourhood of Kerrada alone, according to local police, sees one fatal shooting a week by either private security companies or the military.
Under constant threat from suicide attackers driving explosive-rigged cars, coalition soldiers and contractors follow combat zone rules of engagement to protect themselves: warn drivers who stray too close, but if that fails, shoot. With procedures designed to protect the identities of anyone who might be singled out for retaliation, the victim's families may never know what happened, let alone obtain justice. "

Bingo Car Bomb Fuels Fears of Civil Warfare in Syria's Favor

Naharnet Newsdesk - Bingo Car Bomb Fuels Fears of Civil Warfare in Syria's Favor
The car bomb was planted in the neighborhood where Michel 'Aun will set up his headquarters if and when he returned to Lebanon. He has promised to do so after the Syrian withdrawal is complete.

Lebanon withdraws from Eurovision Song Contest rather than Show Israeli contestant on TV

Lebanon withdraws from Eurovision
Lebanon has withdrawn from this year's Eurovision Song Contest, after refusing to show the Israeli entry on Lebanese TV channel Tele-liban.
The channel told the European Broadcasting Union that Lebanon's legislation made it nearly impossible to broadcast the Israeli performance.
This puts in breach of contest rules, which state all countries taking part must show the entire event.
Lebanon was due to take part for the first time in the contest this year.
Lebanon would have been represented by singer Aline Lahoud representing it in the semi-final in Kiev on 19 May.
Participation
Eurovision's executive supervisor Svante Stockselius said: "When we told them [Lebanon] they had to broadcast the entire programme, they decided to withdraw from the contest."
"I feel particularly sorry for Aline Lahoud."
Tele-liban will still have to pay the participation fee for the contest and faces a further fine for withdrawing.
The channel had originally said it would take part in December 2004, meeting a deadline by which all countries had to confirm their participation.
Lebanon would have been one of three newcomers to this year's contest, the other two being Bulgaria and Moldova.
The final will be held on 21 May, with a record 39 countries taking part overall.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/4362373.stmPublished: 2005/03/18 18:09:37 GMT© BBC MMV

Spin this, Karen Hughes!

WASHINGTON, March 17 - Porter J. Goss, the director of central intelligence, said Thursday that he could not assure Congress that the Central Intelligence Agency's methods of interrogating terrorism suspects since Sept. 11, 2001, had been permissible under federal laws prohibiting torture.
Under sharp questioning at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mr. Goss sought to reassure lawmakers that all interrogations "at this time" were legal and that no methods now in use constituted torture. But he declined, when asked, to make the same broad assertions about practices used over the last few years.
"At this time, there are no 'techniques,' if I could say, that are being employed that are in any way against the law or would meet - would be considered torture or anything like that," Mr. Goss said in response to one question.

How may the U.S., in the future, condemn other countries for reprehensible behaviors.? Even more than the fantasy-driven invasion of Iraq, I fear that the willingness of the United States to get into the gutter with torturers will come back to haunt America in many different ways and in many different places.
CIA claims about insuring that 'rendered' prisoners will not be tortured are doubted.
"President Bush weighed in on the matter for the first time yesterday, defending renditions as vital to the nation's defense.
"In "the post-9/11 world, the United States must make sure we protect our people and our friends from attack," he said at a news conference. "And one way to do so is to arrest people and send them back to their country of origin with the promise that they won't be tortured. That's the promise we receive. This country does not believe in torture. We do believe in protecting ourselves." One CIA officer involved with renditions, however, called the assurances from other countries "a farce."
Another U.S. government official who visited several foreign prisons where suspects were rendered by the CIA after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said: "It's beyond that. It's widely understood that interrogation practices that would be illegal in the U.S. are being used."

US Courting Shiites

In Iraq, U.S. dealings with Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Dawa Party chief and likely new prime minister, represent a "stunning" switch, said Augustus Richard Norton, a Boston University Middle East expert who has written extensively about Shiite movements. In 1983, Dawa was tied to the U.S. Embassy bombing in Kuwait and bombings and kidnappings in Iraq, he noted.
But in democratic elections this year, Dawa was on a Shiite-dominated slate that won the majority in Iraq's new National Assembly. On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described al-Jaafari as "someone who is devoted to a better future for Iraq. ... We will work very well with him."
Reflected Norton, "Now, suddenly, Dawa is very respectable. We seem to be moving grudgingly to a more nuanced appreciation of these groups."

Just the sort of objective balance the US needs as it tries to move Israelis and Palestinians toward a solution?

Bolton Bring's Pro-Israel Record To UNMatthew E. BergerSpecial to the Jewish TimesMARCH 18, 2005Washington
In John Bolton, the Bush administration thinks it has found someone with a track record of taking on the United Nations and rogue states. And that is welcome news to Jewish groups and pro-Israel advocates.
Bolton, 56, was nominated Monday as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Now the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, Bolton has gained a reputation as a tough fighter against Iran and other countries that have sought nuclear weapons. He also won the admiration of the American Jewish community in 1991, when as assistant secretary of state for international organizations he was the principal architect behind an initiative to repeal a United Nations resolution that equated Zionism with racism.
" He's really a hero of that effort," said Jess Hordes, Washington director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Bashar no longer watches over the corniche--now this is progress

"The giant portrait of the young Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, on the Beirut seafront had been considered an affront to the country's sovereignty.
This week the portrait was taken down by workers, to the cheers of flag-waving Lebanese students, as Syrian intelligence officers based nearby packed up their belongings to move to the eastern Beka'a valley"

Jumblatt suggests that Bashar retire Emile Lahoud

Secretary of Spin? (washingtonpost.com)

Secretary of Spin? (washingtonpost.com): "Of course, all of this is small potatoes compared with what it took to sell the Iraq war to the nation. Dick Cheney was a one-man Mount St. Helens, erupting lies and exaggerations about Iraq's (nonexistent) nuclear threat. Those lies cannot now be suddenly changed to truth because, at the moment, a fragile flower of democracy has poked through the sands of the Middle East. Hughes was once part of the White House smoke machine. Maybe she can't be held responsible for every White House fib, but she ought to be asked to explain the ones on her watch.
What matters most at the moment, however, is that Hughes is Bush's creation and a great target of opportunity. She represents a chance to force -- or, better yet, shame -- the Bush administration into ceasing its use of our money to sell us a bill of goods or pretend that its Social Security town halls, about as spontaneous as a military funeral, are really exercises in small-town democracy. Her nomination is a gift, a chance for Senate Democrats, even some Republicans (I'm looking at you, McCain) to get the Bush administration to stop blowing smoke. After all, this is not a Democratic or Republican issue. In the spirit of bipartisanship that Bush has long promised, his administration has been deceiving us all. "
Rice says that Bolton will shake up the UN and lead a long overdue reform of the place.

Accusations are pinching the head of the Lebanon GSS

Lebanon's top security chief hit back at accusations of his involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by announcing he will ask that a law suit be brought against himself in order to establish the truth. At a specially convened news conference, Major-General Jamil Sayyed, director general of the Lebanese Surete General, said: "I have decided to become a civil party to the case, in my name and those of the other heads of security, in order to bring together all the accusations of involvement, cover-up, negligence or other factors raised by different Lebanese figures."

Vanunu's Travails Continue

Biden preened in the New Yorker--Joe for President?

The New Yorker: Fact: "Biden can be eloquent in defense of his party, and in his criticism of President Bush, but his friends worry that his verbal indiscipline will sabotage any chance he might have to win the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008."

Let's see if Biden has got it right

Democrats for Wolfowitz: "The position does not require Senate confirmation but depends on the approval of European leaders. Biden said he believes Wolfowitz will enjoy strong support in Europe. 'I've had a lot of talks about Paul in European capitals. They know him as a serious intellectual and an engine of change.'"

Bush to U.N.: Drop Dead - The administration will regret its latest appointment. By Fred�Kaplan

Bush to U.N.: Drop Dead - The administration will regret its latest appointment. By Fred�Kaplan: "When Powell left at the end of last year, the neocons lobbied for Bolton to rise to the post of deputy secretary of state�a campaign that Condoleezza Rice staved off, appointing Robert Zoellick, a pragmatist and career diplomat, instead."

ABC News: Jordan's King Abdullah Open to Constitutional Monarchy

ABC News: Jordan's King Abdullah Open to Constitutional Monarchy: "ABDULLAH: Well, unfortunately, this is the problem that we've been dealing with. We have 30 political parties, none of which really have any political platforms, and the problem that I've been facing is that next parliamentary elections, in two years time, I don't want parliament officials being elected because they belong to this tribe or this village or this particular constituency. I want them to be elected on a party political platform. And this is one of the reasons why we moved into this decentralization, this sort of regional program, to try and get grass-root process in creating two or three parties that represent left, right and center. " In other words, and much as the Shah did in earlier decades in Iran, the monarch will permit the establishment of two or three well-vetted parties to cover the supposed ideological spectrum, i.e., left, centrist and right. Also recall Sadat's similar efforts in the 1970s.

Website of Abdel Karim Soroush

Dismay and annoyance among World Bank shareholders

FT.com / World / International economy - Shareholders' dismay at lack of consultation: "The lack of consultation before the announcement meant that European governments - who collectively hold about 30 per cent of the votes on the bank's executive board to the US's 17 per cent - were slow to react. 'There are going to be a lot of very unhappy people, but they may be as upset about the process as about the person,' said one European official. 'They were supposed to consult us and there was no consultation.' "
So much for Bush's program of repairing bridges allies.
The Wolfowitz appointment to the World Bank follows two other announced appointments: Karen Hughes to the State Department and John Bolton to represent the U.S. at the UN. Hughes is charged with fixing public diplomacy and especially improving America's dismal image in the Muslim world. The problem is that the U.S. does not need a plastic surgeon but an internist to identity key aspects of U.S. behavior that inflame enmity and disdain. This includes the hypocrisy-ridden rendition of suspected prisoners to torture-prone interrogators outside of the United States, and America's selective promotion of democracy.
Certainly the appointment of John Bolton is the most egregious example of the Bush administration's in-your-face approach to reconciliation. Bolton at the UN signals two specific priorities: getting rid of the capable Muhammad Baradei as head of the IAEA and continuing hostility to deal-making with Iran. This comes in a package of extreme skepticism about the merits and bona fides of the United Nations as an institution. The last, in particular, plays very well with the president's al-Qaeda (his base). On the plus, Bolton is now "out the building", which is to say not longer a daily antagonists in Washington policy debates, but that may only be a momentary benefit depending on who is picked to replace him at State.
Rumor has it that Condie Rice refused to have Bolton as her deputy so the UN post is a consolation prize.

Happy Noruz to Persian/Iranian readers

Description of Selected News

Infomation on the Zoroastrian roots of Noruz.

Turkish Daily News - Turkey walks Syria tightrope

Turkish Daily News - Turkey walks Syria tightrope

veiled4allah

veiled4allah

Photo collection courtesy of the MIT Lebanese club

This set includes some wide angle views of Monday's massive demonstration, along with a couple of color shots of well-buffed demonstrators.
Also, check out a panorama .

Middle East Policy, Vol. XII, Spring 2005, No. 1 Table of Contents

Middle East Policy, Vol. XII, Spring 2005, No. 1 Table of Contents
IRAQ
Evaluating the Bush Menu for Change in the Middle East Augustus Richard Norton / Louis J. Cantori / Carrie Rosefsky Wickham / Judith S. Yaphe / Michael C. Hudson / Eric Davis

Je ne comprends plus le Hezbollah--Jumblatt

L'Orient Le Jour

washingtonpost.com: Egypt Activists Say Real Reform Would Bar Mubarak From Race

washingtonpost.com: Egypt Activists Say Real Reform Would Bar Mubarak From Race: "'This is so far all just a big maneuver by Mubarak to avoid the missile of reform,' said Mustafa Mazen, a member of Tomorrow, a recently authorized party that promotes democracy and free-market economics. Its leader, Ayman Nour, was arrested in January for allegedly forging documents needed to apply for official authorization. Nour, who was released Saturday on $1,800 bail, has said he intends to run for president.
Some opposition leaders have described Mubarak's announcement as a step toward instituting the kind of system used for many years in Tunisia, where a dominant party led by an autocrat is surrounded by small, tame and essentially decorative parties. President Zine Abidine Ben Ali, who has ruled Tunisia for 17 years, won 95 percent of the vote in last year's presidential election against three challengers.
'Mubarak must not run again,' said Magdi Hussein, head of Egypt's Labor Party. 'He is the problem, not the solution. We don't want the Tunisia model here.'
'Mubarak's original proposal is far less than what the reform movement wants, and now conditions are being cooked up to make it completely meaningless,' said Aida Seif Dawla, a human rights activist and member of a loose coalition of opposition forces called Kifaya, which is Arabic for 'enough.'
'It's another coronation of Mubarak,' Dawla said. "

In Mideast, Shiites May Be Unlikely U.S. Allies

washingtonpost.com: In Mideast, Shiites May Be Unlikely U.S. Allies: "A quarter-century after its first traumatic confrontation with the Shiite world, when the U.S. Embassy was seized in Iran, the United States is moving on several fronts to support, recognize or hold out the prospect of engagement with Islam's increasingly powerful minority.
The White House is now counting on a Shiite-dominated government to stabilize Iraq. In a tactical shift, the United States is indirectly reaching out to Iran, backing Europe's offer of economic incentives to get Tehran to surrender any nuclear weapons program."

washingtonpost.com: 'Kifaya' in Egypt

washingtonpost.com: 'Kifaya' in Egypt: "While aggressively campaigning for freedom in Lebanon, the Bush administration continues to gently prod Mr. Mubarak. In a speech last week devoted mostly to Lebanon, President Bush included one sentence saying that credible elections must include 'freedom of assembly, multiple candidates, free access by those candidates to the media and the right to form political parties.' In addition, the administration has -- at long last -- announced that it will provide funding to six independent Egyptian civil society groups, including one that hopes to monitor the upcoming elections. But gentleness doesn't seem to be working. Mr. Mubarak's foreign minister publicly ridiculed Mr. Bush's speech and rejected his prescriptions. That suggests something about the level of pressure Mr. Bush has so far exerted on a ruler who has received more than $50 billion in U.S. subsidies during his time in office: It's not enough. "

The New York Times > Education > Professors, in Close Vote, Censure Harvard Leader

The New York Times > Education > Professors, in Close Vote, Censure Harvard Leader: "AMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15 - The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard approved a resolution on Tuesday expressing a lack of confidence in the leadership of the university's president, Lawrence H. Summers, citing longstanding dissatisfaction with his management style and, to a lesser extent, his remarks in January about women in math and science.
The vote was 218 in favor and 185 opposed, with 18 abstentions."

Muslim woman and son at Martyr Sq. in Beirut, March 14, 2005. 

ABC News: Jordan's King Abdullah Open to Constitutional Monarchy

ABC News: Jordan's King Abdullah Open to Constitutional Monarchy

The Gulf/2000 Project - Excellent resource site

The Gulf/2000 Project - SIPA - COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Syria: A culture oppressed � the torture and imprisonment of Syrian Kurds - Amnesty International

Syria: A culture oppressed � the torture and imprisonment of Syrian Kurds - Amnesty International: "Even though nearly a tenth of the Syrian population is Kurdish, they're not allowed to be taught in their own language. There are laws against publishing in Kurdish and playing Kurdish music. People who celebrate Kurdish cultural events--like Nawruz, the Kurdish New Year--risk going to prison. In some state institutions, there are laws against even talking in Kurdish.

More than 200,000 Kurdish people in Syria are denied a nationality and passport. These stateless Kurds are denied some basic economic and social rights. They aren't allowed to own a house, land, or a business. They can't work as lawyers, journalists, engineers or doctors. Many are not allowed to study in school after the age of 14, and often they're not allowed treatment in state hospitals."

Syria Comment

Syria Comment

Four points of agreement between 'ain al-tin and the opposition

L'Orient Le Jour

The Daily Star - Opinion Articles - Democracy also means that Islamists are allowed to vote

The Daily Star - Opinion Articles - Democracy also means that Islamists are allowed to vote: "Islamists, for their part, have proven their commitment to peaceful democratic participation in Morocco, Yemen, Kuwait and Jordan, where they are powerful forces in Parliament. Islamists in Turkey, for example, have demonstrated their impressive ability to adapt to social and political realities - in the process becoming poster-boys for Islamic moderation. Turkey's Islamist politicians were once fiery advocates of disengagement with the West. Today, the ruling Islamic-leaning Justice and Development party, in an ironic twist, has sought active engagement with the West, particularly the European Union.
Jordan's experience is also worth noting - a rare of example of more than five decades of peaceful coexistence and often close cooperation between Islamists and the ostensibly secular Hashemite monarchy. The lesson here is clear: Free elections, the expansion of political space, and other institutional mechanisms that encourage conflict resolution through peaceful means push Islamic parties to become more moderate in their goals and aims.
To be sure, Ayman Nour is a courageous politician deserving of America's attention and support. His arrest has provided the Bush administration with an opportunity to prove its commitment to democracy in the Arab world. Nour and his promising party of young liberals, however, are but one piece of a complex puzzle. If the U.S. plans to tread a bold new path in the region, it will have to pressure recalcitrant regimes, such as Mubarak's, to include in the democratic process not only liberals like Nour, but also moderate Islamists. "

Democracy From the Inside Out

washingtonpost.com: Democracy From the Inside Out: "The United States also has to be prepared to set aside coercion as the primary instrument for combating groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas -- provided they observe their own cease-fires. Last week Bush administration officials suggested that they were considering such a shift in the case of Hezbollah, bending to European suasion. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas already has adopted a political strategy for Hamas, which, encouragingly, announced on Saturday that it will participate in legislative elections later this year.
Both of these steps are deeply troubling to Israel, which remains unwilling to treat the Islamic groups as anything other than a mortal adversary and military target. In the short term, at least, the emergence of Arab democratic politics could look threatening to the Middle East's only established democracy. That is a paradox for which neither Israel nor the Bush administration appears to be prepared."

Will the Middle East Bloom

washingtonpost.com: Will the Mideast Bloom?

The Changing Face of Lebanon

The Changing Face of Lebanon
Listen to the National Public Radio feature on Lebanon

Welcome to the Middle East Polcy Council web site.

Welcome to the Middle East Polcy Council web site.

MIT-EJMES

MIT-EJMES
The MIT Electronic Journal for Middle East Studies has received too little attention. If you are serious about the Middle East you should be reading this journal. Plus, it is free.

Naharnet News Desk

Naharnet News Desk: "What made the trick was the massive turnout of the Sunni sect onto the streets of the capital to defy Syria's tutelage. Crowds from densely-populated Sunni neighborhoods stood shoulder-to-shoulder with opposition activists from various Christian communities and Walid Jumblat's Druze sect, chanting 'we want the truth, we want sovereignty, we want Syria out.' The Sunnis make up the biggest bloc among Lebanon's eligible voters.

One poster brandished among an ocean of Lebanese flags read 'long live Syria inside Syria.' Another poster read 'President Lahoud, rest assured your turn is coming,' a reference that he might be overthrown over Hariri's assassination.

Legislator Marwan Hamadeh, who survived an assassination attempt in October, formally opened the sit-in protest by declaring that the massive opposition was 'writing the end of President Lahoud's police state and its Syrian backers.' He drew thunderous cheers when he announced 'this is the end to the one whose regime has been extended and to those who extended his regime.' Hamadeh, a former minister under Hariri's premiership, said 'the days of the secret service, the days of the ghosts are numbered.'"

Lebanon - The Free Patriotic Movement official site Site officiel du Courant Patriotique Libre

Lebanon - The Free Patriotic Movement official site Site officiel du Courant Patriotique Libre: "Free Lebanon Movement"
This is the multilingual site associated with General Michel 'Aun. There are a number of useful links here.

Fisk reports that the circle of guilt tightens

UN finds evidence of official cover-up in Hariri assassination
By Robert Fisk in Beirut
14 March 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/story.jsp
As the United Nations' Irish-led special investigation team here prepares to report that the Lebanese authorities have covered up evidence of the murder on 14 February of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri, his two sons have fled Lebanon after hearing that they too are in danger of assassination.
Mr Hariri's elder son, Bahar, has flown to Geneva while Saad has left hurriedly for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after warnings that they could be the next targets of their father's assassins.
President George Bush is expected to announce on Wednesday that Syrian - and perhaps Lebanese - military intelligence officers were involved in Mr Hariri's death; the bombing killed 18 other civilians.
The UN's Irish, Egyptian and Moroccan investigation team has now been joined by three Swiss bomb experts following the discovery that many of the smashed vehicles in Hariri's convoy were moved from the scene of the massacre only hours afterwards - and before there was time for an independent investigation. Yesterday, frogmen were sent into the sea off the Beirut Corniche to recover the wreckage of the one car in the Hariri convoy that was not taken away by the authorities because it was blasted over a hotel wall into the Mediterranean by the force of the explosion. If they successfully recover parts of the vehicle, they may be able to discover the nature of the explosives. First reports that Hariri was killed by a car bomb are now being challenged by evidence that the explosives - estimated at 600kg - could have been buried beneath the seafront avenue.
A unique photograph handed to The Independent in Beirut - which is now also in the hands of the UN investigators - was taken on the afternoon of 12 February, about 36 hours before the bombing. It shows a drain cover in the road at the exact spot where the explosion was to tear a 30-foot crater in the highway, instantly killing Hariri and many of his bodyguards.
The section of roadway is marked off by "no parking" signs which have been left there innocently by staff of the nearby HSBC bank. But a mysterious object can be seen on the left edge of the drain cover. Both the metal cover and an extensive area of roadway around it were atomised by the bomb.
The picture also shows two buildings which the UN police officers are investigating as possible locations of the bomber who detonated the explosives: one is on top of the circular building in the centre of the photo - which houses a Beirut hotel as well as a Lebanese army retirement fund office - and the other is on top of the war-damaged Holiday Inn (far right) which has been empty for more than a decade. The balloon in the centre of the photograph regularly takes tourists on sightseeing tours of Beirut.
Some members of the Hariri family have been told that the report of the UN inquiry team will be so devastating that it will force a full international investigation of the murder of "Mr Lebanon" and his entourage, perhaps reaching to the higher echelons of the Syrian and Lebanese governments.
Hariri opposed the continued Syrian military presence in Lebanon and many Lebanese have blamed the Syrians for his murder. The UN investigators have become convinced that there was a cover-up of evidence at the very highest levels of the Lebanese and Syrian intelligence authorities.
In their search for information, at least one Irish police officer has now interviewed Brigadier General Rustum Ghazale, the senior Syrian army intelligence officer in Lebanon, at his headquarters in Aanjar. He is believed to have pointed out to the police that his job was only to safeguard Syrian forces in the country - an assertion which will require more than a few grains of Syrian salt to be believed.
President Bush's expected remarks on Wednesday will follow two extraordinary days of public demonstrations in Beirut. In the first, today, opposition politicians will try to gather a million followers to protest against the government's failure to resign and to reveal the truth about Hariri's murder - as well as to dwarf last Tuesday's half-million strong Hizbollah rally in support of Syria. The second, by pro-Syrian demonstrators, is planned to march to the US embassy in the Aukar suburb of east Beirut.
All this is being organised while violent rumours sweep Beirut. One says that the Syrians have been handing out weapons to pro-Syrian Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila in Beirut and Ein el-Helwe in Sidon.
Investigations by The Independent strongly suggest that this in untrue; the Palestinians have quite enough weapons without being resupplied, and many of them would like to be disarmed to end lethal inter-Palestinian factional fighting. But on Saturday night in the Sabra camp, someone knifed to death an elderly Syrian fruit-seller in what was an obvious attempt to provoke violence.

Streaming video of March 14 demonstrations in Beirut

beirut & lebanon in a nutshell

America's Best Ex-President will Monitor Lebanese Elections Scheduled for May

Naharnet Newsdesk - Karami Accepts U.S. ex-President Jimmy Carter to Monitor Lebanon's Elections
The May 2005 elections in Lebanon were originally scheduled for last summer. At that point the delay was rationalized as necessary to avoid undermining a banner tourism year. A more cynical interpretation, which I share, is that the elections were canned in order to facilitate the extenision of the term of Emile Lahoud. Syria and its Lebanese allies feared that the next parliament might be less malleable, given the rising tide of anti-Syrian sentiment.
With the respected Carter Center monitoring the May 2005 elections there is still plenty of scope of mischief, particularly in the drawing of electoral districts, but it a positive development nonetheless. Also, it makes it just a bit more difficult for the elections to be postponed a second time, but that remains a non-trivial possibility.
Nonetheless, Omar Karami tapped by Emile Lahoud to continue as prime minister, has hinted repeatedly that that the elections may be postponed. In reply, UN emissary Terje Larsen has underlined that that would be a bad idea.

Lebanese banks double interest on pound

The Daily Star - Business Articles - Lebanese banks double interest on pound
Since Hariri's assassination the Lebanese pound has been under enormous pressure. So far the Central Bank has succeeded in supporting the pound at about 1,500:$1, but if the political situation becomes even more unsettled a loss of value will be hard to avoid.

Middle East Studies at Columbia University: students speak out

The Forward Newspaper Online

The Chronicle: 3/11/2005: From Islam, Pluralist Democracies Will Surely Grow

Print: The Chronicle: 3/11/2005: From Islam, Pluralist Democracies Will Surely Grow: "Malcolm and Jennifer, as I discovered on our way to Marrakech, were part of a rapidly growing movement of Christian missionaries who, since September 11, have begun to focus exclusively on the Muslim world. Because Christian evangelism is often bitterly reproached in Muslim countries -- thanks in large part to the lingering memory of the colonial endeavor, when Europe's disastrous 'civilizing mission' went hand in hand with a fervently anti-Islamic 'Christianizing mission' -- some evangelical institutions now teach their missionaries to 'go undercover' in the Muslim world by taking on Muslim identities, wearing Muslim clothing (including the veil), even fasting and praying as Muslims.
At the same time, the U.S. government has encouraged large numbers of Christian aid organizations to take an active role in rebuilding the infrastructures of Iraq and Afghanistan in the wake of the two wars, giving ammunition to those who seek to portray the occupation of those countries as a renewed crusade of Christians against Muslims. Add to that the perception, held by many in the Muslim world, that there is collusion between the United States and Israel against Muslim interests in general and Palestinian rights in particular, and one can understand how Muslims' resentment and suspicion of the West has only increased, and with disastrous consequences.
Considering how effortlessly religious dogma has become intertwined with political ideology since September 11, how can we overcome the clash-of-monotheisms mentality that has so deeply entrenched itself in the modern world? Clearly, education and tolerance are essential. But what is most desperately needed is not so much a better appreciation of our nei"

Jumblatt, like other members of the Lebanese opposition, is intent to distance himself from Resolution 1559 as it treats "the resistance"

L'Orient Le Jour
The simple reality is that there is not a clear consensus in Lebanon in favor of disarming Hizballah. The argument that Lebanon provides a degree of deterrence vis-a-vis Israel carries some weight, and it is certainly the case that many Lebanese would feel less secure absent Hizballah.

Observer | Beirut on the brink of an abyss

Observer | Beirut on the brink of an abyss

The second half of the Sasson report--Pay attention, this is important

Haaretz - Israel News - The second half of the Sasson report: "The Sasson report is chump change; the real McCoy is hidden in Baruch Spiegel's filing cabinet. Sasson dealt with illegal outposts; Spiegel is dealing with every one of the legal settlements: how they came about, how they are managed and financed, how their lands were defined, their legal status, what construction areas were authorized, and their legal boundaries. If the Sasson report raised a storm, the Spiegel report will generate a tsunami.

Only God knows how Ariel Sharon got mixed up in this contradiction. It's not the first time in his life that he has supplied the ax that destroys his own work. In this case, the state comes out ahead: Sasson and Spiegel will be remembered as the great stable cleaners who exposed the dark lairs of the regime to the purifying light of the sun."

Aljazeera.Net - Hizb Allah protest blasts 'US meddling'

Aljazeera.Net - Hizb Allah protest blasts 'US meddling'

March snow in Massachusetts 

And Bush thinks that he has problems...

It is after midnight, do you know what your government is doing in your name?

Of course there are "real" secrets, but all government uses secrecy to veil embarassments, failures and worse. Were it not for the "Freedom of Information" act, Americans would know much less about what their government does in their name but wishes not to tell them. Here is a good guide to filing requests under the law.

Government in Iraq is finally coming into view

RadioNation AudioBlog | Inside Lebanon | Marc Cooper

The Nation Blog RadioNation AudioBlog Inside Lebanon Marc Cooper
An interview with A. R. Norton

From the pages of al-sharq al-awsat, a fresh voice

Mona al-Tawahy: "Just as I have acknowledged the jolt the Arab world felt from the Iraq war, so it is imperative to remember that if there hadn't been civil societies already in place in the Arab world, such a jolt would have found no echo.

Brave Arab men and women have for decades toiled, often without credit, for the sake of rights and better lives for their compatriots. Their work must be acknowledged and supported. The conversation about change in the Arab world must be about them and about ordinary Arabs, not about scoring points for or against the Bush administration."

Feb. 8, 2005, Hizballah organized demonstration in downtown Beirut. Crowd estimates range from 200,000 to 500,000. This demonstration seems to have been a major factor in prompting the Bush adminstration to reassess its position on Hizballah. 

Brandeis University creates Middle East Center to save the field from mediocrity

Saved at last!
Jerusalem Post Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World: "'My problem is not the anti-Zionism or even that many of them are anti-American, but that they are third-rate,' Reinharz said in a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post at his Brandeis office, referring to university Middle East studies departments. 'The quality of the people [in Mideast studies] is unlike any of the qualities we expect in any other field.'
Reinharz has set out to change that by creating a new center for Middle East studies at Brandeis, which he hopes will set a much-needed example of academic rigor in the field. "

Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | US throws $1 million into the fray

Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | US throws $1 million into the fray: "This dynamic is certain to cause friction in light of parliamentary speaker Fathi Sorour's announcement last week -- while hammering out the details of Mubarak's 26 February constitutional amendment proposal -- that the People's Assembly plans to criminalise political parties and NGOs receiving foreign funding to monitor presidential and parliamentary elections or fund election campaigns."

Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Damascus holds its ground

Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Damascus holds its ground: "For their part, Syrians, greatly annoyed by anti- Syrian sentiment in Lebanon, responded with patriotism. As Syrian troops start to leave Lebanon so will Syrian money from Lebanese banks, which, according to Damascus Chamber of Commerce President Rateb Al-Shallah, amounts to $10 billion. Already Syrians have largely stopped going to Lebanon, where they would usually spend weekends at restaurants, hotels, boutiques and nightclubs. "

The Military Option Endorsed by one of Israel's Top Journalists

Haaretz - Israel News - How to deter Iran: "But Israel must prepare the military option for itself, as well. Such an option should be developed quietly, and not with belligerent statements and a show of strength, as is customary here from time to time. In the military option, we have to build the appropriate force, prepare the plans, and examine methods of clandestine activity inside Iran, as well. At the same time, we must not evade questions such as: What can Israel gain from employing a military option, and what will the Iranian response be."

A Poet Who Pointed the Way to a New Iran (washingtonpost.com)

A Poet Who Pointed the Way to a New Iran (washingtonpost.com): "Farrokhzad was a rebel who challenged cultural and political absolutism in her all-too-brief, 15-year literary career. She was a daring explorer of a public language of intimacy and transgression. The epitome of what the Islamic Republic wanted to eradicate, Farrokhzad is now the Iranian equivalent of a rock star. Her five poetry collections, the books and movies on her life and art, her voice recordings, and her short documentary film on leprosy sell like hotcakes in Iran. An industry has developed around her name. "

Republicans say the darndest things.The writer is a faculty member at Grove City College. What he lacks in nuance and sensitivity he makes up for in penetrating strategic acumen. "Riyadh Damascus and Teheran should be made very aware that they may pay the price for any nuclear or chemical/biological attack on America.
"Since al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas belong to
them, we hold them responsible for their actions."
From the Shenandoah Valley-Herald, December 8, 2004.
 

(Reuters) Over 11,000 Lebanese youths rally by forming the Lebanese flag in front of the grave of assassinated former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in Martyrs Square in Beirut. March 12, 2005..

Hamas to contest legislative elections

Aljazeera.Net - Hamas to contest legislative elections

Islamists again block a revision in the oppressive family status code in Algeria (in French)

Alg�rie : le Code de la famille bloqu� par les islamistes

Milking the "national dialogue" for all it is worth from as-Safir (Beirut)

Cartoon

A stairway in Mukhtara, next to the Jumblatt castle, March 2001. (c) A. R. Norton, 2001. 

The Sasson report on Illegal Settlements in the West Bank

This PeaceNow page contains a number of useful links.

Lebanese women's march (along the Lebanese side of the border with Israel) in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers, August 2004. The march was organized by Hizballah. (c) A.R. Norton, 2004. 

A Defense That's Offensively Weak

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: A Defense That's Offensively Weak: "What the administration doesn't acknowledge, as it crows about democracy blooming in the Iraqi desert, is that our defense against terrorists who want to attack here is full of holes, and that the war in Iraq may have made it even worse. Despite the promising election, the war has created more insurgents and given them a training ground. It has siphoned off attention, money and troops that could have been used to catch Osama, pursue Al Qaeda and secure our own country. And it has alienated not only many Arabs, but also allies who were eager, after 9/11, to help us fight Al Qaeda - even Italians are mad now.
Every time we turn around, some administration official charged with our protection is claiming that it will take three more years, or five more, to fix something that should have been put in place right after 9/11 - or even 20 years ago."

U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role

The New York Times > Washington > U.S. Called Ready to See Hezbollah in Lebanon Role: "After years of campaigning against Hezbollah, the radical Shiite Muslim party in Lebanon, as a terrorist pariah, the Bush administration is grudgingly going along with efforts by France and the United Nations to steer the party into the Lebanese political mainstream, administration officials say.
The administration's shift was described by American, European and United Nations officials as a reluctant recognition that Hezbollah, besides having a militia and sponsoring attacks on Israelis, is an enormous political force in Lebanon that could block Western efforts to get Syria to withdraw its troops"
Are the scales falling from the Bush adminstration's eyes?

JibJab strikes again.

Consumers Union:
The JibJab formula is marvelous--a ticklish sense of humor and hard hitting satire--and is now applied to the drug industry.

Today's Political cartoons from an-Nahar (Beirut)

Haute Couture from a famous Lebanese Shi'i designer

Jamil Khansa
Shake loose of your stereotypes!

The New York Review of Books: Welcome to Doomsday

The New York Review of Books: Welcome to Doomsday
Al-Qa'ida means "the base". Well George W. Bush has a base too and it is evangelical Christian community. This lucid essay by Bill Moyers reveals the doctrinal roots of the evangelical right wing for whom Bush is the "divinely chosen" president (to quote one ardent Bush supporter's comment to me in the fall). Moyers writes: "No wonder Karl Rove wandered the White House whistling "Onward Christian Soldiers" as he prepared for the 2004 elections."
Bruce Lincoln does a fine job showing how Bush often speaks subtly and in evangelical code to his base.

Print - SPIEGEL Interview with Lebanon's Star Musician Abou-Khalil: "Lebanon Doesn't Need US to Help" - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Print - SPIEGEL Interview with Lebanon's Star Musician Abou-Khalil: "Lebanon Doesn't Need US to Help" - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Abou-Khalil: There is a great belief that democracy is the salve for all problems. America is only concerned with democracy as it is practiced in the Western world. The loyalty of people in Third World nations, however, goes first to their families, to the clan they come from, then, to the place they live and only at the end, to the government. One can try to bring democracy to these nations, but it won't bring lasting peace. It will be just as ineffective as the attempt in the Middle Ages to heal the world through Christianity. What came of that was the Crusades."

The price of a life...

vBoston.com / News / Local / Dog's family demands $740,000: "The family of Cassius, the dog killed by leaking electricity from an old NStar Electric lamppost site, said last night it had turned down an unspecified offer of 'comfort money' from NStar and is demanding $740,000 from the utility or it will sue. The family said it picked the dollar figure because it equals NStar chief executive Thomas J. May's annual salary."
I do wish to make light of a family's loss of a beloved pet, but ponder the paltry sums ($1,000-1,500 or so) paid in compensation--if anything is paid at all--to Iraqi civilians whose homes are inadvertently destroyed, or whose children are accidentially killed by a marine rifleman.

Is this a surprise?

Israel's aid to illegal settlers | csmonitor.com

In the southern marshes of Iraq (NYTimes)