June 2012
U.S. in no position to condemn alleged Russian transfer of helicopter gunships to Syrian regime By Stephen Zunes: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has claimed that "there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria,” though the Russian government denies the accusation. If true, it would be highly disturbing, given the Syrian regime’s widespread use of such weapons against unarmed civilians. Amnesty International and other human rights groups have called for an immediate end of arms transfers to the Syrian regime, particularly of weapons that have been used to target civilians. Read More
Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani sacked for protecting President Zardari's corruption By Abdus-Sattar Ghazali: The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday (6/19/2012) sacked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from office for protecting President Asif Ali Zardari's corruption. On April 26, the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, convicted Gilani of contempt for refusing to write a letter to the Swiss authorities for reopening multi-million-dollar graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Read More
Congress pushes for war with Iran By Stephen Zunes: In another resolution apparently designed to prepare for war against Iran, the U.S. House of Representatives, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 401–11 vote, has passed a resolution (HR 568) urging the president to oppose any policy toward Iran “that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat.” Read More
Scandal escalates to defame the Chief Justice of Pakistan By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: Not surprisingly, the scandal to defame the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry through a conspiracy to entrap his family has escalated with the conspirator, Malik Riaz - a real estate tycoon - accusing the Chief Justice of knowing his business dealings with his son Dr.Arsalan Iftikhar. Addressing a press conference Malik Riaz claimed that he was blackmailed and did not pay any bribes. He described Dr. Arsalan as ‘don’, adding he was the one running the judiciary. He also claimed that Chief Justice was meeting him secretly. Read More
Pre-election rigging in Pakistan: Zardari regime's plan to damage independent judiciary unveiled By Abdus Sattar Ghazali: In a pre-election rigging attempt, the regime of President Asif Ali Zardari conspired to damage the independent judiciary in Pakistan that may not allow rigging in the forthcoming elections which are due some times later this year or early next year. The conspiracy was revealed by a renowned journalist, Shaheen Sehbai who said that Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry's family was trapped in the conspiracy by giving around Rs400 million ($4 million) by a business tycoon close to President Zardari. Read More
Arabian Gulf states and an era of cooperation By Abdulateef Al-Mulhim: Recently, the Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council leaders. In the meeting, there were serious discussions about forging closer relations among the GCC member states. The GCC members were looking for political integration to counter the many challenges in the area. The meeting came at a time when all political, economic and intelligence observers were focusing their analyses on the GCC member states. Read More
Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace By Stephen Zunes: Earlier last month, the House of Representatives passed a dangerous piece of legislation (H.R. 4133) which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States. The margin was an overwhelming 411-2, with eight abstentions. Read More
The Global Awakening I: Developing a Consensus Paradigm through a Common Language of Normative and Compassionate Justice By Dr. Robert D. Crane: During the last week of May, 2012, at the Ritz-Carlton in Doha, the Brookings Saban Center for Middle East Policy convened the 9th annual U.S.-Islamic World Forum under the title, “New Voices – New Directions”. This was organized under the leadership of Martin Indyk, who was the U.S. Ambassador to Israel from 1995 to 1997, and was sponsored by the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference) representing the 57 Muslim-majority countries. The concern was primarily the extent to which the so-called Arab Spring might undermine stability during the coming year. A closed follow-on conference was held that same week at the Qatar Foundation in Doha sponsored by Oxford University’s St. Antony’s College and by the Center for the Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies, as part of the Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies. This mini-conference addressed the origins, current dynamics, and future possibilities of an awakening that started in Tunisia a year and a half ago and may continue to play a historic role in many countries all over the world for years to come. Read More
The Global Awakening II
The Global Awakening III
|