[Asharq al-Aswat] One can only describe the statements made by Sudanese Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Karti to Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday with regards to the division of Sudan, and his astonishment and confusion about why the West is so hostile towards Sudan -- while at the same time saying that he welcomed any US proposal -- as being crying over spilt milk.
Separation or division is something that is coming to Sudan and everybody has been aware of this, not just today, but for a while; the preparations for this are in full swing, and the Sudanese regime has not exerted genuine effort in order to ensure and protect Sudanese unity and unification. In fact, all of its moves have been tactical with the objective of protecting the Sudanese regime, rather than Sudan itself.
The Sudanese Foreign Minister linked the issue of Mohammedans being provoked and the Sudanese regime -- not the [Sudanese] state -- and supposed that the entire world is conspiring against Sudan simply because the Sudanese regime applies Islamic Shariaa law. The Sudanese Foreign Minister told Asharq Al-Awsat "the only demand we haven't heard from them is to cease being Mohammedans." We do not know whether religions had anything to do with Sudan sheltering Osama Bin Laden or Carlos the Jackal had? Or whether religion has anything to do with Sudan sheltering those that attempted to assassinate the Egyptian president? Or whether religion has anything to do with groups of Sudanese being tortured? Or whether, after all of this -- which is just the tip of the iceberg -- the Sudanese Foreign Minister is truly surprised with regards to the position that has been taken internationally against the Sudanese regime?
Separation or division is something that is coming to Sudan and everybody has been aware of this, not just today, but for a while; the preparations for this are in full swing, and the Sudanese regime has not exerted genuine effort in order to ensure and protect Sudanese unity and unification. In fact, all of its moves have been tactical with the objective of protecting the Sudanese regime, rather than Sudan itself.
Today we read the Sudanese Foreign Minister saying that the West and particularly certain groups in the US "have a grudge against Arabs and Mohammedans, and want to enact Dire Revenge™ by dividing Sudan." Such talk does not move things forward or backwards, and in fact only gives rise to feelings of sadness at the state that Sudan has reached, as well as causing us to fear from the coming days, especially with regards to the dangers that we see around us and our countries being threatened with meeting the same fate as Sudan due to ignorance, poverty, the spread of extremism, and the politicians being preoccupied with the battle of protecting their seats, rather than the battle of protecting the homeland.
Unfortunately the Sudanese Foreign Minister's talk about an American plot to divide Sudan, and his linking this to the issue of Israeli settlements, is nothing more than over-exaggeration as usual, and an attempt to ignore the reality of the situation, which is that the internal conflict has weakened Sudan and brought division closer. This is something that brings to mind Sudan's desire -- a few years ago -- to mediate in order to resolve the Lebanese crisis, while at the same time the entire world was growing increasingly indignant with Sudan with regards to the Darfur crisis! I remember that at the time, I asked a Sudanese official "I do not know how you can ignore the growing international resentment that you are facing as a result of the situation in Darfur, and instead seek to resolve the crisis in Leb!" The Sudanese official only smiled at me and offered an unconvincing explanation.
However today, following the Sudanese Foreign Minister's interview, an observer can only be pessimistic upon reading his response to SPLM demands for the people of southern Sudan not to be labeled "abid" [synonymous with slave in the Arabic language]. The Sudanese Foreign Minister responded to this demand by saying "It is irresponsible and a travesty that SPLM leaders talk about being insulted as "abids" (slaves). Sudan is facing a new historical chapter and they talk about being insulted? People have insulted people in every country, and throughout history. The fact that SPLM leaders are talking about this proves their short-sightedness and lack of confidence in themselves."
Here we say that there is no hope in a solution to maintain Sudanese unity, since the wound is much bigger than the band-aid.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > BOLTON CALLS OUT OBAMA ON SUDAN: OBAMA APPEASEMENT MAY LEAD TO GENOCIDE [Christians + other Non-Muslims].
* SAME > US SEEKS CLOSER TIES [engagement] IN PUNTLAND, SOMALILAND [Somalia breakaway regions].
But NOT per se DIPLOMATIC RECOGNITION of the ABOVESAME REGIONS' ATTEMPT TO SEPARATE FROM SOMALIA STATE.
With the power of the regime, mainly concentrated in the hands of Siad Barres, his two wives -- Khadija and Dalaya -- and almost 70 of his children and grand-children, ordinary citizens began to flee the country.
This kind of family rule hastened the downfall of Siad Barre. After 21-years of repression, corruption, nepotism and clan dominance, Barre was overthrown by his one-time military adviser and ambassador to India, General Mohamed F. Aideed, who loved his mentor's cruel doctrine of rule by force and bullet.
The transition also marked the end of notorious groups; NSS (National Security Service), Hangash (military intelligence), Dhabarjebinta (military counter-intelligence), Koofiyad Casta (military police), Baarista Hisbiga (party investigators), and the Guulwadayaal (party militias). They had the exceptional powers to kill, arrest, rape or detain anyone suspected to be opposed to the Siad Barre regime. It was this time when rights groups began to record human rights abuses.
Barre's ouster and the fall of Mogadishu in 1991 created anarchy, havoc and complete devastation with the emergence of greedy warlords vying for power as massive populations were dying of hunger and from the sabotage of international efforts to restore order.
Operation Restore Hope, the greatest sacrifice the US did to the starved Somali nation, ended in the horrifying incident of Black Hawk Down.
Rapacious pirates
To rephrase Carol von Clausewitz's dictum, "War is a continuation of (Somali) politics (and power) by other means." However, modern history proves that no war ends all wars, at least, in the case of Somali experience.
Contemporary combination of Ethiopian-backed power hungry warlords, rapacious pirates, terrorists and al-Shabaab's al-Qaeda phenomenon, along with tribal mini states as well as mafia-style business community, are all the culmination of dictatorial legacy by Mohamed Siad Barre. He demolished democratic government, however weak and corrupt, but it was the direct electoral system that gave people a voice to exercise and express their free will. At least, people had the mechanism to elect and to be elected, and it was this process through which they could make a change if circumstances demanded.
All these factors -- dictatorial rule, warlords' fiefdoms and pirates' brutality -- contributed to the emergence of freelance fighters, who eventually affiliated themselves with al-Qaeda after they had secured financial assistance from outside.
Al-Shabaab came up with tactics never seen before in Somalia's war scene. Horror conducts, for instance, suicide bombings and quick trial without lawyer -- what they call mobile courts -- are not just a new phenomenon to Somali perspective, but also one of the real reasons why no group or entity in Somalia could face them.
Recently, al-Shabaab carried out their first deadly horrific attack beyond Somali borders and blasted Uganda.
At present, Somali public are staring at the international community in general and the US in particular, again and again, to help end the mayhem. Somalis need not merely US policy makers' strategy of yesterday's solution tackling today's problem, but real assistance to win this war.
"Yesterday's solution for tomorrow's problem"? Did the writer's mother not teach him that one must be polite when asking for help?
If not, Somalia will remain a failed state.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2010 00:00 ||
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TOPIX > THE LOST HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY.
ARTIC > IRAQ + MIDDLE EAST + NORTH AFRICA were once VAST, ECON + CULTURALLY POTENT CHRISTIAN DOMAINS/EMPIRE [e.g. Nestorian Christianity] before the arrival of Islam, + remained so despite the subsequent Islamic Conquests. The RISE OF VIOLENT ANTI-TOLERANT ISLAM IN THE 14TH CENTURY TO PRESENT BEGAT SUCH PERENNIAL ISLAMIC PERSECUTIONS, ABUSE + GOVT. SUPPOR GENOCIDES, THAT ONCE WIDESPREAD [Nestorian]CHRISTIANITY + OTHER NON-ISLAM HAS ALL BUT ABSOLUTELY DISAPPEARED FROM THE NOW MUSLIM-DOMINATED/
CONTROLLED REGIONS???
E.g. ARMENIAN, TURKIC GENOCIDE OF CHRISTIANS = Christian Men ordered or forced to convert upon pain of death.
IIUC ABOVE > The Islamic World = MOSTLY STATIC, REGRESSED, + UNABLE INTERNALLY TO SELF-INNOVATE SAVE VIA EXTERNAL, PROTRACTIVE, VIOLENT WARFARE???
[Washington Times] John Bolton, former Ambassador to the UN, reports that since Obama is a squish,
He didn't actually call him that, because he was a diplomat, but that delightful term is most definitely the sense of the op-ed.
it has emboldened the genocidal Sudanese regime to work up lots of options for dealing with the Jan 2011 referendum (the referendum was the result of diplomacy under the W presidency).
A fair referendum would result in South Sudan succeeding. The North won't like this because the South has more oil and because it is an insult to the more Islamic North.
Options for the North:
- fix the referendum
- intimidate the South so the referendum is postponed
- send some troops there and get the UN to postpone the referendum to await the removal of the troops, then don't remove them
- various jihad alternates
- persuade the Americans to unilaterally pre-abrogate the results of the referendum
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/29/2010 09:48 ||
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How about another option - nuke Khartoum? That would not only end the war against the Christian/animist South, but would also end the Dharfur cluster-f$$$. Just for giggles, get the French to do it. That might end some of the French internal pressures at the same time.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/29/2010 21:49 Comments ||
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...Five weeks before an election, the president has managed to divide his ideological base into two mutually resentful groups. One group resents being talked down to by the president, the other group identifies with the president and resents the first group. It's about as edifying as--though admittedly a lot more fun than--watching high school girls squabble over who is more conceited....
Posted by: Mike ||
09/29/2010 14:28 ||
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Dems Lash Out at the Electorate, Seek New One.
A priceless quote from John F Kerry: "We have an electorate that doesn't always pay that much attention to what's going on" Well, D'oh! That is exactly how Big Jawn got as far in politics as he did. If the electorate had been paying proper attention, he would now just be a regular tax-dodgin' trust fund beneficiary instead of a senator and former presidential candidate.
#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > [GEN. PETRAEUS to Senior Official]US GENERAL WARNS OF US ENTERING PAKISTAN TO STOP TERROR, iff Islamabad refuses to to dismantle Militant networks based in North Waziristan.
ARTIC > US had also stepped up its DRONE STRIKES to preempt new Terror strikes agz Europe.
* SAME > {Internat Muslim Leaders] WEST WARNED THAT ISLAM INSULTS RISKS "CIVILIZATION CLASH".
Growing Sceurity threat to the West as World Muslims become increasingly weary of Islam being falsely or mistaken;y "demonized" as a Religion, etc. due to Militants or Extremist minority..
...Democrats will be helping them by saying scathing and dismissive things about the Tea Party and its candidates. The Greek mythological figure Antaeus won victory after victory because his opponents repeatedly threw him to the ground, not realizing that it was the earth (in the figure of his mother, Gaia) that nourished him and gave him renewed strength. The Tea Party's strength comes from the down-to-earth rhetoric it responds to and proclaims, and whenever high-brow critics heap the dirt of scorn and derision upon the party, its powers increase. See also Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars IV ("If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."); Br'er Rabbit, Uncle Remus Tales ("Please don't throw me in that briar patch over there!").
Commentators who explain smugly that O'Donnell's position on masturbation (that it is a selfish, solitary act) is contradicted by her Ayn Rand-like attack on collectivism, or who wax self-righteous about Paladino's comparing Sheldon Silver to Hitler and promising to wield a baseball bat in Albany, or who laugh at Sharron Angle for being in favor of Scientology (she denies it) and against fluoridation and the Department of Education, are doing these candidates a huge favor. They are saying, in effect, these people are stupid, they're jokes; and the implication (sometimes explicitly stated) is that anyone who takes them the least bit seriously doesn't get the joke and is stupid, too.
We the people hear this and know who is being talked about, and react with anger: "Don't presume to tell me what to think and whom to vote for just because you have more degrees than I do. I don't know much about these people but if you guys are against them, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt."
And if they don't exactly say that, the recently unveiled "Pledge to America" says it for them in its money quote: "An arrogant out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites make decisions, issue mandates, and enact laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many." The many grow and become more robust every time a self-satisfied voice from the political or media establishment dumps on their spokespersons....
Posted by: Mike ||
09/29/2010 08:02 ||
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If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
- Sun Tzu
Their demonstrative inability to grasp the Tea Party puts them in the second descriptive. Their inability to see their own intolerance and bigotry while engaged in Freudian projection upon the Tea Party, puts them in the third descriptive.
#2
Read the comments in the Times for a hilarious rendering of all the LLL talking points, biases and condescension. It really demonstrates exactly what Fish was talking about.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
09/29/2010 9:24 Comments ||
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#3
Quite frankly, I love to hear them bloviate, these leftest loons. It signals their pending DOOM!
#4
It is not just elitist politicians but the elitist media. Its almost to the point that if the usual folks support someone the masses are willing to give that someones opponent a fair hearing and probably a vote.
#5
The democrats and their operatives in the media are circling the wagons as evidenced by this latest hit piece on the Tea Party in Rolling Stone magazine:
#6
The tea party is just a small manifestation of the frustration and anger the average American feels. If the new blood that was voted in during the 2010 swell don't bring some fiscal sanity back to government, the anger we see now will be nothing compared to what will happen between 2011-2012. I shudder to think of what might happen.
#7
Alan's right - I read the comments section - the typical NYT reader doesn't get it - even after Mr. Fish tried to break it down Barney style for them. They accuse the Tea Party of being intolerant, best look in the mirror libtards.
#8
eltoroverde - nice find wrt Rolling Stone(d) article. Their magazine has been shit for at least 15yrs imho. Matt Taibbi is a huge douchebag. Liberal frat boy who thinks he's the foul-mouthed version of john leibowitz stewart. He was on Bill Maher once a few yrs back when Iraq surge was full swing. An ill Tony Snow was the lone conservative on the panel and he demolished Taibbi whose emotional anectdotal claims didn't hold muster vs a dispassionate and highly articulate Snow.
#9
Instead, engage them as if you thought that the concerns they express (if not their forms of expression) are worthy of serious consideration, as indeed they are. Lift them up to the level of reasons and evidence and see how they fare in the rarified air of rational debate where they just might suffer the fate of Antaeus.
Fish suggests that dismissive rhetoric towards Tea Party subscribers will be perceived as elitist. Yet, ironically, he petitions Democrats and their allies to advance a more mature approach. Much like a counselor would advise parents with a delinquent child. Its quite telling that Fish is unwilling to rebuke the actual merits of the debate just the process. Fishs admonition is nothing more then damning with faint praise. And in and of itself elitist.
#10
The comments are great. I considered leaving one of my own, suggesting that perhaps we conservatives could do a favor of providing 'key words' with definitions that the liberals could use to connect with us neanderthals. You know, like a dictionary or a translation. Here, try some of these (I'm leaving off the definitions; I was going to use Rantburg standard ones but perhaps we could make up some!) --
freedom
liberty
tyranny
individual responsibility
faith
economic development
jobs
tolerance
individual rights
If we make the dictionary and definitions large enough perhaps Fred, or Glenn Reynolds, or someone would host it so that Prof. Fish and the liberals could consult it when they wish to speak to us.
Might save them time.
Then again, maybe not.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/29/2010 12:16 Comments ||
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#12
Broadhead6- As if you and I were in need of any confirmation that Taibbi is lacking in scruples and smarts, look no further. The Washington Examiner has put out a nice rebuttal:
#13
eltoroverde, LOL. Good find. His lacking in scruples and smarts makes him a perfect fit for his Rolling Stoned audience. Like I always say to the libs I know - If you're going to Rolling Stone for investigative journalism or the Daily Show for your news you're a moron.
#14
TEA Party and traditional America is considered radical which simply means that those in DC these days are so way way out in left field, anything around home plate would be considered radical.
Posted by: Jack Ulating5834 ||
09/29/2010 18:02 Comments ||
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#15
To any establishment Republicans reading this as research: The Tea Party is helping you now but if you don't fly right we'll be coming for you in 2012.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
