Only weeks ago, Mullah Noorul Aziz was thick in the fight against Afghan and United States forces, leading more than 600 Taliban fighters across the deserts, mountains and river valleys of southern Afghanistan to plant land mines and carry out ambushes.
Today, his life is in the midst of a complete reversal, having switched sides by signing on to an internationally backed effort to reintegrate militants.
The 30-something Aziz's steps into the unknown are treacherous, and highly significant to other Taliban members weighing President Hamid Karzai's calls for them to drop their fight and rejoin the folds of Afghan society.
"I believed the president when he said that every Taliban [fighter] is my friend and my brother and that the infidel foreigners should go back to their own countries," says Aziz.
"We have to live peacefully here because we are the sons of the soil. He promised to share with us whatever is available to him and his people. [He promised] that we will have cars, houses and jobs like people now siding with the government. [He said] their open embrace is waiting for us."
In many ways, the fate of the government's reintegration effort lies in the fate of Aziz who just earlier this year had been appointed the Taliban's shadow governor of the northern Kunduz province.
If he can live in peace and safety while managing to eke out a living, and is ultimately accepted into society, it could serve as a signal to Taliban members that they indeed have a stake in a peaceful future.
#4
Late planting season. Farm land under water. You can drill new wells and get the oil flowing in a couple of weeks/months outside of bureaucratic paper obstructions, but you have to wait over a year for the next possible harvest when this years crop is headed to the crapper.
#5
Very soon things will get ugly. This situation has been know for awhile now. The money to import grain and what they could grow is counting down to zero very fast. Soon the Israelis will have Egyptians trying to get in from the south. Financial help or food aid will be very hard to secure. I guess they could sell the canal.
#8
The 'West' will help somewhat, but the Saudi's will be paying the majority of the bills. They can't have Egypt go bad on them. What a great use of the US petro-dollars that went to Saudi, for those dollars to come right back to the farmers of the Dakotas.
#9
The 'West' will help somewhat, but the Saudi's will be paying the majority of the bills. They can't have Egypt go bad on them.
Egypt has gone bad on them. That is why the al Sauds are unhappy with Obama, who betrayed Mubarak, a staunch Saudi ally. Back in the day, the al Sauds massacred the original reincarnation of the Ikhwan. Now Obama is putting the Egyptian Ikhwan in power.
#11
So you think there are mothers around the dinner table in New Delhi or Beijing telling their kids to finish what's in their bowl because there are starving kids in Cairo? Or is that just 'Western Guilt'(tm)?
#13
given the high price of oil. I doubt we'll be able to ship any grain to Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, No. Sudan, Q's Libya, Venezuela, North Korea.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/21/2011 19:05 Comments ||
Top||
#14
mothersaround the dinner table in New Delhi or Beijing telling their kids to finish what's in their bowl Years ago I had a friend from Shanghai & asked him what his mother said to get him to clean his plate when he was very little. He said, "She told me that a farmer has to shed a drop of blood to grow a grain of rice." Now that's a guilt trip.
#15
052111_0300 hrs.
Being Rapture-ready, #1 Daughter and I left her Lex abandoned and running in the fast lane of I-395 between the Pentagon and Crystal City/Arlington, VA. Exit.
Headlights on in anticipation of TSA quick response time.
#16
INSTALLING RAPTURE.
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Install delayed....please wait.
Installation failed. Please try again. 404 error: Rapture not found.
EVENT "Rapture" cannot be located. The rapture you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.
SPIEGEL: Why has it taken so long for the values of the modern age to reach the Islamic world? After all, the golden age of Arab civilization ended in the 13th century.
Give him the benefit of the doubt; he's a historian.
Todd: There is a simple explanation, which has the benefit of also being applicable to northern India and China, that is, to three completely differently religious communities: Islam, Hinduism and Confucianism. It has to do with the structure of the traditional family in these regions, with its debasement and with the disenfranchisement of women. And in Mesopotamia, for example, it extends well into the pre-Islamic world. Mohammed, the founder of Islam, granted women far more rights than they have had in most Arab societies to this day.
Cause is the same as the European Spring of 1848,and don't forget France went thru two Napoleans before the Third Republic became somewhat democratic.
It's going to take a long time, but it is a beginning.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/21/2011 7:21 Comments ||
Top||
#1
Before you scoff at Euro-lefties willing to argue for 21st-century droit de seigneur, recall the grisly eulogies for the late Edward Kennedy. At the end of the day, said Sen. Evan Bayh, he cared most about the things that matter to ordinary people. The standard line of his obituarists was that this was Teds penance for Chappaquiddick and Mary Jo Kopechne or, as the Aussie columnist Tim Blair put it, She died so that the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act might live. Great men who are prone to Big Government invariably have Big Appetites, and you comely serving wenches who catch the benign sovereigns eye or anything else hes shooting your way should keep in mind the Big Picture.
Yes, Ted Ken!
Ah, Steyn!
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/21/2011 12:55 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Beforeyou scoff at Euro-lefties willing to argue for 21st-century droit de seigneur, recall the grisly eulogies for the late Edward Kennedy.
We *do* scoff. And there are plenty who still spit at the mention of dear Uncle Ted's name. Ptuie!
1. mythical beliefs - all religions have these (faith) because its part of being a religion: having beliefs without proof until after the believer dies. the problem is people will believe almost anything.
2. totalitarianism - islam has no seperation of church and state: sharia law governs all. there is no free will in islam: only submission to the will of allah as conveniently determined by the imams who spew vapors to feather their own nests. there are no moderate muslims: they all support sharia law.
3. violence - islam leads the pack of all religions in violent tenets for their ideology & history: having eternal canonical imperatives for supremacy at all costs and calling for violence & intimidation as basic tools to achieve these goals.
4. dishonesty - only islam has dishonesty as a fundamental tenet: this stems from allah speaking to mohamhead & abrogation in the koran which is used to explain how mo's peaceful early life was superseded by his warlord role later.
5. misogyny - present day islam is still rooted in 8th century social ethics: treating females as property of men good only for children, severely limiting their activities, dressing them in shower curtains and worse.
conclusions ??
there really are NO redeeming qualities for this muddled pile of propaganda.
islam is just another fascist totalitarian ideology used by power hungry fanatics on yet another quest for worldwide domination and includes all the usual human rights abuses & suppression of freedoms.
1 page pdf flyer at google docs
pdf version - do file/download 6kb viewer doesn't show fonts well, has better fonts header footer links, great for emailing printing etc
Amir Taheri
[Asharq al-Awsat] Under the Khomeinist regime, Iran's media have developed a grammar which, if understood, could provide a key to the understanding of one of the weirdest regimes in the modern world.
One rule of this grammar is that no phenomenon could be described in rational terms. Khomeinism, as an ideology based on esoteric mumbo-jumbo, cannot admit the role of reason in shaping events.
That grammar, in which reality is described by abstract labels, might have worked in a primitive tribal society with little scope for conflicting interests and aspirations. Applying it to a complex society such as Iran's is naïve to say the least.
The newest label put in circulation is that of "deviant tendency."
It first appeared in 2009 when the daily Kayhan, reflecting the views of the "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei, used it to attack un-named "enemies of the Islamic Theocratic Republic." Readers were told that the "deviant tendency" was plotting against "the holy heritage" of the Imam, a title bestowed on the late Ayatollah Khomeini.
At the time, observers believed that the label was meant for the supporters of former Prime Minister Mir-Hussein Mousavi who refused to accept Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad's re-election as president.
Last year, however, the label was used to attack un-named "plotters" who were supposed to be trying to revive Iranian nationalism, along with monarchist traditions, as a rival ideology.
Soon, however, we learned that the "deviant tendency" was present "within the ruling elite, even inside the government."
Early this year, the attacks became more precise. Readers learned that a "dangerous character", identified only by his initial as E.M., was the leader of the "deviant tendency".
That "dangerous character", we were told, pursued a hidden agenda to push the clergy back into the mosques, purge the Persian language of Arabic words, and revive the Persian Empire.
It took the media controlled by the "Supreme Guide" another six months to identify the mysterious E.M as Esfandiar Masha'i, a charismatic figure regarded as Ahmadinejad's spiritual guru.
Officially, Masha'i is Ahmadinejad's Special Advisor and bureau chief. In reality, he seems to be the president's top strategist.
Until this week, the Iranian media were reporting what looked like a power struggle between Khamenei and Masha'i.
Last Monday, Kayhan pulled the curtain further by referring to "Ahmadinejad's deviant tendency."
Although presented as an ideological fight, the conflict may be about mundane matters such as money.
Over the past five years, Ahmadinejad has tried to revive the structures of the state.
Since the revolution, these structures have been either sidelined or dismantled. Their place has been taken by informal structures built around powerful mullahs, sections of the military-security elite, and the so-called "foundations" controlled by the "Supreme Guide". These informal structures have a clientele of millions and act as the regime's base of support.
Ahmadinejad's strategy, presumably worked out by Masha'i, is to circumvent these structures and gradually cut their access to public funds. The goal is to put the clock back to when Iran's oil income was spent by the government rather than informal and thus unaccountable interest groups.
That the fight is over money is now quite openly reflected in the official media.
The media of the "Supreme Guide" cite a series of cases in which the "deviant tendency" is supposed to be trying to seize control.
In one case, the "deviant tendency" won control of the cultural budget, amounting to around $40 million and tried to use it to repair ancient monuments, organise art festivals, and finance film and theatre productions. After a big fight, the "Supreme Guide" managed to win control of almost half of the budget to be distributed among mullahs and spent on "furthering religious purposes."
In another case, the "deviant tendency" shut companies controlled by Mojtaba, a son of the "Supreme Guide", from a $100 million real estate and leisure project on the Kish island. Instead, Iranian-American investors were brought in to help the government realise the project.
In yet another case, the "deviant tendency" created a public-private partnership to gain control of Iran Khodro, the country's largest automobile manufacturer. Not surprisingly, business circles linked to the "Supreme Guide" were furious.
Another case concerns a trans-national railway line from the Gulf of Oman to Central Asia. Again, the entourage of the "Supreme Guide" have failed to receive a share in the $30 billion project, slated to take a decade to complete.
The "deviant tendency" has also rattled nerves, especially among the 200 or so individuals who owe some $50 billion to government banks. Many of these debtors are powerful mullahs whose support is crucial for sustaining Khamenei's claim of leadership.
Some mullahs have lost the gold seams they have been working for years.
One ayatollah who monopolised imports of sugar has seen half of his business transferred a government company. Another ayatollah has seen his quota for imports of wheat disappear as the government buys more wheat, at higher price, from domestic farmers.
Ahmadinejad's most daring coup may be his attempt at gaining control of the oil industry.
He has started by abolishing the Ministry of Petroleum that, over the years, has become an empty shell. Iranian oil industry is controlled by a galaxy of 40 or so companies owned and controlled by powerful holy mans and Islamic Revolutionary Guard commanders. The plan is to revive the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) as a state-owned concern dealing with all aspects of the industry.
The fate of such big projects as the gas pipeline to India, initially won by companies linked to the "Supreme Guide", remains unclear.
At first, Ahmadinejad tried to win the backing of the military against the mullahs. Under an ambitious privatisation programme, he transferred public companies worth $18 billion to the military. More recently, however, the "deviant tendency" has been trying to limit the military's economic power as well. This could lead to an alliance between businessman-mullahs and businessman-generals against the "deviant tendency".
Ahmadinejad may have tried do bite more than he could chew. A fight over money is more serious than an ideological quarrel, especially when we are talking of serious money.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/21/2011 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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#1
ION WAFF > [Global Spin.blogs] THE SAUDI-IRANIAN COLD WAR: IS THIS THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE EAST?
and
* TEHRAN TIMES/TOPIX > [Iran NatSec Council Secretary SAEED JALILI] "ISLAMIC AWAKENING" HAS DRIVEN THE US TO DESPERATION | THE US IS THE MAJOR LOSER IN THE REGIONAL MIDDLE EAST UPRISINGS. Arab Spring.
AKA JASMINE-LED RISE OF [proto] OWG ISLAMIC CALIPHATE = GLOBAL ISLAMIC/ISLAMIST-JIHADIST STATE.
Nukulaar.
* SAME > IRAQI KURDISTAN SEEKS CLOSER CULTURAL TIES WID IRAN.
versus
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [Wikileaks] REPORT: RUSSIA [Valdimir Putin] SABOTAGED IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME. back in 2006???
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.
Mahmoud 
