Germany Takes Stand As Egypt Slips Into Dictatorship (Obama Helpfully Sends Morsi F-16's)

Egypt's new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone for regional stability and peace.
Hillary Clinton, November 21, 2012, quoted in Haaretz, As Egyptians protest Morsi's new powers, U.S. expresses concern

Hillary Clinton, like the Obama administration as a whole, has been whitewashing the the Muslim Brotherhood-backed leadership of Mohammed Morsi from the get go. In fact, while the White House has expressed concern about the violence that has broken out in Egypt, it has not expressed a strong concern about the threat to Democracy in Egypt, let alone done anything about it.

In contrast, it is being reported that Germany delays Egypt debt relief amid dictatorship fears

One Year After Obama Administration Pulls US Troops Out Of Iraq

The following by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is reposted here with permission:

Iraq: One Year After Withdrawal

by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
The American Spectator, Middle East Forum
December 18, 2012

One year after the completion of the pullout of American troops from Iraq, what are the main issues affecting the country today?

Russian Arms Scandal and Corruption: On October 9, Iraq announced the signing of a $4.2 billion arms contract with Russia. Commentators took this deal to be a sign of waning U.S. influence in Iraq since the deal — had it gone through — would have drastically reduced Iraqi dependence on American arms supplies.

Thus, when it was announced on November 10 that the deal was scrapped over concerns of corruption, these same commentators (e.g. Michael Weiss) surmised that the cancellation must have somehow been due to U.S. pressure.

This sentiment was fueled by the BBC's quoting of a Russian analyst — Igor Korotchenko — at the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade. For he speculated: "As far as talk about corruption is concerned, I think it's a smokescreen. I believe this is just a pretext and the true reason is Washington applying pressure on Baghdad."

Moreover, the assumption made by commentators of U.S. influence at work here reflects the excessive tendency to view affairs in Iraq through the eyes of a "Great Game" between foreign powers (cf. the question of Iranian influence in Iraq).

What Is The One Argument In Egypt That Guarantees The Islamists Success?

The following by Raymond Ibrahim is reposted here with permission:

"Whoever Fights Us, Fights Islam"

by Raymond Ibrahim
Gatestone Institute, Middle East Forum
December 14, 2012

In the ongoing conflict between those Egyptians who strongly oppose a Sharia-based constitution—moderates, secularists, non-Muslim minorities—and those who are strongly pushing for it, Islamists are currently evoking the one argument that has always, from the very beginnings of Islam, empowered Islamists over moderates in the Muslim world.

Despite Poor Record, Senator Kerry Likely To Become Secretary of State

Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region
Senator John Kerry, April 2010

Image from National Review's The Kerry Spot

According to an article in FrontPageMag.com, John Kerry's record in the Senate belies the alleged expertise he would bring as Secretary of State:

Kerry gets a pass for his own lack of judgment regarding a host of issues, from his enduring support for Syrian butcher Bashar Assad and his belief that climate change is a “national security” issue, to his unthinkable testimony before the U.S. Congress maligning America and Vietnam vets while running interference for the Viet Cong? Kerry, it seems, cannot kick the habit of sidling up to the great killing machines of our time.

Among the issues mentioned:

Press Release - HonestReporting

For Immediate Release

Dec. 17, 2012

Contact: Simon Plosker, simon@honestreporting.com

or call +972 54 5802030

Gideon Levy of Haaretz Wins HonestReporting's Dishonest Reporter of the Year

HonestReporting has named Gideon Levy of Haaretz as the 2012 Dishonest Reporter of the Year for misrepresenting an Israeli opinion poll to conclude that the Israeli public supports apartheid.

See all of the Dishonest Reporting Awards.

Levy's victory marks the first time the winner has been a member of the Israeli press rather than part of the international media covering Israel. However, Levy's dishonest reporting reached well beyond Israel's borders, making headlines across the world.  

Arlene Kushner on Latest Threats Against Israel From Syria, Jordan and "Palestinians"

From Arlene Kushner:
December 17, 2012

More Harsh Realities

Can't cover it all; that would be an impossibility. But it's essential to report sufficiently so that my readers understand what's going on here, and have the facts to speak on Israel's behalf.

The Shin Bet, working with the police, have uncovered a Hamas cell in northern Jerusalem -- in the Arab neighborhoods of Shuafat and Ras Hamis.  They have been indicted in a Jerusalem court, charged with arson and aggravated assault that includes attacks with firebombs.

~~~~~~~~~~

A different (and perhaps realistic) take on the situation in Syria:

Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa has given an interview to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, in which he says that:

“...with every passing day, the military and political solutions get further away.

Daniel Pipes: Four Reasons Israel Will Survive

The following by Daniel Pipes is reposted here with permission:

Israel at Peace

by Daniel Pipes
The Dorchester Review
Spring/Summer 2012

http://www.danielpipes.org/12145/israel-at-peace

As an aside, threatening the very existence of a country is a distinctive feature of modern Middle East politics rarely found elsewhere in the world: other examples include Kuwait (which actually disappeared into the Iraqi maw for half a year in 1990-91), Bahrain (under intermittent threat from Iranian imperialists), Jordan (seen as an illegitimate British imperial creation), Lebanon (eyed covetously by Syrians), and Cyprus (invaded by Turkish forces in 1974 and newly under threat again).Those concerned with the security and welfare of the Jewish state keep asking questions like "Is Israel Doomed?" and Will Israel Survive? (also in French, Israël peut-il survivre?). One even titled a book The Late Great State of Israel. This gloom results from the unique barrage of threats facing the Jewish state. These include weapons of mass destruction, conventional armies, and terrorism; economic boycott, demographic challenge, and political delegitimization. No country at present – and perhaps in all history – faces such an array of dangers, from mass violence (Iranian nuclear bombs) to intellectual sabotage (professorial of English).

Israel Will Survive

Back to Israel: I am optimistic it will survive. Several reasons lead me to this conclusion.

The Middle East Media Sampler 12/17/2012: Thomas Friedman In Denial Over Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

From DG:

1) That river in Egypt

There's an incredible paragraph in Thomas Friedman's Egypt - The next India or the next Pakistan?:

Yes, democracy matters. But the ruling Muslim Brotherhood needs to understand that democracy is so much more than just winning an election. It is nurturing a culture of inclusion, and of peaceful dialogue, where respect for leaders is earned by surprising opponents with compromises rather than dictates. The Noble Prize-winning Indian economist Amartya Sen has long argued that it was India’s civilizational history of dialogue and argumentation that disposed it well to the formal institutions of democracy. More than anything, Egypt now needs to develop that kind of culture of dialogue, of peaceful and respectful arguing — it was totally suppressed under Mubarak — rather than rock-throwing, boycotting, conspiracy-mongering and waiting for America to denounce one side or the other, which has characterized too much of the postrevolutionary political scene. Elections without that culture are like a computer without software. It just doesn’t work.

The "Muslim Brotherhood needs to understand?"

CAIR Supports Terrorist Group Hamas -- and Chuck Hagel For Secretary of Defense

The following by Marc J. Fink is reposted here with permission:

Hagel The Horrible
Hamas-Supporting, Islamist Group CAIR Praises and Endorses Obama Defense Candidate Chuck Hagel

by Marc J. Fink  •  Dec 16, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Islamist Watch

Leading Obama Secretary of Defense candidate Chuck Hagel (center), advocating for
closer U.S.-Saudi Arabia ties at a 2009 New America Foundation conference on
 U.S.-Saudi ties. The New America Foundation is known as a  far-left, anti-Israel
organization funded by George Soros.

It's not in America's national security interest to have a Defense Secretary who regularly receives praise from an organization named an unindicted co-conspirator to fund the terrorist group Hamas in America's largestterrorism financing case; an organization officially banned from cooperation with the FBI and cited as an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.

Using Israel's Arguments, United Nations Court Acquits In Yugoslav War Trials

Back in November, The New York Times reported Hague Court Overturns Convictions of 2 Croatian Generals Over a 1995 Offensive:

A United Nations appeals court in The Hague on Friday unexpectedly overturned the war crimes convictions of two Croatian generals who led a 1995 campaign that helped end the wars involving Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia but also left several hundred Serbian civilians dead and drove more than 150,000 from their homes.

Then, 2 weeks later The New York Times reported War Crimes Court Frees Former Leader of Kosovo:

A United Nations war crimes tribunal on Thursday acquitted the former prime minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, for the second time of charges of torturing and killing Serb civilians while he was a commander of the NATO-backed Kosovo Liberation Army during its fight for independence in 1999.

Arlene Kushner on Obama's Support Of Muslim Brotherhood Islamists In Syria

From Arlene Kushner:
December 15, 2012

Harsh Realities

Motzei Shabbat (After Shabbat)

Among the harshest of realities is the cold blooded murder of young children.  And so I begin tonight by offering my heartfelt condolences to America, and most especially the Americans of Newtown CT affected by the school massacre there yesterday.  There are no adequate words for such happenings.

~~~~~~~~~~

In truth, as I look about me, I see a whole array of harsh realities.  There is no choice but to address them.

In my last posting, I alluded to President Obama's announcement that he would be recognizing the Syrian Opposition Coalition, because it was

"now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population, that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime."

At that point I commented that: the coalition Obama will recognize may be "inclusive," but that means it includes radical rebel forces, who will do all in their power to fight their way into positions of control.

But now I have to offer a correction, for my assessment, while on the right track, was a bit of an understatement.  Radical forces are not simply "included" in the coalition. And they will not have to "fight their way to control."