Category Archives: Middle East

FNS – Egypt – Watching It With You

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Egypt, Middle East, Regions

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Michael, Maggie, Sarah El Deeb, Hamza Hendawi.  “Crowds March in Egypt, Pushing for Morsi Removal.”  AP / ABC News, June 30, 2013.

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The government is reacting in a way very similar to how the despised Mubarak regime did – by censoring the media.

Today, five satellite channels are being threatened by an Egyptian communications commission with closure when they refused to attend a meeting about how they are supposed to cover the protests according to a “code of honor.”

Elder of Ziyon Blog.  “Egypt steps up censorship before today’s anti-Morsi rallies (updates, live video feed), June 30, 2013.

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Tahrir Sq live is back: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tahrir-sq-live

Post Renewed: June 30, 2013 at 9:32 a.m.

I changed my mind.

Sourced from Anderson, Janne Louise, “Egypt’s Musicians: Revolutionaries or Opportunists?”  Al Monitor, June 26, 2013.

I may reinvigorate the single post log with this note.  (So done).

Related Older News

Weekly Retort.  “Egyptian Rebels?  Don’t Hold Your Breath.”  May 27, 2013.

Note: There’s another reference section toward the bottom of this post.

Post Started: June 29, 2013 at 8:20 p.m. / Post Ended: June 30, 2013 at 8:45 a.m.

Now that I can watch events live, follow look-sees and sentiments on Twitter, and chit-chat on Facebook, I’m ready to let go of the logging of the news of the news.

***** (Earlier)

I may add on to this page in reverse chronological order for a while.

Stay tuned.

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Another live Big Media blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2013/06/30/live-egypt-protests/

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Another live streaming location:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tahrir-sq-live

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“The longest day,” headlined government newspaper Al-Gomhuriya above pictures of two rival camps in Cairo. One was of Islamist supporters of President Mohamed Mursi, the other of protesters in Tahrir Square who said they wanted him out by day’s end or they would sit there until he goes, like Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Fayed, Shaimaa and Asma Aisharif.  “Egypt braces for storm of protest.”  Reuters, June 30, 2013.

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6:30a Al-Masry Al-Youm is reporting that an explosion has gone off in an apartment in Bassatine, in old city Cairo, where homemade explosives were being made.

5:58a This El Watan news report (Arabic) says that authorities have recovered 142 grenades and 440 rockets from apartments near Tahrir Square.

Poole, Patrick.  “Live blogging anti-Morsi Tamarod protests in Egypt.”  Pajamas Media, from June 29, 2013.

It’s nice seeing someone else bashing away at this outrageous online news feed.

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The streets are eerily empty in Cairo. It’s the first day of the working week in Egypt, which would usually mean traffic jams aplenty. But today there are barely any cars – perhaps a symptom both of the protests, and the fuel shortage that has seen Egyptians queue for hours for petrol in recent days. Many of those cars still on the road are draped in Egyptian tricolors.

Patrick Kingsley quoted by Peter Walker, “Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi faces mass protests: live updates.”  The Guardian, June 30, 2013.

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RT LIVE “On Air”  “Opposition Rally in Egypt”.  Or is it a loop?

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Mursi’s critics see him as a cunning Brotherhood apparatchik who is seeking to extend sharia (Islamic law) and return to an authoritarian regime rather than put Egypt on the path to democracy and economic progress.

On his frequent visits abroad, Mursi seeks to integrate Egypt with leading emerging nations such as China and Brazil, while maintaining ties with the West and specifically the United States, reassuring them he will uphold a 1979 peace agreement with Israel.

AP.  “Mursi: Egypt’s divisive Islamist president.”  Al Aribya, June 30, 2013.

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Tweeted by Miram Amir: “A legitimate president wouldn’t leave his supporters to rally & threaten his opponents. Nor be silent about them being armed.”

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” . . . just three pieces of bread a day.”  From RT:

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AP.  “Egyptians gather at Tahrir Square at start of massive protests demanding president’s ouster.”  The Washington Post, June 30, 2013.

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In pictures: Egypt protests.  BBC slideshow.

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“The Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, vowed there would be no second revolution in Egypt as thousands planned to gather outside his presidential palace calling for his removal after only a year in power.”

Hearst, David and Patrick Kingsley.  “Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi remains defiant as fears of civil war grow.”  The Guardian, June 30, 2013.

Viewed at 130630-0452EDT

Viewed at 130629-2332 — I’m going to miss a few hours here but credit BBC with having together the morning’s prelude (it’s about 5:30 a.m. in Cairo).

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Reuters.  “Egypt braces for protests.”  Video, June 29, 2013.

Read at 130629-2237

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) — It is the middle of the night of Egypt — time not to sleep, but to hit the streets and rally, whether out of pride or defiance.

Sayah, Reza, Ben Brumfield, and Greg Botelho.  “Egypt on edge as dug-in foes, supporters of president rally nationwide.”  CNN, June 29, 2013.

Read at 130629-2020H-EDT

Turning to the streets in such a way and calling for a rebellion against the legitimately elected government is the antithesis of democracy. The rallies we are witnessing in Egypt these days aim to destroy – not coexist.

Friday’s demonstrations gave the impression that the country is in a state of civil war between citizens who possess the same cultural identity.

Atwan, Abdel Bari.  “The Tragic Sabotage of the Egyptian Revolution.”  Blog by the “Editor in Chief of Alquds Alarabi Newspaper.”  June 29, 2013.

Older Reference

AFP.  “Egypt MPs quit parliament in support of anti-Morsi movement.”  Global Post, June 29, 2013.

BBC.  “Egypt’s challenge: The economy.”  May 7, 2013:

Since the 2011 revolution the Egyptian economy has gone from bad to worse. Unemployment is up, so is the budget deficit, job creation is virtually non-existent and the Egyptian pound has lost much of its value. And matters are made even worse by the general lack of security in the country. As part of her series of reports looking at the challenges facing Egypt today Shaimaa Khalil focuses on the Egyptian economy.

BBC.  Egypt protest: Crowds gather for big anti-Morsi rally.”  June 29, 2013.

BBC.  “Egypt voices: Morsi one year on.”  June 28, 2013.

Hedgpeth, Dana.  “Md. student slain in Egypt was trying to make the world a better place,’ friends say.”  The Washington Post, June 29, 2013:

Active in a Jewish student group at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he would have been junior in the fall, Pochter traveled to Egypt this summer on an internship to teach English to Egyptian 7- and 8-year-olds. He also hoped to improve his Arabic. He planned to spend the spring in Jordan, according to a family statement and a close friend.

Related from JewishNewsOne (posted to YouTube June 29, 2013):

Kingsly, Patrick.  “Egypt’s army to step in if anti-Morsi rallies become violent.”  The Guardian, June 23, 2013.

Middle East Institute.  “Tamarod: The Organization of a Rebellion.”  Posted to YouTube June 26, 2013:

The Telegraph.  “Muslim Brotherhood HQ torched in Egypt clashes.”  June 29, 2013.

FNS – Egypt — Watching It With You

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in BCND - BackChannels News Day, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Egypt, Fast News Share, Islamic Small Wars, Journalism, Middle East, Politics, Regions

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Most newspaper editors refrained from mockery of Morsi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, during his thirty-year reign, but in the new Egypt, things are different. A law against “insulting” the President remains in the penal code, but illustrators unabashedly lampoon Morsi on a daily basis.

Guyer, Jonathan.  “A Year of Drawing Morsi.”  The New Yorker, June 29, 2013.

I’ll be asking what I’m doing “watching it with you”, but, for a while, I’ll be watching for videos and tweets on what would seem to be shaping up as a bloody day in Egypt.

As the world turns, Cairo’s about six hours ahead of New York City, so no “all nighter” seems necessary here, and, part of answering my own question, I’m not scoopin’ nobody!

If I’ve two cents to add, it’s going to have to do with analysis and reflection.

Themes

Petition to remove President Morsi from office: “Egypt group: 22 million signatures against Morsi”

General violence: “American Killed in Egypt Taught English to Children.”

A friend called a couple of hours ago to commiserate over reports of another gang-type rape of a journalist in association with Egypt’s violence, but one would expect that to play at the top of reports, and an attempt to access a referenced video link sent by the same party seemed only to block my web connection in general.

Reduced street-to-world time in reporting: “Egypt protests set for showdown, violence feared.”  The URL is about two hours old — I think CNN and Reuters are going to “own my eyeballs” as other outfits start begging subscriptions when they really haven’t any monopoly on a large story nor, if narrow casting, all that unique a perspective (but that brings up my motivation too, and it nags me that I might fare better working on much narrowed research by contract).

Lessons yet to be learned:

At 0:32, Hamada Moharram says, “He can’t even rule a village.  This isn’t fair.  The Muslim Brotherhood as a whole is an organization full of corruption.”

Somehow, I just don’t want to play The Who’s “Won’t Fooled Again” again in this spot.

It gets old.

Kind of like the web.

Be that as it may, good luck today, Egypt.

The whole world will be watching.

Try not to horrify it too much.

FNS – Egypt – Two Days Ahead of Planned Demonstrations

28 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Egypt, Middle East, Regions

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“As The Washington Post’s Abigail Hauslohner wrote from Cairo, many there are convinced it will spiral into violence. She wrote, “All of Egypt seemed to be bracing for horrors that may come as opposition protesters prepare to call for Morsi’s downfall in mass demonstrations Sunday, the one-year anniversary of his taking office.”  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/06/28/video-appears-to-show-worsening-violence-in-egypt-ahead-of-sundays-protests/

“Washington also warned American nationals against all but essential travel to Egypt, and said non-emergency diplomatic staff could leave the country.”  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23092817

“While the protests in Cairo remained peaceful, deadly clashes erupted in the port city of Alexandria, where protesters set fire to the Brotherhood’s headquarters. Security officials said that one victim was a United States citizen, a man who was stabbed to death near the headquarters.”  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/world/middleeast/egypt-tensions.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

“(Reuters) – Two people, one an American, were killed when protesters stormed an office of Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria on Friday, adding to growing tension ahead of mass rallies aimed at unseating the Islamist president.”  http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/28/us-egypt-protests-idUSBRE95Q0NO20130628

From last month: ““Sometimes when we watch them sleep, we just cry,” said the 40-year-old, who now works mucking out stables.  “We see there is no food and we don’t know what to do.”   http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/05/18001075-there-is-no-food-post-revolutionary-economic-turmoil-dashes-hopes-in-egypt?lite

A more recently published (mid-June) glimpse of Egypt’s economic scenario: “Moreover, the same plan states that 21.4 percent of the 27.3 million strong workforce are temporary workers, and at least 46.5 percent of those employees work in the unofficial sector without contracts. Furthermore, 67 percent has no health insurance. No wonder – rising employment, widespread poverty (with 25 percent living under the poverty line), and poor working conditions were all factors behind the January 2011 revolution that toppled the Mubarak regime.”  http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/06/2013615122844106819.html

Syria At the Moment

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Middle East, Regions, Religion, Syria

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Hezbollah sources told the paper that Nasrallah requested full financial and military backing for the fighting in Syria in a meeting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Solomon, Ariel Ben.  “Report: Nasrallah secretly visited Iran to discuss Syria war.”  Jerusalem Post, June 27, 2013.

The above may be news recently released, but given the pace of the combat in Syria and the spillover into Lebanon, it’s old news predating the battle for al-Qusayr.

However, one may take as signal Russia’s decision implemented today to retrieve its military from the naval base at Tartus.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has withdrawn all military personnel from its naval base in Syria and replaced them with civilian workers, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry did not say when the switch at the base at Tartus took place or how many personnel were deployed there. The minor facility is Russia’s only naval outpost outside the former Soviet Union. It consists of several barracks and depots used to service Russian navy ships in the Mediterranean.

AP.  “Russia replaces military with civilians at Syrian base.”  USA Today, June 27, 2013.

Ah hah!

“We have neither servicemen nor civilians in Syria anymore. Or Russian military instructors assigned to units of the Syrian regular Army, for that matter,” a Russian defense ministry spokesperson is quoted as telling the Moscow business daily Vedomosti yesterday.”

Weir, Fred.  “Why Russia evacuated its naval base in Syria.”  The Christian Science Monitor, June 27, 2013.

Fred Weir points to Cyprus as an alternative achieving similar ends for Russian naval power and regional influence.

Put that together with this Euronews video from January this year (tipped by a CSM article):

While according to RT, “Russia’s Defense Ministry . . . blasted media reports about total evacuation as “extremely incorrect,” it’s difficult accepting the statement while looking at today’s breaking news and January apparent exodus of civilians by jet (RT, “Russian Defense Ministry refutes reports of Syria evacuation,” June 27, 2013).  In fact, RT goes on to actually emphasize aspects of the surface or top story.

Putin’s interests, whether defined financially for the long term or in terms of impact on his reputation in history, which I think more important to him than casually acknowledged, are not with “Islamists” — not in Chechnya with the rebels of the Kavkaz Center variety, not with Iran with Ayatollah Khamenei and his nuclear ambitions that would be used to threaten Russia every bit as much — more — as NATO.

For Putin, the restoration of Russian grandeur and strength, plus strength in national  and heroic self-concept, may involve navigating the balance between “bad boy” bravado and action with, actually (gasp!) even greater laudable strategy.

Whatever Putin does, he will be regarded as the bridge between the conniving, defunct, invasive police state that by the merit of the Russian People themselves had come to define the Soviet Union and this New Russian Federation that’s not about to take orders from Washington but might succeed in doing great right things on its own authority.

Most certainly, modern Russians will not want to be remembered for — or long associated with either — with the ravages of Maher al-Assad’s military, and while “the west” can take no pride in backing the kind of warrior that would cut out the liver out of his enemy and eat it, the Russian position, which appears to be decoupling from Syria, sails clear of the taint of that barbarism, albeit later than sooner with regard to the casualties and refugees of the war to date.

The problem with Syria, at the moment, and one of many problems within the Islamic Ummah, is that along the sectarian axis, neither side knows how to stop and both continue to walk toward a fire built on and sustained by their own unrestrained and unreasoning energies.

Additional Reference

Connolly, Kevin.  “Syria war exerts strain on Lebanon tinderbox.”  BBC, June 27, 2013.

Deutsch, Anthony and Parisa Hafezi.  “U.N. chemical weapons team in Turkey to investigate Syria claims.”  Reuters, June 27, 2013.

Fisk, Robert.  “Iran to send 4,000 troops to aid President Assad forces in Syria.”  The Independent, June 16, 2013.

Nebehay, Stephanie.  “Syria war likely to drag on, Red Cross president says.”  Reuters, June 27, 2013.

ROAvideos.  “Defining the Threat: Iranian Strategy in Syria.”  Video (1:38:23).  June 27, 2013.

A Glimpse of Qatar’s Generational Transition and Portent for The Middle East Conflict

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Anti-Semitism, Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Fast News Share, Islamic Small Wars, Israel, Middle East, Qatar, Regions, Religion

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These days, the term “middle east conflict” would seem to refer to conflict and unrest in every state in the region but Israel.

Nonetheless, while Egypt roils and Syria burns and the King of Jordan fends off the seeding of perhaps a new class of secular Palestinian politico*, Qatar’s new head of state, Sheikh Tamim has this to say of the refugees of numerous Arab-led wars since 1948:

One day when our “Blue Dot” of a planet is a little more gathered together — that as opposed to riven with war — we may find common ground in five language principles:

Compassion

Humility

Integrity

Justice

Security

Of the four, the most difficult term and the one most relevant to autocracies seems to me to be “integrity” — just the power to be honest about ourselves and with others.

This is not as easy as it may sound.  If it were, we would not have the fairy tale that is “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, which is in essence and for the ages a story about lying and power.

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It may be noted that God placed two trees in the Garden of Eden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  When the snake entices Eve to eat of the forbidden tree, only mention is made of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, effectively hiding the other tree through omission.

You know the rest of the story: Eve eats the apple, becomes conscious or comprehending, also self-conscious, and, with Adam joining her, possessed of conscience, out of which reaction, perhaps, come the fig leaves, a courtesy, each to the other, and practical too (God, a few sentences later, provides clothing made of skins — one imagines chamois — lending perhaps dignity and protection to their introduction to life as men and women would experience it forever after).

The “Middle East Conflict” — which is never about conflicts in the middle east but only about the creation of the Jews and Israel (or, lost in the Pharaohnic dawn, the gathering together beneath the unrestrained ego and violence of a tyrant)l — seems to me to be always about two things not at ease with one another: 1) the possession of good conscience in light of the knowledge of good and evil; 2) the testing of God for favor when the relationship needs to be the other way around.

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Where kings are concerned, I suspect there may be more to the story than meets either eyes or ears.

When God, being God, and with Torah received as divine message, hides the second tree — the Tree of Life that we are told is there but when it counts is not mentioned by the snake and, later, will be barred from access (by cherubim and an eternally revolving sword guarding the Garden left behind) — the sin of omission becomes a virtue: to have eaten of the Tree of Life also would have been too much, for God forbids it, and so protects His children.

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To be as gods, lower case that term, with nuclear capabilities, among other extraordinary but still human capacities, one might counsel also a prudent humility.

Carl Sagan’s clip about the “Pale Blue Dot” that is our planet viewed from space, has many renditions on the web — and there’s an entire film available too (somewhere — I’m going to be lazy here) — but this may do for essence.

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Syria – The Dismal Killing Machine

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Middle East, Regions, Syria

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LONDON — An opposition monitoring group that has tracked Syria’s widening civil war said on Wednesday that more than 100,000 people had died in the 27-month-old conflict, with pro-government forces taking far more casualties than rebels seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, while civilians accounted for more than one-third of the overall fatalities, the biggest single category.

Cowell, Alan.  “Syrian Group Says War Deaths Top 100,000.”  The New York Times, June 26, 2013.

Perhaps the old days were better after all: assemble the armies on an open plain, send the warriors into it, and leave the noncombatants of both sides for the spoils of the winner.

Just kidding.

*****

“As always, numbers like these gloss over the many people who have been so grievously wounded, physically or psychologically, that they will never again live productive lives. What the latter figure amounts to in Syria is anyone’s guess. What’s certain is that it’s even larger than the death toll.”

Menon, Rajan.  “Hope for Peace in Syria, But Don’t Expect It.”  Blog.  Huffington Post, June 26, 2013.

Rajan Menon’s report on the suffering goes on to note 1.7 million refugees on top of 4 million Internally Displaced Persons, or 5.7 million displaced souls altogether, about 25 percent of Syria’s total population before the onset of serious hostilities (but I’m not sure I’m getting consistent numbers from any source published within the past two years).

*****

“In one trailer we meet 13-year-old Najwa. She curls back in the corner next to her husband, 19-year-old Khaled, and her mother, hardly saying a word.

Najwa is the youngest of three, her two older sisters in their late teens are also recently married.”

Damon, Arwa.  “No sanctuary for Syria’s female refugees.”  CNN, June 26, 2013.

Evidently, grim statistics don’t tell a whole story, or not much of whatever is to be told at all.

*****

“The head of the International Terrorism Observatory think tank, Roland Jacquard, told Reuters Television the group appeared to be sending fighters abroad, likely to Syria.”

Pennetier, Marine and Alexandria Sage.  “French police arrest cell with possible Syria links.” Reuters, June 25, 2013.

A cousin of a story.

Reuters.  “Spain arrests suspected al-Qaeda Syria network.”  Video.  June 22, 2013.

“Special informed sources from London revealed to the Palestinian al-Manar newspaper that the British security forces arrested early June a group of 11 terrorists in London who had come back from Syria where they were involved in the fighting there.”

Syrian Arab News Agency.  “British authorities arrest terrorists who fought in Syria.”  June 19, 2013.

Wars draw volunteers.  It’s a shame the one in Syria draws teenage ones.  Belgium dealt with this issue back in April of this year:

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Thanks to Ken Hanley at Digital Journal for playing this thematically related clip last week in his op-ed, “Many Foreign fighters involved in Syria on both sides” (Digital Journal, June 19, 2013).

*****

While Israel’s cardinal military defense rule seems to remain, “Do not intervene; do not interfere” (DM Yaalon), Israel’s first virtue would seem to remain compassion to the extent that it may provide that.

“The two boys, 9 and 15 years old, were transferred to Ziv Hospital in Safed for treatment. The 9-year-old suffered moderate injuries from shrapnel wounds across his body and lost his right eye, according to a report by Maariv. The 15-year-old was listed in serious condition, according to the report.”

Times of Israel.  “Minors wounded in Syrian fighting brought to Israel.”  June 26, 2013.

Every wounded Syrian is guarded by either an IDF soldier or by a civilian security guard in an attempt to isolate them from speaking with anyone unauthorized to do so who might photograph them or pass on their information to Syria, potentially harming them or their families upon their eventual return to Syria.

As stated, more than a 100 wounded Syrians have crossed the border in recent months. Some 70 of them have been taken to Israeli hospitals, and two have passed away as a result of their injuries.

Zitun, Yoav.  “More than 100 wounded Syrians receive care in Israel.”  YNet News, June 26, 2013.

After 2,000 years or so, Hillel’s negatively stated dictum seems to hold.  “That which is distasteful to thee, do not do to another” — and certainly, the choice between enabling or denying access to hospital services related well to that.

*****

“The request came in a letter handed to Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Harel Locker at a meeting with Druze leaders on the Golan Heights Thursday. The letter included an unprecedented request for Israel to take in Druze students who had left the Golan and settled in Syria, Maariv reported.”

Gur, Haviv Rettig.  “Druze leaders ask Israel to take in Syrian brethren.”  Times of Israel, June 23, 2013.

What would Hillel do?

Druze along the Golan have served both in the IDF and in Syria’s defense forces according to their decisions about citizenship and location, and with the fighting as I’ve described — “Two mad wasps in a bell jar” — Israeli Druze are seeking sanctuary for their relatives.

God knows God would seem to give Jews the toughest ethical and survival challenges.

Both.

At the same time.

Providing infirmary to wounded to be turned back into the field — and who want to be returned to their land — is one thing.

Affording sanctuary to those endangered by this war that only loosely respects boundaries and seems absent of compassion and conscience both in relation to innocents, noncombatants, neutral parties, and so on makes for a more difficult decision.

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FNS – Nasrallah’s Forces

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

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Even if the conniving Nasrallah, with Iran’s support, holds on as head of his extremist Shiite organization for a long time to come, his principal goal — to become a pan-Arab and Lebanese leader — is now unattainable. The man who for some time was seen as Israel’s main strategic enemy has, with his own hands, buried his accomplishments.

Bergman, Ronen.  “The Fall of Hezbollah’s Leader.”  Bloomberg, June 24, 2013.

“But regional experts say no one in the struggle has had a greater impact in recent weeks than Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The Lebanese group’s appearance in force on the battlefield has prompted a new direction in a war that had ebbed and flowed and until this spring appeared to be slipping away from the Syrian government.”

Detmer, Jamie.  “Hezbollah Has Edge on Syrian Battlefield.”  Voice of America, June 25, 2013.

“For Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, there is “some good news for his involvement in Syria,” observed Yoram Schweitzer, director the Terrorism and Low Intensity Warfare Project at the Institute for National Security in Tel Aviv.

“Hezbollah is gaining battle experience, but this is smaller in significance than the price Nasrallah’s paying, politically and operationally. There’s an erosion of Hezbollah’s fighting forces and its resources.”

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/06/25/Hezbollah-braces-for-big-Syria-battle-but-takes-losses/UPI-44791372183587/#ixzz2XKaVTBuQ

RT, perhaps reverting to old habits, is getting hard to read as it or its contributors (what follows appears to be an op-ed) picks up on an anti-American screed in thick paragraphs.  Nonetheless, as long as the world is reading the about itself in English, it’s outlook is as much a part of the global information environment as, say, Voice of America’s.

“Undoubtedly Hezbollah did discuss its intentions to enter the Syrian conflict with its patrons in Tehran and coordinated with Iran and then, to a lesser extent, with Russia through Iranian officials and through consultations with Aleksandr Zasypkin, Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon, and then Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov during his April 2013 visit to Beirut. The involvement of Hezbollah in Syria, however, is purely defensive. Moreover, Hezbollah is one of the last external players to be involved in Syria.”

Nazemroaya, Mahdi Darius.  “Hezbollah fighting in Syria to defend Lebanon from bloodbath.”  Op-Edge, RT, June 26, 2013.

As mentioned a few times on this blog, Syria is the Black Hole and Dark Star of the Islamic Small Wars: it has been drawing energy and matter, one might say, into itself and burning, and the longer it burns, the more it draws, and that includes some of the energies of two superpowers distinctly not invested in Islamic sectarian concerns except as a part of their distinct security structures.

In the early post-Soviet years, Russia appears to have neglected or sustained (both) arrangements with Syria as they were during the Cold War.  There seems perhaps to have been no basis for complaint on the part of those with power: the Assad regime improved its financial standing, the Russians maintained lucrative contracts, and the military had a decent buffer and the core of a useful naval facility (Tartus).

The “Arab Spring” that seems to be giving way to a Burning Islamic Sectarian Summer has played hard on the secular dictatorships in the region and led the theocratic states into a so-far proxy conflict in which Hezbollah today has been spilling blood while spending itself — its intellectual and logistical energies, manpower, and focus.

On the Sunni side, which may be hemmed in or contained by Russian regional interest and military backbone, the fight is as slow as experienced by the Shiite, but its financial and social impacts may be comparatively less devastating.

The absurd ends — my analogy has been “two mad wasps fighting inside a bell jar” — make this form in conflict akin to an unmanageable natural disaster that casualty and displaced person figures underscore (more than 92,000 dead with about four million persons displaced).

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FNS – Lebanon – Tanks Move in the Streets

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in Conflict - Culture - Language - Psychology, Islamic Small Wars, Lebanon, Middle East, Politics, Regions

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From AFP:

From Al Jazeera:

NOW.  “Live Coverage: Sidon fighting sparks tension.”  June 24, 2013.

Is comment necessary?

As mentioned yesterday, the natural drift of Syria’s bitching sectarian and factional conflict into the Lebanese sphere has both clarified and amplified the same tensions in Lebanon and those may not be quelled in a day or two.  In fact, the resentments and rivalries and perceived stakes have been building for years, and the passions surfacing into a hail of bullets do so distinctly absent of reason.

It’s the programming that fights.

Additional Reference

AFP Videos – English (YouTube)

Al Jazeera.  “Deadly fighting rages in Lebanon.”  June 24, 2013.

El Deeb, Sarah.  “Lebanon Clashes Leave At Least 16 Soldiers Dead at Sidon Mosque.”  Huffington Post, June 24, 2013:

The maverick cleric was little known until few years ago and his growing following was a symptom of the deep frustration among Sunnis who resent the Hezbollah-led Shiite ascendancy to power in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies dominate Lebanon’s government.

Siryoti, Daniel and David Baron.  “”Lebanon on the brink of war as sectarian violence enters second day.”  Israel Hayom, June 24, 2013.