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The Economist: Middle East and Africa
South Africa: A Terror threat to the ruling party
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
A new opposition party at last?THE possibility of a split in the African National Congress (ANC) seemed to grow this week when Mosiuoa Lekota, a former party chairman, called for people fed up with the antics of the ruling party’s new leaders to meet in the next few weeks to chart a new way forward. Mr Lekota, also known as “Terror” (for his once-dazzling skills on a football field), was the minister of defence until resigning last month, along with the country’s then president, Thabo Mbeki. Though Mr Lekota stopped short of calling for a new party, that is the likely outcome. Mr Lekota, an ally of Mr Mbeki, had earlier written an open letter to the ANC’s new secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, who also happens to be the Communist Party’s chairman. In it he complained that those who did not share the majority view backing the ANC’s new leader, Jacob Zuma, who is likely to become the country’s national president next year, were being “hounded out and purged” from party and government. Mr Lekota also said that corruption charges against Mr Zuma should not be dropped for political reasons, and deplored recent verbal attacks on the courts by leaders of the ANC’s pro-Zuma wing. The ANC, he said, was deviating from its original principles. Staying in it would mean endorsing practices “dangerous to democracy”. ...
Saudi Arabia: Can it make peace in the wider region?
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Saudi Arabia has had mixed success in its diplomacy, but it has raised its profile and should keep on tryingBY TRADITION, Muslim leaders seal pacts by bowing together in prayer, side by side. And what better place to do this than in Mecca, the city Muslims face for their devotions, and where pilgrims of every sect and faction mingle peaceably by the million? So it is natural that Saudi Arabia’s rulers, who not only control the holy city but also happen to be colossally rich, should adopt the role of peacemakers.In recent years, as an ailing Egyptian government has faded from its former role as the Arab world’s chief broker, the Saudis have tried interceding in regional troubles ranging from Lebanon to Israel-Palestine, Somalia and Iraq. Yet for all the pious ritual and lavish banqueting enjoyed by their guests, and for all the moral authority carried by King Abdullah, who styles himself the Servant of the Holy Places, the Saudis have an uneven record of success. ...
Kenya and Sudan: The mystery tanks
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Who are the real owners of the tanks nabbed by Somali pirates?THE publication of the manifest of a Ukrainian ship recently captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is embarrassing Kenya’s government. It apparently shows that MV Faina’s cargo of 33 T-72 Soviet-era tanks and other weapons was consigned to Kenya’s defence ministry on behalf of the government of south Sudan. Much will turn on the real meaning of the acronym GOSS, evident as the buyer on the manifest. Most people take this to mean the Government of South Sudan, meaning that the tanks were destined for that region. The Kenyans say it means the Kenyan army’s own General Ordinance Supplies and Security, proving that the tanks were going to Kenya. But that does not necessarily mean they were not going on to south Sudan. Kenya has no history of using Soviet equipment. A Russian source said that the only Russian arms Kenya has bought in recent years have been Kalashnikov rifles for game rangers. ...
Dubai: Not-so-hot property
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Is Dubai being hit by the turmoil?YOU may have thought that if anywhere would be insulated from the financial chaos, it would be Dubai, the ritzy commercial capital of the oil-rich Gulf. Not so. Events across the world are causing pain there too, even though much of the emirate’s cash has not made its way to the banks; it is held by ruling families and in their sovereign wealth funds. Dubai’s oil revenues are small. Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the energetic ruler of the second largest emirate of the seven that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has chosen to diversify, especially into real estate, as his way forward. Investors in Dubai property have done well in recent years, enjoying returns of roughly 80% since early last year. ...
Israel: Tell me the Talmud
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
How the Jewish book is reaching a wider audienceTHE Talmud is the bedrock of traditional Judaism: a repository of law and lore, chaotically interwoven with biblical explanation and legend. Compiled in fifth-century Babylon (today’s Iraq), it has since enticed, intrigued and exhausted generations of Jews.For Orthodox Jews, lifelong study of the Talmud is the supreme religious precept. But for many earnest students through the ages, it has been a frustrating grind. Written in Aramaic (often described as the language of Jesus), it does not easily surrender its textual meaning or inner reasoning. In the 11th century, a French rabbi named Shlomo Yitzhaki, often known by the acronym Rashi, wrote a ground-breaking commentary to make the original text more accessible. But even he is often terse and replete with abbreviations and unelaborated allusions, as are the thousands of commentaries and books of scholarly correspondence that accrued over the ages. ...
Syria and Lebanon: Jihadist blowback?
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:11:45 -0000
No one is sure who planted the latest bombs but speculation aboundsBLOWBACK is what happens when a policy rebounds against its perpetrator. A much-cited example is Afghanistan, where America backed mujahideen insurgents fighting the Soviet Union, only to find them later training their sights on New York. Something similar may be happening in Syria and Lebanon, where recent bombings look likely to be the work of jihadist groups that have turned against their former patrons. Yet the irony in this case is double, because shadowy manipulators in Lebanon and Syria each hoped to turn the jihadists against the other, and because more lately both countries’ leaders have been trying to make friends. As with much that happens in Syria, the details surrounding a car-bombing in Damascus, the capital, on September 27th are obscure. What is known is that a vehicle blew up in the early morning a few hundred metres from two buildings said to belong to Syrian intelligence. The blast killed 17 people, nearly all civilians. It was the most murderous attack in the tightly policed Baathist state since an uprising by Muslim Brothers was crushed in the 1980s. ...
L.A. Times - Middle East
Syria leader decrees formal ties with Lebanon
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Assad's order could pave the way for normalizing the two Mideast neighbors' long-tangled relations. The president of Syria ordered his government Tuesday to establish formal diplomatic relations with Lebanon, a move that could pave the way for normalizing decades of tangled ties between the two countries.
Shiite cults seek to wreak havoc in Iraq
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
A few fringe groups seek to sow chaos, convinced it will hasten the arrival of the Mahdi, the Shiites' 12th imam who they believe will bring peace. Falling into a depression after her husband was killed last year, Iman immersed herself in religious studies and became fixated on a Shiite Muslim saint.
World Briefing
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Southeast Asia: Thailand, Cambodia trade threats / El Salvador: U.S. pledges funds for gang control / South Korea: Mata Hari of the North is sentenced / Britain: One less test for schoolchildren Thailand, Cambodia trade threats
Pakistanis worry they're at risk in global crisis
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
There is concern the worldwide financial storm could badly shake a country already under stress from insurgency and a poor economic showing. Take a restive, nuclear-armed nation with an untested new government, an escalating Islamic insurgency, long-standing tensions with its neighbors and an economy in free fall for months.
Operation Baghdad Pups works to reunite soldier with puppy left behind in Iraq
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:45:00 -0700
More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Army to let an Iraqi puppy come home with a Minnesota soldier, who fears that "Ratchet" could be killed if left behind.
Mideast anti-Americanism doesn't apply to Harley-Davidsons
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The motorcycles have become increasingly popular in the Middle East, and more than 100 fanatics from the Arab world recently converged in Lebanon for a rally. He'd had a rotten day at the office -- the boss had barked at him, ordering him to get some mammoth project done within an impossible deadline. So he got aboard his pearl-white Harley-Davidson Street Glide, turned the ignition, gripped the throttle and revved the engine.
NPR Topics: Middle East
In Iraq, Those Displaced By Violence Return Home
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:28:00 -0400
After the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of families displaced by sectarian fighting began returning to the divided neighborhood of Ghazaliyah. To help the process, the U.S. military has been visiting the returnees.
Report: Taliban Gaining Strength In Afghanistan
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:07:00 -0400
A draft report from U.S. intelligence agencies says Afghanistan faces a "downward spiral" as Taliban fighters threaten stability in the region. They're conducting more sophisticated attacks, increasingly encroaching on government and working more closely with al-Qaida, it says.
NATO's Reach And Strength Put To The Test
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0400
Embroiled in an escalating Afghanistan conflict and startled by disintegrating relations with Russia, NATO is facing troubling times. NATO's Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer discusses the evolving nature of the military alliance.
Ahmadinejad: 'Who Exactly Is The Provocateur?'
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:41:00 -0400
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is visiting the United States and the United Nations — where he is expected to confront the U.S. over its policies. But in an interview with NPR, Ahmadinejad disputed that view — up to a point.
Al-Qaida, Pakistani Taliban Suspected In Bombing
Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:32:00 -0400
A huge truck bomb destroyed the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistan capital, Islamabad, killing more than 50 people in a terrorist attack that has shaken the country's new administration. Among the dead are at least one American, a German and the Czech ambassador to Pakistan, reports NPR's Phillip Reeves, who says investigators suspect al-Qaida and the Pakistani Taliban in the blast.
Canadian Citizen Imprisoned By U.S. Speaks Out
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:38:00 -0400
Maher Arar, a telecommunications engineer with dual Canadian and Syrian citizenship, was detained during a stop-over in JFK Airport in 2002 and deported to a Syrian prison, where he was locked up and beaten for almost a year.
UN News Centre - Middle East
UNESCO conference to examine state of education in Iraq
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Over 150 international experts will examine the current state of Iraq's education system, with a spotlight on the right to attend school, at an upcoming United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conference in Paris.
UN appeals for resettlement of Palestinians stranded on Iraq-Syria border
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations refugee agency is appealing for the resettlement of Palestinian refugees stranded in desperate conditions for the past two years in makeshift camps on the border between Iraq and Syria.
UN envoy for Middle East peace process holds talks in Jordan
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) has held talks with top officials in Jordan on the latest developments in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, especially the ongoing efforts to negotiate a two-State solution.
Iraq: UN envoy strongly condemns killings of civilians and violence in Mosul
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The top United Nations envoy in the country today deplored the recent killing of civilians in Iraq and the spike in violence targeting Christian communities in the past few days, warning that "these acts are aimed to fuel tensions and exacerbate instability at a critical time."
New UN representative for Lebanon takes up post in Beirut
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The newly appointed United Nations representative for Lebanon arrived today in Beirut charged with implementing Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the armed group Hizbollah, as well as coordinating all UN work in the country.
About 100 feared dead in latest Gulf of Aden smuggling tragedy - UN
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Around 100 people are believed to have died off the coast of Yemen after being forced overboard by smugglers in the Gulf of Aden, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.
NYT > Middle East
Qahtaniya Journal: Followers of Ancient Faith Caught in Iraq’s Fault Lines
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:35:16 -0000
Yazidis, adherents of an ancient religion with roots in Zoroastrianism, were targets of bombings from Sunni extremists, who consider them devil worshipers.
Public Stage for Iran’s Ex-President Fuels Talk of Political Return
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:34:33 -0000
Mohammad Khatami, a political moderate, has hinted that he may run for president in elections next year.
Israel’s Leading Parties Sign a Draft Agreement to Form a New Government
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:36:37 -0000
The most significant part of the draft accord between Kadima and Labor grants Defense Minister Ehud Barak official status as the cabinet’s second in command.
Generation Faithful: Youthful Voice Stirs Challenge to Secular Turks
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:25:02 -0000
For some young people in a secular Turkey, freedom means the right to practice Islam, and self-expression means covering their hair.
Bombs Hit Mosul, as Christians Are Offered Protection
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:18:27 -0000
Two suicide bombers struck Mosul on Sunday, killing at least five Iraqis and wounding dozens more, as Iraq’s leaders rallied behind the city’s Christian minority.
Israeli City Divided by Sectarian Violence
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:26:27 -0000
Jewish and Arab residents of Acre traded allegations of blame on Sunday after it had been rocked by four nights of rioting and sectarian violence.
