Americas

"The democratic foundations of the “Only Democracy in the Middle East” are shaking. The Supreme Court is under enduring siege by a gang of semi-fascists nestling in our government, the Knesset is becoming a sorry caricature of a parliament, the free TV and printed media are slowly but surely becoming undergoing Gleichschaltung (sorry, no Hebrew or English word available)....Can this situation become worse? In my long life I have learned that no situation is so bad that it cannot get worse. And no leader is so detestable that his successor cannot be even more so."

"The sudden flurry of visits also came after the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, publicly called on all who can to visit Jerusalem as a statement of solidarity. Abbas said what Faisal Husseini said in this regard, namely that visiting a prisoner doesn't equate recognition of his jailers....Jerusalemite Palestinians and the general Palestinian and Jordanian public are curious about the reason behind this sudden interest and wish they could be included in the discussion, rather than learn about them in the media."

"Do you ever think that when they destroyed ACORN it didn't affect you because you weren't a poor person and you weren't a community organizer? Is preventing union organization all right as long as you're not in a union? Is it OK if they lock up Muslims for free speech but legalize political bribery in the name of free speech for corporations, as long as you're not a Muslim and your food comes from a corporation? Is it OK to profile Latinos because your ancestors got here earlier? Are we safe packing the prisons with blacks because you're white? Can whistleblowers be put away for life as long as the President says they were secretly helping evil foreigners who want us dead?"

"...the United States should urge the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon to appoint a epical envoy on Kashmir. More importantly, the United States should insist on the inclusion of genuine representatives of the Kashmiri people at the negotiating table. It is their political destiny and human rights which are at stake, and no solution that fails to command their consent will endure. That same reasoning explains the United States support for Sinn Fein representatives in the Northern Ireland talks, PLO representatives in talks with Israel, East Timor voices in negotiations with Indonesia, KLA leaders in negotiations with Yugoslavia, and Muslim, Croat, and Serb politicians in discussions over Bosnia."

"...less than 90 days into the war against Libya, NATO's top military commander, American Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and U.S. European Command's top commander as well, made an unannounced visit to Malta where he met with Prime Minister Gonzi, the Armed Forces of Malta Brigadier, Martin Xuereb, and Director for Defence Matters, Vanessa Frazier. Their talks focused on Libya. Stavridis also visited the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta base at Haywharf."

"One hopes that as the Tehreek ratchets its campaign, it will work in subtle ways to win the esteem of the rank and file in Pakistan’s army. The knowledge that their own rank and file have their eyes on their backs will restrain the generals who may want to extend their profitable partnership with the United States....The Tehreek should also send out signals – convincing signals – that it has a second arrow in its quiver. It must let Pakistanis know that it is ready to mobilize its ranks for more forceful action if the corrupt political elites will use dirty tricks to extend their corruption binge for another five years."

"What the Norwegian incident illustrates is that the preoccupation of mainstream society to stigmatize Muslims has provided ample opportunity for other marginalized groups to implant their ideas and attract new recruits to their detestable ideologies. One must wonder, how many other home grown right-wing extremists lurk in European cities waiting to pounce against their governments and fellow citizens, whilst politicians struggle to replace multiculturalism with other fad ideas like assimilation, and integrations that will no doubt lead to the same result."

"The leadership is in a bind for sure, but the question is whether holding on to the nearly invisible string left from the peace process is the right way to go. After Netanyahu comes back with his expected response to Abbas’ letter, perhaps it may be time to throw caution to the wind. Forget about letters and negotiating over land after it has already been stolen; the leadership – the PA, the PLO and Hamas to boot – should tap into the strength and potentials of a people just waiting for its leadership to push ‘go’. Who knows? It may just pay off after all."