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Middle East Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 03, 2011 7 Comments

I have posted about Juan Cole before, including this sadly humorous assertion that protesters chanting "death to America" really just wanted visas to visit Disneyland:Even the ones who are chanting "Death to America," if you get them to the side, they say well you know "could you...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 02, 2011 13 Comments

As much as I would have liked to weigh in on a bunch of issues during the day, I've been fighting the snow and the snow hit (my) back.Now that I can sit up straight, here are some thoughts, as usual in no particular order:Egypt...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 31, 2011 2 Comments

Not really.  Here's Jon Podhoretz's take on the recent troubles in Egypt, It's never been about Palestine:The anti-Mubarak revolution won't only topple an authoritarian regime. It will also topple 40-plus years of wrong-headed thinking about the causes of Middle East instability among the world's foreign-policy...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 30, 2011 19 Comments

Mohamed ElBaradei is one of those figures who, because he is fairly westernized, easily manipulates western media and left-of-center bloggers and pundits into thinking he wants a western-style democracy in Egypt.It is not surprising that despite his obvious opportunism, ElBaradei has become something of a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 30, 2011 18 Comments

Obama does bear responsibility for the high, and now likely perpetual, unemployment rates, the skyrocketing budget deficits, and the rapid rise in our national debt in the past two years.  Domestically, the obsession with passing Obamacare and expanding government had a direct cause and effect...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 30, 2011 10 Comments

The upheaval in Egypt demonstrates the folly of those who claim to support Israel yet who seek to compel Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders without adjustment.The pre-1967 borders are what amounts to the completely arbitrary armistice lines drawn at the end of fighting when...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 29, 2011 14 Comments

As of this writing, it remains unclear whether Mubarek will hold onto power in Egypt.  As I pointed out before, the implications for peace in the region are enormous, as an undermining of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel could spark regional war.There is understandable caution...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 28, 2011 6 Comments

This photo of the Class of 1978 at Cairo University is worth thousands of words:Particularly when you compare it to more recent photos, as Phyllis Chesler does.(h/t @Iowahawk)--------------------------------------------Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTubeVisit the Legal Insurrection Shop on CafePress!...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 27, 2011 8 Comments

The situation in Egypt does not look dire at this moment, but it does look very serious.  Given the speed with which events can move, the situation could change dramatically for the worse in hours or days.Pursuant to the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 25, 2011 3 Comments

In an event which should surprise no one, Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy in Lebanon, has taken control of the government in anticipation of indictments of senior Hezbollah officials in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri:Saad Hariri, whose government was toppled after Hezbollah...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 08, 2011 3 Comments

What will the Mossad think of next?A few years ago the Egyptian press was full of reports about an alleged Mossad plot to distribute chewing gum that would cause young women to become sexually promiscuous. Though it heavily censors its press, the government did nothing...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 03, 2010 17 Comments

I would not want to be Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr right now.As reported by The L.A. Times, a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut revealed by WikiLeaks alleges that Murr assisted the U.S. and Israel in the targeting of Hezbollah:Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 26, 2010 8 Comments

The New York Times ran a trolling article yesterday titled G.O.P. and Tea Party Gains Are Mixed Blessing for Israel:When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel came to the United States recently for another round of tense talks with the Obama administration, he got a decidedly...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 22, 2010 1 Comment

The Washington Post reports on the U.N. investigation into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Harriri, which appears headed towards a year-end indictment of several Hezbollah senior members.The article, based on documents obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, notes how cell phone records...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 06, 2010 18 Comments

And once again, not here.  In Pakistan:At least 65 people were killed Friday afternoon in a suicide bombing at a mosque in northwestern Pakistan filled with worshipers, the latest major terrorist strike on houses of worship in the country.Pakistani television reported that militants also...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 23, 2010 12 Comments

There are many take-aways from the Wikileaks documents dump.  The left is focused on the failure of the U.S. to stop Iraqi-on-Iraqi brutality and torture.  But there is a theme in the documents which has enormous implications not so much for the past, but for...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 15, 2010 31 Comments

Mahmood Ahmadinejad completed his trip to Lebanon.  While almost everyone had anticipated he would be more provocative than usual, Ahmadinejad was merely as provocative as usual.  Ahmadinejad attended a rally about three miles from the Israeli border, but did not approach the border fence as...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on October 12, 2010 4 Comments

The organizers of the failed Gaza flotilla last June are at it again, planning a flotilla to Gaza next January.  At least this time they are honest that it has nothing to do with humanitarian efforts.As reported by The Associated Press:Pro-Palestinian groups plan to sail a flotilla of...

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