Dizengoff Street By Jamil Shawwa

I recall as if it is just yesterday when my family and I used to go to Tel-Aviv at least twice a month. Visiting and going through Dizengoff has been necessary. What a street, we felt that the whole world was in Dizengoff. The cafes, people from all over the world, restaurants, bakeries, and the most fashionable department stores. I remember maybe the best cafe I ever visited, Ruval, where the most delicious food and pastries used to be served. The smell of Ruval has never left me and it has been a standard I measure with any food place I visit any where in the world. I cannot stop talking about food and let us not forget in the midst of talking about the classy Dizengoff; the Falafel stands in that street. We have honorable friends in Israel that my family and I cherish and will always be honored to call them family. The road to Tel-Aviv was nice, a checkpoint or two but it was ok, security measures were understandable. I might be a dreamer, but I think the day will come when the two people destined to live side by side will have open roads and hearts and will enjoy a civilized neighboring relations.

Intruders, Fence Jumpers and Just Up To No Good Trespassers, By Jamil Shawwa

The couple that crashed the state dinner that was hosted by the Obamas to the Indian Prime Minister should be prosecuted as trespassers. They were not clever, but intruders. To me they are the same as those that tries and tried in the past to climb the fences of the White house. The difference between this couple and the other fence climbers is that this couple climbed to the invitation-wearing tuxedo and soirée dress and not in some sort of suspicious outfits. The Secret Service confirmed that this wise couple was not on the guest list. This is a serious offence and this matter should be taken very seriously, and the law should be applied. The second part of what could have been a tragic incident is the immediate need for a serious review of the Secret Service Personnel and procedures in our country. The guilty party or parties should be fired at once and the prestige of the presidency and security should be restored.

Egypt And The Loss Of a Dream, by Jamil Shawwa

Egypt, in its hopeless quest to reach the Mondial- Football-Soccer- World Cup in South Africa in 2010, lost the battle to Algeria in Sudan on 11/18/2009 1-0. The battle between the two teams turned ugly in the days preceding the final game in Sudan. The latest news coming out of Egypt, Algeria and Sudan that the these three Arab countries are recalling ambassadors and protesting various actions by the fans ranging from burning flags, attacking Egyptians businesses in the capitol of Algeria and attacks on Egyptians in Sudan to the claim that egyptions attacked the alegerian soccer team bus in Cairo. The news are not unique to the Middle East, Europe has a long history of fans from different countries doing destructions in countries when their favorite teams lose. The unique for Egypt in particular is that the dream to go to the world cup has been attached to Egypt's image and prestige notwithstanding its dignity. The people and the media were looking for something to uplift Egypt's deteriorating morals and its people loss of direction. The news coming out of Egypt for the past few years has been the battle to succeed the aging president Mubarak and the possible transition of power to his son Jamal. Jamal and Mubarak's other elder son Alaa went to Sudan to support the national team and they went back with the loss looming over their head. Egypt's loss will in my opinion have political consequences; it will awaken the country towards the need to bring the focus back. I watched the whole game in one of the Middle Eastern restaurants in the area here and saw with no doubt the inability of the Egyptian team to score and win not because they lack the expertise but because they lack the confidence. This has been the story of Egypt for a long time, the lack of confidence, not believing that it can win. Egypt is the largest Arab country with the most forward thinking; the best example is its peace with Israel long before the completely Arab world decided that it is the only way to resolve the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Since 1952, the year that the Egyptian Army toppled the rotten Monarchy and replaced it with a mixture of a military and socialist regime that Egypt lost its prestige. Egypt has the resources and the talent to be a leading country in the Middle East and to be an emerging developing country in the world such as China, and India but Egypt lacks one thing; the belief that it can make it, that it can win. The football, soccer match, showed Egypt's inability to score. The Egyptians work hard, but they cannot finish. Egypt needs a new leadership and it needs to lead the region in the quest for democracy as it did with the peace process.

If Not Obama, Who, and If Not Now, When. By Jamil Shawwa

I was not as surprised by President Obama's winning the 2009 Noble Peace prize as I was surprised by the multiple voices that rejected this victory here in our country the US. The opposition questioned the reason, as the president has not been in office for more than few months. They were wrong, the measure was not by how long he has been in office but how he came to office, what his arrival represents and what he did to world peace and civilization since he came to office. I claim to have the answer for the oppositions’ dilemma and the answer is that Obama came to power as the first American from African decent, that a majority of American people of all ethnic backgrounds from all over the world voted him to power, that the first thing he did when he became president was to open the eyes and the hearts of the world to the importance of showing America's tolerance and acceptance to Islam as one of the three divine religions and that Islam is not a religion of war but a religion of peace and tolerance, and that there is a place in America for Islam. Obama's speech at Cairo University in my opinion cemented his nomination to the Noble prize.

The Undistinguished Gentleman By Jamil Shawwa

During President Obama speech before the joint session of congress regarding the historic health care reform, a voice interrupted the class and the civility of the session by shouting you lie at the president. Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Representative who sent that shout could not be spontaneous as he declared later, the tone, the face and the anger, left me with no doubt that this man is a part of a very small group in this country that do not like Obama for the person and not for the what he stands. We have disagreed with presidents and we will continue to disagree and bravely voice our disagreements but what separate this great country from other nations is that we like to be civil when we disagree. Other presidents in the past were also hated for who they are and not for what they stand; John Kennedy, Catholic, Bill Clinton, defeated the republican revolution led by Ronald Reagan and in his case, he was also hated later because of his love scandals, but still these and other presidents were never interrupted while talking before the joint session of congress. To me this is a big No No; I like my country- America- for its civility and class. I am amazed at those in S. Cralonia that greeted Wilson as the Liberator; Wilson was rude and crude and this is how he should be looked at and remmebered.

Farouk Hosni and The UNISCO Battle

Farouk Hosni- the Egyptian minister of culture who lost the title of UNICCO chief to the Bulgarian candidate- went on the attack after his loss. He spoke of a cultural war between the south and the north and between the Arabs and Israel. He moreover went on a spree according to news agency- by stating that he will declare a cultural war against Israel who he blames for the loss of the position. This tone and attitude leave me with no doubts that Hosni does not deserve the position and that his loss is logical. Hosni - again, according to agencies- has said in the past that he would burn books from Israel if he found them in Cairo. Cultured and civilized people do not say that even if they were Politicians just saying rhetoric. My position against Farouk Hosni would have been the same if he said that he would burn Egyptians books; the issue is not which country, language or culture, the issue is the principle. Farouk Hosni also represents to say the least an autocratic regime, he has never been elected to any position and he has been a minister of culture in Egypt for the past twenty years. Before that, he ran the Egyptian Art Academy in Rome, Italy. Bulgaria on the other hand is an emerging democracy, its representative to the UNICCO position never insulted other cultures and never declared conspiracy theories against anyone; the choice was clear, Bulgaria wins. The Arabs are at a cross road, they must stop using Israel as a scapegoat for their own failures; Israel is not to blame. The Arabs must start treating Israel with civility and distinguish between political disputes and cultural cooperation and integration. If they- the Arabs- cannot separate until there is a solution for the Palestinian question- then the least they can do is not to use words like Burn when talking about Israel or its culture and books.

The Flogging In Sudan, by Jamil Shawwa

The news coming out of Sudan is usually not pleasant and gets worse as time goes by. The latest episode was the flogging of a Sudanese Female Journalist for what Sudan described as a dress that contradicts the Islamic dress requirements, what a shame. Sudan government's use of this great religion as other groups and terrorists to torture their people is intolerable. Islam- bear in mind I am not a scholar- has nothing to do with the implementation of certain punishments that might exist in its punishment codes for some crimes. The Sudanese government with all it's internal problems; with it's southern people and northern rebels, does not have any legitimacy among it's people except in using Islam in the worst Hippocratic way to provide some legitimacy. The Sudanese are not dumb and they are not naive but for some unexplainable reason- to me at least- are still go along with the criminally wanted president El Bashir who promoted himself to Field Marshal El Bashir; what a shame, again. Sudan has established political families and in general its people are among the most educated in the Arab world but for the past Twenty years, since El Bashir came to power through a military coup against the democratic elected government of El-Sadiq El-Mahdi, the son of one of Sudan most prominent political and religious families, and Sudan economy, morals and status among developing nations has reach Rock bottom. Sudan once described as the basket of Africa in reference to it's agricultural potential to feed the whole continent is now nothing but separate islands of political entities with a president who is wanted to appear before the International Criminal Court to answer some genocide questions; Shame on him and I must say on some of the Sudanese people who just do not the least to say talk about these atrocities.

Rise and Shine and.... Revolt Iran, By Jamil Shawwa

The results of the presidential elections in Iran caused a massive popular uproar that Tehran did not witness since the religious scholars seized power from the Shah in 1979.

The Iranians based on media and reports coming out of the country are fed up with the status qua, fed up with the privileges these scholars have in comparison with the rest of the country and fed up with a deteriorating economic situation that should not be in a leading oil producing country like Iran.

The Iranians are also fed up with the adventurous style of their president Nejad. The Iranians want freedom, they long to the day when their country get rid of this supreme ayatollah and be just a regular country with a president and a parliament, long for the time when they can say and talk and just breath freedom.

The governing religious body in Iran has substituted the repressive Shah regime with another repressive regime, different names, but same methods. the defunct regime of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had the Savak as it's oppressive paramilitary to control the lives of the people and the scholars now have the Basij to keep dirty jobs going.

The Iranians do not go as far as asking for a regime change completely, they are asking for more freedom and more democracy. The future of Iran might turn to be as of its neighboring Turkey, with a liberal Islamic system and with the religious scholars going back to their natural place which is the place of education and universities.

President Obama's Cairo University Speech

I was so proud as an American and as a Cairo University graduate when my president stood high addressing the Islamic world from the podium of the Grande Hall of Cairo University. The timing could not be better; The Arab and Islamic worlds are in my opinion have been going through hard labor, and no one yet knows when is the delivery date and what is the shape of the unborn. President Obama is extending America's strong hands and open heart to help the Islamic world through its labor. The Muslims and the Arabs have to return the favor by putting the effort needed to accomplish their search for their place under the sun and among the civilized and democratic world. The terrorists who live and feed on the fringes of society better watch out, there is a new kid on the block by the name of Barack Hussein Obama who can relate to the masses and in the same time able to lead this great nation to ongoing and renewal sources of greatness.

Bibi Netanyahu's Jerusalem, By Jamil Shawwa

Bibi Netanyahu-the prime minister of the State of Israel- stated that Jerusalem will forever be united and will forever be the capital of the State of Israel. The Arabs and the Palestinians reacted-no surprise- with the usual condemnation and protests that they have mastered over 60 years of the Arab Israeli conflict. A Palestinian Authority official said that this statement of Bibi Netanyahu put an end to any peace prospects; other condemnations followed, maybe different but the message is the same. I choose to differ,I do not agree that Bibi Netanyahu's statement was new or it would have any impact on the peace process in the Middle East; on the contrary, Bibi Netanyahu is brining up a very important and sensitive subject to everyone in the Middle east, and that is the future of Jerusalem, the capital of the three main and great religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There is an informal agreement in the Middle East that Jerusalem should be united and that the city should preserve it's spiritual status and that it should be an open city with no fences or barriers as the situation was before 1967 and before Israel won that war and captured the Arab , old, section of Jerusalem. The disagreement is whether the Palestinians can have any control over the Arabic part, section and streets of the city and whether the Palestinians can declare that part as their capital and establish a municipality that can run the city, grant housing licenses and such. Bibi Netanyahu statement did not exclude the Palestinians from running the Palestinian part of the city and did not say that the Palestinian state cannot have the city-the Arab or eastern section- as its capital. The Palestinians must use new techniques in the negotiations with Israel, a technique that would look at Israel as a regular state with borders despute and not as an enemy or as a strange body in the Middle East; Israel is not. The negotiations with Israel should cover everything from borders to the idea of the right of return to those who originally left the historic Palestine during the war of 1948 following the declaration of independence of the State of Israel. The solution in my opinion to the right of return will be resolved when the settlements in the West Bank is resolved, in other words it will be this for that, no return in exchange of moving the settlers to lands inside the state of Israel. The time is now for a historic and final Conciliation between the Arabs and Muslims and the Jews in the Middle East and the world.

Jeb Bush: The GOP only Hope By Jamil Shawwa

In a long time, in the democratic world, have I seen, heard, or felt a party in such disarray as the Republican Party.

The Party looks and consists of a group of radio and TV commentators that sound like dealing with an America that does not exist anymore , a group of politicians in congress and few states governors that are lost and just wait and react to the Obama’s administration youthful and energetic agenda.

What happened to the Grand Old Party, and why it looks like a piece of ice that is evaporating so quickly that one cannot even know if it ever existed?

America in my opinion from the start of the year 2000 and until now has changed dramatically as no other great nation has changed in such sfort period of time.

America, the giant, the only super power, the dream place on earth, the Mecca of the suppressed and the hopeful from all over the world has been hit hard twice in less that 10 years.

The first hit to its pride came from the terrorists’ attacks of 09/11/2001 and the second one was the nature attack on New Orleans in 2005. The first attack shed the light on our vulnerability as an open society and injured our pride as the greatest nation on earth, a nation that we thought is away from the troubled world far from us. The second attack was from nature in the shape of floods that overcame our man made river barriers that some thought existed better in some developing countries.

These two attacks shaped the first 10 years of the 21 century and many of us still think that we could have prevented these two attacks, the first by having better security and coordination among the many security agencies and the second by just merely building better barriers by the shores of the river. The GOP led country fought and arguably prevailed against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and against Saddam in Iraq. The results were mixed, and the management of the after war in Iraq was terrible.

By the end of the Bush admiration, the country was hit by almost unprecedented economic crisis in its history. The Housing market collapsed and it dragged with it all other markets. The time could not have been more perfect for -as Senator Kennedy said in the Democratic convention - a new generation of Americans which reminded us all of the hopeful election and years of his brother John F Kennedy.

Obama was the answer. The GOP- on the other hand- Selected an elderly and seasoned Politician, John McCain, and McCain in a moment of desperation and maybe a Hail Mary shot, chose a young female Politician from Alaska. Governor Palin was a no match to Joe Biden and in many ways, she too shed the light -through interviews and insiders’ leaks- on the lack of Republican charismatic Politicians that could again capture the imagination of the American people as Ronald Reagan did.

Jeb Bush is the answer right now for the Republican Party. He is a Bush and not a Bush at the same time. He has always been different than his brother George W Bush and from his father the elder George Bush. He is a moderate, popular and has not been 'tainted' with wars or  the economy  his brother 'W' left the country struggling. He appeals to a wide spectrum of Americans including the rising power in American politics; the Hispanic population. He is married to an originally Mexican woman, he is bilingual English and Spanish and he is most importantly an inclusive Politician. We witnessed his skills in winning Florida’s governorship twice. Jeb Bush also by all accounts stayed away  while governor of Florida from the only obstacle that he could face; the voting cards debacle in Florida during the first election of his brother against Al Gore.

UAE Political Stupidity

Barring the Israeli Tennis champion, Shahar Peer from participating in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship is another show of ignorance and a disastrous PR on the side of the UAE. Sports are sports; either you do it all the way or do not do it at all. The UAE is showing political stupidity and immaturity. The Arabs need to wake up. Preventing a female athlete from Israel is the worst publicity any country can have. The time has come-we can start with sports- for the Arab World to gradually reaching out to the Mediterranean neighbor-Israel- and sports is a formidable way to build confidence, trust and understanding among the people of the region. The excuses that the UAE presented from the protest over Gaza to security fears over the presence of the Israeli athlete are nonsense. Climbing the mountain of trust could have started by this very small yet giant step; allowing Israel to participate in the international sports event in The Middle East.

Respond to Time Magazine: Why Israel Can't Win-01/08/2009

It is not that Israel cannot win in Gaza or before that in Lebanon in 2006 but that Israel might not want to win completely and decisively. Israel had an ample chance- militarily- to dismantle the Hezbollah organization and end it from Lebanon finally as it did to the PLO in 1982. For some reason, it did not want to complete the job. In Gaza, Hamas obviously started this action, it continued to bombard the Israeli bordering cities with no reason-Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005. As I’m writing this comment , I just heard that Israel unilaterally decided to stop it’s actions in Gaza without completing the mission- the rockets are still flowing from Gaza, albeit not as many as they used to be but still The situation in Gaza resembles the situation that occurred this summer between Georgia and Russia. Georgia started it and Russia finished it. The only difference maybe between Israel and Russia is that Russia had forces or observers in Georgia and Israel did not have anybody. We- America and the world- can dismantle the terrorists’ organizations – maybe not individuals- from The Middle East- we can do that politically and militarily. The Middle East is not geopolitically complicated as Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the Middle East, everybody knows who are who and his or her whereabouts. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the whole population is mixed up which explains the difficulties in finding bin-Laden and dismantling AlQaeda.and other terrorist organizations.

The Arabic Media and The Attack on Hamas

The Arabic media's response to the war that is going on against Hamas- and not Gaza- in The Gaza Strip reminds me of the demagoguery of Ahmad Said- The Egyptian Radio by the name of Sawt El Arab- The Arab voice- in the 1960s anchor- who portrayed the biggest defeat the Arabs had in 1967 as the biggest victory in Arab history. What is going on in Gaza-Israel attacking Hamas infrastructure- is a direct result of the idiots running the show in Gaza? The history of the Arabs is a history of self-defeat, demagoguery and hypocrisy. The Arabs will continue to be hit hard as long as-among other things- we have a media like this running the show.

A Scared Farm Girl In The Spot Light, By Jamil Shawwa

Governor Palin's debate with Senator Biden has inspired the title of this article. What I am hearing and heard as I write this comment is a person who happened to be a female that was picked by a desperate candidate to sway the eyes away from a staled campaign by a dinosaur Politician. Governor Palin even could not pronounce Iran and Iraq properly. She kept pronouncing them as I raq and I ran. I suspect that before she was picked up to run as McCain's running mate she even never heard of them except that we are at war in Iraq. Governor Palin and Senator McCain might have had a chance in some other past time but not now. They are facing a gigantic historic significance in the Obama-Biden ticket. When she spoke, she sounded clever, not smart, and did not give me the class and dignified demeanor that I am looking for in a potential president of the USA.


Disclaimer: Some of the best and the brightest came from farms; Palin is not one of them.

The Occupying Pattern of Gaza, By Jamil Shawwa

The Story of Gaza!

Gaza over the decades has always had somebody else- from somewhere else- running its affairs. In more clear words, occupying her. Gaza- a Mediterranean city- on the Palestinian coast, nestled from the south and the north between the Israeli and the Egyptian coasts respectively might one day has it's say as any other city on the long beautiful silky clear shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The original people of Gaza are merchants, business people and smart politicians who knew over the decades how to wither all kinds of political storms. If we dig into the modern history of Gaza, going back couple of hundreds of years, we can witness the arrival of the Ottoman Empire, which occupied not only Gaza but also the modern and now called Middle East. Although the Ottoman Empire was in fact at that time calling itself the Islamic Empire of the East; it was a strange body in the Arab Middle East and the people there never felt that it was part of them or that they, the people of the Middle East, were part of her. The British Empire arrived at the shores of the Middle East by the end of the Nineteenth Century and took over Gaza in the early Twentieth Century after the fall of the Ottomans following World War I. The British withdrew from the historic Palestine, which Gaza occupies it's south part in 1947 and the first Arab-Israeli war broke following the withdrawal of the British and the UN partition of Palestine among it's Jewish and Arab residences and the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on the part approved by the UN. The Arab states rejected the declaration of independence, attacked Israel, were defeated and a new power-Egypt-emerged and occupied Gaza until its defeat in the 1967 war with Israel. Because of that war, Israel took over the West Bank, The Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, and parts of Egypt and Syria. Israel signed the Oslo agreement in 1993 with Yasser Arafat, the head of the PLO, The Palestine Liberation Organization, as a prelude to the creation of a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The PLO under the name of the Palestinian Authority entered Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Israel in the summer of 2005 withdrew from the Gaza Strip and left it in the hands of the PLO- the Palestinian Authority and indirectly in the hands of the power in waiting, Hamas. In January 2006, Hamas won the parliamentary elections in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and moved to form a government. The situation worsened as Hamas continued to condone terrorism especially in the form of firing rockets into the bordering Israeli cities. Israel and the United States- because of this stand- blocked aids and other forms of financial cooperation. In June 2006, Hamas took over the Gaza strip, kicked the PLO out and formed a unilateral government that controlled the Gaza Strip with another government- the PLO- in Ramallah controlling the West Bank. Hamas is now the new occupier of the Gaza strip, its' people who controls the streets of Gaza are strange people among strangers. It's Gaza's destiny again to let someone else runs its' affairs.

Sam Nunn, Joe Beiden or Warner By Jamil Shawwa

Senator Obama, the Democratic Nominee in waiting, is in the process of appointing or choosing his running mate. Next Monday, 08/25/2008, is the start date of the democratic convention. The conventional wisdom states that both republicans and democrats will choose their running mates by the start date of their respective conventions. Obama, my focus in this article, might wait until day one and spread the word or might choose the person this week before the convention. The news is and has been speculating about whom he might choose and mentioned few names, mostly of Joe Beiden of Delaware and Sam Nunn the ex senator from Georgia. My choice would go to Nunn. He represents the appeal that Obama needs to have to attract the Reagan democrats and other republicans whom are disenchanted with the party because of the Iraq war, the economy and the list goes on. Sam Nunn also has proven and diversified foreign policy and defense experience that he gained during his years as a senior US senator. His choice will give assurances to both conservatives and liberals that with Sam Nunn on the ticket, America will be safe under the, according to some, untested Obama. The only thing that might work against Nunn is that he might remind people of Dick Cheney. The looks, the style, etc. On the other hand, he can go with Joe Beiden whom has as Nunn a long foreign, legislative and political experience. Joe Beiden though was once accused and confessed to plagiarizing a speech but besides that he has a good liberal record however, I do not think that Beiden will get the same base or coalition that Sam Nunn can get. Reagan democrats do not like Beiden nor does the south and Obama does not need him to attract the liberal base; they are already attracted to Obama. The black horse whom is almost never mentioned in the campaign is in my opinion Mark Warner the former governor of Virginia and the Democratic nominee for the vacant seat for Virginia in the US senate. Mark Warner can run for both, he can be on the ticket as VP and still run for the senate seat for Virginia, remember Joe Lieberman in 2000. Warner's success as governor, his appeal as a rising star and a potential runner for the office of the presidency, his young age and overall popularly and executive experience might very well attract people across the spectrum and create a dream ticket for the democrats.


Update: CNN just confirmed, 08/23/2008, that Obama Chose Joe Beiden to be his running mate on the Democratic ticket.

The Treatment Of The Asian Laborers In The Arab World, By Jamil Shawwa

I have the following comment on the following article that appeared in Alquds-Al-Arabi newspaper that is published in London-UK. The following in Arabic, is an excerpt from the article, which the author, Abed Atwan, blasts the Arab countries for the inhuman treatment they put on their Asian labors.




ثورات العبيد و سادية العرب
عبد الباري عطوان

30/07/2008

تتهم مؤسسات حقوق الانسان الدولية المحترمة العرب باحتلال مرتبة هي الاعلي عالميا بالنسبة الي قضية الاتجار بالبشر، وهضم حقوق العمال، واساءة معاملتهم، ومن المؤسف ان هذه الاتهامات صحيحة، وموثقة، بل ونري امثلتها عمليا بالصوت والصورة في اكثر من عاصمة عربية وعالمية وفي دول الخليج علي وجه الخصوص، وهذه هي ادلتنا العملية الدامغة





My Response:

Shame on these countries the way they treat their laborers. I agree with the article about the inhuman treatment of the Asian labor in the Arab countries and I agree with the overall mentality that most of the Arabs have, and I am originally from The Middle East, that the labors are to be treated like slaves. I read an article in The National Geographic about the Asian labor in Dubai; I cannot comprehend how the people and the Prince of Dubai can claim civility with such pictures of the Asian laborers living like or less than the animals in the civilized world. Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia and others should wake up and start treating people the way humans should be treated. I also hope that the laborers original countries would stand up for their citizens and protect them from their Arab masters. Again, I am an Arab American and originally from The Middle East. Abed is right here, and it is one of these extremely rare occasions that I agree with Abed.

McCain Will Make History By: Jamil Shawwa

Senator John McCain the Republican nominee for the November 2008 presidential elections will make history. Mr. McCain will not make history as the winner of the elections but rather as the nominee that lost to Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States.

Unless a huge surprise of a nuclear bomb magnitude happens, like the capture of Osama Bin Laden, there is no way that McCain will be the next president of the United States. America is ready and the sleeves are rolled for a new era, the Obama era.

America's challenges in the coming years will come from the developing countries, from The Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America; Obama will be there to take care of business and the leaders of these countries will listen.

America needs change to battle a lingering economic crisis, finding a smart exit from Iraq and maybe focus the efforts more on Afghanistan.

A Democratic president will be able at this point to take care of America’s business.

America is now looking at Obama to get it out of it’s stagnation as it did look before to both Bill Clinton and John Kennedy. Clinton, a governor of a tiny state and Kennedy, a young catholic senator.

 In the case of Bill Clinton, it was the economy and in case of John Kennedy, it was America's entrance to the world as a great power and the mere excitement of electing a youthful president with the energy to motivate a whole new generation across the spectrum.

The USA is not looking- as McCain thinks- for a seasoned politician who has known world leaders and events because of his long tenure in the senate. America feels that it needs a new shot of energy in its veins, a skilled manager, a motivator and an inspirator.  Obama will be able to provide it.

America needs to reinvent itself, cope with the changes of its demographics and its movement into a real multicultural society; Obama will be able to lay the foundation. America’s greatness stems from it's pragmatic approach to life; it's ability to see things from different lenses as life requires; it’s ability to create the first country in the world that consist of the people of the world. America's population represents every single ethnic group that the world has ever known. Thus, it is very normal for America to start the reinvention process by electing Barrack Obama.

Who Controls Your Life?

What a huge extremely philosophical question. She always expected people to do this or that and behave, talk and react in a certain way; the way she would do, or behave if the situation was hers. With this mentality, she went through life moving from disappointment to another. It is a story not about her only but about many of us-humans- I expect people, to react to situations as I would. I expect people to deal with me the way I deal with them. When someone acts or reacts in a way that I consider different or unwarranted; I revolt. I am getting over this psychological barrier; slowly, it has been over 30 years and I am still working on it. At least I know that this condition exists. The less we expect from people, the less we get surprised for the way people behave and react to situations, the more we are ready and on our toes and alert, and stronger, confident and having healthy relations at home and at work.

Moments in Solitude...

June, 13, 2008


Glances...
They are setting in opposite corners of the cafe, she pretends that he does not exist and he pretends that he is not boiling with eagerness for a moment when she would look and he would send a quick smile that might bring some results.


A Woman...

She is setting, again, in the same corner. She looks depressed, distracted, pretends that she is busy, playing with her laptop, but she is not. She is looking, searching for a soul mate.


Me...

What a shame, what a waste of talents, or maybe I think so... So far not very desperate. A prince was born but maybe not very hard working one.


He gave her a nick name...

I asked her, or told her, I created a nick name for you, what you think, do you like it... She looked at me, a long loving look, and said I do not like it, I will not allow anyone to use it, I will boycott anyone who calls me with it, but you may.

To The Washington Post ; "Clinton Urges Backers to look to November" By Jamil Shawwa

Dear Editor,

I have been, over the years, witnessing the deterioration of The Post front page with continuous disappointment. The Sunday headline, 06/08/2008, is a clear example of that deterioration.

Instead of looking forward, you are looking backward, instead of highlighting the Obama winning; you are highlighting the loser's" looking forward to November”. What does that mean to someone for example in China just reading the headline in The Washington Post? That person would think that Clinton won and looking forward to November’s general election; it is possible you know. I thought I would read something like, Clinton Endorses Obama, or Clinton Bows to The Power of The Electorates, or something, but not that huge across the page headline with a larger than life picture. Again, I have been comparing your front page with the New York Times front page and the results are extremely disappointing to you, of course. The Times front page has been looking forward, The Post front page has been looking backward. I recall that front page during the 2000 elections when the whole world highlighted Bush obvious advantage over Gore and The Washington Post kept highlighting Gore's resistance to the obvious. It is ok to be loyal, but as The Washington Post front page, you must be objective. You can dwell as much as you want on whatever in that corner called The Editorial but not in the news sections. The problem is I have no choice but keep reading your paper. Thank God I only subscribe to The Sunday edition; otherwise your front page would have given me depression.

Best Regards,

Relation to the letter: An American Voter and a reader and subscriber of The Washington Post.

PS: It was not published

Islam Is Not The Problem, By Jamil Shawwa

Background information on this article:

An Italian, Egyptian born Muslim, Journalist by the name of Magdi Allam converted to Christianity from Islam. Allam blasted the Muslims and the religion for his decision, saying that the religion and Muslims spread a culture of hate and violence.

Analysis:

What Magdi did is between himself and God. Islam is not part of what Allam did. Islam, Christianity and Judaism are divine religions that in the minds of thousands of millions of believers share a foundation built on the message of peace and togetherness. Political groups or individuals that use and even hijack religions, in this example Islam, to commit all types of terror or as some might call acts of resistance; must not be confused with the religion itself. It is not the fault of Islam that there are so called Muslims who preach the message of hatred. It is as well not the fault of Judaism and Christianity that they have the same groups or individuals that preach the same philosophy against other people. The first step to conciliation is for those who convert to stop blasting their original religions for the deeds of those who use it to commit or pursue political agendas or those who preach the culture of hatred and violence in the name of a divine religion.

When Hillary Cried. By, Jamil Shawwa

By the mid day of 01/08/2008 it became almost clear that Obama will carry New Hampshire as he did with Iowa, when all of sudden, Hillary Clinton appeared on TV crying and emotional... When election posts closed, the numbers started to come, and Hillary won New Hampshire. Hilary Clinton, no doubt about, is a very savvy Politian that will use her skills, to put mildly, to win. What Hillary did is legitimate, a Politian is like a fighter, they need to use tricks to maneuver and win. I still believe, or want to believe, that Obama will at the end of the day carry the elections and move to win the democratic nomination and then the presidency. I know that Obama is the future and Hillary is the past. The other day I was talking to some of my colleagues at work and when I mentioned that I think Obama will win, the eyes stared at me and there was silence across the board. The eyes that stared at me were the eyes of my ethnic diversified team mates. Blacks said that there is a conspiracy to "make" Obama win the nomination only to make him lose to the republican nominee. The whites said that the country is not ready for a black president. When I asked the blacks why they say conspiracy, there was no answer. When I asked the whites, why you say the country is not ready, there was no answer. When I asked myself loudly; again who is the country, and I answered, we are the country, so who is conspiring and who is not ready. There was no answer.

Go ahead ..America, Make History. By Jamil Shawwa

I'm writing this article while looking at the internet and reading huge headline news stating that Barack Obama has won the Iowa Caucus. I will go further... much further and say and predict that Barack Obama is in his way to win the presidency of the United Sates comes November of 2008. Short of a huge surprise such as the arrest, capture or killing of Osama Bin Laden which if it happens will carry the republican ticket back to the white house, Barack Obama will win the presidency. America’s challenge in the coming twenty years will be taming the shrewd and that shrewd is the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, America needs a voice, put simply, that can relate and be related to all these areas. Obama's heritage will help. This might sound and look over simplifying the huge historic significance of electing a black to the white house but it is the reality. Obama will lay the foundation for all these changes and his election will ensure America’s leadership in the world by continuing to implement America's leadership in pragmatism and the ability to adapt to change. The great empires in history have collapsed not because they lacked power but because they lacked the pragmatism and the long vision America has had since its independence. America's power and continuity resides in its unique ability to change and make change.

The Egyption-Gaza Tunnels

Background on the following article: Abed Atwan the owner of an Arabic newspaper, Al-Quds Al- Arabi, published in London wrote an article on 12/27/2007 talking about a needed support to Egypt in the face of news reported Israeli pressure on the Egypt ion government to stop the smuggling of weapons from Egypt to Gaza through tunnels underneath the borders.

My reply:

Abed is an, no doubt about it, artist in what I call the demagoguery journalism. Abed for years has been attacking the Egyptian regime of Hosni Mubarak and accusing it with all what Abed calls the disasters that took place in The Middle East. Now, Abed is turning the tables upside down and started to give Egypt's regime support and cheers. Maybe because Abed pretends and wants us to believe in this case in the popular saying, Ana Wa Akhoya, Egypt, like any other country, must stop the export of terrorism, that is if does, to it’s neighboring states through the so called tunnels. As for Israel, Abed said that it is a corrupt society, I personally do not believe in that for a simple reason, a corrupt society can not be a dominant and progressed society. Of course like any other country from time to time corruption arises but it is not a social phenomenon; otherwise Israel would not have survived. As for Gaza, poor Gaza, it is under the famous hypocrisy, Hamas, after it was under the famous corrupts, Fateh. Abed was right though in one point and that is his description of the Egyptian soldiers at the border. They are poor and they want to serve well but the means are scare and not organized and it was just such a painful view to see the difference between the Israel side of the border and the Egyptian side. The Israelis were clean, upbeat, and civil. The Egyptians were poor; the facility was old, and dirty. The real problem is not in Israel but it is in the Image the Arabs have across the board. Abed Atwan reminds me of the famous Ahmad Said of Sout Al Arab radio during Nasser’s rein of Egypt. He, Said, among others was a cheerleader for a fake victory.

A pack of Cigarettes= 2 Small fries+3 apples+$2.00 Car Gas

The other evening I was torn apart, due to some financial mishaps, between buying my usual pack of cigarettes and buying few other things. The other things were my kids demand to have fries after school. I just could not resist the request or the demand and said to myself, forget It., when it comes to the kids, cigarettes come second. I know it does not sound very nice but as a smoker, a cigarette has some sort of a priority in my book. Any way, I bought the small fries, and the following days I went and bought exactly 3 apples and then finally in the same morning I put $2.00 worth of gas. All this for the price of one pack of cigarettes. I have never looked at life from that angle; I did not need to. Now, this angle has become my compass and hopefully, it will help directing to the right place

The Morning of 10/25/2007

I saw and witnessed America going to work this morning and I got jealous. What a view, people of, literally, all walks of life, walking, crossing streets, opening doors and just going to work. The view in the morning is, to me, more surreal than the view in the evening, when leaving work. In the morning, there is no way you can see a smiling face going to work, people are walking like robots, faces are flat and straight, marching towards something they have to do. On the other hand, the evening march is different, people are walking slower, and faces are worn down, yet a little relaxed. The morning to me has a special flavor; it's a start, new beginning, a new chance, a new hope, a new opportunity. It's morning again in Virginia and in America.

PS: I did not get the job I interviewed for that morning.

Give The Kurds A Country, By Jamil Shawwa

The Kurds who reside on the borders of Iraq, Turkey,

Syria and Iran deserve their own state. A Kurdish

state will add another layer of foundation towards

stability and long term peace in The Middle East. 

A new Middle East consists of the traditional Arab

states: Israel, Iran and Afghanistan will help to

diversify interests, nationalities, religions and

eventually will shift the focus of the people there

from struggle and conflict into cooperation. I see the

Middle East with Kurdistan and Israel besides the

older Middle Eastern states as the new Europe that

Will have all the European countries into the EU

despite the differences in religions, languages and

cultures. 

The main focus of the new Middle East will

be on economics. That is the long term goal. The short

term goal of having a Kurdistan is to minimize the

ability or the prospect of Turkey, Iran, Syria and

Iraq to in any way be an aggressor in the area,

meaning having Kurdistan as a buffer zone will help to

create a more peaceful or an oasis in the middle of

all these countries. 

It will also help to reduce the

drug trafficking which is very active in the area. As

the domino effect of having the Kurds state continues;

the countries in the area will have less ethnic

conflicts and will focus on economic stability within

their regions and the rest of the world.

Farouk al-Kaddoumi

Farouk al-Kaddoumi, a PLO operative and one of Fateh leaders, is one of the worst hypocrites that still exist on the Palestinian arena. He is a light weight with no importance and no popular backing. Fortunately what he said show the dangers of having demagogues and hypocrites among the Palestinians and Arabs that do not have anything to lose or suffer from just saying retarded things. The people in Gaza and The West Bank are suffering not because of Israel but because of having people like Farouk al-Kaddoumi who still talk the talk but never walk the walk.

In an interview with Al Quds Al-Arabi 10/05/2007, an Arabic language newspaper published in London, Kaddoumi said that Iran can defeat Israel and that the right of return to the Palestinians in the diaspora is more important that establishing a Palestinian state in The West Bank and Gaza.

Poor Gaza! By Jamil Shawwa, J.M. Shawwa

Gaza this silky clear sand Mediterranean beach City that could have become, and maybe still could be, like Cannes or Hong Kong, has fallen in the hands of darkness, ignorance, fanaticism, and hypocrisy. The problem of Gaza is not only that it has fallen to the hands of the famous hypocrisy but before that it was governed by the hands of corruption, nepotism and complete in your face robbers. Poor Gaza, it fell in the hands of Hamas after it has fallen in the hands of Fateh. David Brinkley, of the ABC show This week with David Brinkley, once said, in one of his famous end of the show statements, and I quote, vote for the crook. Brinkley at the time was talking about a Louisiana elections where the two candidates were, a former KKK leader, David Duke and a former governor, Edwin Edwards, who was famous and I think has a record of being corrupt. Brinkley’s quote applies to Gaza.

The Unholy Blood and The Unholy War- A Response to Al-Quds Newspaper

Fateh and Hamas, two factions that have dominated the Palestinian political scene for the past 14 years, from the start of the Palestinian Authority following the Oslo Accords between the PLO and Israel and the return of Yasser Arafat and his team to the Gaza and the West Bank. Now we see that Hamas has kicked the historic PLO agents from Gaza and declared it is dominance over the Gaza Strip. The Arabs all over the Middle East started crying, screaming and denouncing what they called the killing of Palestinians in the hand of other Palestinians. The Arabs are decrying this fact and saying that the Palestinian blood is holy and cannot be shed internally. This means that if a foreign country did the same it is ok but not the Palestinians themselves. What happened in Gaza was expected from the first day the Palestinian authority has been formed. Hamas was and is a country within a country, a militia that the Fateh people came to disarm. Clashes between the two occurred over the years but the culmination occurred last week when Hamas took control of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority has been in a situation that led to Hamas dominance. Israel because of what it said a systematic support from the Palestinian Authority to arms smuggling and suicide bombers has attacked the Palestinian authority infrastructure and this resulted in Hamas feeling that it has the upper hand; it was a correct feeling that resulted in the Gaza take over. The Palestinians are in a cross road to decide on whether they want to continue on this hipocratic path of supporting the peace process and in the same time praising the suicide bombers that spread havoc on them as much as they do on the Israelis. The Palestinian authority must make a clear commitment to peace and negotiations with Israel as the only way to create a viable Palestinian state in The Gaza Strip and The West Bank.



Dear Abu Zalaf Family,

Please stop this horror called your front page. You have been filling the page with black boxes and black shadows. You do not need to do that just to prove that you are patriots. Al-Quds, again, is a famous paper, learn from the leading papers all over the world and see. If I were where you sell your paper, I would never buy it with the way it looks. Please stop depressing all of us. As for the fighting, these things could happen and happened in almost all developing countries or countries on the verge of ruling themselves. It's a power struggle as everybody knows and political business. The Palestinians are like any other, not better and hopefully not worse.

Best,

JS

Syria and Israel- Reply to Abed Atwan, Alquds Alarabi, By Jamil Shawwa

Abed Atwan, the editor of Alquds Alarabi, advised the Syrians not to rush into peace with Israel in exchange for getting back the Golan Heights and for Syria to abandon its alliance with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran. Atwan's article reminded me of the Arabs before 1948 and the Arabs before 1967. In both cases, Arab countries refused the voice of reason and logic to make peace with Israel in exchange for two states solution where both the Arabs and Israelis can live side by side. Sadat and Arafat of both Egypt and the PLO rejected these backward defeating voices and resorted to reason when it came to the Israeli Arab conflict. Mr. Atwan goes on and on in his article spreading dark thoughts and deep seated conspiracy theory hypothetical to explain why Syria should not accept this alleged offer or at least why it should hesitate to accept. The Middle East is such an unpredictable and volatile piece of Real Estate; anything could happen in a second. Governments come and go and so on and so forth. The one thing that is predictable and undisputed is that of the right of the Palestinians and the Israelis to live side by side in secure borders. It's the fate of the sons of Abraham in the Holly Land. As for Hezbollah, and the Mullahs in Iran and the likes; their fate to be as of others who faded into history and people read about them as mere footnotes in the eternal book of life.

Here is Mr. Atwan's Article in Arabic:

عبد الباري عطوان 11/06/2007

تكثر هذه الايام الاحاديث والتسريبات عن اتصالات سرية اسرائيلية ـ سورية تتم بطرق غير مباشرة، اي عبر وسطاء، من اجل التوصل الي تسوية سلمية. ايهود اولمرت رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي اعلن انه بعث برسائل الي الرئيس بشار الاسد يعرب فيها عن استعداده لاعادة هضبة الجولان السورية المحتلة بالكامل مقابل ابتعاد سورية عن ايران، وفك ارتباطها بحزب الله وحركة حماس ، والانضمام الي حلف المعتدلين العرب. القادة الاسرائيليون ليسوا معروفين بكرمهم تجاه نظرائهم العرب، خاصة عندما يتعلق الأمر بالتنازل عن الارض، وهي بالمناسبة كلها عربية بغض النظر عن تاريخ احتلالها، ولذلك فان السؤال الذي يطرح نفسه بقوة هو عن الدوافع التي تكمن خلف هذه الاشارات الاسرائيلية، ومدي جديتها، والآليات التي ستترتب عليها في حال التجاوب معها. اولمرت قال انه لم يتعلق بعد اي إجابات من القيادة السورية علي رسائله والعروض السخية التي تتضمنها، بينما يلتزم الجانب السوري الصمت، و يتلعثم معلقوه عندما يتحدثون عن هذا الأمر بدعوة من الفضائيات العربية، ويغرقون في التنظير والتكرار، واعطاء اجابات مبهمة، تفسر الماء بالماء في نهاية المطاف. القيادة السورية كانت هي التي تبادر بجس النبض الاسرائيلي، وترسل الوسطاء، وحملة الرسائل من العرب والاجانب، وكان الصد يأتي من الطرف الآخر، لاسباب امريكية، ولرغبة في عزل سورية، بتشجيع من اطراف عربية، اعماها النصر الامريكي الزائف في العراق، بإطاحة النظام البعثي الآخر في بغداد. للسلام شروطه ومواصفاته، وهو غالبا ما يأتي بعد حروب، ينتصر فيها طرف علي الآخر، او تتساوي الكفتان، وهي مرات نادرة، ولا نعتقد ان الظرف الحالي في المنطقة يوفر المناخات الملائمة لاستئناف مفاوضات سلام، بل انه يرجح احتمالات الحرب وفي فترة زمنية اقرب مما يتوقعه الكثيرون. معاهدة كامب ديفيد بين مصر والدولة العبرية جاءت بعد حرب تشرين الاول (اكتوبر)، واتفاقات اوسلو جري التوصل اليها بعد انتصار الرئيس جورج بوش الاب في حرب تحرير الكويت ، وعزل منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية، وتجفيف منابع الدعم المالي الخليجي لها، وتجميد اعتراف اكبر حليفين بها وهما مصر وسورية. صحيح ان الغزل الاسرائيلي الحالي لسورية يأتي بعد حرب الصيف الماضي التي تعرض فيها الجيش الاسرائيلي لهزيمة مهينة علي ايدي قوات المقاومة الاسلامية اللبنانية، ولكنها حرب محدودة، ولم تشارك فيها اي قوات سورية، مضافا الي ذلك تمخضت عن تواجد قوات دولية في الجنوب اللبناني فرضت واقعا جديدا يصب في مرحلة التهدئة. ہہہ القيادات القوية هي غالبا التي تصنع السلام، ولا نعتقد ان ايهود اولمرت، الذي لا تزيد شعبيته عن خمسة في المئة في اوساط الاسرائيليين في افضل الاحوال، يملك الرصيد الذي يؤهله لتقديم تنازلات في حجم الانسحاب الكامل من هضبة الجولان السورية المحتلة، فهو ليس مناحيم بيغن، ولا هو اسحق رابين او آرييل شارون ولا حتي ايهود باراك. الثمن الذي ستقدمه القيادة السورية في مقابل استعادة هضبة الجولان اذا جري التوصل الي اتفاق باعلان مبادئ يحكم مسيرة المفاوضات لاحقا، باهظ بكل المقاييس، وسيجرد النظام السوري من اهم اوراقه الاستراتيجية، وربما يهدد شرعية بقائه في السلطة. الاسرائيليون يريدون ان تتخلي سورية عن ايران، وتفك تحالفها مع حزب الله، وتوقف دعمها لحركات المقاومة الفلسطينية مثل حماس و الجهاد ، ولكن ماذا لو انقلبت ايران علي سورية بعد ذلك، واستضافت او دعمت قوات متطرفة تريد الاطاحة بنظامها انطلاقا من العراق، وربما من لبنان ايضا، بل ماذا لو جري تحريض جماعات داخل سورية نفسها لرفع السلاح ضد النظام، وما اكثر هذه الجماعات التي تتربص بالنظام السوري، وترفع شعارات اسلامية لإخفاء اهدافها في اطاحته؟ ہہہ المنطقة تعيش حالة من الضبابية وعدم الحسم. وجميع الاطراف يعيش حالة من الأزمة وعدم الاستقرار، ولذلك هناك مؤشرات ان الحرب قادمة، وحتي تحقق هذه الحرب اهدافها لا بد من اتباع خطة لتفكيك التحالف في الخندق المضاد، لضمان الفوز فيها، او تقليص الخسائر في حال حدوث رد فعل انتقامي. بمعني آخر، الحرب المقبلة في حال حدوثها، تستهدف ايران، لتدمير طموحاتها النووية، وتغيير نظامها الحالي علي غرار ما حدث في العراق وافغانستان، وحتي تنجح وتكتسب بعض الشرعية الاقليمية، لا بد ان تكون بين العرب والفرس. بين السنة والشيعة. ووجود سورية الي جانب ايران، وليس في خندق دول المعتدلين، الذي ستكون اسرائيل عضوا فخريا او شرفيا او اصيلا فيه، سيفسد هذه المواصفات الضرورية، ولهذا لا بد من اخراجها بكل الطرق والوسائل من خلال القاء جزرة الجولان هذه. اسرائيل تعيش هذه الايام اضعف مراحل وجودها، فهي ما زالت تعيش صدمة الهزيمة في لبنان، وتشعر بانحسار الدعم الدولي لها، وتبلور قناعة لدي حلفائها، في الغرب بانها باتت تشكل عبئا علي امنهم، ومصدر تهديد لمواطنيهم، وأحد الاسباب الرئيسية لاتساع دائرة الارهاب ووصول جماعاته الي اراضيهم ومدنهم واسواقهم. والأهم من ذلك انها، اي اسرائيل، بلا زعامة تاريخية، احزابها متشرذمة وجبهتها الداخلية منهارة نفسيا، وكان لافتا ان ابراهام بورغ رئيس الكنيست والوكالة اليهودية الاسبق، اشار علي مواطنيه بضرورة البحث عن جنسية اخري لان الحلم الصهيوني بدأ في الانهيار في فلسطين في احدث كتاب اصدره اخيرا. هذا الضعف ربما يكون سببا اساسيا للدخول في حرب، وليس الانخراط في عملية سلام، وقد يكون الحديث عن المفاوضات هو خدعة لاخفاء هذا الهدف، فالاستعدادات العسكرية الاسرائيلية علي الحدود السورية واللبنانية في تصاعد. والشيء نفسه يقال عن نظيرتها الامريكية في الخليج، فقد انضمت غواصة نووية الي ثلاث حاملات طائرات، وعشر سفن حربية اخري، والبقية تأتي، وليس من الصدفة ان يكون هذا هو العدد نفسه من السفن وحاملات الطائرات الذي تواجد في المنطقة قبيل غزو العراق واحتلاله قبل اربع سنوات. ہہہ اسرائيل ربما تخرج الخاسر الأكبر في حالة الحرب، لان الانتصار في الحروب في المنطقة لا يعني فرض سلام المنتصرين مثلما جري في الحرب العالمية الثانية علي المانيا واليابان، فها هو الانتصار الاسرائيلي في حرب الايام الستة يتحول الي وبال علي اصحابه بعد اربعين عاما من تحقيقه، وها هو الانتصار الامريكي في العراق يكلفها اكثر من 500 مليار دولار واربعة آلاف قتيل و25 ألف جريح، وكراهية متزايدة في العالم الاسلامي، وتضاعف قوة تنظيم القاعدة اكثر من عشر مرات. القوات الاسرائيلية قد تصل الي ابواب دمشق مثلما وصلت قبل ذلك الي قلب بيروت، ثم ماذا بعد ذلك؟ فاذا كانت هذه القوات عجزت عن السيطرة علي قطاع غزة الذي لا تزيد مساحته عن 150 ميلا مربعا، ومحاصر من جميع الجهات، فكيف ستستطيع السيطرة علي دمشق؟ واذا كان حزب الله اطلق اربعة آلاف صاروخ علي حيفا وعكا وطبريا، فكم صاروخ ستطلق سورية وفي ترسانتها اضعاف اضعاف ما في ترسانة حزب الله ؟ الصيف هو دائما الفصل المفضل لمعظم حروب المنطقـــة، والانـــقلابات العسكرية فيها، ولا نعتقد ان الصيف المقبل سيكون استثناء. ونصيحـتنا للقيادة السورية ان تتريث وتفكر مليا قــبل ان تتجاوب مع الغزل الاسرائيلي وتفرط بأوراقها الاستراتيجية، وهي التي تميزت عن غيرها بجمعها، واتقان كيفية توظيفها، فقد جربت التفاوض مع الاسرائيليين في ميريلاند، وخرجت منها سريعا بأقل قدر من الاضرار، ولعل درس الفلسطينيين في اوسلو وما انتهوا اليه من خيبات يقدم ارضية لمزيد من التأمل والتفكير.

Egypt and Israel-Reply to Amir Oren, Haaretz 06/06/2007

The writer did not add anything new except his dark conclusions. My opinion here is not a pro or against Egypt but just an observation. Egypt now and in the future will continue to honor the peace with Israel as it's the only way possible. The Arabs and the Muslims realize, even if they do not admit it on the popular level, that Israel is here to stay and be part of a larger more conclusive Middle East. I will not be surprised to see Israel as at least an observer in the Arab League some time in the near future. If we look at the world affairs and diplomacy we can see that countries do not have, among themselves, continuous warm relations. Politics play a great role on how countries react to each other without going to war any time there is a dispute. The writer also was not objective at all in his Analysis as the Middle East is a unique place and the Palestinian Israeli conflict is still with no acceptable solution yet. Mubarak of Egypt knows more than anybody else the importance of peace with Israel to the livelihood of his country. I also can say that all the Arabs, official and popular, have reached the same conclusion some time ago.

Here is Mr. Oren's article:


When the lid is afraid of the pot
By Amir Oren
The year 2007 does not only include the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War; it also contains the 30th anniversary of Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem. Israel's most glorious military achievement, the defeat of three states and the occupation of major segments of their territory, is set against an even greater diplomatic achievement, breaking through the wall of Arab hostility. In both cases, the enthusiasm gradually turned to disappointment and the promise held out by the short-term results never came to fruition. The view that Egypt is a moderate, peace-seeking country is an optical illusion. Cairo, which purchased its ticket to Washington through Jerusalem, is once again not thrilled to be part of the camp affiliated with the Americans. The Egyptian people, who are not eager to get involved directly in a war, are instead encouraging war from the sidelines. Israel's awakening from the illusion of Egyptian influence over the Palestinians has been taking place for seven straight years, from the Camp David summit in 2000 to the anarchy on the Egypt-Gaza border under Hamas rule. Even during its 19 years of military rule over the Gaza Strip, Egypt was more concerned about Palestine than the Palestinians. Contrary to the Hashemite Kingdom, which annexed the West Bank and undertook a process of "Jordanizing" the Palestinians, Egypt avoided adding the refugees from Jaffa and the residents of Khan Yunis to its own tens of millions of poor. In the prisoner exchange that followed the Six-Day War, the Israel Defense Forces released thousands of soldiers who served in the Palestinian brigades of the Egyptian army and sought to transfer them to the western bank of the Suez Canal. But Egypt refused to accept the released Palestinians and demanded that they be returned to the Gaza Strip.
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The promising idea of an exchange of territory involving Sinai, the Negev, Gaza and the West Bank might have had a chance of succeeding in the Sadat era, or at the height of the Oslo process, but has since fizzled. Egypt will not contribute a grain of sand, a drop of sweat, or a drop of blood in order to further peace. In the best-case scenario, it will continue treading water in the current impasse. The more realistic scenario is that after Hosni Mubarak, the repressed hostility will become open and active. Ironically, the reason for this is democracy - not the American model (since efforts to instill that in Cairo failed exactly as they did in Damascus, Riyadh and every other Arab capital), but the popular version found in political cultures where an authoritarian and rigid regime refuses to relinquish its exclusivity and privileges, but also will not challenge public opinion unnecessarily. That the regime, or parts of it, has come to terms with Israel is a diplomatic fact that the Egyptian public cannot erase. However, this public has great power to keep the relationship cool, limited to air-conditioned rooms where diplomats meet. Opinion polls show that Egypt - the largest Arab state, with the most advanced and powerful military - is also the most hostile to Israel, the United States and the West. This is not a matter of hairsplitting interpretation or passing trends: The data are unequivocal, and as frightening as a storm of religious fanaticism and prejudice. Last month, the American House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs received the results of an international survey conducted by the University of Maryland. The survey examined public opinion in four Muslim countries: Morocco, Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan. On every questions, Egypt led - in opposing an American presence in the Middle East, in supporting attacks against it (more than 93 percent), and in accusing the U.S. of aggression against Islam in its entirety, as opposed to just the fight against Al-Qaida, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. Even those who expressed reservations about Al-Qaida's activities, particularly its targeting of civilians, supported the audacity of global jihad in confronting America and raising the flag of protecting "Muslim honor." Many doubt the American version of what happened on 9/11 and attribute what they saw with their own eyes, and what was described in tapes by Osama Bin Laden and his aides, to Hollywood special effects. Israel, of course, is derided as a collaborator and a protectorate. The pot boiling under the regime is threatening - if it boils over - to throw the lid off, and with it, also the peace with Israel. The resulting security tensions will not immediately escalate or lead to a new war, a sixth war, between the two countries. But there will be no deeper, broader peace than the one that currently reigns on our southwestern border.

Daimler buys Chrysler for 40B, sells it for 7.4Billion

The Business world is amazing and full of contradictions. In 1998 Daimler the German giant automaker bought the number 3 American automaker for a record 40 billion dollars, today, 05/14/2007, Daimler is selling it for 7.4 billion dollars. The chairman of Mercedes-Benz is cheering the deal and saying that because of their passion for great cars, Daimler did what it did. I'm trying to find words to describe a deal like this which obviously was a flop for Daimler and maybe for Chrysler. I'm not an economist but it amazes me to try to do the mathematics here. No CEO should be allowed to stay in office if they have done a deal like this. Even if the deal was in stocks or even if the wizards of accounting have used what politically correct is called legitimate accounting maneuvers. My four years old daughter, God bless her, would have looked at me as if I'm an idiot if I have mentioned Mercedes news to her. Daimler was, no doubt, brutish in making the buy, now we know, but brutish in selling it is still out there for the jury to decide.

Iran Hostage Diplomacy, By Jamil Shawwa

We should add a new diplomatic term to the glossary of diplomacy and that is the hostage diplomacy. Iran since it's revolution in 1979 has resorted to all kinds of blackmailing to get it's way. It started with the US embassy seizure and the hostage taking to today's event of kidnapping 15 British sailors that Iran claimed drifted into it's waters. Iran not only is using those sailors to continue to engage the west but also in making political statements that do not relate to the incident and I mean making the sailors issue a statement asking the US and Britain to withdraw from Iraq. Amazing, what this has to do with the claim that the sailors were in it's regional waters. The west has been accommodating Iran for some reason but the message we are sending is horrible. We are telling the world that it's a legitimate way to take hostages and it's ok to be a terrorist because then and only then you will be eligible to sit with us on the negotiating table. The credentials for this honor, negotiations, is to be a terrorist. This is the message that Iran is sending.

Mash Potatoes!

One of the most horrific things that civilization has ruined is the mash potatoes. What happened to the good old mash potatoes that was a favorite to almost everybody. The other day I went to one of those restaurants that call themselves, Trendy, and I asked for a fillet with mash potatoes. I got a second rate fillet and a weired looking mash potatoes. It tasted it like some sort of a vegetable lump far from the mash potatoes as I knew it. When I asked about it, I was informed that it was a combination of potatoes, mushrooms, chicken stock, etc. What a shame. Even the mash potatoes got upgraded or downgraded depends on how you look at things. The mash potatoes is potatoes, milk and butter, it should be creamy white or a little off white. Period.

Israel, The Arabs and Al-Aqsa Mosque

The events at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in regard to Israel's removal of a small hill by one of the gates leading to the Mosque and the Arabs Muslims reaction to it culminate and show what has been going on between the sons of Abraham for the past hundred or so years; which is gross mistrust, misunderstanding and a psychological barrier, as the late president Sadat of Egypt once said. Both parties are at fault here, in this particular incident. Israel should have conducted a press conference, before it started the construction, to explain that what it is doing is just improvements to the road leading to the gate, as it finally did today through the foreign ministry and the Arabs should have asked for logical explanations to what it is going on. Neither party has been conducting itself in a way that help to build confidence among themselves or at least ease the misunderstanding. This has been going on for decades. Israel as the administrator of the east part of the city has a responsibility to first its Arab residents, and the Muslim world, to explain and maybe conduct town meetings as we do here in the US on the town and city levels. The holy places in Jerusalem are extremely sensitive to the three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam and a good PR is necessary before doing any business that could hurt the feelings of any of the three religions. The Arabs, again, should not just wait and hunt for an opportunity just to attack Israel but need to engage Israel in the regard of the holly places. These small steps are vital until a more overall comprehensive peace is achieved in the Middle East.

The Washington Redskins 2007

The team needs to be motivated to win! It seems that for some reason they have not had the fire in the belly nor the motive or the proper coaching. Once they get motivated, they will win. The team needs to have a GM and a head coach. Gibbs is the past. The team needs a new coach who knows how to spark the fire from within and create a team that believes that it can win. It was not a Snyder problem per say but it became. The team has been on a losing streak even before Snyder took over. Snyder has managed to create a very profitable organization out of the Redskins but continued to have a losing team. The Redskins have become famous of doing a good job until the very near end but fails to win or to close the deal. Snyder has been a master salesman and now he needs to find the right formula to win both commercially and on the field.

Admit Turkey to the EU

Turkey should be allowed in the EU but after the end of the Cyprus problem. Cyprus is an EU member but as the Greek Cyprus and not all the island. The EU and Turkey should work together in a transparent way to resolve all the problems and the EU as a group has to vote and set the conditions once and for all regarding the admission of Turkey or just come forward about this matter and say if they do not want the Turkish nation to be part of their union. Turkey right now is the moderate, democratic Islamic state that could be the bridge between Islam and the rest of the world as it is geographically the bridge of Asia to Europe and vice verse. A European, Islamic Turkey would be a pillar and concrete foundation for stabilization in the most important and volatile piece of real estate in the world; The Middle East.

Gallaudet University Uniqueness

The demonstrations that are happening at Gallaudet University to protest the appointment of Dr. Fernandes, the provost, as it's new president is unique to Gallaudet. Almost no other university has this special bondage the students feel about the school and the people in charge. Few years ago the same student body brought a president that they felt is close to them and their plight if we are allowed to use this term. Dr. Fernandes might be qualified to be president but so far she failed to understand or act upon this special bondage that the body students feel about the school. The majority of the student and faculty are against the appointment; Dr. Fernandes describes the events as 'anarchy and terrorism'. The problem here is at Dr. Fernandes attitude. Obviously she had never been popular with the students or faculty and this might be somehow normal at other schools but not at Gallaudet. The university is unique, the students are unique, and it is the Mecca of the deaf people all over the world. The board of trustees should have taken these points into account before appointing Dr. Fernandes to the job. The talk that she, Dr. Fernandes, is not deaf enough is just one of the issues with Dr. Fernandes. The main problem is that she never been close to the students and the way she approached the demonstrations shows that she still does not get it.

The Pope and Islam

The Pope of the Vatican mentioned Islam in a speech few weeks ago that basically blasted the religion. Muslims around the world protested and continue to protest as of now. The pope said that he felt sorry for the reaction that these remarks caused and then offered his apology for hurting the feelings of the Muslims but stopped short from apologizing completely for the remarks he made. The big question is why would the head of the Christian Catholic Church blasts a religion that has over one and a half billion followers. Why now and for what purpose. The pope and the church are not dumb and obviously the pope wanted to send a message to the world that in his opinion, although he was quoting, that Islam was built on wars and that it is not a religion of peace. Every one is entitled to his opinion but not the pope! Unless he believes in what he said and then he should not apologize but again he should be upfront about it. If the pope blasted any other religion the reaction should be the same, which is to protest. Religions are words in books that the believers believe that they are words of God. Behaviors are different; they are acts of humans that belong to this sect or religion. If individuals that belong to a certain religion attack and terrorize then the job would be to fight those and not their religion. I'm talking here especially about the three divine religions which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Of course we can include religions that have millions of followers as well. The pope made a mistake when he attacked a religion rather that attacking methods used by humans that claim to belong to this religion or that. As an individual the pope is entitled to his opinions, as a Pope, unless he wants to send a message that he believes that Islam is a religion of war, then he should not mention such things or attack any other religions, The message of the legitimate religious leaders like the pops is to spread understating and not vice versa.

The Planned Wars: Israel 5- The Arabs 1

It's amazing how sometimes wars just happen. As if the fighting parties decided that well, it's time to make a war. A great example is the Arab-Israeli wars. Going back to 1948, it looks as if the children of Abraham decided then that they are so bored by whatever they are doing and that the best way to overcome boredom is by waging wars. It's interesting to look back to see the sequence of these wars. In 1948, the UN and the major powers recognized the State of Israel, the cousins, the Arabs rejected and waged a war. The Arabs lost, Israel won. So far 1-0 for the other Semites. In 1967, the 1956 war is not counted as it was not really between the Arabs and Israel, a questionable Arab leader with childish behavior and ambitions by the name of Nasser, former president of Egypt, decided that the cousins in Israel can not use the straits of Teran on the Red Sea for their business. Israel rejected, Nasser got stubborn,and took actions in Sinai, including the closure of the straits, that almost constituted a wage of war. Israel attacked and won. The Arabs lost the rest of the land that they lost in part in 1948 due to another childish behavior. The score now is 2-0 for Israel.In 1973 the Arabs, according to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat who succeeded Nasser in 1970, needed some sort of a moral victory over Israel to permit them to negotiate with dignity. The parties felt compelled again for another war. The Egyptians and the Syrians attacked. They won a little in the beginning and then Israel under a commander by the name of Ariel Sharon rebounded and took care of surrounding the Egyptian third army in Sinai to improve Israel negotiating stand. I will give this war a score of 1-1, a draw for the cousins. In 1982, somebody in London got creative and decided, why not assassinate the Israel ambassador there and score some points against Israel. Israel, to the astonishment of the world, responded and invaded Lebanon and ended the Palestinian presence there and lift. The score now is 4-1 for Israel. By the early 1980s a new/old player came to the scene, the Iranians and the Shiite behind them and under there black turbans. A new militant organization was created in Lebanon to substitute for the kicked Palestinian militia. Lebanon since it's independence has always had some sort of quasi government, someone who claimed to fight for some reason. Hezbollah was created and took it on it's own, the Lebanese government as has always been is a guest in it's own country, to fight Israel. It did for few years. Israel lift the whole Lebanese territory and Hezbollah got some credit. I'm not going to score this one because the withdrawal was not part of a direct war but because i believe Israel just did not intend to stay. This Shiite militia continued to harass the Israeli and negotiate with them and then cry foul and such. In 2006 for another mysterious reason, this militia decided to go inside the Israeli territories and kidnaps some soldiers, very smart. So they did and before them Hamas did the same in the Israel-free Gaza. Another big question: Why? besides the obvious stupidity. Israel responded in both incidents, surprise surprise.. and attacked Gaza and Lebanon. Both places were rebounding and now engulfed in wars that do not make any sense except that Hamas and Hezbollah's goals are to create havoc and that this is the only way to keep them and Iran as active players in the insane game of wars. The war is still on and we do not know, us the commoners, how it will end and what will happen to those fighting parties. Until then the game is on.

Word Cup 2006: Vulgarity Vs. Class

The vulgar action of France football player and Team captain Zinedine Zidane during the second and last over time of world cup championship match with Italy is beyond any shame. It's an act of vulgarity. Zidane, famous of his head butts, reached the peak of vulgarity and stupidity when he head butted an Italian player with no provocation whatsoever. He will forever go down in history as probably the player that caused his country to lose the 2006 World Cup. It has been the eternal question since the beginning of man kind on why people drive themselves to ruin. History gives us unlimited number of successful people and leaders who just for some reason drove their success down the drain. Zidane is one of these people. In 1998, he helped his team to achieve the world cup in football, soccer, and in 2002, he did not play at all due to an injury which might have caused his team to lose. In this year,2006, world cup games, Zidane excelled in more than one occasions, although some of his penalty kicks were questionable- the blame in this case goes to the referees whose responsibility is to make sure that they have not been fooled by the players into getting penalties that are not warranted- drove his team, and country into a shame. Some psychologists and motivation coaches attribute this to a human nature that drives some people to just quit or destroy themselves for no apparent reason. Is it that we, some of us, just get bored of success or want continuously to be challenged that we chose a road that would challenge us in a n negative rather positive way. Having raised these questions, I noticed, as in Zidane's example that some of these successful people have had a pattern of just doing things that affects their careers negatively. Michael Jackson comes in mind as well as President Bill Clinton and others.