Kabab Soltani and Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap

On November 15, 2013 CNN reported that Western nations near initial deal to halt advancement in Iran nuke program. The negotiations have intensified since the ‘historic’ September phone call between president Obama and the newly elected ‘reformist’ president of Iran, Rouhani.

Couple of weeks ago, same ‘world powers’ were scrambling in Geneva, Switzerland, and wherever they can around the new/old prize; Iran. But this time what Iran has been calling for over thirty years as ‘the Great Satan’ has joined. The United States of America joined other world powers for the first time in engaging directly and publicly Iran’s ruling Mullahs in ‘conversations’ trying to curb the Mullahs appetite to have what looks like nuclear power capabilities.

Now, as a historical fact, Iran started its appetite for nuclear power since before the political Mullahs took over power from ‘ Shahenshah’ Muhammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979. Before 1979 Iran had an emperor, Shahenshah, now it has a supreme leader. Before 1979 it had the ruthless Savak to suppress its people, now it has the ruthless Basij to do the same job. The bottom line is nothing has changed in Iran except for instead of the out of touch Shah, Iran got a Mullah that calls himself a supreme leader.

Couple Of weeks ago demonstrations in Tehran against America did not mean a thing; typical politically staged demonstrations that the Iranian political system created on the verge of the massive political changes of the aftermath of the Shah. Since 1979 every Iranian move against the US has been done by religious apparatus in accordance with what they see as necessary to keep a certain image even when a ‘reformist’ president is at the helm. The Iranians are so predictable which in Middle Eastern politics means ‘ close but no cigar’.

The sequence of events that led to the Iranian revolution of 1979 show an orchestrated policy and events to remove the Shah who again was out of touch and completely distant from his people. The Pahlavi family until today probably does not understand that they brought the Mullahs to power through their political arrogance and blatant stupidity

Kamal Ataturk succeeded in Turkey because he led every single Turkish to believe that what he was doing will benefit them and will benefit Turkey. The Shah on the contrary led none and no one believed him. The hypothetical questions that come to mind are, would the Shah have accepted to be dragged into war with Iraq or would Iraq have dared to wage a war if the Shah remained in power. Second, would the Shah have accepted to create a terror organization by the name of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Third, would the Shah have accepted to verbally attack Israel in the comic way the Mullahs have been doing since 1979. The answers probably are a big No.

If Khomeini stayed in Iraq and was not allowed to leave to France, the Iranian revolution would not have succeeded. In 1979, it was clear to the United States that the Shah had cancer and he will die which he had and died one year later. The US knew that the Pahlavi family is finished and that the Shah son was not to be. Again, the Shah was a dreamer that did not reach out to his people but expected them to believe his distant voice and see his absent face telling them that things will be better and Iran will be a great nation-some day.

Iran, one of the richest countries in oil in the world was to start to play a role in Middle Eastern politics and was to assume the command of the Shiite Muslims uprising not against The United States and Israel but against their historic nemesis; the Arab Sunni Muslims of the Middle East. By verbally attacking Israel which anyone with any sense should have known that such attacks are seriously flawed, wrong, aimless and have no reason or logic or purpose except for to rally tiny populations in the Middle East and gain fake ‘revolutionary legitimacy’. The main reason of such policy is to bring together the Iranian people around a cause, even a false cause and keep feeding on and off into this cause to bring the oppressive Mullahs regime a reason to stay in power. Creating a nuclear program was another tool to keep the Iranians in line behind their oppressors.

The Shah oppressed his people and the Mullahs took over and since 1979 have been doing the same and worse. Iranian women cannot swim in public and cannot have a hairdo shown in public and cannot be human in public. Influential intelligence services in the Middle East know every single component of Iran’s much publicized nuclear program and they could bring it to a finish, to a halt, and finally destroy it if they choose to do so. But if they have done so, then the whole art of diplomacy and political science would have collapsed.

The theory since the end of Vietnam war has been that unless there is an imminent danger, the use of force-if any- to change adversary’s ‘attitudes’ should be the last resort. Al Qaeda terrorist organization was an imminent and present danger and the US acted in Afghanistan. Saddam in Iraq was not as imminent; the US took care of him in 1990, kicked him out of Kuwait, and then came back and finished the job in 2003. Now we have three regimes in three countries that the US has described for the longest time as rogue regimes. North Korea, Syria and Iran are the best example of the US doctrine of imminent and present danger. Obama promised to attack but not destroy Alassad if he uses chemical weapons. Al Assad did, Obama retracted and decided to let the international community represented by world powers and the UN to have the upper hand while pointing a stick in the face of the adversaries.

North Korea and Iran are the same story, sanctions, threat of use of force and then negotiations. North Korea and Iran did their part as well in this game of politics, North Korea has been attacking the US left and right verbally and Iran attacking Israel left and right verbally. The picture despite of all this back and forth world rhetoric is not so bleak- at the end of the day we might see diplomatic relations between Israel and Iran and a one united Korea under the free Enterprise system of South Korea. The art of diplomacy is based on conflict resolution. We safely can say that diplomacy would seize to exist if conflicts do not exist.

Accordingly, the use of force based on this theory is the last resort unless again there is an imminent and clear and present danger. The outcome of these three countries negotiations will result in many things- it could result in wars too- but most likely will result in creating precedents and SOPs -Standard Operating Procedures- for the game of engagement of similar future situations. The world cannot afford- no matter how attractive it is to just to knock down adversaries- to wage wars at the smallest provocation.

Other conclusions could include allowing Iran to have limited nuclear capacity- Korea already tested nuclear weapons but it is under full control of the Chinese- or just allowing Iran to have ’peaceful nuclear generators’ or no nuclear at all. In any case, experience, practice and politics for the last 34 years proved that Iran is not a country anyone should worry about or worry of or even have concerns that it would attack any country in the Middle East or the world. Iran is North Korea of the Middle East. So if you are a foodie, go ahead, enjoy a fantastic dish of Kabab Soltani with Salad Shirazi on the side, or swing by a Korean market and have a hot stone ball of Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap; no worries there.

*Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Photos by Reuters

*****Updated November 16, 2013

*The Pope, the Vatican, Act II by Jamil Shawwa

I never have a problem with any divine religion or any religion for that matter. See, I am nobody to have a problem with a religion, but I am somebody that could have a problem with the practices and practitioners of any divine religion or any religion or faith for that matter. A leak from Wikileaks was, among other things of course, a correspondence from the Pope and the Vatican objecting to consider Turkey or to accept Turkey to the European Union. The leaks revealed, no one denied anything thus far, that the Pope's objection- the Pope is German and we know that Germany has a challenge with the Turkish- German population , not that this statement has anything to do with the Pope’s decision but I thought it might be worth mentioning- to Turkey’s request is because Turkey is an Islamic country. I’m not sure if the Pope knows history or not or if he knows geography or not or if he remembers that Turkey is part of Nato and part of the overall American strategy in the Middle East and Europe or not, or if he knows that Bosnia Herzegovina and parts of the former Yugoslavia are also Islamic societies or not, but it seems that the Vatican again is swimming against the tide and against logic as it did in many stations through out it’s history from denying Martin Luther, the 16th century reformist and the war against arts and cultures during the enlightenment age and until now, in addition to the dubious role of the Vatican during world war II. I have not been fond of Turkey’s stupidity when it sent a ship to Gaza but I’m with the Turkish request, it is a European country, Eurasian and it seems that it met all the qualification; the only thing waiting is a political decision to include it in the EU. The Greek objection is fading and the American position as far as I am concerned is not objecting. You want those that represent the real, the regular, or the normal Islam, as the majority of Muslims believe, to be represented where they originally must be represented; otherwise, you leave the field to the murderers of Al-Qaeda and the mercenaries the Taliban to fill in the space. I have few issues with Turkey’s role in the Middle East but that does not prevent me from asking that Turkey be part of the EU, it is its natural place by the way and not the Middle East. I hope some sort of an Asian entity would also find a place for Iran and this way the real Middle East, as I see it, would consist only of the State of Israel, the State of Palestine, and the Arab countries surrounding them. On the other hand, if that scenario does not materialize, I can go to my original new Middle East, which would include Iran and Turkey as part of it. Maybe, I do not know, Turkey would be a major player in the Middle East and that is why it has not joined the EU, maybe. In the same time, The Pope and the Vatican really need to do house cleaning first and this house cleaning is the most serious challenge to the moral and theological authority of the Catholic Church. The house cleaning is regarding the cover up of those priests from all over the world molesting children and doing abnormal sexual acts with minor boys. So the Pope needs to focus on cleaning his house first. He also needs to bring transparency to the Church and seriously have a zero tolerance against any priest or affiliates with the Catholic Church that use the divine magic that is called the religion to manipulate people to their subhuman acts.

* Read also " The Pope and Islam" from 2006 here on http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/

The virtual Politician...by Jamil Shawwa

The virtual politician is taking his place behind the scene or behind a screen. He is not into too much noise, or maybe he pretends not to be so. Maybe he likes it but he does not want to admit it. He is ready to scan the world for things that he thinks are important or catchy. He feels that his job is to analyze the news, events, and the news behind the news. He wishes sometimes if this virtual politician becomes a reality in today's fast-paced world. He thinks that every country needs virtual politicians who see things from the larger perspective, from top of the mountain, from the bottom up, and the sides, from the end of the road and not the beginning or middle of the road. He thinks that in order to get it right, that is the analysis, you must look at the news from two, three, or ten angles, you must see yourself as the news maker, the reader, and the intended audience or any passing by audience. The news to the virtual politician is not about an event, but it is about the psychology behind the event, the rational behind it, and the politics behind it, if there were any. When he analyzes news from America, Mexico, Israel, Palestine , Egypt, or Russia, China, Korea, England, Brazil, India, Africa, France, Germany or any other place in the universe or the outer space, he is not himself, not at all; he is German, Israeli, Palestinian, Indian, American, English, French or even an alien from outer space; he was called alien many times. I think it is enough; we got the picture. The virtual politician of course can be opinionated, he likes to show but he usually provides the other perspective and he usually uses the comparison to make the point. The virtual politician applies science, as he sees it, to the analysis and applies logic, his maybe, to politics, and will the two ever meet. His job is not to be a role model; far from it maybe, his job is to analyze, to provide the meal and let others taste or look and smell and decide for themselves. He does not want to change opinions, but if he does, then why not. He talks beauty, he analyzes women in lingerie and without them, he is not a womanizer, just an admirer to the female body and brain; they can meet, and they can mingle together and he then connects that to politics and to society in large. He analyzes leaders and he takes upon the tough issues. He does not go with the so-called conventional wisdom, to him, it is nothing, and it is just the expected. There is no utopia on earth, he says and claims, which is true, but what if there were utopia on earth, what if each country decided to elect the virtual politician to provide unbiased analysis and unbiased advice regarding all events or regarding what ever comes to their plate, or provided to them.  He is lazy, so sometimes, news has to come to him before he starts analyzing. Sometimes though, his analysis is unstoppable, like a machine or a computer, you put in and takes out in the same time or simultaneously. If each country decided to go with their utopian idea, it still should mean that it has to be an elected position, the virtual politician is not a virtual dictator. Every four years, without mentioning any names, just presenting ideas and methodology and examples, people would go to the ballots and elect that idea and of course, behinds that idea is the virtual politician. Once in office, still anonymous, except for few as well elected officials, his job is to filter the news, suggestions, and ideas and from looking from all angles, internal and external, political and psychological, he or she of course would suggest the best course. The idea depends on the political system, would be presented to the elected body, parliament, and get it debated and approved or not. The virtual politician is not like the council of wise men or women or both as some countries might have or pretends to have. The virtual politician is not necessarily a virtuous politician; on the contrary, he is a practical and realistic politician, Wait a minute that did not sound too good. The meaning is that he or she is not immoral, no, but they look at morality from the view of the different players or participants and the different cultures and backgrounds, not an easy job at all, probably the most difficult. The virtual politician can be and should be a paid position, I mean, that person needs to eat too and live, otherwise how he can think. The virtual politician cannot be elected for more than one term, again as I said before, we do not want the virtual politician to turn into the virtual dictator or feel like he or she is above the clouds, in some sort of an ivy tower. The virtual politician is not an executive politician, he cannot order but he can analyze. His powers stymies from his ability to convince the elected ruling body or any seeker of the effectiveness and practicality of his analysis. See the checks and balances again at its best. Oh, one thing about this virtual politician, he thinks that he does not have bones hidden in his closet, so he is free as a bird, or he thinks he is. Birds can also live in cages.

The Ten Years Old Boy, An Invitation or two to the Knesset...by Jamil Shawwa

The ten years old boy, young man in actuality does not recall the exact dates of these memorable visits to the halls of power in Israel. Distinguished family friends, who happened to be leading members of the Likud party graciously, extended an invitation to the ten years old boy to the Knesset, a second one followed afterward. He knows that they must have taken place during the period of 1983 and 1986. The most interesting thing about these visits, of course besides meeting the Israeli politicians, was that in both cases, the ten years old boy coming from Gaza did not have to go through the regular vigorous security check at the gates of the Knesset, just the name and he was whisked inside. Amazing, a young man from Gaza, going inside the lion's den with the most gracious welcome and the most gracious reception that he ever had in his life. No security concerns here, He went there and the secretary of that man took him for a tour, attended part of a session from the guests’ balcony with members of the Knesset having their famous debates and then to the grand office of that man who at the time chaired the most important committee in the Knesset. Talked a little, he, the boy, was shy or even timid. He really did not open his mouth much except to eat the biscuits that came with the Nescafe, say thanks, and nod his head, so lame. In the next visit same thing happened, passed through security very gracefully, a security guard looked inside the car that carried the boy and family members, looked at him, and mentioned his name and that was it. They all went to the restaurant with that friend and his wife and had the famous Israeli dish, shishlik, grilled cubes of chicken, so delicious. During lunch, subjects were discussed briefly, the Six Days War of 1967, the difference between Labor and Likud and the future of the Holy Land. What the boy heard was classy, he heard from the Israeli right wing leaders the sincere wish of peace with the Palestinians and he heard about their wish to have the *Palestinian leader that can make peace with Israel. The Ten years old boy and family members toured the Knesset, one more time for the ten years old boy, and left. At the Knesset and during both visits, he saw famous politicians, former prime ministers, ministers, and retired army generals that he used to see on TV and read about in the newspapers. He came face to face with historic Israeli politicians just walking the halls of Israel’s parliament. He also as mentioned above witnessed the famous Israeli debate in the chamber where members talk and interrupt each other; it is the Israeli way to show free political vitality. He personally prefers one member at a time talking freely but Israel is happy with that style and the ten years old boy had no problem there. The Knesset is not just a parliament; it is home for the Israelis, maybe like major democracies, for their people, the parliaments are their home. The ten years old boy saw the Israeli Arabs, Druze and Bedouins represented there, Hadash, the communist party, was the leading Israeli Arab party; it seems the Arabs in Israel at that time felt that being under the communist party would make a statement of some sort. To deal with Israel, you have to read and understand history, psychology, heritage, and you must look at the big picture; you must look at the world map daily, then narrow your perspective and lens to the Middle East, and see where is Israel and where the new state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza will be and look at the overall Arab and Muslim countries. The situation right now requires the twenty-four Arab countries to establish and recognize the state of the Israel and requires them to recognize the state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza. No preconditions for negotiations with Israel, no need to, otherwise, you will drag the problem for another fifty years. Do not worry about the **settlements in the West Bank and do not worry about the right of return, both will be resolved where the settlers would either stay under Palestinian sovereignty or move to the state of Israel, the return would be symbolic and only in the West Bank and Gaza. Jerusalem will be the capital of both states. The Arabs need to talk with Israel with an open heart and open mind. No tricky politics, their famous hypocrisy, pretension and childish maneuvers; they will not bring results, at least not with Israel. Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians got results from talking and making peace, the Syrians are an exception because Syria is not a normal country with normal political system, it is the regime that is there on a need to do basis and accordingly, once time arrives, ***Syria will oblige. You have to understand the Israelis and be gracious with them, they will reciprocate, no doubt about it.

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* Later on and in 1993, Yasser Arafat was the Palestinian leader that made peace with Israel; it is the peace that is still in the making.

** Search blog for Settlements, Israel, Palestine

*** Search blog for Syria

The Ten years old boy, the Journey from Gaza to Birzeit to Jerusalem.... By Jamil Shawwa

The boy, now a young man, graduated from a high school in Gaza, wanted to go to law school, or actually, that was the family’s wish. I think he wanted to do political science; maybe, he was not sure. Probably, if you ask him now, he would give the same answer, not sure, can you believe it. He tried The Jordanian University, but for some reason the president of the university told him that his application was lost in the mail. That ten years old boy asked the president, he remembers this episode very well, if the school might have lost it, and the president looked at him with disgust and told him, maybe these things happen in Gaza but not in Jordan. That president of that university- Abd Elsalam Al Majali - later on became a prime minister of Jordan and later on signed on behalf of Jordan the peace treaty with Israel, best known as the Wadi Araba treaty. In Jordan, the king does not sign treaties; the prime minster does it. He – the ten years old boy-then with the help of his family went to Cairo University, but it was too late for that school year, so he enrolled for the 1984-1985 school year at the Cairo University Law school and for the 1983-1984, went to Birzeit University, about two hours drive from Gaza, maybe one hour an half, it depends on the car and the driver. The young man still the same ten years old boy, went ahead and rented an apartment with a friend from Gaza who went to the same school. The boy enrolled in the Middle Eastern studies program; political science. The two students rented an apartment in a basement in a building in that town Birzeit; the school was named after the town. Very interesting apartment that one was, to be extremely having a positive attitude, in reality it was hell on earth, horrible, the mold used to cover his shoes, imagine; mold growing on shoes. Birzeit University was a dynamic place; it was the first and main university in the Gaza Strip and the West bank, a place where Palestinian politics and parties were involved in a very active way. All the Palestinians factions had students representation there including the newcomers, the so-called religious factions, and there used to be elections for the student board. I think at that time, Fateh, the main PLO faction used to win every time. The student was not involved in politics nor was he involved in any of those student groups. He used to read Al-Quds newspaper and the rest used to read Al-Fajer. Al-Quds was the moderate and al Fajer was the pro PLO. He was different and still is, not sure, if this is good or bad but this is how it is. His professors were ok, they all had PhDs in their respective fields and one thing he noticed is that they tried to be objective. The university system was the American semester system, and not the one-year British or French system as it was at Cairo at that time. He remembers once he had some sort of dispute with another student over a very important subject, you knew it of course, not the Palestinian- Israeli issue, or anything simple like that but it was a serious subject, it was over a girl. The student, the same little ten years old boy, touched her shoulder in a much-respected way; he really did not care for that girl at all. He likes to show appreciation to the female silky skin sometimes by very gentle touches but always very respectful, on the back or shoulder. She actually had nice shoulders and that was all that she had in the little ten years old boy mind. Another student got jealous and kind of pushed him, the boy pushed back and that was it, nothing serious. When he went back to that apartment, probably the fight would have been better than going back to that hellhole, he found delegations from all the Palestinian factions at the door trying to blame each other for that incident- typical Palestinian politics, basically trying to have him on their side, probably they have done the same with the other student. I think he really did not know what was going on; he was just there until his family tells him that is it, and it is time to go to Cairo. The ten years old boy, the young man now had another interesting incident that he does not forget, that one was funny but really somewhat embarrassing, you have to have embarrassing moments in life; otherwise, life would be boring or even abnormal. The little boy, now young student, or as we say here in America, junior college student, decided to get drunk one night, maybe he did not really decide, but it happened and he did not expect it. It was a night; he made a scene, he remembers, and had to go to Jerusalem in a convoy of “will- wishers” to be treated there from the side effects, to say it mildly. Oh, that was something. It never happened before and it never happened after, so one time is not too bad, but that one was something very memorable. The whole school the next morning knew about it. Birzeit is a little town, not to say a village, and the university is the lifeline, besides, his friend- the apartment mate and other friends were so excited about that episode that they could not keep their mouth shut. He- the ten years old boy might have done the same any way if that episode happened to someone else. A third memorable incident at the school took place in one Saturday morning or Sunday, he is not sure, but there were no classes on that day. He was walking the narrow and hilly streets of Birzeit with group of friends, maybe ten, when all of a sudden one of the students yelled; the Israelis are coming, a military patrol was approaching, and those students started to run, but first looked around trying to find a hideout, and tried to pull the ten years old boy with them but he just did not run, stood there, not even kept walking, as if he wanted to be in the reception of the approaching patrol. They screamed at him run… run, but the ten years old boy said why, I did not do anything wrong. The students ran to a near by vacant store, opened the door, it was not locked and hid there. The Israeli patrol came by, stopped, an office came down and asked the ten years old boy for an identity card, the boy obliged and the officer asked him, why you did not run as the rest, we know that they ran away and we know that they are hiding there. The ten years old boy answered, why should I run, I did not do anything wrong. The officer then asked him, you are not afraid of Israel, and the boy said, no, why should I. The officer smiled, and something extraordinary happened after that, the officer stepped back a little, moved up his right hand… not to hit the boy but to salute him; he just gave the ten years old boy a military salutation and the boy returned the gesture and saluted the officer. The officer still took the identity card and told the boy to report the next morning to Bet Eil, the headquarters of the Israeli military command for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The boy went the next morning, alone, and at the gate, that officer was there, handed the boy his card and that was the end of that episode that the ten years old boy remembers very well. The student had to leave that terrible apartment, so he moved to a hotel that was owned by family friends in Jerusalem where he spent three magnificent months in that magnificent city  in a room that looked over the old town and the wall of Jerusalem. There, the little boy had a ball, actually there, where the little boy really came to realize contrary to the conventional wisdom that German girls could be the most sensual if they choose to. A Bavarian girl, from Munich, was the one that made him change his mind about Germany; he means the social feminine side of Germany. It is time to go to Cairo now, and then to Washington DC, and then Iowa, and back to his new and permanent home and country, Washington DC, The United States of America.

The Ten Years Old Boy,*Lunch in Silwan-Jerusalem........by Jamil Shawwa

It is 2:30 PM, on a Thursday, of the year 1974. The bell rang, and the students at that Jerusalem school were starting to leave the class, it is the end of the school day. The ten years old boy left slowly, no rush, no one is waiting to collect him except for that big yellow bus with that driver and his assistant, fighting again as usual. His classmates are running out of the class, but not him, the classmates are running to their parents waiting outside the school walls on a famous Jerusalem street, Nablus street, to pick them up. The boy's family is miles and miles away in the sleepy city of Gaza by the Mediterranean. How can anyone believe that a city on the great and fantastic Mediterranean Sea and in the same time stale, poor Gaza, he thought. He continued to walk, left the gate, climbed the bus staircase and to his usual seat, exactly as the morning routine and again, no one next to him. The boy with himself, his books and his perspectives on the world. The bus started rolling through the afternoon busy streets of this magnificent city, Jerusalem, through Nablus street and passing by the prestigious Schmidt's college for girls , Salaheldin street, to the suburbs, Dahiat Al-Barid , El Ezaria, Shofat, Kalandia, oh, wait a minute, here is Kalandia airport, what a nice strip of runway, but he was told that it has not been used since 1967 and the demise of the Jordanians from the West Bank and the arrival of Israel as the new ruler. The airport has been used for small military aircraft only. The bus continues, to Ramallah, no checkpoints whatsoever. Dinner is ready at the boarding school, it is Thursday night, and tomorrow, Friday, is off, so tonight is “Mogadara” night, lentil, rice, and fried onions on top, with salad on the side. What a feast, oh wait another minute, the boy as the rest of the students had a locker and the locker had food from his family, fantastic, he can compliments the Mogadara with some cheeses or snacks before going to bed. Hey, Waite a third a minute, it is symposium night at the boarding school, and it was his turn, he volunteered actually, to present his version of the October war, or shall we say, Ze’ev Schiff’s version of the war between the Arabs and Israel, which took place a year earlier. Ze’ev Schiff did not only talk about a war; he talked about a nation that was shaken by the events, he talked about Israel's historic military leader, Moshe Dayan, panicking in the middle of the night. He also talked about Israel’s pain to have to fight in one of its most sacred days, Yom Kippur. He was talking about the end of the reign of Israel’s historic political party, HaMa'arakh, and the power behind it, the Histadrut, and the labor unions. “Earthquake in October” is the title of that book. Historically, Israel turned around the October war, and if the war continued, Israel probably could have reached Damascus and could  have ended the rule of Hafiz Al-Assad. On the Egyptian front, the Israeli forces led by Ariel Sharon, surrounded the Egyptian third army in Sinai and were going to advance towards Suez and Ismailia. Nevertheless, the October war was the first time the Arabs felt that they did something a little different from just running away or running around. The Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal, the Syrians as usual, screamed- from Damascus- and screamed and screamed like a woman in hard labor or on a verge of a C-section. That war according to Ze’ev Schiff was a turning point in the Israeli psychic and politics, Actually three years later, another political earthquake took place that continues to shape the Israeli politics until now which was the rise of the Likud and the start of the right wing reign on politics in Israel, Menahem Begin- Bibi Netanyahu’s mentor- has arrived. The boy started to talk about the war, and about Israel, and the students could not believe their ears or eyes, this boy was talking about it as if he were an Israeli; he was transforming what the writer wanted to say and presenting it to his Palestinian and Israeli-Arab students from the eyes of an Israeli reader or analyst. See, the boy could not have done any other way, probably. He had to analyze the book as it is or as he understood it or as he thought the writer wanted him to understand. The questions started and one student asked him, what do you think of David Ben-Gurion - the book mentioned him in a historic review of the country- the first Israeli prime minister and some consider him the founding father of the state of Israel with the other historic leader, Haim Weisman, who was the first president of the state. The boy answered, he is ok, he was very important to Israel. the other students warmed up, and asked what do you mean, and the boy just said, not sure, but he is an important Israeli leader. Now, nature took over after that statement, the students started denouncing the ten years old boy for his opinion of an Israeli, and the boy just looked and told them that he was just stating what is in the book. The students in general were ok except for one low life loser with no class with the initials of **U or O -for the first name, depends on how you write it and A for the last name. That U.A was a sneak and his younger brother, who was not in the same school but later on went to Berzeit University, was like him, same no class. Another student asked him, they loved then to embarrass the little boy, but what do you think of him, Ben-Gurion and the boy answered, not sure, he was the first prime minister of Israel and he won the war against five or six Arab countries. That was it for that boy, the supervisor ended the symposium, looked at the boy with hateful eyes and said it is bedtime, go and wash your feet before jumping into your beds. He used actually to inspect their feet while in bed. Years, and years later the boy got flashbacks about that supervisor's behaviors. He - the supervisor-used to set in his bed in his room half naked-top- with a specific student as the supervisor, no top, not behind closed doors, not at all, but open doors.  The boy recalls having all the students gathered in the supervisor’s room to chat almost every evening. He just wondered and years later, it struck him- see, he- the ten years old boy- was slow to process or something or was so innocent that such things, and there might have been nothing, could not even have crossed his mind. That boarding school had two supervisors, one happened to be a Muslim- the subject matter of this article- and the other happened to be a Christian, the Muslim was from Silwan and the other was from Ramallah, the Silwan supervisor was the dominant. No names will ever be mentioned but the initials of the first and last names of that supervisor, without the shirt, and his favorite student were the same, S.A.  It is Friday morning; it was nice sunny and cold but very refreshing. The supervisor, same one, the bed guy, reminded everyone that his parents, who lived in Silwan, invited all the students to lunch in their house. That lunch in Silwan stuck in the memory of the boy until now, it was hosted by good people from Silwan, the supervisor’s parents. That supervisor was some sort of strange mixture of many things, envy and hatred towards certain families, and he might have had like many of his age group and unmarried or unattached, some problems. He used to hit the students physically, no abuse, but slamming the faces few times. Verbally terrorizing those that were different, not accommodating his political views, actually the boy did not think that he- the supervisor- had any views, he pretended to be with Arafat but at that time who dared not to pretend to be with Arafat. There was one in fact, the ten years old boy, he never been even close to embrace the PLO. Later on Yasser Arafat made history by signing a peace treaty with Israel and taking giant steps as the first Palestinian leader to have the vision and the courage to make peace with Israel. The little boy revolted few times and the punishment was isolation, not being invited to participate in events in the boarding school, plays and such. The boy does not remember how they went that morning from Ramallah to Silwan, but he remembers the vine leaves, the stuffed vine leaves with rice and meat and the stuffed zucchini being cooked in fresh tomato souse- in Gaza it was not cooked with tomatoes, just the lamb broth and lemon, garlic- on burned wood. The students gathered the woods; put them in the middle of a hole surrounded by stones and ignited the fire and the rest was spectacular. They had yogurt on the side and freshly baked bread, called, Eltaboon. If the boy remembers well, olives were there too. Even while eating, that supervisor never looked at that little ten years old boy with kindness, his mother, the supervisor’s mother, the boy remembers, yelled at him to stop annoying the boy, he would come and hit him- not hard- on his head as a sign of a joke, but it was not joyful to the boy. It is time again to go back to that boarding school, tomorrow is Saturday, and it is school day, but Sundays were off.  It is time to go to bed, that supervisor was about to go around the different rooms sniffing and looking at the feet of the students, to make sure that they were washed and no one slept in his socks. The boy until now loves that wooden cooked food in that nice town Silwan by the famous and magical walls of Jerusalem's old city.  The journey continues…

 

 

 

Disclaimer: True events and persons. No names will ever be revealed to protect the innocent.

* A city adjacent to the old city of Jerusalem

** Initials of names mentioned are when writing the names in English.

Report Card To Obama......By Jamil Shawwa

Leaders shine in conflicts and they shine when their countries or companies or whatever they lead are in crises. Crises sometimes bring the best in leaders and bring the worst in pretenders. In America, in the mid 90s, the economy was in recession and in crises, and this brought Bill Clinton to be reelected for a second term and brought down the republican revolution led by Newt Gringrich. Couple of years earlier, Bill Clinton defeated the victorious George Bush, just coming out of liberating an oil oasis called Kuwait. Today, we have a conflict or two, we are in crisis or two, we are at war or two and we are in that context leading the world in combating the modern day terrorism. It is no longer state-to-state wars, but it is state to groups that decided on their own for whatever reason to create an atmosphere of fear and terror against everything that sounds normal in life. Some people like to resemble Barack Obama to both Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter; both are considered as losers in American politics. Both Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter came to power when America was not itself, was in crisis or just came out of crisis. Ford after Nixon resigned, after the Watergate scandal, and he just completed Nixon second term and then lost a bid to be elected on his own; he lost it to Jimmy Carter, what an irony. Ford was unlucky, it was not only Watergate that brought him down by proxy but also Vietnam, America in his era, signed the agreement to withdrew it's forces from South Vietnam, basically signed an agreement that stated that America was defeated to the Vietcong. The whole world saw and witnessed the humiliating withdrawal and the helicopter on top of the US embassy in Saigon with the southern Vietnamese trying to flee, women, children, everybody. That was a deep, deep scar in America's pride. America elected Jimmy Carter, who brought the Egyptians and the Israelis together, and chaperoned a historic peace treaty but did not handle the Iranian clerics' revolution well, and America again, after Vietnam witnessed the humiliation of its embassy members in Tehran being hijacked and kidnapped by the new and rising power in the Middle East, Iran. Carter did not survive it, or maybe it was the curse of the ailing Shah of Iran-Muhammad Reza Pahlavi- that Carter ordered to leave the country for the fanatics and the pretenders, the clerics that are running Iran right now. Carter lost to Reagan who- arguably- restored America's pride, ended the cold war, and established America as the only supreme and super power on earth. I prefer though, after this long introduction to resemble Barack Obama to Bill Clinton and not to Gerry Ford or Jimmy Carter. Both Clinton and Obama came in similar economic situations, both came after presidents who won wars but lost the economy. Today, now, Congress is divided, the republicans won the House of Representatives and the Democrats maintained control over the Senate. In 1994, Newt Gingrich led what was called then, the republican revolution with the slogan of "take the country back", as it is now, but instead of the republican revolution, we now have the Tea Party movement that is trying to put life in the dead veins of the Republican Party. Clinton in 1996 managed to secure a second term and this is the same legacy that Obama is trying hard to do, to secure a legacy, to be included in this unique club and very exclusive club of American presidents that managed to have two terms in office. This is Obama's goal or it should be at least. When he won in 2008, his next day item should have been how to prepare for the 2012 elections, besides of course securing and implanting an agenda that he promised the voters to implement. His team should have looked that far, maybe they did; we still need to see. He, Obama, made history as the first African American president to America, and just being president, he is making it every day. But this is not enough or no longer enough to secure a second term; he needs to show a genuine leadership, skills and tact that he already has shown during the 2008 elections. He cannot rest or resolute- if he wants to win- until he wins in 2012. Obama has a golden opportunity right now to shine, he did not lose both houses, he still control the money making and the power house, the senate but he must work hard not to appease the republicans- smart politics-; if he does, he will not be reelected. He needs again to work hard to show genuine leadership in pursuing his agenda, and not shying away from it, and in the same time work with whatever and whoever he needs to at least show the American people that he is doing his best and if that does not work, then the people, and they are smart enough, will see who did what and who obscured what. Obama has just secured a second mortgage on his political life, let us see if he can pay it off by 2012, or at least, being qualified to refinance by 2012. Either way, it means that he would get a second term.

"Poor Mexico, so far from God, and so close to the United States” by Jamil Shawwa

In late 19^th century, The US president Monroe, decided to side with the Mexican leader Benito Juárez against the French intervention and against the Mexican royalists forces led by Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg- the royal Austrian family. 

Before that and since then, America’s strategic interest in a stable Mexico was engraved in stone.  Another Mexican president, General Diaz once said “ poor Mexico, so far from God, and so close to the United State”  He was not referring to a state of war or any animosity against America, but a reality of being a neighbor of the mighty power and at the same time being a leader of a corrupt society, the Mexican society. 

In a related statement, President Salinas in 1993 said that an Israeli friend of his once told him” Poor Israel, so close to God and so far from the United Sates.” In the early 1990s, America poured an immediate Fifty Billion Dollars to save Mexico from Bankruptcy. In 1847, The United States invaded Mexico and entered Mexico City. Actually many Americans at that time wanted to annex the whole country and make it part of the United States. 

Conservative Americans at the time feared the Spanish population would affect the demographic balance in America.  America "just" wanted the territories by the border, which included California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. America paid $15 million dollars, much more than we paid the Russians to buy Alaska in the same era. Both purchases of course showed the genius visions of American politics.

The strategic and financial importance of Alaska and the Mexican territories are beyond words and imagination to describe. 

Mexico right now is in turmoil, gangs in the streets, people are unsafe, the economy is crumbling and the Mexican Harvard graduate presidents cannot save the country. America will not allow Mexico to fail, but America is watching right now, helping with billions of dollars each year to fight drug trafficking and to secure the borders. 

The issues are much deeper than just sending troops to the border, Mexico is in revolt right now and it is revolting against the elite party rulers, and revolting against the government corruption and revolting against the fraudulent elections. 

Mexico wants to drop the Harvard graduates for more indigenous type of leaders in the material of Diaz and Juarez. The current president, elected in 2006 for a one term in office of six years and came from an elite political family, Calderon, really did not win that election fair and square but his opponent the most popular now in Mexico, Señor Obrador. 

The information I got from Mexico though not confirmed by open sources, media, etc., is telling an untold story, to me at least, that the daily murders in the Mexican cities and towns are not related to gangs or drugs but related to under cover resistance to the manipulation of the political party elite that Calderon and the PAN party represents.  

Since 1920s, another historic party *PRI manipulated the political life and most presidents came from it. There has been an unholy alliance between the political politburo and the military to help each other, let the politicians play the game of politics and let the military run the corruption. 

The Mexicans are fed up, they at the same time will not allow the likes of Chavez in Venezuela or Morales in Bolivia, the famous populists demagogues to rule; Mexico is much more civilized to allow such a grand deterioration to it’s class. 

America is thinking of building a fence along it’s borders with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants and drug trafficking but the idea probably will not fly, America does not like concrete fences, although I personally believe that good fences make good neighbors. 

The solutions to Mexico are tough, the society is corrupt, and I am not saying the Mexicans, just the culture in general, the style. The president is elected once for six years, so no motivation for him or her to build a legacy. Mexico in my opinion needs to do the following, it is already a federal system, it needs to copy -it will work- the United States form of government that is the only solution. 

The two societies are so interacted, so intermingled. The Hispanic population in America is growing and languages mainly will be English and Spanish.   It all starts by cleaning up the political system, and only popular leaders can do that, and I say popular and not populists. 

Mexico right now is behind Brazil and Argentina in the importance on the Latin hierarchy, but Mexico in my opinion, has the ingredients to be in the same class as Asian countries, to be like America or Canada might not be easy, their culture is more tuned to that in the Middle East, Spain, and Asian style, that does not mean that it cannot be successful. 

It is very strange, the Mexicans love their country, very proud of it, but at the same time they know how corrupt it has been. It is also a very superstitious society, a society that believes in the conspiracy theory as a way to interpret politics and world affairs. In the center of the capital, Mexico Federal, there a huge tall monument called, Angel de la Independencia, that they believe will help them to prevent another invasion from the United States. It is so ironic, that Angel is surrounded by American hotels and American companies. The Mexicans sleep and wake up dreaming or fearing an American invasion. They will never admit though, they more dream of it than fear it.

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* Google historic information

Scratch my Back, and I might Scratch yours, A Contract with The Ruler " by Jamil Shawwa

Tip O'Neill, the former speaker of the United Sates House of Representatives once said and since then has been quoted numerous times that all politics is local. In the Arab countries, all politics is foreign. O'Neill was referring that during elections, no matter what happens around the world, the American people will make the final choice or judgment based on how they feel their government is doing internally. Not in The Arab countries, in the Arab countries, it is all  about how they are perceived outside their borders. The Arab countries right now are the presidents and the kings and the princess, and noting else. There are no people there, over 350 million human beings count to nothing. Therefore, when you talk about the Arab World, or the twenty-five Arab countries in the Middle East, and North Africa, you really talk about twenty-five persons that you need to deal with and you must ignore the rest, which is the 350 millions; imagine.  I have few examples- maybe because these have the potential in leading a change- that highlight this tragedy in the Arab countries, and by the way, many of these millions of ignored humans like it that way, they like to be ignored domestically, and they like their leaders to focus on foreign policy. In short, it is as if I will ignore you out side the country and you ignore me-to a certain degree of course- inside. I have Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Morocco, there are peace treaties with Israel- Jordan and Egypt officially and the Palestinian authority- the king and the president are all over the place, very popular and regular guests on world-class programs, domestically, its another story, you have a very primitive political process that boils down to few parties including the Muslim Brotherhood that talk about fighting and boycotting those that deal with Israel and in the same time their king and president meet and have lunches and dinners with Shimon Peres, and Ehud Barak and Bibi Netanyahu. The locals separate between the king, the president, and the rest of the country including the government. What is allowed to the king and the president is not allowed to the masses. It is ok for the king and the president to deal with the Israelis, to make peace with them, to have lunches and dinners, but it is not ok for anyone else in the country. The ultimate hypocrisy and the ultimate lack of civility that has engulfed the Arab world since the Turks, the Ottoman Empire, drilled inside its conscious the art of pretentious and the art of self-deceit and the art of self deceive. In Jordan and Egypt, in Morocco and Syria they say, the king and the president know better, they know politics and that Jordan and Egypt have to do this or that, to survive, that Jordan is surrounded by Syria, Iraq and Israel and the worst, a Palestinian population that consists of 70% of the population and that population in big chunks does not like the Hashemite. In Jordan, the biggest fear is none but the Palestinians. Domestically, immature political parties quarrel, talk about the price of gas, the winter and the price of bread, and the ruler loves it that way. They talk about boycotting this or that, they burn flags of this country or that; no creativity, no leadership, just ghosts in the streets with long fake beards and pretentious personalities. In the Arab countries, there are just two layers of humans, the ruling party and the masses, and they are not connected, but they both like it. Again, the ruler says, let me handle the outside, and I will let you play around domestically, I will give you enough room to talk, to scream, to yell, to accuse, to terrorize the rest, that is verbally only of course, and in exchange, let me handle the foreign policy, let me make peace with Israel, I know better. The ruler in the Arab world is blackmailing the masses and the masses are ok with it. Egypt with over 79 millions has been just talking about Mubarak’s successor for the past ten years. In the mid 80s, Egypt did not recognize its great writer- Naguib Mahfouz- until Noble prize awarded him its prize for the literature, only then, the Egyptian president met him at the presidential palace and bestowed upon him the Nile Medal, Egypt’s highest honor for civilians. See, the Arabs are not naive, the people know everything but they have developed this sense of acceptance since the biggest oppressors, the Turks, injected them with sense of humiliation and defeat, that is in order for you to survive you have to teach your kids to stay away from politics, to leave politics to those that understand it, that there is a ruling class that knows better how to deal with the outside world. Do not feel sorry for the Arab masses, they accepted this contract, and they signed it and they put their stamp on it. The observers from outside wonder about the contradictions between the king and the president and the masses. In Egypt, over 79 million Egyptians might be trying to do something else, there might be a movement in Egypt, that is a popular movement that is starting to question the ruler, his perceived wisdom, and maybe they are questioning as  why the leaders are fine outside their countries and they are terrible inside. Morocco is the same, here is another Arab country that has it's people wondering the streets of America and Europe aimlessly, why... they are running out, why, there is a very elegant monarchy, the resources are abundant, beautiful landscape, but the people are running, they are fleeing the country as if there is a plague. Let us not go to Yemen, and other countries; just duplicate what I just said and change the name of the country. The same applies to the 25 Arab countries and over 350 million people. In the 1950s 1960s of the last century, the ultimate face of the Arab defeat, Gamal Abdel Nasser, told the Arabs to wake up, to reject humiliation and to be proud. Abdel Nasser actually was the one that complimented the Turks job, and suppressed every sense of creativity the Arabs might had, he destroyed a nation that was thriving, Egypt, and he destroyed other nations, Syria, the Palestinians and Lebanon. Abdel Nasser, if there were justice and if he were still alive, he would stand trial for such crimes. But he is not the only one, every Arab president, king or prince has contributed to the demise of the Arab countries. Now, I must say, that there is no other choice but democracy, no more excuses; the Arab rulers love Israel, you know why, because they have Israel to hang on and to explain all their failures, anything that does not go well, the Arabs say, because of Israel. No respect to their people whatsoever. No dignity. But again, the masses are doing the same; they also are hanging their failures in everything on the rulers. See, it is a marriage between the ruler and the masses that both hate and love in the same time but no one wants to get a divorce...

*A Station in a Journey…..Midnight thoughts to Her…by Jamil Shawwa

She: you had to ruin it by asking all these questions, by putting me on the spot.

He: I cannot help it, I have to ask questions that I think of, I have to share what is in my mind, with those that I care about…

She: I told you indirectly to play the game and see how it goes

He: and I told you before, indirectly, that I am not good at it, I am new to it

She: here we are at a deadlock, I will not answer and you will not budge

He: I care, that is why I will not budge

She: what do you mean by that

He: I could have played the game, probably, and probably it could have led to something but it would have been against my nature

She: what is your nature

He: I am not a politician, I cannot filter my thoughts, although when talking politics or pretending that I know something about the political game, I do filter my thoughts, but I do that for the sake of the ultimate goal, objectivity.

She: why then you could not do the same, why you could not pretend that you know the game of conversation and continued on it; we had a ball, it was so amusing. You are just not clever

He: my point exactly, it was not amusing to me, and it was not a race to prove if I were clever or not; it was about the real thing, I cannot deal with just words, or abstracts for long, I have to deal with real feelings and real persons.

She: I am real

He: I am too

She: what is next for us

He: not sure, maybe the silence and watching each other from far, from a distance, will bring us back together again…

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*Disclaimer:

Any resemblance with real persons or situations is a mere coincidence. For entertainment purposes only.

A Story...The 10 year- Old- Boy In Jerusalem......by Jamil Shawwa

Time: 7:30 AM, A day in October 1974.
Place: the boarding school house at the YMCA, Ramallah, the West Bank.

The little 10 years old boy is waiting for the school bus to collect him from that boarding house to his school in Jerusalem; the distance is about 10 miles or 17 kilometers. He was holding two books; the first one was for one of Israel's most distinguished political and military writers, Ze'ev Schiff, about Israel during the 1973 October war, just fresh out of the presses, and the second was for one of Egypt’s most eloquent political writers, Mohamed El-Tabei, about the events that led to the 1952 Military coup and later on the end of the Muhammad Ali royal dynasty rule in Egypt. That boy loved to read, and now he loves to write, what a dilemma... The yellow bus arrived, the boy climbed the few steps, took his usual seat by the window and to the journey to Jerusalem. His parents put him in that school in Jerusalem, about 100 kilometers or 80 miles away from Gaza where his home and family were and lived. The bus driver and his assistant as usual were fighting, not sure over what but they used to fight all the time.

The bus started rolling through the narrow streets of Ramallah, and passed by The Friends School and to the mountain road to Jerusalem. The 1973 war just ended, and the name of the king of Jordan was not to be found or mentioned; it has been like this since the 1967 war. No one dared even his closest allies and money collectors to open their mouth with one word to praise him-publicly- or at least be fair to him. To the masses, he lost the Eastern part of Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967 war that he did not want to enter, and he did not want to participate. Wisely, of course, he did not go to war in 1973; otherwise, the East Bank would have been lost and it would have been the end of the Hashemite from their last resort.

One little boy did not care about all this politicking, the ten years old boy. The first time he passed by a beautiful unfinished palace on a beautiful hill in the suburbs of Jerusalem, he asked, for why it is not finished, when it will be finished and to whom it belongs. The whole bus went into silence, you could even hear a needle drop, just frightened looks and then came the big answer, a long, loud Hushhhhhhhhh; it belongs to King Hussein; a “courageous” student whispered, the king of Jordan then. That boy very innocently asked about something he felt beautiful but unfinished , and since then, he kept track of beautiful things- from his perspective- in life. He did not think politics, games, wearing different hats for different occasions and audiences; he just threw it out there.

The Story of Jordan is the king and the King is Jordan, period. Their core and heart and soul of their post 1948 political existence was uprooted when they listened to the voices of hypocrisy and demagoguery that came from, at that time, the capital of hypocrisy, Egypt's Nasser, from the second capital of Hypocrisy, Syria’s Baath and from the emotional charge that Nasser deceivably electrified the Arab countries calling for war on Israel. Of course, the Arabs just talked and screamed their lungs out while Israel took action, very smart- any other country in its position must have done the same thing- preemptive strikes and defeated three Arab countries, took Sinai, The Golan, The West Bank, and the Gaza strip.

The king knew then as the current one knows-his son Abdullah- that he will never again be the king of Jerusalem. The talk now is a two state solution, the State of Israel and the State of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital of both. The Hashemite might continue to oversee the religious sites for Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem but nothing more. Jordan is Jordan and Palestine and Israel are Palestine and Israel.

The Hashemite are popular among the Jordanians Bedouins, the backbone of the military and the backbone of the royal family. The Hashemite, originally, the rulers of Mecca and Hejaz until the early of the 20th century when the House of Saud kicked them out of power and established the modern- of course I’m using the word modern here loosely to describe an era but not actual modern mentality or anything from that sort- Saudi Arabia. They, the Hashemite, went on to rule Syria, Iraq, and Jordan; they were murdered in a bloody coup by bloody officers in Iraq in 1958 and before that, they were thrown out of power from Syria. They are in Jordan now. I personally want to see them to continue to rule Jordan, but Jordan is tough, with over 70% of the demography, originally Palestinians, the poverty, and the rumors of ongoing government corruptions, and the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious organization, disguised as a political party. I have to stick to my style though, the monarchy continues in Jordan but as a constitutional monarchy like in England. As a matter of fact, the mother of the king of Jordan is English, and in Jordan, they say that he speaks English better than Arabic; to me this is not an insult actually. Let us wait and see, it is not easy for the Hashemite, it has never been easy for them. The bus has arrived, and it is time for that boy to go to his first class, Mrs. Aabdin, the English teacher, is waiting.

*When the Lion Roars; Meowwwww...... by Jamil Shawwa

Bashar AL-Assad did not expect that life-changing phone call in the middle of a London cold night in 1994 telling him that a plane is in its way to bring him back to Syria at once. His older brother, Basil, has just had a fatal accident driving his ultra modified Porsche, some say Mercedes, on a mountain road in the fogy surroundings of the capital Damascus. It was a destiny he did not want and did not prepare for. All he wanted to be is an eye doctor. He is in love with the British born, originally Syrian, Queen’s and King’s Colleges graduate Asma Al-Akhras, from the majority Muslim Sunnis of Syria. Now the doctor is being groomed to rule the ever-tricky politics and country of Syria. The clan is calling, the Alawis, the rulers of Syria since 1970. His father- Hafiz Al-Assad- ruled Syria with an iron fist, some say that he did not have other choices; he was like Stalin in the Soviet Union. In 1982, the Muslim Brotherhood took over the Syrian city of Hama, Hafiz Al-Assad did not hesitate, surrounded the city and ordered the military to uproot the rebellion, thousands were killed; estimated at 20,000, but the clan survived. In Syria, the loyalty is to the system, to the Alawis, if you do a mistake in Syria and you are in high office or place- you do not resign, you commit suicide or being invited to commit a suicide. This is the Alawis style in covering up for the family and the clan. In 1967, three Arab countries stupidly waged a war against Israel, they lost, and Syria lost the Golan Heights, Hafiz Al-Assad was the minster of defense. In 1970, he took over in a coup d’état, removed a weak and an idiot president, from an elite Syrian Sunni family, Al-Atassi, and declared a new era in Syria. He led what he called a Corrective Movement, correct what, until now, nobody knows, but him. In 1975 under an Arab cover and the approval of both Israel and the United States, he entered Lebanon to stop a crazy civil war, became an occupier and stayed there until 2005 when the US ordered him- Bashar, the son- to leave at once following the assassination of the Lebanese Muslim Sunni leader and former prime minster, Al Hariri. Bashar Al-Assad became president in 2000 following the passing of his father and was immediately confronted in 2001 with the terrorists’ attacks on America and the Bush doctrine, which is either with us or against us. In 2003, his archenemy, yet partner, in the Baath fascist party, Saddam Hussein was removed from power, and Al-Assad became alone in the Baath system. Al-Baath party is a party that covers itself with Pan-Arab slogans, but in fact, it is a party that preaches secret rituals of how few can rule the many through oppression and manipulation of course, otherwise, if done democratically; then it is no problem at all for a minority to rule a majority. That party was founded by a Christian Syrian by the name of Michel Aflaq. Again, the party and the system are based on the Mafia style of justice and brutality and on the Mafia style that is all in the family and for the family and by the family. Al-Assad the father played his cards very well, and managed the cold war era but got lost when the Soviet Union collapsed, but again he regained the importance through managed and calculated alliances with the so called forces of extremism in the Middle East, and by being available to manipulate the politics in Lebanon, a country that money buys loyalty and a country where also the clan comes first and the country comes fourth. During the Iraqi-Iranian war of the 1980s, he aligned himself with the Iranians, both are minorities in the midst of the Arab Sunni countries, both are from the Shiite sect and both until now have all the interest to be together. Accordingly, his participation in the Kuwait liberation was very understandable, he did not do it for Kuwait but against Iraq and the need to share and participate in the US efforts as needed. Following that liberation war, there was the first peace conference, Al-Assad attended, with Israel, representatives of the Palestinians, Egypt and Jordan. He later on allowed his loyal Sunni foreign minister, later vice president Farouk al-Sharaa to meet the Israeli prime minister at the time Ehud Barak in Washington under the supervision of President Clinton. The Golan Heights is a beautiful landscape that is less than 30 miles away from the Syrian capital. Israel is there and can see the capital whenever needed, and Al-Assad knows that of course. He wants the Golan back, eventually he will get it but only through peace, and Al-Assad knows that too. It is a regime that is based on the need to do basis. In 2005, I wrote that Syria’s Baath is in its way out; its logic, verbiages and statements prey on the emotions of the masses, the disillusioned, the deceived, the naive, for the rest, it has no substance or respect and far away from anything that is democratic or normal. I mentioned then that the oppressive and manipulative pretentious ideology of the Baath could not make it survive or continue to exist. I forgot then that logic does not-always- go side by side with politics, and if Al Baath is gone from Iraq, it does not mean that it needs to go now from Syria. As for Al-Assad family, I think it will stay not sure for how long. As for Lebanon, Syria will never be allowed to go back again. Of course, anyone probably knows that Al-Assad does not dare to move a finger before getting the necessary regional and international approvals, which is good, and it means that he knows how to play the game of politics in The Middle East. Actually, the relations are really more of mutual interests rather than someone telling the other what to do. But if that someone or that somebody does not know what is best for them or is not willing to be pragmatic, flexible and be aware of the bigger picture and the regional formulas and interests, then that someone needs to go, and if it is the case, it would go now, and not tomorrow. Al-Assad is very aware of that formula and is happy with it.





*Assad is Lion in English.

The New Map of The Middle East...Three New Countries...by Jamil Shawwa

*The Middle East will witness in the coming years, not sure how many, the birth of three new countries that should compliment the current political map and would increase peace and security and stability. These three countries will be the vehicle that will reshape the Middle East, which will include Israel and two of the new three ones. The Middle East, the birthplace of the divine religions and the spring of the engine- Oil- of the civilization as we know it right now cannot be or cannot continue to be a trigger point or cause to wars and terrorism. The root cause of these worldwide problems would be eliminated with the establishment of the new countries. I will start with what appears to be the closest one to be declared an independent state, South of Sudan. This new country will help Sudan, the North, to focus, ideally, its resources and energies on democracy and development. The military regime in Khartoum, if it stays in power, would not have any excuse actually to stay. Sudan once described as the basket of Africa, as it could have fed the whole continent if resources are managed normally and I do not even say skillfully. The new South Sudan country will permanently seal Sudan from being an African country per se and make it closer to Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries within the big and new Middle East. The second country, which is on fast track to be an independent state, is the State of Palestine in the West Bank of the River Jordan between Jordan and Israel and the Gaza Strip. It is coming but the final picture is not yet clear, to me. The whole world including the State of Israel recognized this potential state but the issues at stake are very sensitive to both parties and on a larger scale very sensitive to the majority of the people all over the world. The first most difficult one is the status of Jerusalem, it is currently and formerly the capital of Israel and the Palestinians wants it to be their capital as well. Jerusalem will and should be the capital of both countries because both countries have population there and both Israel and Palestine, historically and religiously and emotionally and everything that you can think of, can claim a right in Jerusalem. It has the most sacred places to the Jewish people, the Christians and the Muslims. And If I may add, Jerusalem is a city of the world and it must be preserved as an international historic place where no one country either Israel and Palestine can change it's landscape without the coordination of the other and even maybe get the UN involved with some sort of symbolic observation. The other issue at stake is interconnected and relate to both the refugees who left the pre 1948 historic Palestine to the neighboring Arab countries and the Jewish settlers in the West Bank who feel that they can take over any piece of land in the West Bank and create a settlement there. The rhetoric is high on both sides, but ideally, the settlers would either move inside the State of Israel or be given regular citizenship status within Palestine and be citizens of the new state. There is another issue about the settlements that once resolved, and once addressed and once confronted logically, would create a new way of thinking that would be based on buying lands rather than taking over lands or properties and would give the Jewish people the mindset that they are no longer isolated and no longer need to be living in secure enclaves here and there; the land would be open to them as regular buyers of properties and same applies to Palestinians who wish to buy properties inside Israel, they cannot claim historic ownership on lands and properties inside Israel. In return, the issue of the Palestinian refugees would be resolved once and for all, no return, but be given citizenship in the countries they live in now; Jordan did the same decades ago but without publicity. The Arabs are so scared even to discuss the possibilities that they forfeit the so called right of return. The third country is the most difficult one-imagine something else more difficult than the Israeli Palestinian issue- which is the establishment of the State of Kurdistan in the historic Kurds areas that include lands in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan. I am a pro Kurdistan country for I have to admit selfish and practical reasons; it will in my opinion forever establish a zone that would make aggression from the side of any of its neighboring courtiers virtually not possible. It will create a zone, like an oasis in the middle of these courtiers that would act as a safe heaven and Bastian for peace in the region, it will also create economic prosperity in almost six countries and create business zones along the borders of all these countries. Imagine, those border areas had always been a cause for conflict, the creation of the State of Kurdistan would eliminate that zone, also it would control the drug trafficking to Europe, ensure smooth flow of oil, as Kurdistan is rich for oil fields. I mentioned before here my deep support to the inevitability, from my perspective for the creation of this State. It does not have to be on every inch of the historic land but it needs to be created. Once created, I do not personally see that it would encourage the Shiite in the south of Iraq to create their own country; I think the rest of Iraq would be ok to give the Kurds a country and they, as in Sudan, would focus on their core land and country.

*Maps:

http://www.usefreedomtv.com/images/Kurdistan_map.gif

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/images/maps/israel_palestine_map.gif

http://www.supiriresources.com/images/south_sudan.jpg

Settlements.....by Jamil Shawwa

The Jewish settlers in the West bank believe that they should be able to live in peace in any part of the land of Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza; let them. In the same token, Palestinians believe that they should be able to live in any part of the land of pre 1948 historic Palestine; let them.

Once you apply the same scale to both Israelis and Palestinians, to both people that live in Israel and Palestine, the whole problem or so called problem to some of the settlements in the West bank would disappear.

Israel and Palestine are so unique, there is no other land on earth that charge and provoke emotions and spirituality to billions of people from all three divine religions as that land of these two countries.

Same scale should apply to people who come from abroad and would like to take Palestine and Israel as their home, both people should be permitted within their boundaries or land. In the second stage, once both countries are established with borders but no fences, just borders, ultimately, people from both countries would be able to buy and sell properties anywhere.

A family in Gaza would be able or permitted to buy a house in Tel-Aviv, and a family from Israel would be able to do the same either in Gaza or anywhere else. See, the purpose of having two normal countries in the land of peace is to give among other things the Jewish people the feeling maybe for the first time in history that they do not have to live in secure enclaves or settlements, no need, because technically the whole land will be open for them to enjoy as for the Palestinians and as for others.

Same thing if an Israeli family or a Palestinian family wants to buy a house in America or France. Open borders, normal commerce, no need to go and take over any specific house or land and say that you want to establish an enclave there, just go ahead and buy it.

For hundreds of years, the Jewish and the Christians in the Middle East felt- unfortunately correctly- and were raised to live in areas together, create their own parts and sections; In Jerusalem for example, and within the old city, for hundreds of years and until now you have the Christian section and the Jewish section. This should stop now; they are regular people and citizens of the Middle East as any other religion and group, even if the number does not match the majority.

The future will have the twenty-two Arab countries and all the Islamic countries having normal and peaceful relations with both Israel and Palestine. Hundreds of years of the feeling of isolation cannot be erased in one year or two but the normalization of relations and the creation of the Palestinian State in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would be the foundation that will establish for the first time in history the harmonious atmosphere for Muslims, Jewish and Christians to not worry any more about prosecution, religious intolerance, ethnic discrimination; all the above can seize to exist, at least would seize to exist as a systematic behavior.

The Palestinians right now are at cross road and not the Israelis, they, the Israelis, have already established a world class country, the Palestinians need to get their act together, get the West Bank and Gaza under a normal elected government, have Hamas join the peace process as a regular political party, no terrorism, no attacking border towns and blowing humans and buses. Set at the table, talk and sign the piece of paper that states that you are civilized, smart, and realistic. Cannot get any easier.

The Great American Buffet…by Jamil Shawwa

She asked him if he had been to the Great American Buffet, he responded by saying that he lives in it. She looked at him and said you know what I mean, do not try to be smart with me, I know you well enough that these mind games do not work with me. I meant, she continued, the restaurant next to work, they have changed the menu and they have more fabulous varieties now, much more than before. He responded by no, although he remembered the place.

He also remembered many other things related to the Great American Buffet. America loves Buffets, and loves its people to mingle with each other; this is how the idea started. America loves the concept behind the Buffet.

The Great American Buffet stands tall and stands strong, the people that serve there are the same people that eat there, the servers and the customers are from the same background, there is no difference and America likes it that way. America does not like elitists, snobbish and America does not like the word servants.

America calls those that work at the Great American Buffet, servers and not servants. In the same token and on the flip side, America likes to call people that clean houses, the cleaning people or facilities, not servants, and if it happens that the cleaning person is a woman, America calls her, properly, the cleaning lady. To America it is a job, any legal, honest, hard working job, is a job. If you are one of those, very lucky, that have permanent people working for them at their homes, those people are not called servants but they are called staff, and I like it this way.

Everyone on earth directly or indirectly heard, seen, or tried the Great American Buffet. But not very many know that the great American Buffet does not like to keep the same colors, and the same style, it likes to change it’s colors as needed and as business requires, it is always though the Red, Blue and White, but that is only the flag on top of it’s building, other than that the owners change and the food style changes to fit all tastes and needs.

There used to be different sections for different styles, not any more, its all one section but with different variations, and the tables in the middle are no longer separated but connected with chains more powerful than steel to make sure that the different styles never get drfited again. The display has all kinds of dishes from all over the world, at the Great American Buffet, you see the Indian food, and dishes, mingling with the Chinese, the French, the Middle Eastern, not to forget the Russian and the Mexican, and if you are patient and look carefully, you will find a nice section for Sushi, and grilled Korean BBQ. The main dishes are also there, always there, the fried chicken next to the Irish stew and adjacent to the fish and chips.

Though main dishes, they rotate, they do not set or stay still, yesterday it was the Irish dish, today is the African dish, tomorrow there will be an Asian dish, and Spanish dish. The Great American Buffet likes to change it’s décor from time to time to fit the changes in taste but the Great American buffet does not change one thing, it does not change and cannot change its foundation, it modifies and amend as needed, but not the foundation, it renovates and it might tear down the above ground to build a new building but it does not touch the base, the core, the foundation.

That is the story of the Great American Buffet, oh, I forgot to say that it celebrates its clientele and its servers and owners every month or so. This month, it is celebrating the Middle Eastern cuisine, and it has been like this since last month, many dishes of Hummus and falafel and pita bread but though originally Middle Eastern, those dishes are American dishes, do not forget that they are being served right now at the Great American Buffet.