West Asia News and Discussions

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 25 Dec 2010 02:57

Folks the Middle East Analysis Blog is up and running. The first post has been made. Please let me know how I could make it better.

Any news and views, please email eye.on.middleeast "at" gmail dot com

Thanks.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 25 Dec 2010 03:13

what's the address?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 25 Dec 2010 03:22

^^ OOps! Apologies. The address for the blog is: http://middleeast-analysis.blogspot.com/

Many Thanks

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Dec 2010 11:18

Great job in getting it started. May it serve as a window on ME for Indians.

Thanks,

raman

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 25 Dec 2010 11:32

shyamd wrote:Folks the Middle East Analysis Blog is up and running. The first post has been made. Please let me know how I could make it better.

Any news and views, please email eye.on.middleeast "at" gmail dot com

Thanks.

Seriously eye catching Shyam with photo files. Layout is neat and elegant. Dont just stop with ME politics; do write on social & other issues from Indian perspective. Do write about temples in Oman. JMT.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Dec 2010 11:38

Kanson the idea is to have an Indian eye on Middle East. And to provide a platform for ShaymD to give his opinions.

Kanson · Post by **Kanson** » 25 Dec 2010 11:42

Whatever his eye can see!

abhischekcc · Post by **abhischekcc** » 25 Dec 2010 13:27

Shyamd,

One thing that you can talk about are the important personalities in the region and their inter-reltionships.

This is unique perspective that you can bring about, which I do not see covered in the media so much, but is important in understanding the region and its dynamics. The economics, security, and political dimensions are important things that others cover, but do not cover the personal issues (may be because institutions do not want to offend the important people).

abhischekcc · Post by **abhischekcc** » 25 Dec 2010 13:31

Other topics you can cover, which would be of interest to a wider audience:

1. GCC common market
2. GCC common currency
3. GCC and Iran
4. Saudi and Iran
5. Shia vs Sunni

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 25 Dec 2010 22:58

Thanks for all the suggestions folks! Will need your support as we go forward.

Abischekcc, I intend to talk about those topics suggested.

Ramana, Thanks for giving me the motivation to start the blog and helping set it up. A special thanks to jamwal too for setting it up.

Kanson, will talk about them at some point.

Thanks.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 26 Dec 2010 03:53

Wikileaks shows Saudi wild party with Alcohol, drugs, sex and prostitutes

An American diplomatic document reveals a secret party of a Saudi Prince with alcohol, drugs, sex and prostitutes. In yet another flurry of secret documents of U.S. diplomacy, the site WikiLeaks showed, in great detail, a Halloween party organized by a wealthy Saudi prince in the city of Jeddah (Jeddah in Arabic), with the highest quality drink, drugs and sex with prostitutes.

One of the secret documents, dated 18/11/2009, reported: "Behind the facade of Wahhabi conservatism on the streets, the nightlife for the young elite of Jeddah is thriving and throbbing. The full range of worldly temptations and vices are available - alcohol, drugs, sex - but strictly behind closed doors. "

The prince's name was omitted from the document, as the diplomats themselves acknowledge that their names should be withheld. The only clue is that this Prince belongs to the Al Thunayan huge family.

Alcohol is strictly banned in all of Saudi Arabia, which punishes the possession of drugs with long jail sentences and public flogging.

According to reports from the document of American diplomacy, there was no sign of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice at the party with 150 youths, all aged between 20 and 30 years. The discreet clothes that they use in the streets were removed at the door to reveal party clothes.

A young Saudi who was at the party told one of the American diplomats that "the increasing conservatism of our society in recent years only changed social interaction to the inside of people's homes."

news black out obviously in KSA.
wonder what will happen if more pious know about this rendezvous by the less pious.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 26 Dec 2010 19:06

Wikileaks shows Saudi wild party with Alcohol, drugs, sex and prostitutes

Saudi Islamic police told not to spy on people

Saudi Arabia’s top scholar has urged the country’s feared Islamic police not to spy on people and confine their operations only to outdoors.

Problem solved.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 26 Dec 2010 20:59

^^^ No chance..that is not even happening in Malaysia where religious police few days ago raided a hotel and took away a couple (consenting adults, one of them Iraqi Arab, another a local lady, divorced/separated) and prosecuted them for Kalwat (or whatever that is)...

You think their gurus will change?

This is just takiya for western eyes only...

qed...from the same paper...

http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/ ... 6-1.334134

Saudi expels man for cursing God

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Dec 2010 03:50

London tries – and fails - to trap new Mossad chief into admitting Dubai murder

DEBKAfile Special Report December 26, 2010, 10:27 AM (GMT+02:00)
Tags: Britain Hague Israel Mossad Pardo
UK hassles Tamir Pardo as future Mossad director

Before he has a chance to hang up his hat in his new office, the Mossad secret service's new head Tamir Pardo is faced with a ruse for inveigling him into admitting that Israel's hand in the murder of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in Dubai a year ago. Saturday, Dec. 25, the London Daily Telegraph tried claiming that, when Pardo visits London next month, he will apologize for the use of British passports in the killing and so make up for the lapses of his predecessor Meir Dagan. This would purportedly pave the way for the Mossad station chief, expelled over the Dubai episode, to be restored to London as part of Israel's "urgent drive to rebuild relations with the UK."

debkafile's intelligence sources dismiss this as a taradiddle dreamed up to put Israel in its place and possibly mask London's own pressing need for restored collaboration with Mossad. It will present Pardo with one of his first tests.
It is unheard of in relations between undercover agencies for one head to make it his first priority - even before taking office - to travel to a foreign capital and say "Sorry!" for the doings of his predecessor who is still on the job and promise never to do it again. The tale is further embroidered by Pardo's alleged claim that he warned Dagan that the "whole business will come home to haunt us."
Whatever Pardo's views on the episode, he will certainly not share it with British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Home Secretary Theresa May – and certainly not at his first "briefings" with MI6 chief John Sawers, head of MI6, or Jonathan Evans, the MI5 director.

The Telegraph further "reports" Pardo as having served as deputy director of Mossad for the past three years, and "describes" him as having "argued against using British, Irish and Australian passports for the team sent to murder Mabhouh in his hotel room."

The fact is debkafile's sources report, Pardo has not served as deputy director for three years because during all that time, he was away, fully occupied outside the Mossad as a private businessman developing investments in Internet and other international Dot.Com ventures. He could not and did not take part in any conferences planning the Dubai killing - had they indeed taken place.

Yet with this tall tale, Telegraph's "sources" hoped to net the Cameron government – and especially William Hague – a bushel of benefits:
1. The Foreign Office would have finally "tamed" Mossad after many years of fruitless effort;

2. Extracting an admission from Mossad of responsibility for the Mabhouh killing in the form of a Pardo apology would gain points for the Cameron government in Washington. Those points might help rebuild the "special relationship" dented by US coolness toward the previous and present British governments. (Wikileaks cites the non-existent special relationship as a standing joke among US diplomats).

It would also be good for British trade with the Persian Gulf.

3. The Foreign Office and British Ambassador Matthew Gold would be able to put behind them the humiliation the foreign secretary suffered during his visit to Israel on Nov. 3, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu prohibited senior Israelis from attending a dinner at the ambassador's residence. They were summoned to "brief" the Foreign Secretary on Israeli intelligence and its intentions on Iran. Among them were the Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor (who had just called off a London visit to avoid being arrested for "war crimes"), Meir Dagan, Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, Shin Bet director Yuval Diskin and the head of the Israel atomic commission Shaul Horev.

London sought to bill that encounter as "strategic dialogue." It is trying to pull the same stunt by ambushing the incoming Mossad chief.

4. The Telegraph lays out Pardo's agenda of priorities as follows: Providing Britain and NATO with increased intelligence on Iran's nuclear weapons program, using its network of undercover agents in the country; increasing Mossad's role in Yemen and expanding its watch over the Russian SVR in Syria and Turkey in order to help the West "win the new Cold War."

Pardo must also brief the Brits on Israel's "deep cover agents" in Asia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iran and report the strength of China's cyber war ability to attack the West. In all these fields, British MI6 admits it cannot easily operate. Therefore, the Israeli Mossad chief must place all of Israel's top secrets at the feet of the MI6 chief at their first interview, says the Telegraph - a likely prospect indeed, but also a dead giveaway of London's motive in pushing so precipitately to "rebuild" relations.

And what is London offering in return? If Pardo plays along, the Mossad station chief whom London expelled over a dozen faked British passports, which Israel was never proved to have used, will be reinstated.

Judging from the above list of the UK's intelligence weaknesses, his absence from London was sadly missed by… his former hosts.

Once again, two months after William Hague failed to call the shots in Jerusalem, London is again trying to put Israel in its place. If the new Mossad chief refuses to play the game according to British rules, he will find its power centers icebound.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Dec 2010 05:06

Dahi fears citizens of Gulf states could be marginalised

Dubai Police chief calls on them to stop relying on expat workers

* By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief

Manama: Dubai's Police Chief supported a claim that if the population of expatriate workers continued to rise in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states at the current pace, Gulf citizens would soon be marginalised.

"The possibility of GCC nationals turning into a minority in their own countries cannot be ruled out if a law is, for instance, promulgated and enforced to naturalise expatriates," Lieutenant Colonel Dahi Khalfan Tamim said.

He was reacting to questions from the audience at a popular monthly call-in programme on Qatar Television Laqum Al Qarar (It Is Your Decision).

The audience comprised mostly young people from across the Gulf, Qatari daily The Peninsula reported yesterday.

The discussion addressed the issue if the rising numbers of foreign workers posed a serious threat to the GCC identity and culture, and if so, what steps the governments in the region could take to reduce the danger.

If the GCC governments do not take bold steps to check the inflow of foreign workforce, a day could come when locals would be marginalised in their own countries and become like Red Indians in the United States, Lt Gen Dahi said.

Unending chain

Citing examples, he said Malayalees (people from the south Indian state of Kerala) and Iranians who came to the Gulf and ran small neighbourhood stores eventually became millionaires.

"Why can't we run these stores which, after all, we legally own? But we do not want to do such work," he said. An Indian driver is hired by a Gulf family and then he manages to bring a relative even if there is no job for him. The relative hunts for a job and lands one. This is an unending chain," Dahi said. Ministers should bring to the notice of the GCC Rulers the rising threat the heavy influx of foreign workers poses to GCC identity and culture," he said.

However, when asked if the problem could be tackled to some extent if more workers were brought in from Arab countries, Lt Gen Dahi said: "I do agree that they [Arab expatriates] are better than non-Arabs."

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Dec 2010 15:45

Guys please visit: http://middleeast-analysis.blogspot.com/ for comments regarding the above article. I look forward to hearing your views. Also guys, please try and spread the message on this blog to others. Lets make it a success for BR.

Thanks.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 27 Dec 2010 15:55

"Why can't we run these stores which, after all, we legally own? But we do not want to do such work," he said. An Indian driver is hired by a Gulf family and then he manages to bring a relative even if there is no job for him. The relative hunts for a job and lands one. This is an unending chain," Dahi said. Ministers should bring to the notice of the GCC Rulers the rising threat the heavy influx of foreign workers poses to GCC identity and culture," he said.

'coz u people could not produce a single stenographer, not a single mason to build a small house, not a driver who could drive an old car. Your sheikhs owned the wealth and marginalised their own people. First try to produce decent drivers from your own population please.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 29 Dec 2010 05:54

About the news of deployment of missiles by Iran in Venezuela.

Nose under the tent - Iranian missiles in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has agreed to permit Iran to deploy medium range ballistic missiles to his country. According to press reports, the Iranians will construct a missile base in Venezuela housing several versions of North Korean-made Scud short range missiles and the Iranian-produced Shahab 3 medium tange ballistic missile. The Shahab 3 has a range of about 900 miles, not enough to reach the United States mainland.

The fact that the missiles cited in the press reports cannot reach the United States is not the issue. What is important is the fact that the Iranians are deploying missiles to the Western Hemisphere at all. Since the missiles do not appear to pose an immediate threat, Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hope that the Obama Administration will not attempt to block the missile deployment in an effort reminiscent of what President John Kennedy did during what many are calling a similar crisis, the attempted Soviet delivery of ballistic missiles to Cuba in 1962.

While Iran is not Russia, and Venezuela is not Cuba, this initial deployment of Iranian missiles and their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) crews is merely the first step, or as we say in the Middle East, the "nose under the tent."

I should also have added that Barack Obama is not John Kennedy. The Iranians have assessed that the Obama Administration, correctly, in my opinion, is weak and naive on foreign policy. The Obama diplomatic "engagement" strategy toward Iran and Syria has yielded no positive results for the United States. I suspect that Ahmadinejad believes that the American administration has no stomach for confrontation and will do nothing more than demand additional sanctions as Iran continues to develop a nuclear weapons capability. In other words, Ahmadinejad sees a window of opportunity, specifically a period in which a weak American administration focused on controversial domestic issues is unwilling to take a tough stance on Iran's grand ambitions.

Once the initial deployment of Iranian missiles, which will be portrayed as not posing a threat to the United States, is a fait accompli, it only requires minimum effort on the part of the Venezuelan and Iranian governments to introduce longer range missiles currently in the Iranian inventory. These missiles do pose a threat to the southeastern United States, including Washington, DC.

The chance to deploy IRGC troops into America's "back yard" is possibly too great a temptation for Ahmadinejad to pass up. He opposes the presence of American forces in the Middle East and is attempting to turn the tables on the United States. If you ascribe grand strategic thinking to the Iranian president, you could make the case that he is beginning this deployment in a attempt to catalyze an agreement with Obama much like Kennedy did with Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev. In 1962, the United States removed some missiles from Turkey and the Soviets halted the deployment of missiles to Cuba.

Perhaps Ahmadinejad thinks that he can "engage" with Obama for the withdrawal of American forces from the Persian Gulf if he halts Iran's missile deployment to the Caribbean. Why would he not think that? He has successfully outmaneuvered the Obama Administration at virtually every turn. There has been no slowdown in Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon because of anything done by the American government. The most serious impediment to Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon is a computer virus at some Iranian uranium enrichment facilities and the assassination of two of its top nuclear scientists. Most Middle East analysts, myself included, attribute those incidents to the Israelis.

There are additional troubling aspects of the Iranian-Venezuelan agreement. The missiles will be manned by Iranian military and IRGC officers, in conjunction with Venezuelan military officers. The Venezuelans will receive intensive training in missile technology. The Iranian missiles can be used by the Venezuelans for what is called "national needs." Although that has not been defined, Iranian SRBM's and IRBM's in Venezuela pose a serious threat to American allies in the region, such as Columbia, as well as some American territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

Again, if you ascribe grand strategic thinking to Ahmadinejad, you might believe that increased cooperation with Venezuela has other benefits for Iran as well. A few months ago, the Russians backed out of a deal to sell the advanced S-300 air defense system to Iran, citing United Nations sanctions. The Russians are, however, marketing that same weapon system to the Venezuelan armed forces. Perhaps these air defense systems might find their way from Venezuela to Iran? Never underestimate the Iranians; this is exactly the type of Byzantine maneuvering that is common in the bazaars of the region.

Where is the concern?

For those of us who vaguely remember the Cuban missile crisis (I was 11 years old) and our quick lessons in the Monroe Doctrine, the mere thought of offensive missiles in the Western hemisphere is troubling. It is especially troubling when the culprit is the volatile and fairly unpredictable regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian leaders believe that the American administration is naive and weak - they may be right. Thus far there has been almost no reaction to the impending deployment of strategic missiles into South America, the deployment of missiles to a country that has demonstrated open hostility to the United States. No reaction is tacit acceptance. Just like the Iranians believe the United States has tacitly accepted their eventual acquisition of nuclear weapons, they believe there is no real action on the horizon to prevent them from stationing offensive weapons only 1000 miles from the United States.

This is another direct challenge to the United States, and yet another test of President Obama's leadership. Where is the concern from Washinton?

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 29 Dec 2010 11:57

If the blog post above is an accurate interpretation of the Intanian and Venesualan intentions and actions. Then they seem to be in for what the soviets recieved from the Khans in 61.

In 61 the soviets interpreted the same weakness in another US president. The result of that is known to the ROW. This time not having the military resources of the FSU. Iran and Venesuala are pokeing the US.

The result will be quite unplesent for both.

The US however weak will not allow a non US power to station weapons in the Americas.

All in all we are in for nice collection of yellow pants.

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 29 Dec 2010 13:17

Utter rubbish! Unless the Iranians and Venezuelans are suicidal, they would never dare such a antic! US currently might not have the stomach for another decade long 'invasion', but they can plaster Iran and Venezuela and walk away! Iranians are not stupid, and if they are,then may allah be with them - they'll need him!

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 30 Dec 2010 06:52

Update: Expatriates are the future threat of the entire Gulf: HE Dahi Khalfan Tamim Wednesday,

29 December 2010 20:44

Share

Excerpts from the interview of Dahi Khalfan Tamim in a Qatar Television show titled ‘Laqum Al Qarar’ (The Decision is Yours). The interview was conducted in Arabic and this is the English translation.

How do you see the hosting of the World Cup 2022 and what will its impact be on the Gulf? Will migrant workers in Qatar be affected and Gulf citizens in general?

First of all I would like to extend my best wishes and blessings to His Highness Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, on the occasion of National Day, as I would like to pay tribute to the hospitality received by Qatar, which placed the country in the global rank. Qatar’s name is on everyone’s tongue and I do not think that any country will enjoy such reputation that was enjoyed by the State of Qatar and its rulers.

Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup 2022 will have a positive impact in the entire Gulf region, because we have witnessed in the past Qatar’s professionalism in organization of events who had won admiration from the entire world, let alone the output of such hosting.

What is your take on expats and their impact on the Islamic identity in the region?

Speaking from the security point of view, I personally sense the seriousness of expats but I would like to clarify I won’t know anything about the impact. And I wouldn’t like to comment on it since the topic remains sensitive.

Going by the economic aspect, in the Gulf country an expat comes here on labour or a worker’s visa, but later he starts his own business by either buying a small shop or venturing into other trade slowly turning a rich man.

Local citizens though are the actual owners are not trying to expand their business who rely on the expats, which is a sad thing.

Can the Gulf citizen compete in this field economically? What is the impact of foreign workers on the Islamic identity and national identity?

Frankly speaking, expatriates are doing well in the Gulf despite the fact there is language barrier here. Expats are found in every nook and streets of the Gulf, and if they can prosper here then why not its citizens.

What if any day their government insisted on giving expats Gulf nationality?

If this kind of thing arises, then we would send in their government’s nationality request to the United Nations which will be backed by the organizing bodies involved and interested in human rights. If we refuse then we will be accused of racism and will be boycotted economically and commercially, even diplomatically. If we accepted it then no fingers of accusation will be raised.

There is a study that the Gulf is planning cancellation of sponsorship. What will be its impact and result?

Yes, that's just a study, but so far it has not been considered and we do not know whether it will be approved or not, as the matter is still under discussion level. But let me state here the matter is of security. Earlier, there used to be faces known to us, but now there are plenty of unknown faces around us. For example, when we used to go to the mosques, we would find our near and dear ones with whom we used to share our feelings but now if you enter a mosque you will find all new faces from other countries. This will definitely pose a danger sign in the near future.

Do you think that the Arab identity is in danger?

Yes, the foreigner presents his idea, culture and identity on the Gulf society. I will not hide from you a secret as a security man that there are criminal customs and cases that were never found or heard about in our Gulf society, for example - issues of paints and the third sex. These customs and beliefs brought to our communities with the number of increasing expats. It may be a normal habit and acceptable in their community, but it has undoubtedly formed a thorny issue in our Gulf society.

By this do you mean that an Indian will some day be the president of the UAE?

Why specifically Emirates and not Qatar, or Kuwait or any Gulf state? Gulf is one and what is applied to a state is not unlikely to happen to another. It can’t be ruled out that after 70 years you will see in Arabian Gulf an Indian president from, like what happened

to the United States of America where a Kenyan Barack Obama took over as President. So when it can happen in the United States why not in the Arabian Gulf.

Do you mean the collapse of descendent of crown princes in the Gulf?

Yes, if this massive presence in and the fear of globalization which do not count remained in the Gulf States, we will find ourselves that there will be international laws of settlement

and claims to grant nationality to expatriates who have lived in the land of GCC for this or that period. The Gulf citizens in our society constitute a proportion of 15 to 20 per cent while the percentage of residing foreign workers is 80 to 90 per cent. Here in front of international law and claims to nationalization and citizenship for expatriates we will find ourself very embarrassed and there will be no alternative to obedience of the majority. Don’t be surprised, I am talking with a long-term strategic point of view.

We have to recognize one fact, specifically going by the past years and experiences which shows us the imposition of resettlement on some countries of the international community that led to victory for majority. It is sure that the United Nations will not list our demands at a time when the report of the governments of expats claim for the right to self-determination will reach to grant their people the nationality in the Gulf - as it happened in Singapore!!

What is the action plan for the GCC?

Now the GCC states can set up a Gulf Consortium and not a Gulf Council modelled on the European Union.

What is the difference between the Gulf Consortium and the European Union?

The difference is very clear, as is the case of the European Union. The land of the Gulf and Gulf citizens will be on equal terms for the rights and duties. Yes, every member of the Gulf Consortium will decide its internal issues, but it will remain a United Gulf on the Gulf ground.

I am talking about national identity and strengthen the identity of the Gulf, because each of us look at his country with a narrow perspective and does not see from the perspective of a Gulf region as a whole, which will end up on we will suffering from the fear of complex population structure in the Gulf.

For example you in Qatar will have more than one million workers for the preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. Do you see the scene and the picture from now on? The only Gulf country which is excluded from that is Sultanate of Oman. The volume of worker in Qatar would reach one million six hundred thousand (1,600,000) at least, and this means that the percentage of Qataris will be less than 10 per cent.

The expats are the major problem and we must develop strategies to address them, and one way to address the real problem is United Gulf.

Another thing here is the language barier. Most of the Gulf citizens are forced to learn expats’ language which is an insult to our citizens. What is your take on this? Will there be a solution to this?

You have every right because the whole Gulf uses foreign workers and the most of them are from Asia and those workers came to our society with the habit and values that do not suit us perfectly. The abnormal phenomena in our society and the values that don’t suit our values should be noticed. All these cultural habits except language are found to be floating on the surface of Gulf community. The variables with the society are not with the cultural identity only but also with the national identity.

The problem is not in them but it is in us because we don’t create solutions. Why we blame expats and don’t blame our policies and the planners of the recruitment policies? The official dress for workers has now become extinct and Kuwait is the biggest example. And it is not Kuwait alone but the entire Gulf society is suffering from the decline of identity of national uniform. On the professional level the state facilitates the licensing and recruitment of workers who carry with them their culture, identity and beliefs and undoubtedly spread the same in our society. If we look from the perspective of regulation of such employment and not allowing it to rise, the ruler as an individual and society as a whole are a group of citizens and some of them work in different ministries of the state and that they must stand to stop.

Do you mean that the concerned authorities failed to deliver the result and therefore this problem accumulated? Have the ministers failed?

I didn’t mean the ministers and didn’t accuse them of failure. This is only an example of what must be done and the example of the failure of our youth and our citizens and the fault is not in expats, but it is in us. I exclude Sultanate of Oman from all of this because it is the only Gulf state that has adopted the policy of reduction of expats.

I like to pay tribute to the youth of Oman, who entered the work market in jobs in which rest of the Gulf states still continue to use the foreign workers. A Omani citizen works at a vegetable shop and even in a grocery store and also as a taxi driver. The Omani citizen accepted the ordinary work in order not to recruit the labour that share with them their abilities, affect their identity and bring the alien cultures and customs in the Omani society as it happened in the rest of the GCC states. The youth in the Gulf refuses and resents the ordinary work despite being not qualified and doesn’t like to replace a foreigner in the work. Therefore, we find them complaining of unemployment. Isn’t a strange matter? But they blame the policy of the state and the expats who does what is supposed to be done by a citizen of the state.

Is the population of the citizens the reason of these migrant workers?

Yes, this may be one of the points and not the base. If you look around you at the buildings and the competition in the construction despite the less number of citizens, then who will live in those buildings? The irreversibility line is not an easy matter and a strategy must be made to get us out of that dilemma legally and away from the reports and decisions of the organizations of human rights and the United Nations and other bodies.

The unemployment, bachelorhood and the cost of living are increasing. A section of young men have missed the chance of marriage and the other section is not able to give birth. What is the solution?

I think in the beginning the marriage funds must be activated to encourage young people to tie the knot. A plan must be developed to increase the reproduction and stimulate families by developing a strategy for the allowances for each child and thus the number of households to be increased by increasing the reproduction. Otherwise we will go eroded as the people of Gulf.

Do you recognize the 66 initiatives that you put forward?

Neither I put forward any initiative nor did I declare any. I do not know from where a journalist who published this topic came to know. I read the topic in the newspapers like you did. I had presented a strategy to solve the population problem 15 years ago. A committee was formed and I put forward the initiative and presented it to all the rulers of the UAE, but things were not applied on the ground and just kept as an initiative. We have to deal with the demographics first even until we in the coming 20 years go up to 50 per cent of citizens among the 50 per cent of foreigners. There is no complete solution because the population of foreign workers is more than the indigenous population of the Gulf 100 times.

Is the incident of Al Mabhouh not an indication that the citizen of Gulf is not safe in his homeland? The insecure feeling of Gulf citizens negatively affects the psyche? Especially the help that the accused got to kill him was provided by the residents.

The residents who helped the accused in killing Al Mabhouh were not from the UAE and they are not residing on its land but they are residents of other states. The political security is provided to 150 to 200 nationalities. We are in turmoil and it is certain that it will affect us negatively on the psyche of the citizen who entered a mosque and looked around and didn’t find any acquaintance.

There is a policy adopted by the Security that watches the Gulf citizen round the clock which also has a negative effect.

The Security does not monitor the Gulf citizen and there is no loss of privacy. There is no surveillance of any citizen or resident unless we see the phenomena which require to be followed up. The follow-up and surveillance takes place after getting permission from the Attorney General. The surveillance is not arbitrary, nor does it watch any person except the suspects. Do not forget that 90 per cent are foreigners, who leave a negative impact on the political situation as expats help the United Nations to make reports that always blame the Gulf society.

Within the legislation how we see the citizens from the law’s point of view?

In the beginning they were our guests. Today the problem is that there are contracts binding on the sponsor with charters and international standards and the sponsor is blamed if any defect is found. The citizen who sponsors the workers is responsible and has all the commitments from A to Z before the law and authorities.

Sometimes job contracts are exaggerated in order to avoid the complaint from UN and international organizations and fearing international blame on us if any government submitted a report on its nationals working in the Gulf to any of those international organizations. We must, therefore, take into account those points in the legislation and the law.

Do you expect guest workers will decrease in the region?

How it will come down as everywhere in the shops, markets, constructions, contracting, vehicle workshops and municipality there are foreigners.

The Red Indians was a title applied to Indians in America. Will there be a day the proverb “brown people from Gulf” will be applied to us?

It is very difficult to rule out that phenomenon if such situation continued to increase. In the next 50 years foreign workers will have a huge impact on our Gulf identity and there is the fear that we find ourselves in front of law that binds us with the naturalization and the citizenship.

Intervention from Kuwait – Mahmoud Rabee: What is your role to find out solutions away from the repercussions of the past, I mean what is the solution in the future?

If I had to take the decision then I would have done the same immediately by reducing and rationing these guest workers to the Gulf. But this decision is governed by other things on the political and international level as well as our citizens also failed to solve that problem.

Intervention from Bahrain – The studies have confirmed that the Gulf States are the most attractive regions of the world for Asian labourers. What would you say?

Yes, the Asian are tempted by the Gulf States because of the poverty of those countries, while we are an attractive region for them to live on our land. There are many reasons that lead the Asian people to approach us including the banking sectors. Competitions, awards in millions declared by the banks, draws that are made on cars, bank certificates, a life of plenty in Gulf that encourage the Asian community to come and stable in the Gulf ... Imagine that Asian labour remittances from the Gulf amounts to 413 billion annually.

If you were not an army man, what you would have wished to be?

I wish I was a merchant.

Do the expats pose a threat in the Gulf?

Yes they do pose a threat. Our government wants them to be here get married and produce children. Our government wants them to be here and take care of us our children.

A female citizen from the University of Sharjah intervened

The late father Sheikh Zayed - and his proverb: making of the mankind - and the work in accordance with the proverb over the eras - we in the Gulf face lack of numbers and lack of experience and lack of skills.

We must get qualified and qualify the Gulf youth so that he can replace the foreigner. In the past, a man in the Gulf used to work for his country and now we find the citizen seeing it with a self perspective. He is reluctant to marry in order to complete his education abroad, and everyone wants to work as a manager and do not accept the job accepted by the foreigners. Before blaming the officials we should blame the youth of the Gulf who sees the common work and job (as failure in front of his friends). The citizens are the reason.

An interposition from Doctor Hassan, Engineer, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the population of Qatar

Thus we see the increasing impact of the growing labour on food security, political security and all the economic aspects. The qualitative composition is adversely affects without a doubt and poses a threat economically. Here, you must think of the development of local talent until they go along the development process and replace the foreign workers creating a work force in our land. That 76 per cent of the Qatari society are male. Why then their competence not developed and the best elements are not extracted to replace expatriate workers? Arabic language will decline in our societies in the generations to come. The reason is that there is a lack of cultural identity under a harmonious combination that lives in the Qatari community except the deviations of the crimes, behavioural abnormalities and poor services and all that affects the political security.

THE PENINSULA

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 30 Dec 2010 08:33

Why are they so worried about this? End of oil era is near and once that happens, this region will go back to what it was for 4000 years - a bunch of barbarians fighting amongst each other...no one will get anywhere there and suffer the 50 degree sunshine..

ashokpachori · Post by **ashokpachori** » 30 Dec 2010 12:02

VikasRaina wrote:If US can trade with Terrorist nation like TSP, why should India try to squeeze Iran just because USA is saying so.
Caveat being either this is being blown out of proportion or there is something for RBI in asking for settlement outside ACU.
If someone is doing it because US says so then they should be fired from their job. USA hardly is a trustworthy partner.

While you will find less than 500 yankees in India, there are apx 3 million Indians in the US. We have to for our juicy interests and not otherwise. India is a UNSC/NSG aspirant nation. If there is no reciprocation with the US, our Indian companies get black listed in the US - a nation which controls the locks of dual tech.

chola · Post by **chola** » 30 Dec 2010 12:07

abhischekcc wrote:
Iran does not sponsor terrorist movements in India, nor does it fund fundamentalist schools of thought - which Pak and KSA do, respectively.

If India becomes dependant on US allies, then these threats against India will rise.

Sir, the nation is a radical theocratic dictatorship. Who are we kidding here? It supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist and radical organizations around the world.

What ever threat that can arise is already there. It's the nature of the beast. You cannot be an Islamic theocracy and expect to treat infidels -- especially elephant headed gods worshippers like hindoos -- as equals.

ashokpachori · Post by **ashokpachori** » 30 Dec 2010 12:14

chola wrote:
abhischekcc wrote:
Iran does not sponsor terrorist movements in India, nor does it fund fundamentalist schools of thought - which Pak and KSA do, respectively.

If India becomes dependant on US allies, then these threats against India will rise.
Sir, the nation is a radical theocratic dictatorship. Who are we kidding here? It supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist and radical organizations around the world.

What ever threat that can arise is already there. It's the nature of the beast. You cannot be an Islamic theocracy and expect to treat infidels -- especially elephant headed gods worshippers like hindoos -- as equals.

And there is another angle to it, that of Israel, which Iran wants to wipe from the map. That in turn would produce some domino effect of deadly proportion IMO, as Israel has Samson option.

chola · Post by **chola** » 30 Dec 2010 12:16

ashokpachori wrote:
VikasRaina wrote:If US can trade with Terrorist nation like TSP, why should India try to squeeze Iran just because USA is saying so.
Caveat being either this is being blown out of proportion or there is something for RBI in asking for settlement outside ACU.
If someone is doing it because US says so then they should be fired from their job. USA hardly is a trustworthy partner.

While you will find less than 500 yankees in India, there are apx 3 million Indians in the US. We have to for our juicy interests and not otherwise. India is a UNSC/NSG aspirant nation. If there is no reciprocation with the US, our Indian companies get black listed in the US - a nation which controls the locks of dual tech.

Absolutely. Not to mention the vast majority of our outsourcing trade is with American companies.

But aside from economics, we need to get away from this knee-jerk anti-Americanism. We sat on the fence during the Cold War under Congress and the Nehru clan and watched other democracies like S. Korea and Japan lap us many times over under the American led trade system.

India can ill afford to be on the fence this time around. The truth is Iran was the first and still most powerful Islamic state. TSP might be a failed state but Iran is a theocracy. If it gets the Bomb after the Pakis then it bodes ill for infidels everywhere in the world bar none.

chola · Post by **chola** » 30 Dec 2010 12:24

ashokpachori wrote:

And there is another angle to it, that of Israel, which Iran wants to wipe from the map. That in turn would produce some domino effect of deadly proportion IMO, as Israel has Samson option.

Israel today. Kashmir tomorrow. Iranians are not Arabs. So why the extreme hostility towards Israel?

The answer is obvious. Iran is a theocratic regime. By definition a theocracy will only accept the version of those who are of the same creed.

ashokpachori · Post by **ashokpachori** » 30 Dec 2010 12:37

chola wrote:
ashokpachori wrote:

And there is another angle to it, that of Israel, which Iran wants to wipe from the map. That in turn would produce some domino effect of deadly proportion IMO, as Israel has Samson option.
Israel today. Kashmir tomorrow. Iranians are not Arabs. So why the extreme hostility towards Israel?

The answer is obvious. Iran is a theocratic regime. By definition a theocracy will only accept the version of those who are of the same creed.

Islam has no boundries, and as per Islamic scripture, a muslim is a brother to a Muslim. Just as Karzai said lucidly: India is our friend, but Pakistan is our twin brother.

A word to the wise should be enough.

ashokpachori · Post by **ashokpachori** » 30 Dec 2010 12:41

Iran is now a nuclear state: Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran is now a nuclear country and that it has achieved nuclear know-how for energy purposes, a media report said

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Iran-is-n ... 44429.aspx

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 31 Dec 2010 02:50

Since adminullahas threatened to use Predators if the Iran discussion continues in 'Indian Economy' thread :

Just heard on CNBC that Iran has stopped all shipment of oil to India with immediate effect due to the payment clearance fallout.We'll probably see shortages soon as India will have to find a alternative source to plug this massive gap. This is exactly what i mentioned in the new 'Saudi Arabia' thread : Our dependency on oil will increase exponentially as we continue to grow at 10% /year.Oil will be more scarce and expensive in years to come, and so will our reliance on oil producing countries as we jostle with other rapidly growing nations in the region.

We had a nice balance between Iran and KSA, with this knee-jerk move our dependency on KSA will increase massively.And we have also pushed the Chinese closer to the Iranians now.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 31 Dec 2010 03:05

^^ India and Saudi have an agreement over supplies in such situations.

Its crunch time now for Iran and India. Lets see how the talks play out. There is alot at stake here so, there will be some sort of solution via a third country (Malaysia or Turkiye)

On U.S. request, India shuts payment route for Iran oil imports

Sandeep Dikshit

ACU mechanism crucial for India to deal with Iran

Iran to hold talks with RBI on Friday

NEW DELHI: In a move that is being seen worldwide as an example of India succumbing to American pressure, the Reserve Bank of India has barred companies from using the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) to process current account transactions for oil and gas imports — a decision that directly hits at Indian energy imports from Iran.

With American and European clearing houses unwilling to process payments involving the Iranian hydrocarbon sector, an urgent solution will now have to be found for the $11 billion worth of oil India imports annually from the Islamic Republic. Diplomatic sources told The Hindu that a senior official from the Central Bank of Iran will hold emergency talks with the RBI on Friday.

The ACU has nine members today: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Iran. The nine countries settle payments for intra-regional transactions among participating central banks on a multilateral basis. Two years ago, Iran asked Indian companies such as ONGC to use the ACU to avoid being targeted by U.S. extra-territorial sanctions. But since the U.S. Treasury, which enforces those sanctions, is unable to monitor ACU transactions, Washington had been pressuring Delhi to shut down this route.

Before hitting upon the ACU, the Iranians had urged Indian companies to move over to the Turkey-Iran model of settling accounts. But because the trade is heavily imbalanced in Iran's favour, such a system is hard to implement.

The RBI's directive, issued on Monday, comes in the wake of official Indian indifference towards trade and investment opportunities in Iran. The Finance Ministry has dragged its feet for a year over the dispatch of a delegation to Tehran to explore ways of insulating the oil trade from western sanctions.

A few weeks ago, the India-Iran Joint Working Group met in Tehran with the express intention of attempting to advance cooperation between the hydrocarbon majors of both countries while keeping in view the sanctions regime. The discussions were inconclusive.

“When companies associating with the Iran oil sector are also dealing with the U.S. and EU, it becomes a problem. We have to find ways and means of addressing the issues that arise. Companies can't deal with the U.S. and EU companies if they have invested over $20 million in Iran,” government sources told The Hindu.

This led to Reliance abandoning plans to invest in an oil refinery in Iran as it saw diminished chances of participating in shale gas exploitation after having bought a stake in a U.S. company. It is now said to be looking for more acquisitions.

The sources did not say whether there was direct U.S. pressure on Indian companies to withdraw from Iran if they wanted to keep their prospects alive in the shale gas sector. But according to WikiLeaks, U.S. government officials had, in no uncertain terms, warned executives of France's Total and Italy's Eni SPA that investments in Iran “could possibly impact Total's recent shale gas investments in the U.S.” The Wall Street Journal recently reported that U.S. officials had made a similar pitch to the Indians.

The ACU was crucial to allowing Indian companies to deal with Iran because such transactions are hard to trace by third countries unless the central banks concerned themselves release the information. Without mentioning Iran, the RBI cited unspecified “difficulties being experienced by importers and exporters” while asking companies to stop using the ACU. Cost of indifference

Diplomats point out that India's guarded approach in dealing with Iran is evident in virtually all areas of potential cooperation, not just oil imports — and the costs are beginning to be felt in Afghanistan. The Iran-India-Pakistan (IPI) pipeline that seems to have been trumped by the U.S.-backed TAPI (Turkmenistan-India-Afghanistan-Pakistan) pipeline is a celebrated case. But talks without results have been the hallmark in developing the Iranian port of Chabahar.

A larger and more modern port would have allowed India to make better use of a road it built in Afghanistan.

A vital road

Besides developing the Iranian port, India is keen on laying down a rail link to the edge of this Zaranj-Delaram road. Goods would then be transported into Pashtun areas of Afghanistan by an alternate route than the one through Pakistan's Karachi port. Using Afghanistan's garland highway, goods transported via Zaranj-Delaram road could even be sent to Central Asia.

The road was built by Indians who braved multiple attacks by the Taliban, who did not want the shorter route to Pashtun areas to go through. Though several Indians died or were injured in the attacks, the road was finally completed.

The strategic aspect was underlined by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao during a recent lecture. The Zaranj-Delaram road had revived the economy in Afghanistan's Nimroz province and the link-up with Chabahar would enable India send goods to Central Asia, she had added. But as is the case with considering a new mechanism for setting bilateral trade, Indian plans for enlarging Chabahar five times and constructing a railway line to Bam on the Iran-Afghan border continue endlessly to be discussed and talked about, without any progress on the ground.

Israel sees increase in Indian steps against Iran
;

gov't officials in J'lem say move represents "positive trend."

India's recent decision to take steps tightening sanctions against Iran is seen in Jerusalem as significant and a sign of an evolving attitude in New Delhi toward Iran.

Teheran on Wednesday refused to sell oil to India because of new rules instituted by New Delhi to prevent Indian business from doing illicit business with Iranian companies. Officials from the central banks of both countries are expected to meet Friday to discuss the new regulations.

Government officials in Jerusalem said that the Indian moves represented a "positive trend" in that country's relationship with Iran, one that began before US President Barack Obama went to India in November. Obama's visit helped the trend, the officials said.

India, which imports 400,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Iran, took action this week barring companies from dealing with Iran through the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), a financial clearinghouse that includes the central banks of India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

This clearing house allows central banks to handle payments to their countries' companies, and -- according to a Wall Street Journal article -- makes it possible to obscure which firms are doing business.

According to the WSJ, the US Treasury has regularly raised the issue with India, and that discussion on this matter accelerated after Obama's visit, when he endorsed permanent membership for India on the UN Security Council.

According to the report, the US has told New Delhi that Indian firms conducting transactions through the ACU run the risk of violating a US law signed in July banning international firms from doing business with 17 Iranian banks and much of Teheran's oil and gas sector, as well as the Revolutionary Guard. If Indian companies are found in violation, they could be banned from doing business in the US, the report said.

While India imports about 14 percent of its crude oil from Iran, down from some 16.5 percent in 2009, it is believed to provide about 40% of all the refined oil used in Iran. The UN sanctions adopted this summer neither forbade purchasing Iranian oil, nor placed a ban on selling refined oil back to Iran.

India-Iranian relations go back centuries, and the US led effort to get the world on board sanctions against Iran have not been enthusiastically greeted in India, where there are both huge economic ties as well as common geopolitical interests. For instance, India and Iran have worked together in the past against the Taliban in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Oh oh here comes trouble!
Assange: I've got the names of Arab officials spying on their own countries for the CIA

Saudi unemployment hits half a million – Labour Minister

Assange: Many Arab Officials Work With CIA

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 31 Dec 2010 06:22

My comments on the GCC reaction to the wikileaks expose's: http://middleeast-analysis.blogspot.com/

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 31 Dec 2010 10:14

Indians refuse settlement proposal in Sharjah murder case

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 31 Dec 2010 11:45

Posting here as it pertains to the greater West Asia region.

2011: Year of the Horn

The relevent excerpts from the writeup are posted below.

Why the Horn of Africa could be the New Big Headache next year

Al Shabab now controls much of Somalia and is quite unequivocal in its support for terrorism against the West, for its support for pretty much anything Osama bin Laden is doing and, finally, its interest in recruiting non-resident Somalis and foreigners interested in jihad.

Its leaders invoke war against the West, but also talk of liberating Kashmir and Palestine. And there has been at least one report in 2010 that an Indian recruit was killed during an Al Shabab bomb training class gone awry. The Somali group bloodied itself last year with a series of bomb explosions in Uganda during the World Cup

Two is that southern Sudan will almost certainly declare its support for secession in a referendum on January 9 next year. Since any newly-created nation of South Sudan – itself carved out of a nation that was pretty much put together by British colonial officers several decades ago – will hold 80 per cent of the oil and gas wealth of Sudan it is hard to believe Khartoum will take this all to quietly.

Three, across the waters from the Horn is Yemen. Yemen has so many simultaneous problems that it is hard to get a complete fix on them. There’s that Shia tribal rebellion. There’s Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, almost all of whose active parts are now in Yemen. There’s Yemen’s general dislike for Saudi Arabia. And there’s a few other issues here and there.

However, given that it seems every second jihadi terrorist attempt in the West this past year has had a Yemeni link and, after the AfPak border, it’s the world’s main site for dronespotting, one should expect a lot more fun and games coming out of that country.

Four is the local geopolitics that makes all the anti-terrorism stuff so complicated to carry out. Eritrea, ruled by a slightly nutty dictator, is in lukewarm state of war with its neighbour Ethiopia. The former therefore supports Somali groups and others who are prepared to give the mountain country a hard time. The US, worried that so many Somali groups seem to look to Bin Laden for inspiration, is backing Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and sometimes Rwanda as a sort of containment coalition against the rise of a Somali Taliban state.

A lot of the local governments, notably Eritrea which is otherwise a secular state, are overly concerned about the terrorism business. For them, it is all about straightforward 19th century-style nation-state rivalry and they aren’t overly worried about the collateral damage this may be causing in terms of terror.

Since the Indian government has decided Africa will be one of its three major foreign policy targets this coming year, it will be interesting to see how Indian policies will play with a Horn so full of pointy bits.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 31 Dec 2010 22:59

Egypt Bans Iranians From Gaza Aid Convoy
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/mid ... 75259.html

The Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported on Thursday that 120 people from the Asia to Gaza Caravan were allowed to pass along with $1 million in supplies including medicine and electrical generators.But 46 activists in the caravan from Iran and Jordan were denied entry along with 10 generators donated by Iran.The report, confirmed by Iranian media, did not give reasons for the denial.The caravan was organized by aid groups and trade unions throughout the Middle East and Asia. It traveled some 7000 kilometers from India and consists of 166 people from more than 15 countries, including Iran and India.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 01 Jan 2011 16:45

If you a minority amongst ROP, you RIP

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/ ... tml?hpt=T1

21 Christians killed in Egypt Church bombing..

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 01 Jan 2011 18:38

^^ Shame! Egyptian police were trying to break up clashes between Coptics and Muslims.

Strains in Egypt-Iran ties affect Gaza aid

Atul Aneja
Share · Comment · print · T+

Strains in Egypt's ties with Iran have come in the way of the delivery of humanitarian aid that is being ferried by Asian peace activists, the majority of whom are Indians, to the besieged Palestinians residing in Gaza.

The humanitarian aid caravan which began its journey from Rajghat in New Delhi has now passed through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria.

However, the relief material that is to be shipped from the Syrian port of Latakia to Al Arish in Egypt cannot be moved because of Cairo's refusal to grant visas to Iranian nationals who are part of the caravan, said a statement from the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), the organisers of this trans-Asia event.

Egypt and Iran have a tense political relationship, which had once led Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to accuse the Egyptian government of being a “partner in crimes in Gaza”.

During its journey, the caravan has grown to reach a strength of 164 members. Out of these, 60 are from India, 32 from Jordan, 20 from Iran, 13 from Indonesia, 10 from Lebanon, nine from Pakistan, six from Turkey, four from Bahrain, three from Malaysia, two each from Japan and Bangladesh and one each from Syria, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.

The delegates are carrying with them, medicine, foodstuffs and toys, worth one million dollars.

In Damascus, the Hamas leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal addressed the visiting activists on December 22. He paid his tributes to Mahatma Gandhi “for his inspiring struggle against the colonialism”. He hoped that one day, he would receive the delegates in liberated Gaza and finally in a liberated Palestine at Jerusalem.

The visiting group also went to the giant Yarmuk refugee camp where over a lakh of displaced Palestinians reside.

The organisers had hoped to land the relief material to Gaza, across Egypt through the Rafah crossing, on December 27, the day Israel launched a 22 war against Hamas in Gaza in 2008.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 01 Jan 2011 21:57

Philip wrote:Ramanna,intersting analysis,Pioneers (US) and Settlers(NATO).However,in Afdghanistan,it appears that the Settlers have bitten off more than they can chew and are fleeing first,leaving the role of "beating the retreat" for Uncle Sam."First in last out".

Here's news of the US's latest bugbear,of all nations.....Qatar!

Robert Fisk: Qatar's the star – and Washington is worried

The latest cables released by Wikileaks show that the emirate's growing power is seen as a threat elsewhere
Wednesday, 8 December 2010

The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his wife Sheikha Moza bin Nasser Al-Missned hold the World Cup trophy

Despite the leaked US diplomatic reports on Qatar and their claim that it is a major source of "terrorist" funding, Washington would do well not to mess with the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

He is the only world leader to march out of an American vice-president's office in fury after just seven seconds. And his Al-Jazeera television station – for truly it does belong to him – has revolutionised reporting in the Middle East. Qatar may be tiny but in the region, it is very, very big indeed.

The Emir is a sharp man with an equally sharp sense of humour. He is known to have told a visitor that if he threw the Americans off their vast airbase at Doha – the largest US installation of its kind in the Middle East – "my Arab brothers would invade Qatar." Asked what he would do if this was ever reported, he burst into laughter and said he would deny ever having said it. I imagine that's what he'll say about the latest trove of US diplomat-speak from WikiLeaks, which suggest that his television station has "proved itself a useful tool for [its] political masters", providing "a substantial source of leverage for Qatar, one which it is unlikely to relinquish". I doubt if the Emir could care less.

Al-Jazeera, of course, has been enjoying Washington's embarrassment, sharing the disclosures with viewers on both its news channels, Arabic and English, while squeezing American government spokesmen and women dry. When the Iraq cables came out, proving that the US had turned a blind eye to torture by the Maliki government, Al-Jazeera put the former US commander in Iraq on screen; his attempts to wriggle out of the questions were deeply embarrassing.

And the Emir knows how to embarrass people who get in his way. Apart from being fabulously rich and owning large bits of London – as well as the greatest liquid gas exporter in the Middle East – he doesn't take kindly to insults. When he visited Washington during the Bush administration and was invited to see Dick Cheney, he was astounded to see the then vice-president with a large file on his desk, marked "Al-Jazeera". What's that for, the Emir asked? Cheney told him he intended to complain about the channel's coverage of the Iraq war. "Then you'll have to speak to the editors in Qatar," the Emir replied – and walked out of the room.

But is Al-Jazeera the bargaining chip which US diplomatic cables suggest? A November 2009 dispatch from the American embassy in Doha suggests that the station is "one of Qatar's most valuable political and diplomatic tools". Qatar-Saudi relations had improved when Al-Jazeera toned down its coverage of the Saudi royal family, the embassy said. But the station's management have not been above inventing "decoy" stories which they had no intention of running and then suggesting to their Arab neighbours that they have been cancelled out of respect for their feelings. In other words, the cancelled "stories" were never intended to be broadcast.

Certainly Qatar knows how to annoy its Arab "brothers". President Moubarak was very angry at the way in which the Emir hijacked Palestinian Authority-Hamas discussions – Egypt's prior monopoly over these talks was one of its few claims to importance with the United States – and if the Emir praised the Lebanese Hizballah for its 2006 combat with Israel, he was perfectly happy to have Israeli President Shimon Peres debate with Arab students in Doha. Trade relations exist between Qatar and Israel. The Emir even involved himself in Lebanese affairs – previously a Saudi monopoly in the Gulf – and the so-called Doha agreement was formulated with the aim of avoiding future violence between Hizballah and the elected Lebanese government (in which Hizballah has seats). Unfortunately for the Lebanese, it also gave Hizballah veto rights over Lebanese cabinet decisions. The Saudis were not happy.

The Egyptians remain uneasy – the Emir can dismiss Egypt's "democracy" when Moubarak's National Democratic Party wins a fraudulent vote of more than 80 per cent in last week's elections – and the Americans would be unwise to believe that the prime minister of Qatar really offered Moubarak a cessation of critical attacks on Al-Jazeera in return for a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. When Moubarak visited Doha and asked to see the headquarters of Al-Jazeera, he was taken aback at its modest size. "You mean that little matchbox is what has been giving me all this trouble?" he asked. Indeed it was.

It's difficult to know what to make of Qatar as a nation. Liquid gas makes billions, but it is very expensive to ship around the world in tankers because it has to be frozen. Perhaps Qatar is a state of the imagination, for most of its population are foreigners and its future plans are Croesus-like in their ambition. A new metro system is to be built with 60 railway stations; how Qatar will fit all the stations onto its land is very definitely for the imagination. There is no parliament, no democracy – the Emir staged a bloodless coup while his father was off checking his bank accounts in Switzerland – but also, incredibly, no vast network of secret policemen.

True, the Emir is worried about Iran. The WikiLeaks revelations that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, speaking of Iran, told the Americans that it was necessary to "cut off the head of the snake", prompted a sudden Gulf summit in Abu Dhabi this week. Needless to say, the Qataris are just as worried – though less archaic in their fears – and only two years ago quietly asked the Americans to move their epic airbase further from the capital of Doha. The Emir doesn't want Iranian missiles exploding in his sparkling capital if they open fire on the US military installation which he hosts.

No doubt the Iranians will spare Al-Jazeera. Or will they? They threw the station's reporter and crew out of Tehran in anger at their coverage of last year's Iranian elections. But of course, it was George Bush who famously threatened to bomb the station's headquarters, an idea Tony Blair wisely advised him against. When Blair himself visited the channel's offices, he was asked by a reporter if the Bush story was true. "I think we should move on," Blair apparently replied. So it was true.

The channel – the real voice of the nation – also has a sports station which will be able to reap its rewards now that the 2022 World Cup is to be held in Qatar with almost a quarter of a million fans arriving in Doha, some of the visitors to be housed on a liner in the Gulf. If the Emir is still alive and well, he will be further elevated – to the immense jealousy of all those Arab "brothers". Al-Jazeera maintains it is independent. Its news channels do not – and cannot – make money, so the Emir's generosity floats over the heads of all its staff. But they have criticised the prime minister and officials, carrying interviews with dissidents who complained about police torture.

It's an odd relationship. As for all that money supposedly going to Al Qaeda, what do the Americans expect? The Gulf created Bin Laden to fight the Russians and they funded the Taliban for years via Pakistan. There's no reason to think it will end now. The Gulf Arabs know that they must maintain a two-way relationship with the outside world, part of it with America and part of it "within" the region. The US should thank its lucky stars that Arab nationalism is no longer a calling card. Wahabism (of the bin Laden kind) may pull at Muslim hearts – but commerce very definitely does, too.

Qatar: A brief history

History: During the 1940s, Qatar transformed itself from one of the Gulf's poorest states into one of its richest by exploiting the nation's oil and gas reserves. A former British protectorate, the country declared its independence in 1971.

Leadership: Ruled by the Thani family for almost 150 years, the current emir is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who seized power from his father in a bloodless coup in 1995. He is known for his liberal reforms, including advocating press freedom and allowing women to have roles in government. Critics suggest that his rhetoric has not always been matched in reality.

Population: 1.7 million people live in Qatar, though only 200,000 are natives. The majority are expats and foreign labourers taking advantage of the economic boom.

Industry: Once the centre of pearl fishing, Qatar now boasts 15 per cent of the world's gas reserves.

This shall be interesting considering King A argued with the visiting Iranian diplomats according to wiki leaks.
King Abdullah to visit Iran soon: Report

King Abdullah is also having plans to visit Obama in the White House.

abhischekcc · Post by **abhischekcc** » 02 Jan 2011 20:49

ashokpachori wrote:And there is another angle to it, that of Israel, which Iran wants to wipe from the map. That in turn would produce some domino effect of deadly proportion IMO, as Israel has Samson option.

Ashok, that is a deliberate misinterpretation of Ahmedinejad's statement that is promoted by the western media. What he had actually said was that 'if the west feels so guilty about the holocaust, then it is Europe that should provide the land for Israel, why are the palestinians paying the price for Europe's crime'. He said that he wants to relocate Israel from palestine, and place it in Europe. That is what is meant by 'wiping Israel from the map'.

ashokpachori · Post by **ashokpachori** » 02 Jan 2011 21:57

@ abhischekcc

2005/10/26
Ahmadinejad: Israel must be wiped off the map

Tehran, Oct 26 - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". "As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map," said Ahmadinejad, referring to the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini.

http://web.archive.org/web/200709272139 ... _id=200247
And the above news is from IRIB!

Islamic Republic of Iran Brodcasting.......

And the words are his!

At a gathering of foreign guests marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ahmadinejad said:

"You should know that the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime which has 60 years of plundering, aggression and crimes in its file has reached the end of its work and will soon disappear off the geographical scene."