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(Also published at Foreign Policy in Focus blog) As Western intervention against the Qaddhafi regime enters its sixth day, rebels remain enthusiastic. The Arab League, though considerably less enthusiastic, also continues to back the effort. In the United States, however, some commentators have adopted a more critical approach. One such figure is Glenn Greenwald, who stands out as perhaps the most principled → Read More: Should Hypocrisy Stop Us from Supporting Libyan Rebels? I was on Russian TV last night for a few minutes discussing the situation in Libya – third video down: http://rt.com/news/operation-libya-us-nato/ The situation is pretty much going to turn into a mess unless the Arab masses own the process–which might be a problem since US-backed Arab despots are attacking those same masses in at least three → Read More: Video clip discussing Libya Two days after Western forces struck Libyan military targets, halting Qaddhafi’s attack on civilians in Benghazi and elsewhere, some observers wonder whether the Arab League will withdraw its support for the intervention. The League had unanimously endorsed the no-fly zone on March 12th—a “turning point” that compelled America to pursue passage of a U.N. resolution authorizing air strikes. However, the League’s → Read More: Will the Arab League Rescind Support for Libya Intervention? Since the United States performed an abrupt about-face on Libya, supporting a U.N. resolution that authorizes “all necessary measures” to counter Qaddafi’s assault on the rebels, military intervention appears likely. Opponents of intervention urge their audiences to recall the Iraq invasion—also launched, in part, on humanitarian grounds—and keenly insist on drawing parallels with that disaster. But are comparisons with Bush’s attack on → Read More: Will Libya Become A Second Iraq? As Qaddafi continues to rout rebel forces in the east and terrorize their supporters in the west, the United States has radically recalibrated its stance on intervention. Previously wary, the U.S. is now leading efforts to rally the U.N. behind not only a no-fly zone but also a “no-drive” zone to cripple Libya’s army. The British newspaper, the Guardian, reported Susan Rice, → Read More: Is Intervention in Libya Imminent? And at What Cost? As a Sunni, I feel no hesitation in saying that the Shiites vying for freedom in Bahrain are closer to my heart than the Sunni elites who are vying to crush them. Now, the local Sunni regime has been reinforced by the Saudis. The Wahabist sect that has reigned over Saudi has been an embarrassment to, and a stain upon, → Read More: Saudi Sunni Elite Join Assault Against Bahrain’s Shiites Americans are adopting an increasingly venomous attitude toward Islam and its adherents. The latest evidence of this trend was on display Saturday, when liberal talk show host Bill Maher turned on his Muslim guest, Congressman Keith Ellison. Maher slammed the Qur’an as “a hate-filled holy book”, proclaimed that Islam was mired in “a culture that is in its medieval era,” and mocked → Read More: Bill Maher Says My Faith is “Hate-Filled.” Is He Right? (Published in Foreign Policy in Focus) The eruption of democratic defiance among Arabs has discredited neoconservatives and al-Qaeda alike, shattering their shared assumption that Muslims need violent prodding to reclaim their dignity. Ten weeks of protests won Tunisians and Egyptians what 10 years of bloodshed could not purchase for Pax Americana or its archenemy in Iraq or Afghanistan: a spirit → Read More: Prevent Pakistani Anarchy by Learning from Arab Democracy (Published at Antiwar.com) Remember the mad mullah who tried to build a terror mosque atop Ground Zero using the ashes of September 11th victims? Neither do I. But that campaign — the slandering of an imam sponsored by the State Department and the smearing of a proposed cultural center no closer to Ground Zero than pubs and porn shops — is worth recalling because → Read More: America’s Anti-Muslim Jihadists on the March Again (Appeared in Antiwar.com) Egypt and Tunisia demonstrated the power of mass protest and the moral leverage of those who pursue non-violent action. But while movements there sparked a chain reaction of democratic defiance across the Arab world, protesters in other countries face more entrenched and tenacious rulers — the prime example of which is Libya’s Gadhafi. Hampered by tribal allegiances and weak → Read More: Western Intervention in Libya Would Damage Arab Cause |
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