The Standard for Influence. Seeking Balance on the Mideast. Arabs angry over Syria crackdown but governments silent. By Andrew Hammond DUBAI Aug 1 (Reuters) - Arabs reacted strongly on Monday to the deaths of dozens of Syrians in Hama at the hands of the Syrian army but most Arab governments kept silent, apparently fearing the power of protest movements that have spread throughout the region this year.
"It's no longer possible to understand the silence of Arab and Islamic states and organisations before the massacres against Syrians," wrote Saudi columnist Hussein Shobokshi in the Saudi pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. Rights activists said 80 civilians were killed in Sunday's tank-backed assault on the central Syrian city where President Bashar al-Assad's father crushed an armed Muslim Brotherhood revolt 29 years ago, killing many thousands of people. U.S. Tunisian ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia in January during a popular uprising over poverty, corruption and repression, and three weeks later Egyptians had forced the exit from power of the U.S. and Saudi-backed Hosni Mubarak. A rude Arab awakening. Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, answers questions about the current escalation - and what some see as setbacks - surrounding the uprisings in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.
How do you explain the fact that since the upheavals erupted several months ago, the Libyan, Yemeni and Syrian regimes have continued their repression unabatedly - while in Egypt and Tunisia the regimes fell quickly? The transformations in Egypt and Tunisia raised expectations of swift change elsewhere, but when the Arab Spring turned into a hot summer, it led to disappointment and doubt. In reality, the early Arab Spring was exceptional by all standards when it led to the ousting of a combined 54 years of dictatorship in Tunisia and Egypt within the course of a few weeks. These "mini armies" are headed by, and are loyal to, influential family members of the regimes that have long groomed them to fight in defence of the regime, not for state or society.
Keffiyeh makers in Hebron turn to social media. James Zogby: Iran's Freefall. Iran's favorable ratings are in a "freefall" across the Arab World, with Iran's behavior in Iraq, Bahrain and the Arab Gulf region being viewed negatively by most Arabs. These are a few of the key findings of an Arab American Institute poll conducted by Zogby International during the first three weeks of June, 2011. The poll surveyed over 4,000 Arabs from Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and has a margin of error of 3.5 percent (in Morocco, Egypt and Saudi Arabia) and 4.5 percent (in Lebanon, Jordan, and the U.A.E.).
Back in 2006, Iran was viewed favorably in every one of these Arab countries -- and in five of the six Iran received a greater than 80 percent positive rating. Since then, the decline has been steady and sharp. For example, in 2006, Iran was rated favorably by 85 percent of Saudis and 82 percent of Moroccans. Clearly, Iran's behavior has contributed to this stunning turn-about in its fortunes in the Arab World.
Dr. Nehad Ismail: The Shameful Silence of the Arab World About the Crimes of the Syrian Regime. Most Arab States and Arab media have chosen to remain silent about the brutal crackdown by the Syrian regime against unarmed civilian protesters. The international stance has been disappointing but the shameful Arab silence is baffling. The impotent Arab League had given the green light for the no-fly zone over Libya and supported the UN Security Council Resolution 1973 which called for the protection of civilians in Libya. Yet the same Arab League has not taken any steps to protect the civilians in Syria.
The Arab League's silence is interpreted by many as backing a murderous regime and giving it the green light to continue with its brutal abuse of the Syrian people. To their credit, Alarabiya, Aljazeera and Asharq Alawsat, have been extremely critical of the violent repression of the Syrian people by the Damascus clique. Even activists who instigate weekly protests in Jordan to demand reforms have been very quiet about the massacres in Syria. The Ettinger Report - The Road to Serfdom and the Arab Revolt. Prof. Fuad AjamiThe Wall Street Journal, July 08, 2011 The late great Austrian economist F.A. Hayek would have seen the Arab Spring for the economic revolt it was right from the start.
For generations the Arab populations had bartered away their political freedom for economic protection. They rose in rebellion when it dawned on them that the bargain had not worked, that the system of subsidies, and the promise of equality held out by the autocrats, had proven a colossal failure. What Hayek would call the Arab world's "road to serfdom" began when the old order of merchants and landholders was upended in the 1950s and '60s by a political and military class that assumed supreme power. It was in the 1950s that the foreign minorities who had figured prominently in the economic life of Egypt after the cotton boom of the 1860s, and who had drawn that country into the web of the world economy, would be sent packing.
In Libya, a deranged Moammar Gadhafi did Saddam one better. Mr. Movie makers & Mideast leaders: unpopular films and policies flop. Poor leaders, like poor film makers, make blundering decisions that can result in less fans and supporters from the public and citizens and can be suicide for their careers. Ahmadinejad had an uprising on his hands when re-elected 2009. Bashar al-Assad is now passing punishment in place of reforms. Top Self-Defeating Moves in the Middle East Comparing movie makers to country leaders- when they flop, they flop, and really miss the mark.
"The same conundrum exists with regard to bad public policy. Regimes that seemed to have some real successes, whatever their failings, can sometimes just start behaving in completely self-destructive ways A look at examples from the region: Syria, Israel, Yemen, Libya Cinema Issues In Amman, Jordan Solved Without Protests Moey has some good and breaking news that we are pleased to share: Speaking of the Arab awakening, when are we going to wake up?
"Wake up from that long overdue lie-in and smell the humous already!! " How Standards Proliferate. Why Arabs love London. When the world arrives at London's 2012 Olympics site, one of the first buildings visitors will see is the Aquatics Centre - a beautiful structure designed by one of London's most illustrious Arab citizens. Zaha Hadid, born in Baghdad, is renowned as the greatest architect to emerge from the Middle East since the Ottoman mosque builder Sinan - and is adept at building bridges that are both physical and metaphorical. Hadid's canvas is global. Residents of Abu Dhabi using the new Sheikh Zayed Bridge can see her remarkable design skills every day, and she is behind the performing arts centre being built on Saadiyat Island. But she is also one of the architects of a deeper bridge of understanding between Arab nations and the rest of the world.
Hadid is one of more than 300,000 Arabs who live in London, with more than half a million across the UK. "London is fantastic. Karima Al-Shomely is an Emirati artist in London for Shubbak. The flow was two-way. Page 2 of 4 Page 3 of 4 Page 4 of 4. Above the Fray: Escaping the Isra... JPost - Opinion - Columnists. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insists that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, his policies are encouraging a mass exodus of Jews from the country. Today, the notion of a Jewish refuge in the Land of Israel is greatly at risk. Much has been made of what former prime minister Ehud Olmert once called a “demographic time bomb,” with the Palestinian birthrate soon to boost the number of Palestinians over the number of Israelis between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.
Yet Palestinian demographics aside, more Israelis are living abroad than ever, and many are eager to join them. The lack of visionary leadership in Israel today has served to entrench the notion that the future of the state is at risk, and that opportunities for a prosperous, secure livelihood are better sought elsewhere. Netanyahu’s Israel is increasingly beholden to extremist religious and intolerant voices.
THE STATISTICS are plentiful, and worrying. Yet even more troubling is who is leaving. Can Social Media Solve Serious Political Issues Like Israel-Palestine Conflict? By Leplan on July 24th, 2011 I believe Social Media is the answer to all the Social, Economic and Political issues. Solution is simple. The basis of Social Media is having it open and transparent, and when that happens everything comes up. It may be perception, real facts or others. You may question me that it was possible earlier too. But I would disagree.
Facebook and Twitter has changed that all, and now with services like Hangout even the group video conference is possible. Image Credit: politic365.com The Stream show on Aljajeera TV, which is dedicated to Social Media, brings a very interesting case of Israel-Palestine conflict. Is hip hop driving the Arab Spring? 24 July 2011Last updated at 04:43 GMT By Cordelia Hebblethwaite BBC News Deeb is a banker by day and a rapper by night Music and revolutions have a long history. Hip hop in the Arab world does not. But as the Arab Spring turns to summer, is hip hop emerging as one of the drivers of the revolution? "Mr President... people have become like animals... The words of young Tunisian rapper El General, real name Hamada Ben Amor, in his track Rais Le Bled. It was the end of 2010 when El General - then a relatively unknown rapper - quietly posted the track, along with a simple video, on his Facebook site.
It was raw and angry - about corruption, unemployment and poverty - and it singled out then-President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali directly. No bling Within days it had gone viral, and the words of the song were on the lips of many as they demonstrated out on the streets across Tunisia. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote These revolutions have broken the fear barrier and the silence” Express yourself.
America in trouble in the Middle East. By James J. Zogby A few months ago, I had a quick exchange with President Barack Obama about the US standing in the Arab world. When I mentioned that we would be conducting a poll to assess Arab attitudes two years after his Cairo speech, he said he expected the ratings to be quite low and to remain low until the US can help find a way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Well, the results are in, and the president was right.
In our survey of over 4,000 Arabs from six countries (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE), we found that favourable attitudes towards the US had declined sharply since our last poll (which had been conducted in 2009 after Obama’s first 100 days in office). Back then, Arabs were hopeful that the new president would bring needed change to the US-Arab relationship and the early steps taken by his administration only served to reinforce this view.
To his credit, the president understands the dilemma America confronts across the Arab world. Business :: Lebanon :: Beirut ranked 4th most expensive Mideast city. BEIRUT: Beirut was ranked the fourth most expensive city in the Middle East and the 75th in the world, according to the annual survey on the cost of living in 214 cities worldwide by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. It also considered Beirut to be the 15th most expensive city among the Upper Middle Income Countries included in the survey, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group. Beirut was the 80th most expensive city worldwide and the fourth most expensive in the Arab world in 2011. The study measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including the cost of housing, food, clothing and household goods, as well as transportation and entertainment. It compares the cost of high-end items that are important to expatriates and their employers such as upscale residential areas and entertainment venues.
New York is used as the base city for the index and all cities are compared against it. Social networking new craze among Middle East hoteliers - Travel & Hospitality. Social networking sites are proving highly popular among Middle East hoteliers looking to get on board with region’s the online marketing craze. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube are gaining increasingly more attention from both value and luxury hotels, often playing a pivotal role in their wider marketing campaigns. According to hotel managers, the sites’ ability to communicate with thousands of potential customers makes them an effective medium for raising brand awareness, increasing customer interaction and plugging promotions.
“We are using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for our food and beverage promotions and events,” said Kezia Da Rocha, business development and marketing manager at the Holiday Inn Dubai Al Barsha. “We have an in house dedicated team which is updating our offers and promotions and also interacting with our members constantly.” Also using the site to drive business is Dubai’s Crowne Plaza. Arabic to beat English as the most popular Facebook Language in Arab. By Swati on July 9th, 2011 Use of the Arabic Facebook interface has skyrocketed to reach 10 million users. It’s expected that within a year Arabic will overtake English to become the most popular Facebook language in the region, according to Jerusalem Post, one of Israel’s best-selling English Daily. Spot On Public Relations, a Middle Eastern publicity agency, specializing in social media, conducted a study which revealed that Arabic Facebook has grown about 175% a year, double the overall rate of the mushrooming use of Facebook worldwide.
In some countries, like Algeria, it grew a whopping 423% annually. According to this research, 56% of Facebook users in Egypt (3.8 million) opt for the Arabic language version. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, 41% use Arabic and in Saudi Arabia 61% use it. “What’s fascinating for us is not Facebook’s overall growth in the Middle East, but its growth in Arabic.
You might also like: Comments. Imad Naffa (imadnaffa) Twitter tweets related to: Middle east, Women, Sites, Necessity, Tnw and more. Arab-Social-Media-Report.pdf. Social Media & the Arab Spring~March 2011.
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