middle east

I'm not holding my breath, but it looks like the UN is finally doing its job of neutral mediation in the middle east. The UN human rights envoy for the Palestinian territories publicly stated two days ago that the UN should withdraw from the 'quartet' (US, Russia, EU and UN) to protest lack of concern for Palestinian human rights on the part of the other quartet members. Of course the UN has no power at all, except to lend legitimacy to mediation processes; so it's completely appropriate that it withdraw under these circumstances.

Maps of War's Imperial History shows a 90-second animation of who has ruled what portions of the Middle East at what times since the Kingdom of Egypt 5,000 years ago.

Quote:
The middle east is moving towards Islamism in one form or another.

This is true, yet I think it will wither away slowly after taking power the same way Arab Nationalism and then Socialism both did. Islamism is the invention of Western educated Muslims under Western influence as were the two above mentioned ideologies, so its not a question of one being a native ideology and will thus succeed where others failed. The Arabs will eventually realize that even "Islam is the Solution" will not erase poverty. If Islamists do manage to address the quite severe social and economic problems in thier countries, and I hope that someone can, then I predict it will be because they will end up tending towards Western methods of social and economic development and thus Westernize faster and deeper than they thought. Westernization is a global steamroller and everyone, from Indian dhotis to Chinese factory workers are all Westernizing to some extent.

What a way to begin a blog.

I've been reading about the attacks on Lebanon for the past couple days now, my reaction going from shock to denial to anger, back to shock, denial and anger about the UN Security Council's refusal to do anything that would resemble them doing their job. I'm deeply worried about friends and family of friends in Lebanon and Palestine, furious at what was probably the U.S.'s call to do nothing while homes are destroyed and people are maimed and killed. The fact that there is nothing that citizens can do, it seems, to help, to protest, is the most infuriating part. There are no petitions to sign, no charities to give to, no protest songs to sing, only dirges to mourn the destruction of the land of cedar and Fairuz.

This is not good.

Israel bombs Beirut; imposes blockade

After the ramp-up in recent weeks--Israel declaring it would draw its borders without consulting the Palestinians; the bombing of Gaza--I really think we're looking at the end game of the Palestinian question here.