Category Archives: Middle East

Middle East related politics and current affairs

THE LADY AND THE TRUMP: THE FIRST DATE

by Kate Burrows-Jones; World Media North America Editor

As first dates go, the first formal get-together between British Prime Minister Theresa May and newly elected US President Donald Trump wasn’t bad. But if Ms. May is to turn this into Thatcher-Reagan redux, and partner with Mr. Trump to produce the legacy-defining accomplishments for her premiership that she seeks, she may need a little dating advice.

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The Hysteria on US “ Muslim Ban” What are the Facts?

By Kate Burrows-Jones, World Media North America Editor

President Trump Executive order is but sharpening existing laws set by his predecessor President Obama restricting entry to nationals of seven nations. ( below also include links to the full text of the order and related subjects)

Fake news indeed. There is no Executive order banning Muslims. President Donald Trump’s, perhaps ill-founded, ill-fated 90 day ban is based on President Barack Obama’s restrictions on Seven nations. Nobody cared when he did it, so was it a Muslim ban then? The law was written to address security concerns after the Paris Attacks, passing with overwhelming agreement. Voting was bipartisan, it passed the House 407-19.  What Trump did was apply a sharp force, a halt on movement, and cruelly with no notice to let people prepare. Let the people decide if it is wrong, but to call it “Muslim” in nature, is also wrong without reading the full executive order.

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Syria Peace Talks Start in Astana Next week: Minefields Ahead?

 Adel Darwish

Talks due to start 23 January  in  the Kazan capital Astana between Syrian government and many opposition, armed and civilian groups, and their backers in a settlement process sponsored by Russia  and participation  of Turkey, Iran and possible  Gulf Arab states raising  hopes to end to a  five year blood civil war; but there are several dangerous mines on the road The talks were part of a comprehensive plan  started with a Russian Turkish imposed  ceasefire on December 30.

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Understanding the Escalating Saudi Iranian Row

Our media led by BBC try to simplify the latest diplomatic crisis in the Middle East – which led to severing of diplomatic relations between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran ( with two other countries following the Saudis action)- into Shia-Sunni sectarian rivalry resulting from the execution of Iran backed Shia cleric. This is a load of nonsense which leads to misunderstanding and misleading public opinion. It is far more complicated as many forces who adhere to the Shia faith (Morocco shia sects and those in North Africa nd Sudan) back KSA, while trends and forces who are devote Sunnis are backing Iran against the Saudis (Turkey for example is Sunni, so are Hamas and many Palestinian factions as well as the Muslim Brotherhood are all Sunni hardliners but are against Saudi Arabia especially in Yemen but are also against Assad in Syria.
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who to fight first: ISIL or Assad. Is there a choice?

Who to fight First, ISIL terror entity or the Syrian dictator… is there really a choice for Britain? we should get our priorities right and list the dangers in descending order if we were to answer. The House of commons vote last week ( Dec 2,2015) by a majority of 174 to back Prime Minister David Cameron’s motion to extend the RAF mission into areas controlled by the terrorist entity the Islamic state ( or ISIl – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has accelerated a legitimate debate about priorities and who is the real enemy and the tactical realignment within the a larger strategy as with whom should the United kingdom and her allies. Some who understand history and reality of the region and Islamism correctly argue that the Islamic State terror entity is a real danger that we must fight. Others with motives hard to understand, or being anti the idea of extending air-campaign to or just have little experience, argue that we should get rid of Assad regime in Syria first before fighting isil, which is utter nonsense

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Turkey shoots down Russian Jet- Putin accuses Ankara of aiding Terrorists

The Turkmen Tribes who captured the two Russian pilots killed them on the spot instead of handing them over to their Turkish backers. They have been aiding ISIL in smuggling supplies. Russian are fighting Islamic State terror group and attacking supply lines managed by the Turkmen in the area of the borders where the SU24 was shot down . Many questions on the Turkish version of events.

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Putin Acts, to replace western “ military masturbation” in Syria©

The circle which Our western leaders dont seem to be able to square is: They claim that a US led coalition of 9 nation fighting Islamic State terrorists in Iraq and Syria (without much success) by an air campaign, now Russia is in hitting targets and destroying heavy ISIL weapons, the western leaders are complaining and condemning Russia. In fact Russia has a strategy of preserving Syria geographical integrity as one nation; while western policy ( deliberate or misguided) is tearing Syria apart which Russia sees asagainst its long term interest .  America, EU and  our UK Government, who have no coherent strategy on Syria ( I am being kind here to the west) ; now Russia, which do have a long term strategy and clear tactical objectives in the short term, decided to take action against the most menacing  threat facing civilisation today, namely Islamists terrorism.  The Islamic State terrorism which is not confined to the Levant ( Islamic State in Iraq and Levant ISIL) but is a world threat as this entity is modeled  on ( and seriously emulating) the seventh and eighth centuries Islamic conquests with the aim of  establising a neo-Islamic empire they call a worldwide caliphate, which recognises no national borders  ( only idiots won’t realise those objectives especially when they changed the name from ISIL into just “Islamic Stare” ), a danger of Which President Putin has been aware for over a decade. He banned Muslim Bortherhood and other similar organisations who are a front to terrorist groups long time ago, while here in the west we still deal with such vile Islamo-fascist groups.Now Russia is taking genuine action, USA and UK governments are displaying first class hypocrisy as well as making foolish statements. A coalition led by the United States declaring they are fighting the Islamic state by an air campaign for most of this year; yet they are condemning Russia for taking action targeting those very terrorists… so are USA led coalition fighting the terrorists or not?

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BBC Professionalism? A Case in Point

Here is an example of either amateurish lazy below standard journalism, or a blatant bias by producers editors and a below standard under trained hacks who make up their minds before reporting a story.I am citing a radio report, broadcast on bbc radio four 13:00 (12:00 GMT) on Saturday 16 May 2015 reporting on sentencing former president Morsi of Egypt alongside other defendants. ..

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Our Failure to Contain Islamic State Home and Abroad ©

The astonishing swift success of the Islamic State (or ISIL)  – moving from an obscure gang on the run in Iraq to a fully functioning resourceful mini-state within two years- is only matched by our successive governments’ failure in slowing  self-recruiting to the Jihadism cause among young British Muslims despite millions of taxpayer money wasted on a new industry: a laughably naive anti-radicalisation programmes.    

The astonishing  Islamic State terror caliphate  advance  is getting closer to home, with its latest story continue to receive  wall to wall media coverage thanks to  the unmasking of the world most wanted terrorist Jihadi john.

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