Category Archives: comment & opinion

Russia’s is More popular than the west in Egypt and the Middle East

In the latest dispute, between Russia and the EU/NATO/USA over Ukraine, which takes us back to the days of the cold war, observers, who covered Africa and the Middle East, notices that in Egypt and several other countries in the region of North Africa and the Middle East, public opinion is siding with Russia not ‘ the west’.

Here Below what Dr Tarel Heggy an Egyptian intellectual, thinker, author and opinion maker, writes about Russia arguing that without Moscow support to Egyptians and Arab peoples, America would have succeeded in implementing its plan for the Middle East to enable the power of darkness, the Muslim Brotherhood to control the region.

Dr Heggy Writes: Russia for me has always been a magical name.

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A legal directive to force Google hand into correcting information? Why?©

Why I am writing about the rubbish on the internet and why I, a staunch supporter of free expression, fierce opponent to censorship and anti-regulations, can see the point of ( and empathise with) many of the  people who back a European court action to correct (good luck to them !!) information about them and their data  on the internet. What inspired me is personal experience. Only yesterday I discovered, that a young lady, close to my heart, had the WRONG information about my date of birth and my faith ( which caused some serious damage to our affectionate relationship- I hope we can repair), from some rubbish on the internet. The other reason, unfortunately, my fellow hacks and hacketts, seldom check information for accuracy. Equally in 2009 the Media Editor of the Independent newspaper, PUBLISHED a story about me when I resigned my post as Director of the Media monitoring organisation Just Journalism, and labelled me wrongly ( ethnically), he neither bothered to contact me, nor to check his own newspaper archives.. I worked for The Independent   since I joined when  it was founded  in 1986 and until 1998 ( and continued to write for the paper  until four years ago), and my personal information and files were  available in his newsdesk; instead of checking  facts he  ‘guessed’. This thought in my head also coincides with the row over google and correcting or deleting personal information. I sympathise with the people who scream for regulation,  although as an old fashioned hack and a staunch libertarian, I am the last person in the world who’d agree on censorship or some regulation blocking access to information. but my personal experience and what you can do when WRONG and confusing information is out there for the world to see and you are powerless to correct them? Continue reading →

EU Expansionism NOT Putin Caused Ukraine/Crimea Crisis ©

Before condemning Russia for using veto in UNSC, ruling Crimean referendum illegal or blaming Mr Putin for the Ukraine crisis, let us remember our glass houses, or our record of interventionism  and above all EU role in creating this crisis in the first place.

ِTwo million voters in Crimea decided  by over 97 percent yes in a  referendum,  to rejoin Russia (going back to 1954 status quo before the peninsula was given to Ukraine by Moscow without the Crimeans being consulted )  one day after Russia vetoed an American sponsored  UN Security Council resolution aiming  to  block the referendum.  Given the ethnic balance of the peninsula population  the result was no surprise. Even a ‘no’ vote wouldn’t have kept the 1954-2014 status-quo since the other choice would have been more power to Crimea and less rule from Kiev.

While our Foreign Secretary carry on condemning the result, with a  growing American size mouth, and threatening nonsensical un-implementable sanctions , and our Fleet Street subs coming up with cold-war-era headlines, let us just remember some historic facts about glass houses, goose and gander and the the like metaphors. We, and our American allies hailed elections in Afghanistan and Iraq ( countries with no traditions of fair elections or fair-play , and who don’t play cricket) as great democratic steps forward, even though they were held under military occupation ( or our & American troops kicking down doors while families having dinner was  not “occupation” the same way Arabs and Muslims wouldn’t consider colnialising Spain, Egypt, and formally Christian lands AS  occupation, but god’s liberation from infidels?);  elections held while and terrible strife going on with car bombs round the corner from almost every polling station.

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Putin is unlikely to accept direct talks with new regime in Ukraine ©

BBC, evening news,  and Downing Street sources express cautious optimism that Russia’s president  Vladimir Putin has opened to persuasion leading to direct talk with the Ukrainian acting government… evidence runs contrary to this  optimism nonsense as Moscow doesn’t recognise the new regime in Kiev especially with Moscow is convinced that EU expansionist  policy to swallow former Soviet Republics was directly behind the crisis.. the easiest way is to keep Crimea under Moscow control.

The latest spin from Downing is based on a telephone conversation intitated this morning by Prime Minister David Cameron and President Putin, which ended with only two agreed points, first the need for international community to economically support Ukraine, and second the two leaders to continue dialogue, obviously over the phone.  Since Mr Putin is no exception from any other leaders who wouldn’t see eye to eye with his rivals in the west on the above two points, it is amusing how this can be interpreted as reason for optimism.

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West’s sound and fury may signify nothing to stop Putin in Crimea

Written By: Adel Darwish 5 March 2014

Published: March 7, 2014 Last modified: March 5, 2014

President Barack Obama’s attempts to isolate Russia by freezing all military co-operation and threatening to boycott the next G8 summit in Sochi in response to its armed intervention in Crimea, appeared to be unilateral, as the United States’ European allies show no appetite for imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Britain, supposedly the most reliable partner, is the least able to respond, according to documents held by a Cabinet Office official on his way to Number 10, who accidently exposed it to cameras waiting in Downing Street for just such an opportune moment.

The documents outline Britain’s options in response to Europe’s worst crisis since the end of the Cold War. We should not attend any Nato meetings to consider military actions, nor should we rush into trade sanctions or close financial institutions to the Russians, as this would harm Britain economically. Russian oligarchs invest billions in the City, and in property in wealthy parts of central London. There is also considerable British trade with and investment in Russia.

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John Major Energy-Bills initiative: Headache or Opportunity for Osborne?

A bold suggestion by former Tory Leader Sir John Major can either be a headache or an opportunity for Chancellor George Osborne.  The challenge of popular policy thrown by former conservative Prime Minister  to Chancellor  Osborne  could turn into his advantage by subtle pressure on energy companies which could increase David Cameron’s government popularity.

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Practical Aid for Syrian Refugees Was Made Possible by August Commons Vote

This an editorial I did for the Norwegian magazine Perspective last month. not sure if it is available in UK, but here is the editorial now the magazine is out  

The House of Commons vote on Syria, 29 August, triggered a chain of events not only thwarting a war that seemed inevitable that day but also set higher ethical and democratic standards beyond Britain’s shores. Instead of focusing on getting public to back attack on Syria’s despotic regime, western leaders began working with the Russia and United Nations ( which finally got Security Council to agree on the strongest resolution  available)  to end a bloody civil war by a political settlement  and to get an ambitious humanitarian aid programme into action.

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William Hague Mustn’t put EU Before UK national Interests

If we follow foolish European Union Foreign Policy (God knows why they should have a foreign policy department, commissioner and team financed by our taxes) over Egypt, we risk a great deal of our interests being badly damaged, not just in Egypt but among Egypt powerful, rich influential allies like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman as well as Jordan ( they are also essentially part of wider historic British interest in Middle East and the Gulf region).

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Buying into Media-set Egypt Narrative, Willam Hague Risks British Interests

By constructing false and untrue narrative of the Egyptian Crisis the BBC, followed by other liberal left media, then copied by nearly all, is harming long-term British interests in Egypt and the Middle East region, especially with our Foreign Secretary William Hague unwisely following a foolish European course threatening Egypt while Cairo  influential and rich  Gulf allies led by Saudi Arabia have already warned the  European Union against such folly. It seems that BBC  led other left-wing/liberal media in setting the agenda to convince the British chattering classes and the larger political establishment of a false narrative of the crisis in Egypt. A false narrative and analysis which is not only misleading and doesn’t reflect reality on the ground, but also causing anger and resentment among the vast majority of Egyptians and their interim government, which, alongside the military, enjoys huge public support. Even the perception of policy that Egyptians might interpret as racist, demeaning or hurts their pride, poses a  danger to  our long term  interests in Egypt and in the Arab world, especially UK Britain economic interests in the important markets of the Gulf and security interest in the Middle East region that could  be damaged beyond repair.

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After Meeting Morsi, Ashton : Up to Egyptians, we carry no ideas

EU envoy Ashton meets Morsi, but didn’t refer to him by any titles like president, while emphasizing that Europeans have no plans or ideas to impose and it was up to the Egyptians to sort out their differences, while sources close to meeting said she advised Morsi to “accept new reality on the ground,” after the young people she met demanded that EU must recognise June 30 Revolution . Cairo politicians call British government ” Obama messenger boys,” as they give high profile to  EU in defiance of America.

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