YEMEN AND SYRIA ALSO FACING REVOLT

@SultanAlQassemi
I'm enjoying naming the Yemeni diplomats who abandoned the dictator. More more more!
3 minutes ago via web
Retweeted by you and 9 others
NewsYemen.net: Yemen's ambassadors in Germany, Canada, Russia, Japan, UN Office in Geneva, Belgium & the European Union join the protesters.
4 minutes ago via web
Al Arabiya: General Ali Mohsin, commander of Yemen's NW military zone, issues alert warning against use of force against demonstrators
11 minutes ago via web
Al Bayan: Yemen's consul general in Dubai joins protesters | Syria News: Yemen consul general in Washington joins protesters.
13 minutes ago via web
Al Arabiya: Libyan State TV: Tripoli being shelled by series of international strikes. #Libya
16 minutes ago via web
Al Jazeera: Yemen's ambassadors in Pakistan, Oman & Qatar join the protesters.
23 minutes ago via web
Also Yemen's ambassadors in United Nations, Jordan, Kuwait, China, Lebanon, Saudi & Consul General in Jeddah join the protesters.
26 minutes ago via web
Retweeted by you and 36 others
Al Jazeera: Yemen's ambassadors in Egypt, Arab League, Algeria, Syria, Czech Republic, Spain & Indonesia side with protesters.
32 minutes ago via web

@SultanAlQassemi

Ali Zakari, a Yemeni political analyst tells Al Arabiya that he expects Ali Abdulla Saleh to announce his resignation in his speech tomorrow

The end for President Salih in Yemen
By James R. King - 03/21/11 03:42 PM ET

The regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih is decidedly on the brink. With the resignations of over forty parliamentarians, nearly ten ambassadors (including to the U.N., U.K. and Saudi Arabia), and a handful of senior government and tribal figures, the once-nascent protest movement calling for Salih to step down is now reaching its revolutionary potential. Friday’s brutal massacre of over fifty unarmed people – in many cases, by snipers – guaranteed that.

This morning, three of Yemen’s five military zone commanders declared their support for the popular revolution. This included Major General Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar, the most powerful military figure in the country after the President. Yemenis have received his announcement and pledge to protect the protestors, which immediately set in motion a torrent of additional military and civilian defections, with a mix of great enthusiasm and some trepidation.

On the one hand, his defection definitively tips the balance of power away from Salih, making his eventual exit a near fait accompli. Yet Muhsin is a widely considered a brutal military leader who has come to symbolize the dominance of one small tribe, the Sanhan, over the country. Many Yemenis fear that his motives may be more sinister than democratic change.

Within the palace politics of Yemen’s “Sanhan state,” a small group of rival families simultaneously work together to preserve their collective economic, political and military interests and compete for that pool of interests. Thus, while Muhsin has long been a pillar of the regime’s inner circle, his relationship to the President is famously volatile. Considering the loyalty he commands within key factions of the Yemeni military, his announcement, coupled with the Defense Minister’s subsequent declaration of military support for the President, threatens to thrust Yemeni into conflict over control of the armed forces.

This brings us to the United States.

On February 2nd, I wrote in The Hill that the U.S. “must side with the people of Yemen. President Salih will not live forever, though the collective memory of Yemenis will. Whether the U.S. chooses to support Yemenis’ longing for self-determination and freedom, or instead resorts to an ossified policy that prioritizes the façade of short-term stability, is now the key question. Its answer will have severe practical implications for American security in Yemen and the region.”

With Salih’s departure likely imminent, this is even truer today. Muhsin’s defection both reinforces the inevitability of change and raises the possibility of escalating violence and civil strife.

By continuing to back the Yemeni President, the Obama Administration risks positioning the U.S. as one of a crumbling few pillars that prop up an enfeebled regime, as well as a decisive factor in thwarting democracy and realizing the Yemeni people’s will. With Salih’s rapidly shrinking legitimacy, American support – tacit or explicit – provides a critical lifeline that might discourage him from stepping down peacefully and propel the country into military confrontation.

Yemen’s future is decidedly uncertain. The possibilities range from future presidential and parliamentary elections, to a transformed constitutional order, to a military coup d’état or even civil war. While such decisions must be left to Yemenis, particularly the youth that lead this democratic revolution, the Obama Administration must declare its unequivocal support for democratic change. It must officially endorse the peaceful transfer of power to a civil transitional government in Yemen now, likely buoyed by regional mediation. Feeble calls for dialogue with the opposition coalition are no longer viable.

It is important to recognize that the U.S. is not a passive participant in Yemen. In 2010, the Obama Administration offered over $175 million in security assistance to the Salih government, primarily to combat Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). During the recent protests, American-made equipment was used against peaceful demonstrators, and many Yemenis believe that by cautiously recommending dialogue, President Obama gave Salih a green light for his violent crackdown.

If history is any indication, the Salih regime will continue to trump the AQAP threat, attempting to garner immunity from violent repression and sowing civil strife. Facing Yemen’s tortuous complexity and a real, though inflated, al-Qaeda presence, the Obama Administration must resist falling into this short-sighted trap. Doing so will only embolden an AQAP narrative that stresses Yemen’s besiegement by an unholy alliance between a corrupt, repressive government and its American master. Alternatively, by applying pressure on Salih to step down and endorsing a robust process of national dialogue and sweeping reform – a process that cannot include the delegitimized President – it can undercut this narrative and ensure a constructive relationship with the future Yemeni state.

The U.S. must embrace a holistic approach to Yemen that supports the emergence of an inclusive and democratic civil government. Such a policy aims to invest Yemenis in their country’s future and eliminate AQAQ’s raison d’être, not merely its short-term tactical ability to strike the U.S. As Yemen’s former Ambassador to the UN stated following his resignation, “Al-Qaeda only thrives in closed societies.”

In Yemen, the Obama Administration does not face the difficult choice between American interests and ideals. Supporting freedom and democracy is both an act of counter-terrorism and a bold assertion of core American values.

James R. King is a specialist in Yemen and the broader Middle East. A former Fulbright Fellow in Jordan, he holds an M.A. in Islamic Studies from Columbia University and has conducted research on Yemen's Zaydi community through the American Institute for Yemeni Studies.

Panda wrote:

It really is amazing that all these Middle East Countries should simultaneously revolt,,,,,,,as I keep saying, this is not spontaneous, where are the Rebels
getting their guns and ammunition from? Those Countries who have succeeded in ousting their Presidents will have to ensure that the new Government
or Military rule is better than the one they have ousted.

Badboy wrote:2 PEOPLE KILLED IN ATTACK ON BAATHIST PARTY HQ IN LATAKIA

We're Not Gonna Protest
Why Qatar seems immune from the Arab world's revolutionary fever.
By Elizabeth Weingarten
Posted Friday, March 25, 2011, at 10:44 AM ET

Qatar has not seen the same unrest as other Arab states
Amid the continuous stream of revolution reports from the Middle East and North Africa, one country is noticeably absent. Unlike its neighbors, the tiny, oil-rich Gulf nation of Qatar has shown no signs of tumult, ranking last in the Economist's "shoe-thrower's index" of Arab unrest. Why has Qatar remained completely peaceful?
Money, and a small population. The revolutions in nearby countries, like Egypt, Yemen, and Oman, have been fueled largely by economic grievances like unemployment and rising food prices. Qatar, which has a population of around 1.5 million, approximately 200,000 of whom are Qatari citizens, has an unemployment rate of half a percent. Its GDP per capita of $145,300 is the highest in the world and its 2010 growth rate was 19.4 percent, also ranking it No. 1 in 2010. Qatar's wealth comes from oil and natural gas: The country sits on 14 percent of the world's total natural gas reserves and has 15 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. Qatar should be able to maintain its current export level of oil for 37 years.

And unlike its oil-rich neighbor Bahrain, Qatar—a majority Sunni Muslim country led by Sunni Muslims—doesn't struggle with sectarian violence. Qatar can be most aptly compared to the United Arab Emirates, which is also majority Sunni and flush with oil money. But Qatar's population is less diverse and much smaller than that of the UAE, which has recently seen some unrest: There were small protests from migrant laborers in January, and a Facebook page promises protests in the region on March 25. A cadre of intellectuals has also petitioned the government to hold open elections.
There are no similar stirrings in Qatar, which is ruled by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. (He overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995.) Its comparably small, docile population allows Sheikh al-Thani to operate a rentier state: Qataris don't pay income tax, and they're provided with free utilities and health care. Education is also heavily subsidized, with Qatari students often receiving full scholarships to attend universities. In exchange for these perks, Qataris allow Sheikh al-Thani to rule unopposed.

While most Qataris seem content, one group does suffer from significant injustices. The country's migrant laborers, primarily from Southeast Asia, are frequently underpaid and abused. The controversial Sponsorship Law, which other Gulf countries have recently abolished, prohibits them from leaving the country without permission from their sponsor, essentially dictating a relationship of indentured servitude. Southeast Asian laborers have virtually no political voice in Qatar. If they were to take to the streets and protest, they'd be deported.
If anything, Qataris are unsympathetic to the plight of migrant laborers. In a recent survey by the Qatar University Social and Economic Research Institute, 77 percent said they thought there were too many expatriates and migrant workers in the nation, and 62 percent thought the number of migrant laborers admitted into the country should be reduced.

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:2 PEOPLE KILLED IN ATTACK ON BAATHIST PARTY HQ IN LATAKIA

Badboy, where"s Latakia?

Badboy wrote:

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:2 PEOPLE KILLED IN ATTACK ON BAATHIST PARTY HQ IN LATAKIA

Badboy, where"s Latakia?

ON THE COAST NORTH OF BORDER WITH LEBANON?

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:2 PEOPLE KILLED IN ATTACK ON BAATHIST PARTY HQ IN LATAKIA

Badboy, where"s Latakia?

ON THE COAST NORTH OF BORDER WITH LEBANON?

Thanks, so Latakia is a Country , not a City.

Badboy wrote:

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:2 PEOPLE KILLED IN ATTACK ON BAATHIST PARTY HQ IN LATAKIA

Badboy, where"s Latakia?

ON THE COAST NORTH OF BORDER WITH LEBANON?

Thanks, so Latakia is a Country , not a City.

ITA A CITY

Badboy wrote:latakia is in syria

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:latakia is in syria

Oh, right, thanks. A reporter was saying today that Syria is the oldest City in the Middle East and is very beautiful, let"s hope it is not damaged too
much. Off to watch Peter Kay on Channel 4 with the Britains got the Pop Factor with Peter Kay......brilliant.

Badboy wrote:

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:latakia is in syria

Oh, right, thanks. A reporter was saying today that Syria is the oldest City in the Middle East and is very beautiful, let"s hope it is not damaged too
much. Off to watch Peter Kay on Channel 4 with the Britains got the Pop Factor with Peter Kay......brilliant.

ACTUALLY ISN'T IT DAMASCUS/JERICHO THAT IS MIDDLE EAST OLDEST CITY

@SultanAlQassemi

Maher Al Assad, brother of Syrian dictator enjoys filming massacred Syrian protesters http://bit.ly/dXN8O4 Extremely Graphic Video 1:17m
26 minutes ago via web

carmen wrote:

@SultanAlQassemi

Maher Al Assad, brother of Syrian dictator enjoys filming massacred Syrian protesters http://bit.ly/dXN8O4 Extremely Graphic Video 1:17m
26 minutes ago via web

Panda wrote:

carmen wrote:

@SultanAlQassemi

Maher Al Assad, brother of Syrian dictator enjoys filming massacred Syrian protesters http://bit.ly/dXN8O4 Extremely Graphic Video 1:17m
26 minutes ago via web

Carmen, that"s dreadful......but the whole of the Middle East still has stoning, cutting off the hand that steals etc.

@daraanow

URGENT: #Syria state TV has just announce lifting EMERGENCY LAW applied since 1963 #Daraa #Freedom #Latakia #March15
13 minutes ago via web