Why Egypt Ditched the IMF
As Egyptians continue their struggle for social justice and full democracy, there’s one institution they don’t want involved: the International Monetary Fund.
Document Actions – by Mark Engler – posted Jul 15, 2011

On Friday, crowds of protesters returned to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, with independent trade unions calling for the country’s yet-unfinished revolution to continue. The unionists, according to Ahram Online, “stressed the need to achieve social justice, the prosecution of all corrupt figures of the old regime, and the establishment of a full democracy.”

That activists are keeping up street pressure for democratic reforms is a positive sign. And it follows on the heels of another one: the recent, surprise decision by the country’s interim leaders to spurn the International Monetary Fund. IMF economic “guidance” is not new to Egypt, but a hallmark of the Mubarak dictatorship. It is to their credit that Egyptians have thus far chosen to break with this past.

In late June, the BBC reported, “Egypt drop[ped] plans for [an] IMF loan amid popular distrust.” Despite the IMF’s insistence that it was offering financing on favorable terms, the story noted, “many Egyptians were unhappy, feeling it was a betrayal of the protest movement that had denounced the IMF as a tool of imperialism.”

From the beginning of the Arab Spring revolts, many progressive commentators have expressed concern that people in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia might win greater political freedoms but would have their nations’ economic policies hijacked by the international financial institutions. Walden Bello, for one, reflected on pro-democracy transitions in the Philippines, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, and bemoaned a sad pattern:

Even as traditional elites hijacked the resurgent parliamentary systems, the United States and the multilateral agencies subverted them to push through austerity programs that the authoritarian regimes they previously supported had no longer been able to impose on recalcitrant citizenries. It soon became clear that Washington and the multilateral agencies wanted the new democratic regimes to use their legitimacy to impose repressive economic adjustment programs and debt management policies.

In the past decade and a half, as the terrible economic track record of IMF-imposed structural adjustment in the 1980s and ’90s has come to light, neoliberal economic policies have come under assault, and the IMF’s power has substantially diminished. This was especially true prior to the major economic downturn that started in 2008, which, ironically, gave the fund something of a new lease on life. (Ironically, because drives for deregulation promoted by Washington Consensus economists did plenty to spur the crisis in the first place.) …more

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The Cost of the “War on Terror”
by Manlio Dinucci

What is the economic cost of the “war on terror” that the US launched ten years ago? The Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University (New York) has worked it out [1]. The invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Irak in 2003 together with the successive extension of military operations in Pakistan entailed an estimated cost of 4 trillion dollars.

In order to have an idea of what it represents, one need only think that it is the equivalent of three centuries of Afghanistan’s GNP and one and a half in that of Iraq’s.

The Institute’s team of over twenty researchers focused above all on direct military spending, constituted by the sums allocated for the war added by Congress to the Pentagon budget: 2 trillion dollars. That amount was not available in the public coffers. It was thus borrowed from banks and international organisations, which compelled the federal government to pay outrageously high interest (with taxpayer money): some 200 billion dollars in ten years. An additional 74 billion dollars were spent, under the guise of extraordinary aid, to back the puppet regimes brought to power in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, the “war against terrorism” ran up a bill of some 400 billion dollars, spent on strengthening “homeland security”. To these expenses must be added the costs for assistance to the wounded and disabled by war: running at 32 billion dollars so far. This is only the tip of the iceberg: the veterans claiming compensation for injuries and disabilities are more than one million. It has been estimated that, in 30-40 years, their cost will jump from 600 billion to 1 trillion dollars. …more

US denies any plan to move Fifth Fleet from Bahrain
Omar Karmi – Jul 22, 2011

WASHINGTON // The US Department of Defence yesterday denied reports that it was considering moving its Fifth Fleet from Bahrain.

A spokesman, via e-mail, said there are no intentions to move the fleet and that reports suggesting otherwise “do not reflect the views of the Defence Department.”

A report in The Times newspaper in London yesterday said the US administration was mulling relocating the fleet in part because its continued presence in Manama could be seen as condoning the government crackdown on opposition parties.

The move, according to an unnamed source quoted by the newspaper, was first raised in February, when demonstrations gathered force. The idea has gained ground in recent months. The US military is reported to be against a move allegedly promoted by the US State Department.

However, a State Department official yesterday also denied the report, saying the US has “no intention to relocate the Fifth Fleet”.

There is no obvious alternative to Bahrain as the fleet’s host in the short term. In The Times’s report, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were touted as the most likely alternatives, though it would take years before either had ports equipped to host a fleet of the size currently based in Manama.

The fleet comprises some 30 vessels and 16,000 US Navy personnel. It operates in the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and the east coast of Africa. …more

US, Israel one and the same: Netanyahu
shiapost | July 21, 2011

Israel’s prime minister has addressed the pro-Israeli Christians’ annual gathering in Washington, calling the United States and Israel one and the same.

Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via video link to Christians United For Israel (CUFI), which gathered in their thousands to reassert allegiance to Tel Aviv, Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported on Wednesday.

“When you support Israel, you don’t have to choose between your interests and your values; you get both,” he told the mostly-evangelical Christians in the gathering.

“Our enemies think that we are you, and that you are us. And you know something? They are absolutely right,” he said.

The US and Israel have each considered the other as its most strategic ally.

Washington has invariably stonewalled the United Nations’ actions against Tel Aviv. It also provides Tel Aviv with USD 3 billion in military aid each year.

Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Oren also addressed the attendees and admired the CUFI’s backing of Israel.

He compared the US support of Israel with British military officer Orde Wingate’s training of Jewish paramilitary units before Israel’s 1948 occupation of the Palestinian land.

The military action, after which Israel proclaimed existence, forced 711,000 Palestinians to leave their homeland. The number of Palestinian refugees is put at over 4.6 million, according to 2008 estimates.

In 1967 and during what became to be known as the Six-Day War, Tel Aviv went on to occupy and later annex the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds and Gaza Strip in a move not recognized by international laws.

Israel carried out a so-called withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, but has been keeping the coastal sliver under recurrent attacks. An all-scale Israeli offensive on Gaza at the turn of 2009 killed more than 1,400 Palestinians. …source

“No” to the Treachery Act… “No” to the Release of Perpetrators: Towards an independent judicial committee to establish transitional justice in Egypt | 19/07/2011

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) welcomes the decision by Judge Mohammed al-Gharyani, the president of the Supreme Judicial Council, to appoint a committee to discuss a new law to ensure financial and administrative independence of the judiciary in accordance with international standards. This decision is considered a step forward in preparation for the second National Conference on Justice—which has not been convened since the first conference was held in 1986—with the goal of adopting a comprehensive strategy to advance the judiciary and the Egyptian legal system and to establish the pillars for the rule of law in the post-revolution society.

CIHRS believes that securing judicial independence and immunizing it against interventions from the executive is vital to dispel growing doubts about the possibility of fair and expeditious trials for former regime officials accused of involvement in the killing of demonstrators, grave human rights violations, and corruption. At the same time, however, CIHRS fears that the current course of legal accountability for criminal, economic, and political crimes committed by former regime figures puts the justice system itself at risk and threatens Egyptians’ aspirations for deterrent, fair punishment of perpetrators of these crimes as well as for justice for the victims. The delays and lax measures taken against those responsible for most of these crimes raise serious doubts about the potential for tampering with evidence, manipulating witnesses, and more.
CIHRS believes that both trying former regime figures as well as protecting the credibility of the judiciary require correcting the course of these trials and reshaping the justice system to meet the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people.

If the political will exists to hold the Mubarak regime accountable, those responsible for administering the affairs of the country must create an integrated system to receive complaints and criminal claims and establish a fund for compensation or reparation for damages as an attempt to correct the current course of affairs. They must also establish a cohesive system for legal and political investigations into decades of abuses – not just into what occurred in a few days between January 25 and February 2 – and issue credible reports about these investigations, including judicial recommendations to address these abuses and to prevent their recurrence.

CIHRS believes that accountability should not be limited to the killing of demonstrators during the Egyptian revolution but rather that it should extend to the systematic crimes of torture and enforced disappearance seen over at least the last 30 years as well as to the crime of referring civilians to exceptional or military courts, particularly considering that some of these civilians were sentenced to death and executed. The violations of Egyptians’ rights over the past decades ultimately required a popular revolution to confront them, but now an institutional revolution is needed to end such policies and practices and to guarantee that they will not be repeated. The problems and abuses of the past are too complex to be resolved through one traditional mode of action given the multiplicity of perpetrators, crimes, and victims. …more

Bahrain embarks on political sea change
Published: July 21, 2011 at 11:32 AM

MANAMA, Bahrain, July 21 (UPI) — The prime minister of Bahrain is granted more power over the state’s affairs, something a spokesman said represented “a radical shift” in the kingdom.

Bahrain in early July started a dialogue process meant to examine possible improvements in the political structure. The government earlier received praise for transferring some trials from a military tribunal to civilian courts.

The Sunni-led kingdom was condemned for its violent response to a Shiite uprising early this year,

Isa Abdul Rahman, a spokesman for the dialogue committee, said the elected Parliament was granted more authority in the government.

Rahman said the prime minister now has the right to choose members of his government. That government would then be vetted by members of Parliament who have the right to reject or approve the prime minister’s decisions.

“This decision represents a radical shift in the balance of power — between our democratically elected Parliament and our executive branch — further demonstrating Bahrain’s commitment to concrete reforms,” he said in a statement.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. U.S. and regional sources suggested to The Times of London that Navy officials were reviewing their presence there.

The source said U.S. lawmakers are concerned the military presence is seen as tacit support for Bahrain’s response to the Shiite uprising. …source

Interpol’s Red Notices used by some to pursue political dissenters, opponents
By Libby Lewis July 18, 2011

When Iranian political activist Rasoul Mazrae sought shelter from his own government, he fled, headed for Norway via Syria.

He was followed by a petition from Iranian officials that Interpol, the international police agency, list him as a fugitive. Despite the United Nations recognizing him as a political refugee , the same Syrian government that today is cracking down on its own dissidents used that Interpol alert to deport Mazrae to Iran in 2006.

Mazrae was jailed for two years. His family told a UN rapporteur he was tortured to the point of paralysis, had blood in his urine and lost all of his teeth.

Mazrae was sentenced to death, and human rights observers lost track of him. “We are not aware that his death penalty has been carried out, but we cannot be absolutely sure,” said James Lynch of Amnesty International.

What Syria and Iran used to go after Mazrae was an Interpol “Red Notice.” This system of notices, little known outside legal circles, is being exploited for political purposes by some of the 188 member nations that belong to the 88-year-old international police cooperation agency.

Interpol’s primary purpose is to help police hunt down murderers and war criminals, child sex offenders and wildlife poachers. But a five-month investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shows a little-known side to Interpol’s work: In cases from countries such as Iran, Russia, Venezuela and Tunisia, Interpol Red Notices are not only being used for legitimate law enforcement purposes, but to round up political opponents of notorious regimes.

For countries that want to abuse Interpol, “it’s a way to extend their arm to harass opponents – political or economic,” said Kyle Parker , policy director of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, a human rights body of the U.S. Congress.

ICIJ analyzed a snapshot of Interpol’s Red Notices, published on December 10, 2010. It includes 7,622 Red Notices issued at the request of 145 countries. About a quarter of those were from countries with severe restrictions on political rights and civil liberties. About half were from nations deemed corrupt by international transparency observers.

…more

‘Bahraini forces attack protesters’
shiapost | July 21, 2011

Bahrainis attend a demonstration in Diraz, west of Manama, on July 1, 2011.

Saudi-backed Bahraini regime forces have once again attacked peaceful protesters as the five-month-old revolution continues in the Persian Gulf state.

Riot police fired tear gas on the protesters in Nuwaidrat, Sanabis, Eker, and Sitra on Wednesday.

The protesters were fired at when they were shouting slogans of death to the ruling Al Khalifa family.

Meanwhile, an international rights group has urged Bahrain to stop harassing and intimidating reporters critical of the Saudi-backed regime.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement it had documented cases of two journalists who died while in police custody and many others being detained or tortured in Bahrain since the beginning of protests in mid-February.

“Bahrain’s government has a responsibility to protect journalists from those who resort to threats of violence, intimidation, or fabricated criminal charges to influence coverage,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem.

Anti-regime protesters have been holding demonstrations across the country since mid-February, calling on the Al Khalifa ruling family to relinquish power. …source

Ayat al-Qurmezi: Bahrain Royal Family Tortures Detainees
shiapost | July 21, 2011

Ayat al-Qurmezi, Revolutionary Poetess of Bahrain

She said in an interview with Al-Alam news channel on Wednesday: “There is no doubt about the government’s official supervision over the torture, even some members of the ruling family personally take part in torturing detainees.”

Al-Qurmezi noted that some detainees have been killed under torture.

She was arrested on March 30 after being caught on film reading poems critical of Bahrain’s ruling regime to a group of protesters at Pearl Square in the capital Manama.

In June, a military court sentenced the young activist to 12 months in jail, reportedly without any legal argument or her lawyer being allowed to speak.

The 20-year-old poetess was released on July 13, but her sentence has not been revoked. She is currently under house arrest.

She said that beating and electronic shocks are the most common ways of torturing in Bahrain’s prisoners.

In the latest development on Wednesday, Bahraini forces once again attacked peaceful protesters in several villages and towns surrounding the capital including Nuwaidrat, Sanabis, Eker, and Sitra.

Anti-regime protesters have been holding demonstrations across the country since mid-February, calling on the Al Khalifa ruling family to relinquish power. …source

Bitter Divides Persist Below Bahrain’s Relatively Calm Surface
By Barbara Slavin

WASHINGTON, Jul 20, 2011 (IPS) – When Bahraini ambassador Houda Ezra Nonoo arrived in Washington three years ago, she was greeted as the representative of a close U.S. ally with a reputation for more openness and tolerance than most Gulf nations.

Nonoo was also a novelty as a woman representing an Arab country, and even more unusually, a Jew – one of only 37 in Bahrain.

These days, however, her job is considerably more complicated. Demonstrations followed by a bloody crackdown have tarnished Bahrain’s image and shaken its social cohesion. Al-Wefaq, the largest opposition party, pulled out Sunday from a national dialogue convened by the government only two weeks ago to try to bridge a sectarian divide between the ruling Sunni minority and the Shiite majority that has widened into a chasm since the spring.

Welcoming an audience comprised largely of business people and Congressional staffers to the embassy Tuesday night, Nonoo appealed for patience. “My request to you as Americans is …try to understand what it means to be such a small country with powerful neighbours and wounds to heal,” she said.

The ambassador spoke after guests watched a glitzy video about Bahrain that even she conceded was jarringly out of date.

The video touted Bahrain’s “political stability” and called the island nation “the only real democracy in the Gulf region”. It showed scenes from Formula One racing, which cancelled its scheduled Grand Prix event in Bahrain this spring because of the political unrest. Bahrain is “a country undergoing dynamic changes”, the video said, a land of business opportunities, five star hotels and luxury homes built on land reclaimed from the sea.

The video, Nonoo noted, had been made in 2006, long before the current turmoil. However, she underlined its pitch for foreign investment and tourism, insisting that “Bahrain is open for business” and that its lifestyle is more relaxed and comfortable for foreigners than that of straight-laced Saudi Arabia across a 16-mile causeway to the west. What’s more, she added, Bahrain has no taxes of any kind. …more