Posts from — October 2012

US concerned at Bahrain’s ban on protests
31 October, 2012 – Lebanon Now

The United States on Wednesday voiced concern at Bahrain’s ban on all protests and public gatherings, urging the Gulf state to find a way to allow peaceful demonstrations to resume.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the Bahraini government’s decision to ban all public gatherings. Freedoms of assembly, association and expression are universal human rights,” acting State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said.

“We urge the government of Bahrain to work with responsible protest leaders to find a way for peaceful and orderly demonstrations to take place.”

Curbing the right to assembly was contrary to “Bahrain’s professed commitment to reform and will not help advance national reconciliation nor build trust among all parties,” he told journalists.

Bahrain on Tuesday banned all protests and gatherings to ensure “security is maintained,” after a spate of clashes between Shiite-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country.

The Gulf state has been shaken by unrest since its forces in March last year crushed a month of popular protests led by members of its Shiite Muslim majority demanding greater rights and an end to what they said was discrimination against them by the Sunni royal family.

The crackdown, which drew strong criticism from international rights groups, was followed by a three-month state of emergency declared by King Hamad, during which protests were also banned.

Toner added Washington was also urging “the opposition to refrain from provocations and violence” adding recent attacks on security forces were “a deeply troubling development.”

“Violence undermines efforts to reduce tensions, rebuild trust, and pursue meaningful reconciliation in Bahrain,” he said.

“We urge the government of Bahrain to take steps to build confidence across Bahraini society and to begin a meaningful… dialogue with the political opposition.”

…source

March 14 Group’s Political Games will Never Return Them to Power
By Mohammad Irani – Mehr News Agency – 29 October, 2012 – Moqawama.com

Lebanon is facing a new security dilemma in the wake of the recent bombing in Beirut that killed the head of the intelligence unit of the country’s Interior Ministry, Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan.

In light of current developments in the Middle East and Lebanon’s special geopolitical position in the region, the repercussions of the incident were not restricted to Lebanon.

Neighboring Syria, which is still grappling with a 19-month political crisis, was roundly accused and the Lebanese opposition said it was the prime suspect.

Al-Hassan was one of the key members of the March 14 alliance and was totally opposed to Syrian intervention in Lebanon. Immediately after the bombing, some figures in the opposition seized the opportunity and accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of personally having a hand in the assassination of al-Hassan. This is obviously a new political game by the March 14 group to help it return to power, but the country’s current situation shows that there is almost no chance for the March 14 group to win such a game.

Meanwhile, after more than 19 months of chaos in Syria, the efforts of Western governments and their regional proxies to internationalize the crisis have failed. The Sassine Square bombing in Beirut was apparently another move by the anti-Syria front to intensify the crisis and pave the way for military action against the Syrian government.

The fragility of the sectarian political system in Lebanon increases the risk of civil war. This would not only harm Lebanon’s national interests but would also create a threat for neighboring countries.

However, despite the Lebanese opposition’s anti-Syria propaganda, it can be said that Syria did not gain any advantage from the Beirut bombing. In light of the internal crisis in Syria, it would be almost impossible for Damascus to commit such an act of political suicide. Moreover, after the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, Syria has had a much more diminished role in Lebanon, and logically, the Syrians do not want to add to their problems in Lebanon.

The assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, who was one of Lebanon’s most senior security officials, was certainly a complicated operation that needed sophisticated intelligence support. Taking Syria out of the picture, the only other regional player that could have sponsored such an operation is “Israel”. The “Israelis” have a long record of hostility toward Lebanon and Syria, and this time, they were trying to replicate what they did in the Hariri assassination to further destabilize the region. However, the conspiracy was foiled again, and “Israel” was unable to benefit from the unrest in Lebanon. …source

Months before Assassination, Jordanian Intelligence Warned Al-Hassan: “Israel” Wants Your Head
Local Editor – Moqawama.com – 30 October, 2012

Under the title, “Wissam al-Hassan: They want my head,”, “al-Akhbar” Lebanese newspaper revealed information that reflect the possibility of “Israel’s” involvement in Achrafieyh blast; thus, the assassination of Lebanese Information Branch head.

According to “al-Akhbar” Tuesday’s editorial, the victim informed people close to him, that Jordanian officials warned him he is at the center of “Israeli” targets.

In details, months before his murder, al-Hassan told a number of his close associates about two meetings he held with the head of Jordanian intelligence [in Germany] and a minister in a direct connection with the Jordanian intelligence. “The two men reported information from meetings with “Israeli” Intelligence officials,” al-Hassan said.

Al-Hassan further revealed the content of the Jordanian officials talks with the “Israelis”, which tackled the situation in Lebanon and its consequences.

According to “al-Akhbar” sources, the Jordanians addressed al-Hassan by saying: The “Israelis” aren’t satisfied with your performance and you have to be cautious.”

In parallel, one of the two men warned al-Hassan: “You have to be careful, even in Europe .”

“Al-Hassan was aware of the fact that the “Israelis” wanted his head and said more than once that he is no longer safe during his visits to Europe,” the daily mentioned.

It also noted: “The victim knew the size of “Israeli” wrath resulting from the fall of their espionage cells in Lebanon since 2008.”

Moreover, other sources unveiled to “al-Akhbar” that “The beginning of this year carried another alert to al-Hassan.”
“He received a letter, in January 2012, from United Arab Emirates Intelligence based on reliable information that a senior officer in the Lebanese Internal Security Unit will be a target of an assassination attempt,” they said.
Al-Akhbar quoted these sources as saying: “The officer will be the target of a car bomb in the Achrafieyh, on the road between the ISF building and the ISF official’s residence.”

“Al-Hassan was surprised for until that moment , his secret office was unknown,” the newspaper added.

In this context, it also highlighted: “An Emirati official told al-Hassan that available information reflected that “al-Qaeda”, particularly a group in ain al-Helwe camp, is preparing for an assassination attempt.” …source

Bahraini Monarchy Asks For More Rebellion: “All Rallies Banned”
30 October, 2012 – The Trench

One day after a former admiral of the Fifth Fleet published a laughable defense of Bahrain’s monarchy, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and his royal circle have flashed their true colors for all to see. Of course the King’s American loyalists appear to be irreparably blinded by the island’s military use vis-à-vis Iran, but their arrogance may seriously threaten U.S. interests at some future moment.

In the immediate term, one of the fastest ways to explode any trend is to ban it.

On Tuesday Bahrain’s Interior Minister, a hawkish instrument of King Hamad’s power, announced the monarchy’s decision “to stop all rallies and gatherings until ensuring that security is maintained through achieving the targeted security to protect national unity and social fabric to fight extremism.” Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa manifests the kingdom’s ongoing attempt to delegitimize Bahrain’s pro-democracy opposition, so his rhetoric comes as no surprise to protesters and opposition leaders. Turning youthful and revolution-minded individuals into “terrorists” and “extremists” is standard procedure for Bahrain’s monarchy, a borrowed tactic used by autocracies for the last half century.

The Interior Minister argued that King Hamad, “has strived in the previous phase to protect freedom of expression by allowing rallies and gatherings, but that privilege has been abused repeatedly by organizers’ violations and the participants’ lack of commitment to the legal regulations.”

Denying the violent elements of Bahrain’s opposition is a non-starter. Rather, their actions are justified by the government’s disproportionate crackdown on a largely peaceful movement for greater representation and human rights. Governments bear a higher level of responsibility than non-government organizations, and starting a protest at a funeral is trumped by gassing that protest. King Hamad committed a fatal error when summoning Saudi Arabia and the GCC’s Peninsula Shield (along with Jordanian and Pakistani mercenaries) early into a national crisis. Repeated attempts to stage a hollow “National Dialogue” robbed the process of its credibility, and the King’s hyped Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) functions as a diversion away from the fundamental issues of parliamentary and judiciary reform – and growing calls to strip Hamad of his powers. …more

Bahrainis hold anti-regime demonstrations in Manama despite ban
31 October, 2012 – PressTV

Bahraini anti-regime protesters have once again staged rallies in the capital Manama despite a recent ban on all opposition protests and public gatherings.

The angry protesters took to the streets in support of political prisoners being held in jails, including opposition leader Hassan Mushaima.

The family of Mushaima says he is gravely ill and needs immediate medical attention.

Senior Bahraini cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim said the Al Khalifa regime has denied treatment of Mushaima in jail despite his “frightening” health condition.

Bahraini security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators in Manama.

The recent demonstration comes after Bahrain’s Interior Ministry imposed a ban on all protests and gatherings across the country and cited anti-regime demonstrations as repeated abuse of the rights to freedom of speech and expression.

“All rallies and gatherings have been suspended and no public activity will be allowed until security and stability are achieved,” said Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa on Tuesday.

“Rallies and gatherings will be considered illegal and legal action will be taken against anyone calling for or taking part in them.”

Bahraini protesters have been holding anti-regime demonstrations since February 2011 and they hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of demonstrators during the uprising.

The protesters say they will continue holding demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically elected government is met. …source

Muqtada al-Sadr: Iraq Is Being Driven to Ruin
By: Ahmad al-Moussawiv – 25 October, 2012 – Al Akhbar

The Sadrist leader tells Al-Akhbar that the US still wields too much influence in the country, Maliki is a threat to democracy, and there is no way of resolving the political crisis.

Baghdad – The Ahrar Bloc affiliated to the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr is one of the biggest players on the Iraqi political stage, with 39 members of parliament and five ministers in the government as part of the Shia Iraqi National Alliance (INA) coalition.

The movement began taking shape as a political current in the 1990s under Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, who was killed along with his sons Mustafa and Mumal in Najaf in 1999 by agents of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Sadr accused the US of continuing to meddle in Iraqi affairs, despite the withdrawal of most of its troops from the country, with damaging consequences for Iraqi politics.

After the 2003 US invasion in 2003, Muqtada, Sadr’s fourth son, emerged as the movement’s leader, delivering a now-famous speech after Friday prayers at the Koufa mosque in which he declared his opposition to the American presence and announced the formation of the movement’s paramilitary wing, the Mahdi Army.

The Sadrist movement has been engaged in the political process since the first post-invasion parliamentary elections in 2005. Sadr himself moved to Iran last year to complete his theological studies at the seminary of Qom, but continues to follow political development in Iraq from his base there.

In an interview with Al-Akhbar, Sadr accused the US of continuing to meddle in Iraqi affairs, despite the withdrawal of most of its troops from the country, with damaging consequences for Iraqi politics.

“The American occupation of the sacred land of Iraq had a big and negative impact on the land and the people. It took lives and plundered resources, and it continues to do so,” he said. “But perhaps the most important of these negative results is the consolidation of the occupation’s influence over the land that tormented it for years. This influence amounts to imposing military and political control and continuing its unacceptable interference with the political parties.”

Sadr charged that a number of Iraqi institutions remain under US control. “There are still many files which it continues to control, as well as some bases and detention centers, in addition to its intelligence and other influence,” he said.

“This interference will prevent Iraq from being independent and making its own regional and international decisions,” Sadr added. “America wants this in order to increase its hegemony and power internally and externally.”

Sadr was also strongly critical of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, saying his autocratic behavior was endangering the country’s democracy and making a resolution to the long-running political crisis in the country “impossible.”

Sadr concurred with the growing chorus of charges by Iraqi political groups that Maliki monopolizes the decision-making, and warned: “ I’ve said it in the past and will continue to say it. I do not fear for myself personally in this regard, but this behavior will ultimately result in taking Iraq away from the path of democracy and freedom, and even that of clean elections.” …more

These are fighters, brothers and cousins with a sworn allegiance to those who felled the US Trade Towers in 2001

Call me jaded but I expect the article’s author, Shadi Mokhtari, has become the poster child for the “new veneer” of Western Human Rights agenda that strangely resembles a Wooded Horse I once saw in Troy named “NGO”. Polly Anna lives for another day. The BICI Report Shadi claims as progress for Human Rights was and still is a misdirection created by forced collaboration between the State Department and Bahrain’s bloody MOI to save 10s of millions in Military Contracts from a roving “pack of liberals” back in the US.

The “New Politics of Human Rights” in the Middle East made Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights another White House doormat. To date noting substantial from the State Departments BICI has been acted upon and the systematic elimination, murder and imprisonment of “anti-regime” elements seems nears completion. The imprisonment of Nabeel Rajab and Zainnab al-Khawaja has cleared the way for the restoration of “opposition regime reformers” who have patiently waited on State Department-Regime mop-up activities to contain the Revolution.

Shadi’s references to the elimination of Hosi Mubarak as a small victory; under the bus he went to the cheers of all of us as Obama made his bid in the back-halls to hang on the CIA trained Military that has become the steering committee for the New Democratic Egypt. Sorry, at the moment it hard for me to hear the optimism of New Human Rights in the Middle East. It sounds like spinning a train wreck as an opportunity for the scrap metal dealer…. Phlipn Out.

The New Politics of Human Rights in the Middle East
By Shadi Mokhtari – 30 October, 2012 – Foreign Policy

For decades, “human rights in the Middle East” was a subject of scrutiny, debate, and mobilizations spearheaded from outside of the region. Western governments including successive U.S. administrations frequently took up the region’s dire human rights conditions and funded a variety of human rights initiatives to remedy them, in many ways as a substitute for forgoing economic and military alliances with highly repressive regimes. These foreign governments’ human rights talk was heavy in its emphasis on women’s rights and other violations for which backward cultural and religious belief were designated as the key culprits and light on its emphasis on civil and political rights violations. During the post-9/11 era, as highlighting the Middle East’s deplorable human rights conditions added a veneer of moral purpose to military interventions in the region, the “human rights in the Middle East” line of inquiry took on a life of its own and created a cottage industry of Western-driven human rights assessments and prescriptions. All the while, local voices promoting human rights were largely silenced by authoritarian rulers simultaneously paying lip service to human rights and undermining it by arguing that it served foreign, Western, imperialist agendas. Cumulatively, there dynamics resulted in minimal Middle Eastern agency in defining the nature and scope of its own predicament vis-à-vis the human rights paradigm.

Today, the region’s myriad of human rights mobilizations and contests are increasingly being spurred from within the Middle East, not abroad.

Domestically, where there have been uprisings (not facing crippling state violence) human rights have emerged at the fore of calls for political change and local human rights activists long relegated to the realm of the out-of-touch Westernized elite, have gained considerably in their legitimacy, numbers, and influence. These strengthened human rights forces now insert their voices into virtually every unfolding political contest — openly bringing past and present abuses to light and pushing human rights stances into constitutions-drafting processes, parliamentary agendas, and socio-economic policies. Where they have not been able to substantially realize their demands, they have often compelled authoritarian rulers to go to increasingly greater lengths to showcase purported commitments to rights, the most notable examples being the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and the prosecution of Hosni Mubarak.

At the same time more meaningful human rights engagements are taking shape at the regional level. Using Cairo and Tunis as venues for considerably less fettered activism, protesters and an expanding cadre of activists are posing human rights challenges across borders within the region. For instance, Egyptian NGOs put out statements on Saudi abuses, an NGO banned in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) moves to Tunisia, activists and ordinary citizens protest in front of Syrian embassies throughout the region, and Tunisian activists hold a “Friends of Bahrain” conference to show support for the Bahraini revolution in reaction to the “Friends of Syria” conference in Tunis, while Yemeni activists gather to support the hunger strike of a prominent Bahraini activist. …more

While Bahrain’s Anti-regime Opposition languishes in Prison the UKs ‘Good Friday’ John Powell is training the “Pro-reform Opposition” in another Regime Charade of self preservation. Those Western consultants love lining their pockets with al-Khalifa dollars from rent on NSA Bahrain. Phlipn Out.

Jonathan Powell’s NGO has organised meetings for Bahraini government and opposition, applying lessons of Northern Ireland

Ex-Blair aide advising Bahrain on conflict resolution
30 October, 2012 – guardian.co.uk

Bahraini government and opposition figures are being trained in negotiation and conflict resolution techniques by Tony Blair’s former chief of staff Jonathan Powell, the Guardian can reveal.

Powell, who played a key role in securing the Good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland in 1998, was asked to undertake the work when Bahrain approached the UK Foreign Office for help with implementing the recommendations of an independent report on the Gulf state’s unrest last year.

Since leaving government in 2007 Powell has run InterMediate, a small NGO working on conflicts across the world. According to sources in Manama, Powell’s team has organised a series of discreet meetings in London and Northern Ireland for Bahraini officials and opposition figures, applying the lessons of the province’s sectarian divide in a Middle Eastern context.

A spokesman for InterMediate said that for reasons of confidentiality it does not comment on any of its projects, and refused to confirm or deny that it was involved in Bahrain. He stressed that as a matter of principle the charity does not accept funding from the government of any country in which it works.

Bahrain is known for employing expensive western PR agencies to present its case. It also buys security expertise. Last year it secured the services of John Yates, the former Metropolitan police commisioner, who is an adviser to the interior ministry. Another adviser is John Timoney, a former Miami police chief.

Netanyahu says strike on Iran would be good for Arabs
30 October, 2012 – By NIcholas Vinocur – Reuters

PARIS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Tuesday to convince Arab states that an Israeli military strike on Iran would benefit them, removing a potential threat and easing tensions across the Middle East.

Netanyahu has made a number of veiled threats to attack Iran’s nuclear programme and has appealed to the United States and the United Nations to set a limit for Tehran on its further development.

In an interview published on Tuesday with French magazine Paris Match, Netanyahu said such a strike would not worsen regional tensions, as many critics have warned.

“Five minutes after, contrary to what the sceptics say, I think a feeling of relief would spread across the region,” he said.

“Iran is not popular in the Arab world, far from it, and some governments in the region, as well as their citizens, have understood that a nuclear armed Iran would be dangerous for them, not just for Israel,” he said.

Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power, believes Tehran intends to build atomic weapons and has consistently urged the West to increase up sanctions. Iran says it is enriching uranium for peaceful energy purposes only.

The United States and other Western countries have rejected Netanyahu’s demand to set a limit for Iran and have urged him to refrain from military action to give diplomacy and sanctions a chance to work.

Netanyahu, who is running for re-election in January at the head of the right-wing Likud party, told the United Nations last month that a strike could wait until spring or summer when he said Tehran might be on the brink of building an atomic bomb.

During his two-day visit to France, Netanyahu will travel to the southern city of Toulouse with President Francois Hollande for a ceremony of remembrance for the victims of an Islamist gunman who killed seven people there in March, including three Jewish children.
…source

The Last Presidential Debate
By As’ad AbuKhalil – 29 October, 2012 – Angry Corner – Al Akhbar

How do you watch presidential debates in the US, as an Arab or as an American who cares about Palestinians? Not an easy task for sure. It has become ritualistic and formulaic. Basically, candidates sit (or stand) and compete in the art of catering to the Israeli lobby. It knows no bounds and it recognizes no limits of logic or reason. It is an exercise in which informed men and women have to surrender their brains at the door. It is a ritual that we have to endure once every four years, if you don’t count the routine Senate races.

Obama came to the debate prepared to defend his record on Israel. He extended additional aid to Israel as soon as Romney landed there for the campaign stop that all presidential candidates have to undertake. He also ordered the largest ever joint military exercise between Israel and the US. Every US president has to prove that he is far more pro-Israel than his predecessor, and all are (probably with the exception of George H.W. Bush). Obama and Romney invoked the name of Israel and they barely mentioned the names of traditional US allies like France and UK. Israel is now the foreign policy of the US in an election year. A writer in Le Monde said what no US journalist could say: that the invocation of Israel and China in the presidential campaign is about domestic policy and not foreign policy, that Israel stands for Florida while China stands for Ohio.

Sadly, there are Arabs who have already begun their naïve analysis about the next four years. Some are rooting for Obama on the assumption that a president in his second term is capable of challenging the Israeli lobby. For some inexplicable reason, every American administration is capable of fooling Arabs with this notion. Of course, no American president ever stood up to the Israeli lobby in his second term. There are those in the Arab world who insist that Nixon was planning on confronting Israel in his second term and that the Israeli lobby instigated the Watergate scandal to avoid an impending disaster.

But the debate between Obama and Romney was illustrative: there is a political malady in American political life. There is a pretension that passes itself off as sincere concern. This obsession with Israel just can’t be real. How could anyone believe that the president of the US is really more concerned about Israel than about any other ally of the US around the world? To be sure, Israel has become a domestic American political factor and the US Congress acts pretty much as an extension of the Israeli embassy, but there is something to be said about this theater of the absurd: about two adult men pretending that all that they care about in world affairs is Israel. Israel wants the US to act like every threat to its aggression and occupation is a threat to the US, and American politician have to feign agreement with Israel. …more

Why didn’t CNN’s international arm air its own documentary on Bahrain’s Arab Spring repression?

The Bahraini minority regime spent $32 million dollars on bribes to stop CNN from airing the documentary on its international network where it can be viewed by people in Arab countries, including Bahrain. CNN’s total cost for the hour-long documentary titled “iRevolution” was $100,000. According to the deal, CNN chopped down the documentary into a 13 minutes segment and aired it only on its US networks, but not on the international network. CNN later “laid off” the award winning reporter Amber Lyon in order to please the Arab monarchy in Bahrain that paid CNN million of dollars. Don’t you love the “Freedom of the Press” in Western countries? Watch a short video: Dictators Sponsor CNN, Interview with Amber Lyon
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A former CNN correspondent defies threats from her former employer to speak out about self-censorship at the network

October 30, 2012 (The Guardian) — In late March 2011, as the Arab Spring was spreading, CNN sent a four-person crew to Bahrain to produce a one-hour documentary on the use of internet technologies and social media by democracy activists in the region. Featuring on-air investigative correspondent Amber Lyon, the CNN team had a very eventful eight-day stay in that small, US-backed kingdom.

By the time the CNN crew arrived, many of the sources who had agreed to speak to them were either in hiding or had disappeared. Regime opponents whom they interviewed suffered recriminations, as did ordinary citizens who worked with them as fixers. Leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was charged with crimes shortly after speaking to the CNN team. A doctor who gave the crew a tour of his village and arranged meetings with government opponents, Saeed Ayyad, had his house burned to the ground shortly after. Their local fixer was fired ten days after working with them.

The CNN crew itself was violently detained by regime agents in front of Rajab’s house. As they described it after returning to the US, “20 heavily-armed men”, whose faces were “covered with black ski masks”, “jumped from military vehicles”, and then “pointed machine guns at” the journalists, forcing them to the ground. The regime’s security forces seized their cameras and deleted their photos and video footage, and then detained and interrogated them for the next six hours.

Lyon’s experience both shocked and emboldened her. The morning after her detention, newspapers in Bahrain prominently featured articles about the incident containing what she said were “outright fabrications” from the government. “It made clear just how willing the regime is to lie,” she told me in a phone interview last week.

But she also resolved to expose just how abusive and thuggish the regime had become in attempting to snuff out the burgeoning democracy movement, along with any negative coverage of the government.

“I realized there was a correlation between the amount of media attention activists receive and the regime’s ability to harm them, so I felt an obligation to show the world what our sources, who risked their lives to talk to us, were facing.”

CNN’s total cost for the documentary, ultimately titled “iRevolution: Online Warriors of the Arab Spring”, was in excess of $100,000, an unusually high amount for a one-hour program of this type. The portion Lyon and her team produced on Bahrain ended up as a 13-minute segment in the documentary. That segment, which as of now is available on YouTube, is a hard-hitting and unflinching piece of reporting that depicts the regime in a very negative light.

In the segment, Lyon interviewed activists as they explicitly described their torture at the hands of government forces, while family members recounted their relatives’ abrupt disappearances. She spoke with government officials justifying the imprisonment of activists. And the segment featured harrowing video footage of regime forces shooting unarmed demonstrators, along with the mass arrests of peaceful protesters. In sum, the early 2011 CNN segment on Bahrain presented one of the starkest reports to date of the brutal repression embraced by the US-backed regime.

On 19 June 2011 at 8pm, CNN’s domestic outlet in the US aired “iRevolution” for the first and only time. The program received prestigious journalism awards, including a 2012 Gold Medal from New York Festival’s Best TV and Films. Lyon, along with her segment producer Taryn Fixel, were named as finalists for the 2011 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists. A Facebook page created by Bahraini activists, entitled “Thank you Amber Lyon, CNN reporter | From people of Bahrain”, received more than 8,000 “likes”.

Despite these accolades, and despite the dangers their own journalists and their sources endured to produce it, CNN International (CNNi) never broadcast the documentary. Even in the face of numerous inquiries and complaints from their own employees inside CNN, it continued to refuse to broadcast the program or even provide any explanation for the decision. To date, this documentary has never aired on CNNi.
CNNi’s refusal to broadcast ‘iRevolution’

It is CNN International that is, by far, the most-watched English-speaking news outlet in the Middle East. By refusing to broadcast “iRevolution”, the network’s executives ensured it was never seen on television by Bahrainis or anyone else in the region.

CNNi’s decision not to broadcast “iRevolution” was extremely unusual. Both CNN and CNNi have had severe budget constraints imposed on them over the last several years. One long-time CNN employee (to whom I have granted anonymity to avoid repercussions for negative statements about CNN’s management) described “iRevolution” as an “expensive, highly produced international story about the Arab Spring”. Because the documentary was already paid for by CNN, it would have been “free programming” for CNNi to broadcast, making it “highly unusual not to air it”. The documentary “was made with an international audience as our target”, said Lyon. None of it was produced on US soil. And its subject matter was squarely within the crux of CNN International’s brand.

CNNi’s refusal to broadcast “iRevolution” soon took on the status of a mini-scandal among its producers and reporters, who began pushing Lyon to speak up about this decision. In June 2011, one long-time CNN news executive emailed Lyon:

“Why would CNNi not run a documentary on the Arab Spring, arguably the the biggest story of the decade? Strange, no?”

Motivated by the concerns expressed by long-time CNN journalists, Lyon requested a meeting with CNNi’s president, Tony Maddox, to discuss the refusal to broadcast the documentary. On 24 June 2011, she met with Maddox, who vowed to find out and advise her of the reasons for its non-airing. He never did.

In a second meeting with Maddox, which she had requested in early December to follow up on her unanswered inquiry, Lyon was still given no answers. Instead, at that meeting, Maddox, according to Lyon, went on the offense, sternly warning her not to speak publicly about this matter. Several times, Maddox questioned her about this 18 November 2011 tweet by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, demanding to know what prompted it. …source

REFILE-Bahrain says bans rallies to prevent violence
30 October, 2012 – Reuters

Oct 30 (Reuters) – Bahrain has banned all rallies and gatherings to ensure public safety and prevent violence, the state news agency reported, following more than a year of protests by opposition demonstrators.

The Sunni-ruled island kingdom, where the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based, has seen repeated protests since an uprising led by its Shi’ite majority for political reforms that began in February 2011 was crushed with help from Saudi troops last year.

“It has been decided to stop all gatherings and marches and not to allow any activity before being reassured about security and achieving the required stability in order to preserve national unity,” state news agency BNA quoted Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah al-Khalifa as saying late on Monday.

“Any marches or gatherings will be dealt with as unlicensed and legal procedures will be taken against those calling for or participating in them,” he added.

Sheikh Rashed said the violence that had accompanied marches and gatherings in the kingdom had disrupted traffic, affected trade and the economy and damaged private property.

He said march organisers, including the leading opposition party Wefaq, had failed to control protesters in the past.

The Gulf Arab state has banned a series of protests organised by Wefaq in past months. A senior official said in July that the government had no plans to ban rallies outright, but wanted to ensure they did not turn violent.

The opposition described the bans on Wefaq marches as an attempt to silence them. Amnesty International also criticised the bans as a violation of fundamental rights.

Since April the authorities have stepped up efforts to crack down on unrest. Activists cite an increased use of shotgun pellets, whose use authorities have declined to confirm or deny.

Activists have been sentenced to jail in past months for organising or taking part in unlicensed anti-government protests. …source

Iraqi Sects Join Battle in Syria on Both Sides
By YASIR GHAZI and TIM ARANGO – 27 October, 2012 – New York Times

BAGHDAD — Militant Sunnis from Iraq have been going to Syria to fight against President Bashar al-Assad for months. Now Iraqi Shiites are joining the battle in increasing numbers, but on the government’s side, transplanting Iraq’s explosive sectarian conflict to a civil war that is increasingly fueled by religious rivalry.

Some Iraqi Shiites are traveling to Tehran first, where the Iranian government, Syria’s chief regional ally, is flying them to Damascus, Syria’s capital. Others take tour buses from the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq, on the pretext of making a pilgrimage to an important Shiite shrine in Damascus that for months has been protected by armed Iraqis. While the buses do carry pilgrims, Iraqi Shiite leaders say, they are also ferrying weapons, supplies and fighters to aid the Syrian government.

“Dozens of Iraqis are joining us, and our brigade is growing day by day,” Ahmad al-Hassani, a 25-year-old Iraqi fighter, said by telephone from Damascus. He said that he arrived there two months ago, taking a flight from Tehran.

The Iraqi Shiites are joining forces with Shiite fighters from Lebanon and Iran, driving Syria ever closer to becoming a regional sectarian battlefield.

Lebanon, which has 100,000 Syrian refugees, was pushed to the brink this month when a Sunni intelligence chief was assassinated in a bombing. Many Lebanese blamed the Syrian government and its allies for the attack. Jordan, sheltering more than 180,000 refugees, has struggled to contain the violence on its border, which claimed the life of a Jordanian soldier in a firefight with extremists last week. Turkey, with more than 100,000 refugees, has traded artillery fire with Syria since Syrian shelling killed five civilians near the border early this month.

Now Iraq, still haunted by its own sectarian carnage, has become increasingly entangled in the Syrian war. And Iran, which, like Iraq, is majority-Shiite, appears to be playing a critical role in mobilizing Iraqis. …more

LATEST ‘WIRED EXCLUSIVE” ON SYRIAS NEWEST WMD THREAT,PUSHED BY A ZIONIST JEW TIED TO ISRAHELL ,BROOKINGS,AND US DEPT OF DEFENSE!
28 October, 2012 – NOVANEWS – SHOAH

Exclusive: US Rushes to Stop Syria from Expanding Chemical Weapon Stockpile
The regime of embattled Syrian dictator Bashar Assad is actively working to enlarge its arsenal of chemical weapons, U.S. officials tell Danger Room. Assad’s operatives have tried repeatedly in recent months to buy up the precursor chemicals for deadly nerve agents like sarin, even as his country plunges further and further into a civil war. The U.S. and its allies have been able to block many of these sales. [ed notes;what sales???where???from who???nowhere!!!

But that still leaves Assad’s scientists with hundreds of metric tons of dangerous chemicals that could be turned into some of the world’s most gruesome weapons.“Assad is weathering everything the rebels throw at him. Business is continuing as usual,” one U.S. official privy to intelligence on Syria says. “They’ve been busy little bees.” Talk of direct U.S. intervention in Syria has largely subsided.“There was a moment we thought they were going to use it —especially back in July,” says the U.S. official, referring to Syria’s chemical arsenal.“But we took a second look at the intelligence, and it was less urgent than we thought.”

That hardly means the danger surrounding Syria’s chemical weapons program has passed. More than 500 metric tons of nerve agent precursors, stored in binary form, are kept at upward of 25 locations scattered around the country. If any one of those sites falls into the wrong hands, it could become a massively lethal event. And in the meantime, Assad is looking to add to his already substantial stockpile.“ [ed notes:evidence?zero none,sowhat does he and wired do?they give following reference… Damascus has continued its pursuit of chemical weaponsdespite the damage to its international reputation and the rising costs of evading international export control on chemical weapons materials,” the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, a leading think tank on weapons of mass destruction issues, noted in an August profile of Syria’s illicit arms activities.

[ed notes;he’s giving a reference to a think tank whos information on Syrias chemical weapons isn’t even ”updated”,there is nothing new on any new procurement of any chemical or biological weapons there!!!zero!!!what a weasel this author and wired is/are… Exactly why is unclear; Assad is perfectly capable of mass slaughter with more conventional means, like tanks and cluster bombs. Perhaps his chemical precursors are relatively unstable, and he needs fresh supplies; perhaps this is a late shopping spree before the international noose tightens completely; perhaps he wants to send a warning to potential adversaries in Jerusalem and Washington. [ed notes:Maybe he needs fresh supplies?late shopping spree?he has zero evidence for his claims,hes parroting what us govt and israhell wants public to swallow in order to convince american public on the idea we need to invade Syria,as israhell advocates…

Whatever the rationale, Assad is continuing his attempts to buy the building blocks of nerve agents like sarin. The CIA and the U.S. State Department, working with allies in the region, have recently prevented sales to Syria of industrial quantities of isopronol [ed notes;hes just regurgitating c.i.a. and us official lies without any proof!!!

Popularly known as rubbing alcohol, it’s also one of the two main chemical precursors to sarin gas, one of the deadliest nerve agents in existence. The other precursor is methylphosphonyl difluoride, or DF. The Syrians were also recently blocked from acquiring thephosphorous compounds known as halides, some of which can be used to help make DF.At a recent meeting of the Australia Group, an informal collection of international government officials dedicated the stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction, participants “discussed the extensive tactics – including the use of front companies in third countries – [that] the Syrian government uses to obscure its efforts to obtain [regulated equipment], as well as other dual-use items, for proliferation purposes.” Bottom line: “Syria continues to be a country of proliferation concern, with active biological and chemical weapons programs.” …more

Saudi Arabia to broker Afghan peace talks with Taliban
By Sayed Jawad – 29 October, 2012 – KHAAMA Press

Afghan High Peace Council welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision to support Afghan reconciliation process with the Taliban group.

International Relations Advisor for the Afghan High Peace Council said they are expecting the decision by Saudi Arabia will have positive impact over Afghan peace process.

Afghan peace efforts has been one of the major agendas of the Afghan government during the past two years however there has been no major achievements in peace talks so far but the positive response by Saudi Arabia this time has led to optimisms by Afghan peace officials.

Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar International Relations Advisor for the Afghan High Peace Council said he was expecting that the decision by Saudi Arabia will have a positive impact over Afghan peace talks.

He said, “We welcome the commitments by Saudi Arabia and hope that Saudi’s cooperation will led to a sucess and we are hoping to see practical steps by Saudi for their commitments towards Afghan peace talks.”

Afghan High Peace Council officials also said the decision by Saudi Arabia and the speech by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia who called suicide bombing illegal has direct links with the Afghan reconciliation.

Saudi Arabia has earlier supported Afghan peace talks with the Taliban group however no practical was taken in this regard and therefore Saudi’s commitment to broker Afghan peace talks until a positive result is obtained remains a question.

An Afghan political observer Nasrullah Stanekzai said, “Saudi Arabia is in a situation to support the Afghan peace talks not only because of the moral stance of Saudi in this regard but also they should consider the post 2014 situation in Afghanistan which will threaten the national security of Saudi Arabia if if necessary steps have not been taken to eliminate insurgency in South Asia.”

However a number of other Afghan political observers believe that Taliban consider Saudi Arabia as best option to broker Afghan peaec talks. …more

Women’s Brains. No Place in the UK Media?
By Claire Shaw – Safeworld – 29 October, 2012

According to a recent study conducted by Women in Journalism, women neither write big news or make it in the UK. They play a minor role in public life, and are not generally seen as the ‘go to’ for expert comment and opinions.

The study published earlier this month, found that after analysing nine national newspapers for four consecutive weeks, 78 percent of all front-page articles were written by men compared to only 22 percent by women, with the Independent having just 9 per cent of front-page stories written by women.
Men as ‘Experts’. Women as ‘Victims’, Pin-ups or Princesses

It showed that national newspapers tend to seek expert opinions from men (76 percent), but where a victim was quoted it was more likely to be from a woman (79 percent).

What’s more, where numerous male political figures were pictured regularly on front pages of national newspapers, including former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, current French president Francois Hollande and the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, the only females that made the top ten images were Kate and Pippa Middleton, and missing victim Madeleine McCann.

So what does this say about how women are represented in the media industry today?

According to Rosie Boycott, founder of feminist magazine Spare Rib, in order for women to appear on the front page, women have to be either “wrong, sexy or a celebrity”.

And this view is not just restricted to the newspaper industry, but appears to be prevalent across all media platforms including radio and television.
…more