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Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 13 May 2014 08:49)

The US is in decline. That is a matter of fact. Historically when a reigning international power declines the number of conflicts increases. At the same time the disputes are intense so that some of them are really existential for some nations and ethnic groups. For example after the collapse of the former Soviet Union dramatic conflicts arose in former Yugoslavia and the Caucasian region. Before the downfall of the old European powers led to the first and second World War. The fall of the Roman Empire brought unrest and wars in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The traditional conduct of international affairs does not allow undisputed "power vacuum". The quintessence is that human societies are defined by exercising might over other social entities. The question now is if we are able to overcome this archaic behavior of chronically working against our own interests and desire for freedom and peace. Regretfully social and political entities are led by people who's mindset hasn't changed to the better. Even in democratic countries the selection system supports the success of politicians driven by base motives. It is up to all of us to change that,

Putin’s Rise Highlights U.S. Descent from Global Stage
finance.yahoo.com
Current and former U.S. officials fretted about the international standing of the United States on Sunday, as multiple global crises in the news made it increasingly clear that U.S. influence alone is not enough to assure either

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 09 May 2014 16:55)

German politics is back to old patterns. The crises in the Ukraine has mainly been provoked by an aggressive Europe approach to foster influence in the region and sideline Russia. It is shocking how unapologetic Mrs. Merkel abnegates Russian interests. Obama is even calling Russia a regional power which is acting out of weakness. Especially Germany and the US are rebuffing Moscow. The events in the Ukraine are pushing Moscow into the corner. If Moscow fails to succeed it will suffer further international downgrade and a non viable strategic situation.
Putin's popularity and the base of his mighty position refers to his credo of a strong Russia. With the crises in the Ukraine where Russia is about to be contained by the West, Putin has only one choice to secure political survival. He has to appear strong. The west would be well advised not to underestimate Moscow's possible reactions and the guts of Putin. Instead western leader suffer from an exaggerated high self-concept. Ignoring Russian interests like after the end of the cold war , when EU and NATO frontiers moved to the Russian borders. It worked once but won't do so for ever. Pushing Russia further into the relegation zone will most likely end up in a war that has a relatively high probability of extending far beyond Ukrainian and Russian borders.
The US, NATO and the EU are very powerful but ruled by incompetent people.

Germany's Merkel warns Russia against 'old patterns of thinking'
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia on Wednesday against falling back into "old patterns of thinking" about spheres of influences...
NEWS.YAHOO.COM

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 02 May 2014 12:39)

Omid Nouripour
18 hrs ·
schreibt gemeinsam mit @ManuelSarrazin bei @zeitonline für eine EU-Perspektive für ‪#‎Ukraine‬ http://t.co/CxLn7oD1CN
See Translation

Tarek Politics The EU ignited and is currently mismanaging the conflict. Brussels first let Ukrainians believe that they had the choice between Russia and Europe. Now the EU is verbally acting harsh on Russia. The aim is to encourage Ukrainians to act with about all means against Russian influence. The EU road map is clear. The Ukraine should not be part of the the Russian sphere of influence. In Chinese terminology it is called "lend a third party's hand to kill". The US is indirectly supporting the Ukraine more actively in armed resistance. The EU and the US foster a similar scenario like in former Yugoslavia. In no way can this policy be in the interest the Ukraine. The conflict cannot be solved by excluding Russia from the solution. NATO and the EU have humiliated Russia by their eastern expansion. Any attempt to integrate the Ukraine into the Western world for good would cause an extreme reaction by Russia. Russian with her current political doctrines "based on restoring Soviet power and glory" would fight for survival. Being aware of the actors involved in the game the Putin factor cannot be underestimated when asking the question "has the Russian leader he the guts to defend Russian interests by all means? I think the EU is not ready to play the game of brinkmanship with Russia. EU politicians haven't being shown very skillful in international crises management. Latest examples are Syria and Russia. To understand that it is important to recognize that the EU has no real common foreign policy. With regards to the EU's internal situation making the Ukraine an EU member would face strong opposition from mainly southern European countries and the UK for economic and various political reasons.....
30 secs · Like

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 13 April 2014 20:36)

The White House is supporting a non legitimized regime that came to power by ousting a corrupt government. The current "government " in Kiev is related to dark elements who participated in the killing of protesters during the uprising. It is unbelievable how fast some people who were outside the government building took over power and named an interim leader and a complete governing body. Now we the receive a picture that there is really an undisputed governing body in Kiev. What is clear is, those who have the saying in the capital control the image and the scenery that is transmitted overseas. But how can a government that just took over power control all the overall picture. There mast be a power from behind the curtains which is pulling the strings in Kiev.
There are also US troupes in the Ukraine. They are contracted by private US companies. The media coverage of the crises in the Ukraine is absolutely not trustworthy and leaves more questions open than answers given.

US warns Russia of 'additional consequences' over Ukraine
US Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Ukraine later this month, officials said, as Washington warned Moscow of "additional...
NEW

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 02 April 2014 01:05)

Flight 370 changed direction obviously with the aim to avoid any over- flight of land masses, populated islands etc. Not to mention landing on an airport. This was a death sentence to everybody on this flight. But if the pilot was a terrorist he wouldn't have mind crashing the plain over a populated area. In other words the fate of the people on board was anyway sealed very likely through deadly substances on board like weapons of mass destruction which were bound to detonate as soon as the plan touches the ground. Such a scenario makes it understandable why the pilot deliberately avoided any regular landing and instead picked the route to nowhere.
The flight was disconnected from civil communication or radar. The result is that the wreckage can hardly be found at least until no signals from the black box can be received. The sea area were the plain presumably crashed is about 8000 to 9000 feet deep. In the near future it won’t be possible to reach the wreckage.
There are world military satellites which cover a worldwide net. A Boeing 777 is one of the biggest aircraft. Usually no way for such a big vehicle to disappears out of the blue. Exceptions only happen deliberately. For hours it was hushed up that there was no connection to the plain. Civil aviation monitors had no option to track down the route of flight MA 370 even if it was still in the air.
This event might have given proof to how vulnerable our civilization is and how far we are exposed to the aims of ruthless global players

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 23 March 2014 00:38)

Mrs. Merkel as well as most German politicians have very little expertise in foreign policy. The Europeans and again the Germans ahead all though that they had a concept to let the Russians fall into a deep sleep while the EU meanwhile helps the Ukrainian to sneak out of Moscow's hugging.
But Moscow reacted promptly. Good political strategists understand that Russia's status in international politics is in sharp decline because of NATO and EU expansion to the East. Humiliating a major power never pays off in politics, regardless how big the reward for such a misbehave might look at the first glance.
For the downfall of the iron curtain Russia lost superpower status, own territory, congenial environment and moreover received NATO and the EU as immediate neighbors. Now, thanks to EU efforts, the Ukraine was is about to become a Western ally. But Mrs. Merkel is complaining about Mr. Putin and the disrespect he shows to the EU and Germany. Is the German Chancellor not aware of the overall situation?
Putin's credo is to reestablish Russia's former glory of the Soviet era. Exactly this commitment makes Putin to the power leader in Russia. The message of the Putin phenomena is, "the Russia won't take further humiliation without proper responds".
It is true that Mrs Merkel is more cautious about imposing sanctions on Russia than others. This can be called positive. She is trading the costs versus the goals of such an endeavor, but there lies her mistake. Polices works different from accountancy. Even if I suppose that she is using the game theory her conclusion will be counterproductive, because she doesn't understand the drive of Russian policy.
In general the West should avoid further impudent approach when facing Russia otherwise the situation can slip completely out of hands.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 12 March 2014 03:48)

Sissi promised to improve the education system in Egypt. Moreover he promised jobs and a better energy supply through the building of nuclear power plants. Egypt's education system is a disaster, but can a country that is so conducted by the military really introduce a progressive new system? The education system was at least one major reason why Mubarak kept office for such a long time. What are the general’s recipes for new jobs? For sure he wants to revive tourism. That is the fastest way to get back into business. It is hard to understand the difference between Egypt under Sisi and during the Mubarak era. So what can be expected from the education system is just what fits in the short term labor market. Top educated people hardly accept such a leadership.
Also Sisi's love for nuclear power plants sounds a bit outdated. Such kind of energy is very costly. Egypt even has none of the intelligence, equipment or mental readiness for such an endeavor and its very high risks. Last but not least Sisi is a military and he supposed to be aware of the vulnerability Egypt face by introducing Nuclear reactors on her soil. Referring to foreign policy Egypt under Sisi’s command will very likely serve the interests of other countries and leaders but care very little of Egypt’s political long term perspectives. No bride future for Egypt at all.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 12 March 2014 03:46)

The Ukrainian – Russia relations have a complicated structure. Especially EU rhetoric destabilized the delicate balance. The EU misdirected people in the Ukraine by igniting the idea that the Ukraine had the choice between the EU and Russia. Bush senior did something similar in Iraq when he encouraged the Shiites to step up against Saddam Hussein by promising Washington’s support for such an endeavor. Tens of thousands Iraqis lost their life for believing the US president. Some years later the Germans recognized the indigence of Slovenia and Croatia. What followed was ethnic cleansing across former Yugoslavia. And what happens in places where a conglomerate of people meet to start a revolution is oblivious across the Middle East. The idea of fighting injustice easily gets high jacked by organized groups as well as other countries. The revolution in Kiev shows all those symptoms malicious interference like mentioned above.
The Russian military “intrusion” is an act that any major military power would have done if such a high explosive development would have taken place next door. Some western countries would even cross half of the globe for minor issues like the UK did during the “Islas Malvinas” or the “Falkland Islands” crises. In the Crimea case it is misplaced to refer to “international law”. Such a wording just serves as an alibi provided to politicians who suffer from conceptual deficits and misjudgment.
Some time ago, in 1994 the Ukraine has already been the determined its fate as a prey of either Russian or Western interests when signing the Budapest memorandum. This memorandum just includes support in case of a nuclear threat. The treaty ignores the deterring effect of nuclear weapons. Russia doesn’t need nuclear weapons to bring the Ukraine to her knees. But with the threat of a nuclear war, Moscow would be compelled to keep the conflict on a lower scale. Western powers just ignore or even deny security needs of other countries. Nevertheless current Western verbal support just spills oil into the flames of antagonism between Russia and the Ukraine. The West is trying to safeguard reputation regardless of the inhuman effects that such a policy fosters between the Russia and the Ukraine.
Omid, please reconsider your article.
3 minutes ago · Like
Tarek Politics

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 07 March 2014 17:32)

The Russian president’s actions are fairly understandable. About 50 to 60 percent of the Crimea populations are Russians. Denying the obligation to protect them would bring Putin into serious trouble back home. In western media they do not admit the necessity for a Russian interference. They just ignore that after the “Kiev Revolution” the interior security of the country has broken down. Police force has been discharged from office. In such incidence former security officers tend to become members of the organized crime, like it happened in Egypt after the downfall of the Mubarak regime. The intrusion of the Russian military forces can be regarded as a preemptive move to prevent an escalation of tension between the ethnic groups and possible ethnic cleansing. In former Yugoslavia there were no forces deployed at the right moment to avoid ethnic groups from mobilizing against each other. When we look at Syria today there is no clear separation of who is fighting who. The division of the conflicting parties makes a sustainable solution very unlikely. Western countries remained bystanders in a conflict were hundreds of thousands of people found their death or got injured. Millions lost their homes. The political inaction was defended under the pretext that Russia is blocking any action in the Security Council. The west supported the rebels with just enough weapons to keep the military conflict ongoing. Just the use of chemical weapons, were about 90 people died forced the US to flex political muscles. Soon after Syria’s chemical arsenal was taken away. But people in Syria are still slaughtered like before. The improvement is that those 90 people who died through chemical weapons will remain acceptations.
In the Ukraine the West is seeking to push the Russians out. First by strong US remarks before the revolution to support the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom and secondly by the EU which was luring Ukrainians to make the choice for Europe and stay away from Russia. The EU rhetoric ignited wrong hopes and misleading expectations. People in Kiev had the idea that they had to decide if they want to stay close to Russia or to the EU. Now after a corrupt regime has been toppled the Ukraine is fractioning and moving towards a civil war. The West is antagonizing the Russians by beefing up their political support for an undefined interim government that vows even military retaliation against Russia. After days in office the government in Kiev gained incredible support from Washington and EU countries.
At the moment a war between the West and Russia is very unlikely. A civil war in the Ukraine is the much more efficient choice to weaken Russia. If a civil unrest in the Ukraine comes to full swing Putin’s area might soon come to an end. Between these 2 options there is the possibility of a war an Ukrainian war against Russia. But the political and ethnic factions in the Ukraine make a scenario like in Syria and former Yugoslavia more likely than a war among countries. No matter how the outcome is Russia will be loser of an interior Ukrainian scenario like described above.

With Crimean appeal, Putin goes head-to-head with West over Ukraine
news.yahoo.com
By Elizabeth Piper MOSCOW (Reuters) - Almost certainly orchestrated by Vladimir Putin, Crimea's appeal to join Russia pits the president directly against the West in a standoff that has increasingly high stakes and unpredictable consequences. The vote by Crimea's parliament gives Putin the upper hand in the crisis over Ukraine, but risks antagonizing pro-Western leaders in Kiev who have refused to resort to military action or fan tensions in Ukraine's Russian-speaking south and east. Ukraine's leaders had no doubt who was behind the latest moves in Crimea, including a call for a referendum to decide if the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula, which has an ethnic Russian majority, should return to its former Soviet master.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 10 February 2014 04:03)

I just feel sorry for Egypt. First they got rid of a dictator, then of a fanatic betrayer. And now they cheer for the military because they prefer the slow rather than the sudden death of Egypt.
Egypt's Sabahi says to contest presidency
news.yahoo.com
Egyptian leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi announced on Saturday he would be running for the presidency in a forthcoming election, enlivening a race that army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely expected to win.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 11 December 2013 18:12)

Jang as been purged with a lot of publicity, Usual for the DPRK. In the "Arts of War" it is said kill the monkey to horrify the chickens. So the violent act has to seen by the chickens. But who are the chickens? Are there more dangerous "elements" of the size Jan around him? The answer is "not yet". So the message of intimidation was not only to refrain others form further attempts but also powers abroad. It was a message that had first of all to reach China. And the message from the S.Korean leader to Beijing is" You have to work with me because there is no other option". Jang was Beijing's favorite. Kim's message to the Washington is "You can rely on me and keep your troops in the region; I will continue to be a threat ,,". So the US can keep her military in Japan and S.Korea and go on with selling more and more weapons... The timing matches very well with the current dispute over the Diao Yu islands Japan is very eager to strengthen military capability...
5 theories to explain North Korea's big mysterious purge
news.yahoo.com
In what is being called the most dramatic public purge in North Korean history, state-run media on Monday televised images of Jang Song Thaek — leader Kim Jong Un's uncle

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 09 December 2013 09:53)

China will continue to claim the the islands. Xi Jun Ping, the Chinese president is given no choice in this affair. But it is hard to believe that China, Japan and South Korea will come to any agreement. There is neither a conflict solving mechanism nor any experience with such forums in East Asia. There are no peace deals between the combatants in this region signed after the second world war. For Chinese people the war crimes committed by the Japanese during the occupation of their country are still very fresh and there has very little been done by Japan so heal to scars from that time. Chinese leaders are pushed head to seek some kind of revenge. So it is a very tricky situation for Beijing which is the key decision maker in this conflict. As usual political conflicts in this area are getting postponed, but won't be settled at all. Therefore there are mounting numbers of disputes just expanding and nourishing further trouble over the time. East Asians are masters in balancing precarious issues and not solving them at all. But there is also the US putting their interests in the region ahead of all others. Washington wants to keep the divided Korean peninsular and what they call the threat of China and Pyongyang alive. So the Japanese as well as the South Koreans won't through the US military out of there country. It can be concluded that the three East Asian countries maneuvered themselves into dire straights while the US is capitalizing on the the inability of the Asians to communicate and find solutions out of the box.


S. Korea declares expanded air defense zone in disputed area
news.yahoo.com
South Korea Sunday declared an expanded air defense zone that overlaps with one announced by China and covers a submerged rock disputed by the two countries, as tensions rise over competing territorial claims. The defense ministry said its new zone, which will take effect on December 15, would cover

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 06 December 2013 19:07)

The military has taken advantage of the incapability of the Brotherhood to rule Egypt. Now the solders are back in command of the country. The events make it hard to believe that the days of Mubarak, "ruling Egypt with an iron fist", won't be the normality for the decades to come. Other Arabian countries who had their revolution in recent years are not doing better. It seems that democracy has trouble of getting establish in countries who suffer form economic hardship and cultural division like it is notorious in the Arab world. But this democracy crises is also embarking Europe in form of cultural division and dissatisfaction with a political European elite that is disassociating itself from the people. The elite is working in the interest of banks,, big investors and their top industries. Neither can anybody seriously believe that the values of freedom, humanity and self-determination do concern the rulers. Just recently issues like the bloodbath in Syria. the Snowden affair, climate conference on global warming and the Euro crises have stringed together in a very short time the deficiencies of Western democracies and other countries to work in behalf of their people and for the best of human mankind. So my these is," democracy and the idea of states have to be reinvented or substituted in the very near future, otherwise human society will face its worst downfall on a global scale ".

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 03 December 2013 10:23)

Egypt's military is clearly trying to regain it's dominant role in the country. That is bad news for honest entrepreneurs.People will still be expropriated from their land. Businesses will be shut down because of the arbitrariness of an administration that is backed by the military. Judges will be afraid to issue truthful verdicts because they fear reprisals of the uncheckable elite that is backed or identical with the military. The result is that Egypt won't attract investment that will improve the life of the majority of Egyptians. Any new innovations will be killed from the start. The declining process like during the Mubarak era will go on. On the other hand the Muslim brothers really failed to improve anything in Egypt. So is Egypt condemned to an endless decline? Egypt faces a number of challenges. Domestic and international security, water shortages, illiteracy, inadequate education system and, an elite that follows western consumer ideology. New ideas are given no chance because of a chronically conservative mindset among people who have a saying as well as among many scholars and opinion makers. Egypt's policy maker need to take a close look at the map. Egypt' neglected the importance of Africa and was abused by foreign powers in the Middle East. Since Nasser Egypt failed to find it's true international role. People got misguided by political ambitions of their leaders. So the worse the education system became the more freedom the political leaders enjoyed. The same happen to religion in Egypt. Believe has become an instrument to bully and brainwash people. Actually in many cases religion has become a vulgar and violent political matter. Egyptians need to liberate their mind from the paternalism of their opinion makers. An entrepreneur would suggest to think out of the box. People need new sources of input and an education system that not only exceeds that of Europe but also provides a system of life long leaning opportunity. Studying should never stop and that not only for the purpose of making money. ....

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 05 July 2013 01:24)

Was it a revolution or a coup d'etat. Many Europeans claim if was a coup. And the White House is about to categorize the events as such. Washington is reviewing the case. If they come to the conclusion, that it was a military coup the support for the Egyptian army will be cut or suspended. On one hand the US supported a military dictator and the oppression of the Egyptians for decades. Washington kept supporting an Islamist president who systematically brought the country on her knees. But on the other hand Washington claims to support democracy. What Mubarak and Mursi have in common is that they increase Egypt's backwardness and dependency on foreign aid. Washington's policy since decades is "Keep the Egyptians down and their leader rich". The strategy becomes obsolete when Egypt's leaders quite the game. If they do it now the country can get stuck in a civil war. If Washington suspends aid under the pretext of not supporting governments who came to power through a coup, Washington would proof to be consistent. The reason is because such a move would push Egypt to the brink of a civil war. So Washington would go on keeping the Egyptians down. This was and still is the goal. Producing rich leaders is just an applied technique.
Coup? What coup? Egyptians see no evil
news.yahoo.com
By Alastair Macdonald CAIRO (Reuters) - Don't mention the coup. Certainly not on Tahrir Square, or pretty much anywhere in polite, liberal society in Egypt. As military jets

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 15 June 2013 02:12)

The US idea of simply sending weapons but with no air support and no anti aircraft defense will just prolong the war and cause even more suffering. Is that aiding people in need? Very understandable that Washington is concerned about sending anti aircraft missiles to the region. The only viable strategy to bring Assad down and limiting the number of casualties as much as possible is by sending troops in to Syria and ensuring a no fly zone plus air strikes on strategic important targets.
The chemical weapons are already used for a while, causing the death of around 150 people. The official death toll is over 93000. So Washington is not very much concerned about so many people loosing their life. A principle has been broken and Washington is the law. So they act according to the committed violation. The death of the the 93000 killed people is for Washington and for Europe a legal limbo.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 14 June 2013 21:14)

The US idea of simple sending weapons, no air support and no anti aircraft defense will just prolong the war and cause even more suffering. Is that aiding people in need? Very understandable that Washington is concerned about sending anti aircraft missiles to the region. The only viable strategy to ouster Assad and limiting the number of casualties as much as possible is by sending troops in to Syria and ensuring a no fly zone plus air strike on strategic important targets.
The chemical weapons are already used for a while, causing the death of around 150 people. The official death toll is over 93000. So Washington is not very much concerned about so many people loosing their life. A principle has been broken and Washington is the law. So they act according to the committed violation of the death of 150 people. The rest of 93000 minus 150 people were killed in a legal limbo.

Analysis: Transforming Syria's war could take more than arming rebels
news.yahoo.com
By Peter Apps and Myra Macdonald WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - - If the United States and allies genuinely want to change the course of the war in Syria, it may take considerably more than simply supplying the faltering opposition with weaponry.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 11 June 2013 13:53)

Having a dam is good for the industry and will attract investments. Ethiopia might even be able to export power. On the other hand agricultural land will shrink in Ethiopia and Sudan. Starvation will become more common. People with very little education have to find refuge in the cities where they hardly find work. Slams will surround the centers. Criminality, drug traffic and social tension will change people's life all over. Because of growing demand food prices will continue to rise on global scale. It is not the question which of the riparian states is going to be the winner of the looser.
There are interest groups inside those countries and abroad who stipulate "states interests" in their behalf. They are going to earn big money no matter if through selling power, finance industries, selling agricultural products, fertilizer and Chemical supplements. Even the prospect of war will lead to gigantic weapon sales in the region. The big benefits are clearly in the hands of a few.
Egypt warns all options open for Ethiopia Nile dam
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's president on Monday hardened his stance against Ethiopia and its construction of a Nile dam, warning that "all options are open" in dealing with the project that threatens to leave Egypt with a dangerous water shortage.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 05 June 2013 10:36)

Like mostly too bias to hit the target. The critic might be correct in particular but not in general. The Adenauer foundation is not the world's bench mark for democracy. Like a number of other foundations they have been bystanders of the injustice of the Mubarak regime. The German government had always close relation to the oppressor regime in Cairo. During the Mubarak era I started an initiative to get rid of the landmines in Egypt. They are located along the Mediterranean coast line and are reminisce of the second world war. The explosives caused the death of many people. Other who survived the encounter lost their their limbs etc. in order to locate the landmines satellites are needed. Germany refused support and responsibility. Actually they didn't care. or reacted like boys in their awkward years. Where was the "Adenauer Foundation"? Fact is that those NGOs are neither neutral nor is their prime goal the fight against oppression and injustice. Otherwise we would see them campaigning day and night around the world regardless of Germany's national interests. Like the Muslim Brotherhood the Adenauer Foundation is driven by particular interest groups. Their interests are now colliding and allegations are made. That is on the table. I appeal for decent approach and the avoidance of a crusade mentality that prints the world in black and white. There are no saints in the game.
Reply to Omid Nouripour's statement

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 04 June 2013 12:47)

The Ethiopia dam will filter the Nile water from mud before the river crosses Sudan. Sudan's agriculture will predominantly being effected. For Egypt it means running into a permanent political struggle with the southern brother of the Nile valley. The lake of the Ethiopian dam can hold back the Nile water for Egypt. In option that Ethiopia would consider in the dry seasons. Egypt would not only be short of water but also of power because of their dam in Aswan. If the dam building becomes a model Sudan or maybe even Ethiopia would consider to build further dams.
Imagine the big oil producers would stop selling oil. What options do the other countries have? The "Cater Doctrine" made the reply to such an incident very clear. The former US president described the Arab/Persian Gulf as a life line of western civilization and any attempt to cut this life line will be responded by all means.The Nile is even the Egypt lifeline since ancient times. Egypt exists because of the Nile and a bit different to the oil example there is no alternative at all to the river.
It is hard to predict future events, but this conflict will shape Egypt's and Sudan's foreign policy for the next 20 to 30 years. On top of the agenda will be Egyptian and Sudanese tempts of reunification or at least a coalition between both states. Furthermore it has to be said that Ethiopia is strategically in a very critical situation. The country has no access to the sea and hostile relations to neighboring countries....

Egyptian politicians: Sabotage Ethiopia's new dam
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Politicians meeting with Egypt's president on Monday proposed hostile acts against Ethiopia, including backing rebels and carrying out sabotage, to stop it from building a massive dam on the Nile River upstream.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 02 June 2013 14:39)

The majority of European states are bystanders of the killings in Syria. The Assad regime government got very sophisticated weapons from Russia. From air the Assad regime is uncontested and on land they got the upper hand. It is correct that there are a lot of weapons in Syria but predominantly to the dictators disposal. From the opposition side the groups close to the Gulf states are better equipped than others. Human Rights are harshly violated. Wasn't it the Green's position to intervene in such cases? All parties in Germany including the Green and many ruling parties in the EU follow a sick mechanical logic, counting the weapons and concluding that the killer market in Syria is no need for more. If you are afraid of loosing control of the arm's fate the only logic is go and carry the arms by yourself. As I said in earlier articles, the Green's position about military interventions is just vote catching....

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 29 May 2013 12:20)

The story has been told incorrectly.. Money wasn't the reason for not having an abortion much earlier. In China many hospitals pay money for an abortion if they can keep the fetus.
Fetuses are a delicacy among some very rich and powerful people. Hospitals argue that they are used for medical purposes.
The mother is an unmarried woman. So her child won't receive legal documents and is stigmatized for ever.The idea to keep the baby with holding to the very end of her pregnancy. It is almost sure that she had big trouble with her family or maybe even stood away from home, not meeting any relatives or friends. A child born out of wedlock is regarded as a big shame in the Middle Kingdom..
Lack of education is hardly the reason for "unwanted" pregnancy. Young people in China have access to the internet where they get a lot of information from. In Europe and the US there are many single mothers. Quite a lot made a one moment decision with abiding consequences. People are hardly deterred by possible sanction when they are decided to do something. (Like death penalty is not lowering the first degree murder cases.)
From the human point of few there is no excuse for what the young mother did. But the issue is not over just by blaming her. Similar cases are very common in China. Blind and inhuman society rules as well as irresponsible lawmakers have to be hold accountable for each of such incidences.

Reports: Woman who reported newborn in pipe is mom
news.yahoo.com
BEIJING (AP) — A 22-year-old woman who raised the initial alarm about a newborn trapped in a sewer pipe in China kept quiet about being his mother even as she watched the sensational two-hour rescue unfold, reports said Wednesday.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 28 May 2013 12:01)

Not for the first time the EU is incapable of creating a "European foreign policy". The result of last might's summit is symptomatic for the legitimacy and currency crises on the continent. Confidence in the political future of the EU is shrinking and with that European integration is about to vanish.
In international affairs the EU is just naval gazing. Regretfully the results won't just focus on the self-complacent Europeans. Because of the frictions among the union members the regime in Syria and the allies of the oppressors will receive more room to maneuver and the conflict will spread further beyond the borders. Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, Turkey are already more or less involved. The longer the US and the EU do not engage with decisive and coordinated actions the more the situation will run out of hands. In the beginning the question was will the regime stay in power? The question has been answered, Assad won't stay in power. More than 80000 people lost their live for that.
Till yesterday today 2 questions were still not fully answered remain.
1. How many more people have to die?
2. And who will come next?
After the last night EU conference the answer for the first question is "many more people still have to die".
The answer for the second questions is because of the lack of engagement and coordination from the EU extremists will be the best armed groups in Syria and are most likely to take over power after the fall of the Assad regime.
Britain: EU ends arms embargo on Syrian opposition
news.yahoo.com
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said its member states within days will be able to send weapons to help Syria's outgunned rebels, seeking to pressure President Bashar Assad's regime ahead of planned peace talks mediated by the United States and Russia.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 28 May 2013 12:00)

Aung San Suu Kyi made a banal statement, "It is discriminatory and also violates human rights." The icon of human rights made an abortive attempted to save her image.
In dealing with minorities Myanmar has one of the worst records. The problem is not about Rohingya and the rest of the country. The Rohingyas are just spotted at the moment, but there are many more. Ethnic conflicts and violence against minority belong to the big topics that caused the bad reputation of the military leaders in that country. Even with super star Aung San Suu Kyi it is not getting any better. She is a string poppet in the game for power and in the brokering of western influence in the region. She is needed to legitimize closer relations with the oppressors from Yangon. Mrs. Aung met western head of states, business leaders, bankers etc. who are all in season to jump on Myanmar to get their deals done.
In other words Aung San Suu Kyi has turned into a Geisha Madam.
Suu Kyi opposes 2-child limit for Myanmar minority
news.yahoo.com
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay over decisions by authorities in western Myanmar to restore a two-child limit on a Muslim minority group, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists and follows accusations of "ethnic cleansing."

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 26 May 2013 17:51)

In Myanmar reforms have been made on the paper (legally) an actions have been taken physically. For example people have been released from prison, free trades has been supported etc. etc. etc. Regretfully the general mind setting is still captured in dark times of oppression and awkward ideas over civilized behavior, human dignity and justice are the result. Even Aung Sun Suu Kyi is incapable to deal with the minority issue.To close are her relations with the president and the military clique. The noble peace price winner is becoming more and more Buddhist nationalist.
The only aid the Rohingya minority receives is morally from human rights groups. What they are facing now are birth restrictions. Many Rahingya people will resist this inhuman idea of birth restriction. So in order to enforce the law the authorities have to carry through forced abortions even till the 9 month. Women will be dragged to a kind of medical butcher to get the child killing done. Further methods will be forced sterilization.
It looks like "Hitler's ideas are back on stage", and that not only in Myanmar. A number of comments referring to this article are proofing that. Those commentators think Muslims have to get punished collectively for whatever they blame them for in other places. The presented analogies are bloodcurdling. People behind such idea are mentally not less retarded than those people in Myanmar who support the law against the Rahngya minority.

2-child limit for Muslims in parts of Myanmar
news.yahoo.com
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Authorities in Myanmar's western Rakhine state have imposed a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists in the area and comes amid accusations of ethnic cleansing in the aftermath of sectarian violence.
Lik

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 25 May 2013 08:28)

Having democracy means being free of... Freedom is subjected to wishful thinking and, abuses. Freedom is the noun and free the adjective. Free means "without"(just go to the super market and check). After elections we are left without means because means have been delicate to somebody or some people we actually do not trust. We, who are living in a democracy are free of... and the same time subjected to the will of many interest groups. You are free to talk but it won't change anything, because you are free (without means).
In other words democracy has become the nightmare of freedom.
Verdict in trial of Egypt activist on June 3
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's state news agency says judges have decided to keep a prominent activist in detention until June 3, when a verdict is expected on a charge of insulting the country's president.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 25 May 2013 08:26)

Bad news for London, the UK, Europe and for all Muslims. No good news for anybody! Something like that never happened before. The killer didn't even try to get away. It seems that they want to tell the world that even the most severe punishment won't deter them form taking actions against their declared enemies. They are seeking to bring open violence and terror to the streets of London and beyond, an Afghanistan in Europe. It is a fight that cannot be won because there are not clear front lines and no definable enemy. In coordination with the Muslim community in London and the UK there is at least a possibility to marginalize the potentially violent groups. From that point on more actions can be taken.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 25 May 2013 08:23)

Malaysia is an autocratic state very similar to most states. Democracy has it's limits when the role of the leading elite is questioned. This phenomena is called sedition or in some cases sedition libel. Through the conventions among states and the UN resolution the practice of global democracy is unwanted because it violates state sovereignty. Seditionist are treated as intellectual terrorists. Columbus, Galileo Galilei, Jean-Jacques Rousseau Roussous, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Ai Wei Wei, etc. etc. etc. are all seditionists or intellectual terrorists. States have to serve and not to rule.
It is time for people around the globe to change the role with their leaders. States, rulers and governing authorities have to receive a stipulated job description in cramped confines. .

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Malaysian charged with sedition, 3 more arrested
news.yahoo.com
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities detained three anti-government figures, charged a student activist with sedition and seized hundreds of opposition newspapers Thursday, raising political

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 30 April 2013 11:34)

Japan has bad experience with nuclear power plants. They even consider to shut them down. Nevertheless Tokyo wants to sell the these kinds of power plans to Turkey, a country troubled by earthquakes. The prime minister has obligation to fulfill, especially concerning the big technology giants.
Japan wants to get back on her feed. A peace treaty Russia and the restitution of Japanese territories are what would boost Japan again. Hard to say if Abe is able to hammer out viable deal with Putin. A shrinking Russia is not what the former KGB man is standing for.
Putin, Japanese leader step up peace treaty effort
news.yahoo.com
MOSCOW (AP) — The leaders of Russia and Japan have instructed their diplomats to intensify efforts to work out a peace treaty

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 20 April 2013 02:05)

The DPRK and the US have at least partially common interests. Kim's mussel flexing support Washington's argument that US military deployment is indispensable to avoid aggression. A reunification of the 2 Korean states would make the US argument less convincing. Neither does Pyongyang support the idea of a "one Korea", because it would lead to the end of the Kim dynasty. China could agree on a unification under the condition of a neutral Korean. Even Japan would rather like to see a Korean peninsular free of US military instead of being threatened by Pyongyang all the time and relying on US support. Washington is the main reason for so little progress on this issue... When talking about the actual nuclear threat it is a moot point to asses the DPRK's nuclear capability. States which are determined to attain the nuclear power status are already major global players because they influence strongly global politics....Who has the moral authority to ban nuclear arms? The world has been taken hostage by the 2 military blocks during the cold war. East and West where ready to eliminate all life on earth for the sake of their ideology. For about 5 decades East and West were the major terrorist threat unsurpassed in their radical approach. During the second world war the US has even used this bomb twice against civilian targets....Technology made big progress in recent decades. Weapons are much more precises. A technology that makes a war of annihilation against certain people a viable political and military option....

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 13 April 2013 15:11)

Washington is not willing to change basic problem on the Korean peninsular, the reunification. As long as there is an hostile enemy US troops will remain in the ROK as well as in Japan. Beijing would make concessions for a reunification by letting Pyongyang down if US military presence on the peninsular come to an end. In such an agreement Tokyo is supposed to be involved. For Japan the DPRK is the biggest security threat. That means that China can likewise receive concessions from Japan over US military bases there and over the disputed islands that strained the relations between the 2 Asian giants. The key problem is the Kim dynasty in the DPRK and the key obstacle to set an end to the regime is Washington.
Kerry tamps down anxiety over NKorea missile power
news.yahoo.com
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a stark warning to North Korea on Friday not to test-fire a

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 28 March 2013 13:54)

The leadership of the DPRK has a mind set not comparable to other leaders. Nuclear threat won't deter them from flexing their muscles. "Make noise in the east and hit in the west". When it come to terms Pyongyang will hit Japan rather that any other target. Japan is strongly hated by the majority of Koreans no matter if from which Korean they are from.
It is difficult to demand South Korean solidarity when it goes against Japan. Washington will have a difficult stand to explain that Japan will be defended from Korean soil against Koreans.Like several times before the US will again fight a random war with dubious aims at least for ordinary US citizens. Washington would do much matter in striking a deal with China with the aim of a united Korean peninsular under the umbrella of the ROK with the full recognition of the PRC, In return US military leaves the peninsular.... .

US sends nuclear-capable B-2 bombers to SKorea
news.yahoo.com
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S military says two nuclear-capable B-2 bombers have completed a training mission in South Korea amid threats from North Korea that include nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 March 2013 12:33)

The game of the DPRk's leadership is about "death or success". Any attempt to analyze the situation and Pyongyang's rationality in western categories is bound to fail. Pyongyang's mind set is close to those of the ancient Samurais, "prepare for death to decide the battler".
Kim junior is taking this advice literally. It is not enough to ask how a Samurai can be defeated. The right approach is how can the Samurai be defeated without suffering heavy loses? Make a deal with China!

North Korea to cut all channels with South as "war may break out any time"
news.yahoo.com
SEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea is to cut the last channel of communications with the South because war could break out at "any moment", it said on Wednesday, days of after warning the United States and South Korea of nuclear attack. The move is the latest in a

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 March 2013 12:32)

At the conference of the Arab league Morsi spoke out his warning against interference in domestic Egyptian affairs. He address his statement to members of the Arab league. First of all to Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is since decades at odds with the Brotherhood. The Saudi monarchy wants to weaken a Brotherhood led Egypt. Turmoils are the best method. Saudi Arabia did go well with the secular regime of Mubarak. During the Mubarak era Egyptian understanding of Islam made a big turn towards Saudi interpretation. Now the Brotherhood is on the stage of power. And they present another conservative version of Islam. It is a bit like China and the USSR during the cold war, "2 communist countries being arch rivals. The center of power in the Middle East will depend on who can win the ideological race. At the moment Islamist are ahead and competing for their school to dominate the political landscape. As the believe links so many people in the Arab world developments in Islamic thoughts and movements can change the region over night
Egypt's Morsi warns against foreign meddling
news.yahoo.com
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Egypt's Islamist president has warned he will deal "firmly" and "decisively" with any foreign attempt to meddle in the affairs of his country, mired in turmoil for most of the two years since Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 25 March 2013 13:36)

Any religion can be used as an excuse for hate and violence. People are easily inflammable when an issue concerns what they call their pattern of identity. Not many people on this planet are able to identify the false attempt of religious and political leaders to incorporate people's identity in order to engineer and control their attitudes and behavior. If you are a secular western reader don't think that it doesn't concern you. Many western comments here are from strongly engineered people.
Buddhists-Muslims violence spreads in Myanmar
news.yahoo.com
MEIKHTILA, Myanmar (AP) — Sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar spread to at least two other towns in the country's heartland over the

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 25 March 2013 13:35)

Morsi is right in saying that there is foreign interference. The latest attempts with the military uniforms were a clear sign of engaging the country in conflicts abroad and lead and the end in a hot war with Israel. It is also clear that the Egyptian president didn't come up wit ha clear concept to rule the country and satisfy people's yearning for a more promising life. The opposition is also to blame for just trying to lure the media attraction without bring anything constructive to the table. 2 years ago the Egyptians ousted a secular regime that was betraying, and oppressing it's people and strongly supported by the West. Egyptians do well not to trust anybody especially Arabian leaders and Iran. Saudi Arabia is on top of Egypt's enemies. A successful Egyptian leader has to place Egypt as an engine of change in region. That means to put forward a political and economic union in the Middle East. Key partner for such an endeavor is Israel, but with a new and more open minded political elite.
Egypt's president warns may move to protect nation
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's president delivered a stern warning to his opponents on Sunday, saying he may be close to taking

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 February 2013 11:44)

The sanctions are not leading to the wanted effect. Iran can bridge the shortages.So what are they talking about with Iran.
Western politicians behave like students in their outward years. They are doing their homework only in order to avoiding back grades from history teachers, but not with the expectation and the believe that they can achieve something. To say it short, soon Iran will go nuclear. Continue that sentence like a politician...., but life will go especially for us.

Powers wait to hear Iran response to nuclear offer
news.yahoo.com
ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers hope Iran will respond positively on Wednesday to their new offer to lift

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 February 2013 11:43)

In China all started with the Pig Pong diplomacy. So the US and the PRC first established sports relation. The result was that Chinese got more into cultural exchange with the West. Today basketball is the most popular sport in China and the Chinese admire US culture and even their impudent slang which they like to imitate.
The applied strategy in the DPRK is nothing new. These time it is easier than it was in China. Basketball is already popular. The DPRK's leader is a basketball fanatic. North Koreans love basketball and are keen to receive the NBA games This is the plan for a smooth transition. For Kim it is the opportunity to improve relations with Washington without loosing face.
Dennis Rodman worms his way into North Korea
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) -- Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman is heading to North Korea with the VICE media company - tattoos, piercings, bad-boy reputation and all.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 25 February 2013 18:34)

The brotherhood has a network comparable to that of the Catholic church. They do not think in Egyptian terms They do not think in any people's terms. They seek overall political power in the region..
The Egyptians voted from the shelf. They still believe that changes come by voting. They are divided about what is best for their country,
The choice is very limited and the options for change as well. Therefore Egypt won't get on it's feed. Even in the long term I'm skeptical.
The Brotherhood's worst enemy are not western idea. They had it in the past. It brought the disaster. The Egyptian elite has a western education. All they do is adopting and bowing the ideas they snatch. El Baradei is of the same kind. There is nothing about productive ideas.
In Egypt those who want to be somebody are in front. The potential achievers are not even listed.
...See More
Egypt's vote won't calm turbulent streets
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's streets are turning into a daily forum for airing a range of social discontents from labor conditions to fuel shortages and the casualties of myriad clashes over the past two years.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 24 February 2013 11:52)

The Islamist in Mali are loosing credit which they never had. Children have been abused for that purpose so many times in history and in many parts of the world. But what else are western kids who are growing up in poverty in these big chanty towns? They are likewise immersed in violence. The difference is that the kids in chanty towns or slams have to fight with no real aim and no hope for an end. And when their country goes on war those street kids are those at the front paying for the the bills for the rich men ambitions .
These violent Islamist groups are evil. But they are also led by politicians who belong to the same category of people like in most other places. The difference is that those religious fire raisers are politicians who are still seeking for a country like so many other famous and admired people before.
Mali radicals recruited child soldiers at schools
news.yahoo.com
GAO, Mali (AP) — The radical Islamic fighters showed up at Mohamed Salia's Quranic school, armed with weapons and demanding to address his students.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 24 February 2013 11:05)

Mali is already a divided country. At least Four parties are at odds with each other. Helping the french "friends" is a brain wash statement. France is is playing big and tying to revive old sentiments of dominance and primacy. French people need it and politicians are delivering. After all the miseries in the European crises where Germany has proved to be devoted to utilitarianism politicians in Berlin are ready to sacrifice some pones instead to make up lost trust in Europe's values. Today Mali is embattled and that won't change for a long time. The French friends are about to exist. France got the battlers people ardently desired. Paris is now keen to keep the turmoils just away from French interest zones and Germany is compensating European solidarity. The conclusion is people's life ranks below state interests. The aristocracy of European society is a conglomeration of social vampires. As a the saying,"The fish reeks first from the head".

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 24 February 2013 10:57)

The impasse will remain because the elections will cement the current political crises for a long time. It will be like in the elections before. Buses of brotherhood and sisterhood supporters will arrive at the polling stations. Meanwhile those areas where the support for the opposition is strong long cues of "I would like to vote" will pile up and wait for 5 hours or even more. At the end they might not be able to vote at all.
So boycotting the elections just means some people are not ready to play cat and mouse anymore. Or simply saying "no deja vue with the past please".
Egypt opposition leader calls for election boycott
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — A key opposition leader called Saturday for a boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections, saying he will not take part in a "sham

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 24 February 2013 10:56)

Political vows do not count much. Never take them literally. Vows are designed to snare people's mind. Mrs. Park will conduct her job with a carrot and stick. From outside she will be cotton and inside just iron. Hard luck for Mr. Kim.

SKorea's new leader faces NKorea nuke crisis
news.yahoo.com
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Even before she takes office Monday as South Korea's first female president, Park Geun-hye's campaign

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 23 February 2013 09:58)

The brotherhood didn't get the concept of democracy. And if he would understand and except it he would understand that the brotherhood's dominating ideas do not match in a compacted social structure of a modern society. On the other hand even modern democracies like in Europe and the North America do lag bind the requirement of their society.
Western democracies have become a dictatorship of interests groups. Money is setting the political agenda. The number of stranded people is rising. the number of mental disorders has nearly doubled within the last 10 years. The chain of of deficiencies is tremendously wrong.
People are asking for freedom. Regretfully they do not differentiate between freedom and democracy. Monarchy, dictatorship and even democracy not meet the aim of freedom. All those ideas served to keep the system of states and nations ongoing. What can the international system promise next to survive our new century? For sure it is not solving global issues. We are about to face an environmental apocalypse and the intonational is unable to react. Democracies and non democracies neither not act in the interest of their own people nor in behalf of mankind.

Egypt opposition: Election will add to tensions
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's president set parliamentary elections to begin in April — a decision that an opposition leader denounced Friday as "a recipe for disaster" because of the ongoing political turmoil in the country.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 22 February 2013 11:04)

The Brotherhood is at odds with the state institutions in Egypt. Changing all and every thing in the country won't work fast enough to keep their people in power. Sooner or later the big end comes. They will be ousted from power or the Egyptian state will collapse. .
Egypt's Brotherhood still operates secretively
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi speaks publicly of firsthand knowledge of a meeting where opponents allegedly plotted

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 13 February 2013 12:14)

The DPRK's saber rattling is a matter of concern to the neighboring countries. For Pyongyang the nuclear program is a method to strengthen N. Korea's bargaining position with major powers in the region incl. the US. Washington is likewise benefiting from Pyongyang's "madness". A militarily strong DPRK makes Japan and the ROK more depending on US military support. As a result the US is not only selling her weapons in the region but also getting concessions to deploying troops. For Washington the regime in Pyongyang delivers the best support to extend US influence in the region.
NKorea brandishing nukes to get US to talk peace
news.yahoo.com
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The way North Korea sees it, only bigger weapons and more threatening provocations will force Washington to

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 13 February 2013 12:13)

Morsi's power base is very slim and mainly relying on members of the brotherhood. Minimal support from the police and military shows that the current Egyptian president might easily become a pone in this chess game for power in Egypt. In other words Morsi is already not the most powerful figure in Egypt. Currently he is being used for the opening moves an about of getting serifed in a few moves.

Egypt: Hundreds of police stage rare protests
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of low-ranking policemen in Egypt are holding protests to demand they not be used as a tool for

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:22)

Election do not guaranty freedom, justice and equality. Depending on the population structure and the social and economic situation the opposite can be the case. Europe and especially Germany experienced that 1933 when Hitler came to po...See More
Egyptians protest on anniversary of Mubarak's fall
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace as Egyptians marked the

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:21)

The leader of the DPRK never manged a big crises by himself. The risk of wrong perception an miscalculation is very high. Maybe it is already too late for Kim to reverse his plans. Loosing face is the worst case for an East Asian leader. Loosing respect and charisma will surly leads to his downfall. So for Kim the question now is which path would make his political survival more likely.

China's patience with North Korea wearing thin
news.yahoo.com
DANDONG, China (AP) — China's patience with North Korea is wearing thin, and a widely-expected nuclear test

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:21)

The situation is out of control. The giant Egypt is on the knees and vulnerable. All kinds of groups are trying the capture the country. Controlling Egypt means controlling the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia for example has no interest to keep Morsi in power. They would like to assassinate opposition leaders and by that radicalizing the political confrontation. As we have seen in Syria violence makes violent groups strong. The aim is to eliminate the liberals and to diminish the influence of "moderate" Islamist. Now the liberals are the weakest limb in Egypt\s political arena. And Morsi has to protect them otherwise he will fall next.
Fear of assassinations haunt Egypt opposition
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Watching the events in Tunisia, where a leading anti-Islamist politician was shot to death this past

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:18)

t's a purblind discussion. The actual problem is not , "can female do the job of killing well like male, or do the lady solders deserve to die like male solders? "
The US will serve as an example for other countries. If females are potentially regarded as combatants like male solders wars might be fought with perspective of annihilation.
Male as well as female will be regard as a threat and subjected to a strategic killing machine of the enemy. What theoretically remains are children and geriatricians who will at the end be listed under collateral damages and casualties.
The US is about to inaugurate the era of "wars of extinction".

Marine survey lists concerns on women in combat
news.yahoo.com
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Male Marines listed being falsely accused of sexual harassment or assault as a top concern in a survey about moving women into combat jobs, and thousands indicated

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 12 February 2013 10:17)

The Tibetan resistance is very much spiritually inspired. Therefore the own death is taken into account and subordinated to the actual intention. Fighting for resources, wealth and power can be successfully. But going against a believe can never be won. Beijing didn't realize that. The Chinese leadership would do better by granting concessions to self governance in Tibet. Counterproductive in solving the issue is that the unique position of the ruling party cannot be touched. Otherwise a deal could be brokered between the parties where Tibet gets the share of freedom it deserves and remains to be a part of China.
China punishes Tibetans in self-immolation cases
news.yahoo.com
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese courts convicted eight Tibetans over accusations they incited others to self-immolate in the first such prosecutions to become publicly known, showing Beijing's resolve to stamp out the protests by criminalizing both

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 28 December 2012)

Even Egypt failed to establish a democracy. In Europe and the US democracy is in decline.
So why misguide China? In total new political ideas are need to cope with the complicated social structures, so different from the time when the rule of the people was first put into practice. The thesis is, "If states won't seas to exist our world will turn into a dark age oppression"

Egypt's opposition leaders under investigation
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's chief prosecutor ordered an investigation on Thursday into allegations that opposition leaders committed treason by

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 15 December 2012 20:20)

No matter of the outcome Egypt will remain in deep crises. The loosing side won't accept the result. The yes voters have a little advantage, because a no voter has no option to showcase what he supports. The whole middle east is lacking ideas how to govern the region in this century. People are afraid of this vacuum. Arab countries were exposed to Western influence and political ideas in the past. The results were cultural and social fractions in the society and the establishment of dictatorial political order. The west who massively supported oppression and fractions in the society has no credibility at all. The Brotherhood just transfers a feel of not being west, but has no viable concept. No matter how you turn the coin the realty is vacuum in which the whole region is jailed.

Egyptians vote on divisive constitution
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO/ALEXANDRIA (Reuters) - Egyptians voted on Saturday on a constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 02 December 2012 16:20)

Egypt has no direction.There is no consensus about the principles of Egyptian society. Egyptian identity is in a limbo. What males the problem worth is that many people are on the take for whatever satisfies there desire to relieve frustration about their ill fated country. Egypt is not only divided but also estranged from it's heritage of crises solving in a gentle manner. For a long time Egypt was ruled by vulgar people supported by the West. As the fish reeks first from the head the vulgar mindset effected also bigger parts of the Egyptian society. The clocks cannot be turned back. The confrontation inside the Egyptian "society" is about to become more radical.
Egypt's top court suspends work indefinitely
news.yahoo.com
Egypt's top court says it has suspended its work indefinitely to protest "psychological pressures."

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 01 December 2012 16:41)

Suu Kyi might loose her moral authority if she becomes too pragmatic like she is acting currently. Since her very tricky engagements with oppressors, presidents and big business in the western world priorities have changed. The Nation's economy first and the rest is subordinated. Is Suu Kyi devoted more to her nation or to humanity?

Analysis: Myanmar's Suu Kyi shows pragmatism
news.yahoo.com
For Aung San Suu Kyi the democracy activist, the 25-year struggle against Myanmar's former army rulers was a largely black-and-white affair — a clear fight for freedom

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 26 November 2012 14:23)

A dictatorship is unacceptable and a democracy unbearable. What kind of system fits to Egypt. Egypt is not used to democracy. People just know about democracy from the media but neither experienced it in their education nor in real life. I doubt that the opposition candidates especially Shafik would do any better and play by the rules.
People are actually asking for freedom and they put democracy equal to freedom. But there are many ideas about what democracy supposed to be. Democracy mostly produces victims and segregation inside a society. When the ideas of democracy were developed society was not so complicated and divers like today. When democracy is challenged in the West hate turns against minorities and politicians look for a punching bag. Cheating, brain washing and manipulation is part of daily business in politics.
My conclusion is that Egypt has got rid of thousands of years of oppression which is good. But regretfully Egypt has taken over an outdated political model that even has no roots in the country. Morsi, like Bush, Obama etc. are ordinary people with a very ordinary mindset. These are people who get elected for being simple to vulgar. Democracy won't bring needed improvement. In the future politicians will be more vulgar than they already are....

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 24 November 2012 15:47)

The time of democracy is up. Who is a demarcate in Egyptian politics? For more than 5000 years Egyptians have been oppressed either by their leaders or by foreign intruders. Egypt experienced "democracy" on TY but not in an education system and in real life. A look at western countries shows how diverse people think about democracy in their country. Many Europeans feel betrayed and powerless and not only in Greece, Spain and Italy. In 2011 a message from the Jasmine revolution went around the world and ignited the spirit of people around the world to show their disobedience against the authorities who pull the strings. Soon after China got hit the name Jasmine revolution disappeared. And all kind of uprisings got segregated by later imposed expressions and interpretations. The international medias worked in favor of the the the dominant status. A Dictatorship is nowhere on earth acceptable....But is democracy the alternative system that provides freedom? Do we live in a post democracy era? Are democracy and oppression just 2 sides of the same coin? I think the whole political thinking has to be revolutionized in order to achieve peace, freedom and justice. It is not enough to use the bubble of democracy.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 14 November 2012 17:51)

Li is a snake-bird. He might have not enough stamina in time of crises. Xi will be the strong man and absorb more power than Hu did. China will be more dynamic in the years ahead. Politically there will be a big change. I just hesitate to call it good or bad.

Cautious enforcer to be China's next premier
news.yahoo.com
The man in line to oversee China's massive but rapidly slowing economy for the coming decade speaks English and comes from a generation of politicians schooled during a time of greater openness to liberal Western ideas than their

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 14 November 2012 17:49)

Chinese communist party regards believe as the biggest threat to the one party system.
Hardly nowhere else in the world has the expression "in my opinion" or " I believe" been so down grated like in China. Chinese education system is designed to produce manageable people. Getting told "this is your opinion" is like saying "you are talking nonsense" or even "shut up".
Many Chinese people still recognize themselves as Buddhists or at least close to it. A Dalai Lama inside Chinese borders implicit's a second moral authority besides the communist party. The situation in Tibet will become very delicate as soon as a new Dalai Lama has to be announced. Beijing reserves the right to to interfere in the nomination. Something that won't go down well in Tibet.
It looks like Beijing is not very much interested in negotiating with the head of the Tibetan Buddhists. Instead the Chinese leaders think that time is on their side.

Dalai Lama wants thorough probe into Tibet deaths
news.yahoo.com
Lashing back at criticism from Beijing, the Dalai Lama on Tuesday said China needs to thoroughly investigate the causes of self-immolations by Tibetans and blamed "narrow-minded Communist officials" for seeing Buddhist

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 11 November 2012 19:57)

Tarek Sharaf
China is benefiting from banking deregulation,global business structure and endless greed. And the people who make that happen are mostly Westerners as well as Chinese and Japanese. The losers are ordinary people all over the world including US. Americans. As mentioned the communist party members are getting the biggest share in China. Time to give up thinking in national terms. Borders are made to control us physically as well as mentally. Ironically people are so proud of their jail. For finding a cure the whole picture is need. People who are currently in dealing and wheeling won't change anything. The world wide uprisings in 2011 have shown that regardless of their nationality people are highly unsatisfied with the leaders in business as well as in politics. Regretfully the demonstrators couldn't give their baby a name and where not able to provide new concepts. The first binding terms between the revolutionary movement was jasmine revolution. The term has even being taken to China and coursed Ai Wei Wei to be jailed. Soon after international medias dropped the expression and segregated the uprisings as local issues. The international establishment is eager to avoid a panorama view on our global issues. They want people to think in segregated terms. Hence alternative ideas are destroyed in their embryonic stage when they still germinate as a notion or a feeling.
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Tarek Sharaf
Western countries are becoming more and more depending on China while China is becoming the engine and the corner stone of world economy. Hard to believe that European or North American leaders want a fundamental change of leadership and the end of the dictatorial system. Human rights are never first on the agenda, in no country. A Chinese spring is not in western interest. People's interest id different from that of states. Regretfully most people do not understand the difference. There is a strong bondage of interest among people globally. State leaders deny that, because it would make them and states dispensable.
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Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 10 November 2012 19:57)

Western countries are becoming more and more depending on China while China is becoming the engine and the corner stone of world economy. Hard to believe that European or North American leaders want a fundamental change of leadership and th...See More

China congress highlights contrast with Taiwan
news.yahoo.com
While ties between China and Taiwan may be closer than at any time since they split in a civil war, the staid, formal Communist Party

Tare Sharaf (Tuesday, 30 October 2012 14:27)

"Myanmar" has about 136 minorities. The conflicts are about the segregation of cultures. The same kind of problems can be witnessed in big multicultural centers all over the world. This reveals a lot about the nature of many people are so proud of. People are ready to pay what so ever price is required to uphold their culture. At that point politicians are reluctant to to unveil the myth of identity, because it might tarnish the sharp bladder of political engineering. The world need to reconsider culture otherwise it might cause the end of humanity.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 27 October 2012 20:12)

Are we at bring of the Chinese spring? In 2010 the Chinese authorities cracked down on Jasmine spring supporters. Most prominent figure is Ai Wei Wei. See in the world in disorder the international medias abundant the term Jasmine revolution and dispersed the idea of humanity versus state oppression. So the uprisings have been renamed has local phenomena. Otherwise the whole international system would have been questioned. Not wanted scenario by any leader. One results of this containment idea is the violence in Syria. An uprising in China would surpass the degree of killings and violence in Syria by far. The medias in democratic countries are collaborating with those who are holding power and by that fostering the prevalence of oppression and violence. That is the way how the international system is about to be maintained. What ever is about to happen in China should not be regarded as an exclusive Chinese topic Regretfully the term state sovereignty has become a weapon of mass destruction. Humanity is a global affair but contradicting state interests.

BBC News - China blocks New York Times report on prime minister
www.bbc.co.uk
China is blocking a report from the New York Times which claims Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's family amassed at least $2.7bn since his time in office.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 27 October 2012 18:23)

The conflict is by far out of control. I would be surprised when "Myanmar" would not only be troubled by ethnic conflicts but also be engage in war with neighboring countries. "Myanmar" country is potentially rich, strategically very important and blessed with abundant natural resources. at the same time the country is in transition and therefore in disorder. "Myanmar's! future in a limbo. .

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 15 October 2012 09:34)

Between being granted Asylum and being illegal is only a slim margin. If one state has the right to declare a human being as illegal other states can do the same. It is a death sentence in modern terms. In other words our existence depends on the generosity of states. Asylum is just a sign of the overwhelming might states acquire. How can any human being be illegal. States are supposed to be illegal because they are artifacts enslaving human conscious.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 28 September 2012 08:57)

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Assad has his strongest supporters in the UN security council. They made it possible that the regime is getting the utmost support from abroad. Support for the regime is also granted through the abstainers. All this Annan and Ibrahimy camouflage is just provide an allyby to the criminals in the UN security council. They are sitting in their loggia like the roman emperors and decide about the fate of the people deadlocked in their arena. We the spectators just gaze and showed but in international politics there is nothing about democracy. Here the wild beasts, the states, show up their as they really are. Humanity should get rid of these institutions once and for all. .

Syrian military's text to rebels: 'Game over'
news.yahoo.com
Cellphones in Syria rang, buzzed and chirped Thursday with an ominous text message from the military to members of the armed rebellion: "Game over."

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 26 September 2012 13:44)

Very difficult to compare "Myanmar" with China. "Myanmar" needs allies and not one ally to develop economically and politically. With China Myanmar might face a similar fate like
N. Korea. With the West the country has many more options. In this regard Myanmar is more like Thailand and Cambodia. The difference is that "Myanmar" has more to bring to the table than this other South East Asian countries. Plenty natural resources and a top Geo strategical location elevate this place the most adorable on the planet. In other words "Myanmar" is more auspicious but as well more embattled by influence seekers like foreign politicians and business people.

Myanmar's president heads to US for rare visit
Myanmar's reformist president left Monday for New York to tout his country's makeover at the United Nations and push for an end to sanctions, in the first U.S. visit by a leader of the former international pariah since 1966.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 25 September 2012 09:13)

Ahmadinejad is talking in behalf of himself and the Mullah regime who support mass killing in Syria, terror attacks on Israel ans on the Sinai peninsular. Iran is dividing the Islamic world. There prime goal is not to bring more justice and equality into the international world. Iran is led my ideas similar to those of the Nazis. Inside Iran's political doctrine there is the believe of an Iranian racial supremacy in the region.
Time for the US and all countries in the Middle East to reconsider their relations with Iran. The problem with Iran is not only about the weapons they might be able to produce. Iran is a danger driven by the paradigmatic idea of racial superiority. It needs more than bombs to change their political mindset.

In New York, defiant Ahmadinejad says Israel will be "eliminated"
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated," ignoring a U.N. warn...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 23 September 2012 13:08)

Israel should device the peace treaty with Egypt. Only more Egyptian troops on the Sinai peninsular can guaranty security for Israel and for Egypt. Regretfully Israel is refusing a revision and is preferring to blame somebody for attacks.Therefore the question, "is Israel planning in incursion into the Sinai peninsular" is not groundless. Further attacks from Egypt on their territory would provide the reasoning.
Israel always argues that she is the only country in the world which is permanently threatened to be wiped out from the map. Israel is threatened by it it's own trauma. More and more security, mistrust and animosity will feed the trauma with real energy. Spending more and more money on security will just foster aggressive behavior. Countries who built walls failed. The Ming emperors rich security for a very short term by improving the wall magnificently but the downfall followed soon after. Eastern Germany and all what was behind the iron curtains collapsed because they built there on boundaries for political, economical and social development. Israel is currently on the same track.

Egypt-based group claims Israel border attack
news.yahoo.com
A shadowy group inspired by al-Qaida and based in Egypt's Sinai peninsula has claimed responsibility for a shootout along the Israeli-Egyptian border in which three militants and an Israeli soldier were killed.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 19 September 2012 11:13)

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Romney is not the right man for the US. His voters are the super rich or the dogmatic nationalists. A presidents like Romney would divide the nation even more.
It is very doubt that a man like him can favorably represent the US abroad. The Europeans were laughing their heads off about the obvious foolhardy crusader G.W.Bush. Now a silly rich should take over US crusade against the wind mills. Very different to the insane Don Quixote the two republicans do not show any sign of nobility.

Romney Tries to Change the Subject
news.yahoo.com
SALT LAKE CITY — Seeking to shift the attention away from a leaked video from a private fundraiser in which he said he doesn’t have to worry about 47 percent of non-income tax

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 18 September 2012 09:23)

Day in day out Chinese TV emits "anti Japanese" moves. People are hot to take on Japan. Beijing's focus on boosting nationalism is showing serious results. People cannot bet restrained from excessive demonstration and violent outburst against anything that looks Japanese. Politicians cannot control what they engineered. For Japan China will be a shrinking market. China might loose many jobs but more concerning in the short term is the impact of this riots on the political leadership in Beijing and the planed power transition. Beijing has to satisfy the crowed who is seeking revenge...

BBC News - China protests: Shares of affected Japanese firms fall
www.bbc.co.uk
Shares of Japanese firms that have suspended some of their operations in China in wake of the anti-Japan protests fall in Tokyo.
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Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 18 September 2012 09:22)

The civil war has already been taken into the suburbs of Damascus. There are no plans for intervention from the West. For Iran the war in Syria is a vital issue. A regime change would oust Tehran in the region. Because with the downfall of the Assad regime the Lebanese Shiites under Hizbullah is done. Will Hizbullah just leave the stage of fight the last battle with all means?

Residents in Syria's capital 'stuck in the middle' as civil war closes in - CNN.com
After 18 months of violent unrest, clouds of black smoke suggest conflict is closing in on Syria's capital.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 15 September 2012 04:28)

Is the US paralyzed and Israel unprotected just because of the release of a videos? The turmoil is too big to control it. But after the fact finding mission shad the light on the Egyptian Christians the focus of riots and anger in the Middle East might get away from the embassies. The Middle East will move further to theocratic oriented regime changes. The secular model is outdated for the region Democracy means the ruling of the people. So what ever their common mindset reflects will shape policy making.This is exactly what is going on in the Middle East right now, but regretfully the outcome is not desirable. This is also what people in the region often felt about policy making in the west. Policy is value driven and if values are different the God of party A can be the devil for party B.
As the world is getting smaller democracy needs new contend otherwise the we will go up in flames. Democracies that exist in different cultural contexts are likely to clash.
"Nobody" wants war nor a life under a dictatorship. The conflicts between democracies of different background will turn into regional clashes coursed by exploited mindsets. The key to safeguard freedom and avoiding clashes on a mega scale is the elimination of states as the entity of a democracy. Humanity is facing its biggest challenge ever. It is to replace the old identities that separated people with an identity of humanity not exploitable by political considerations because it is related to each individual and not to heroes, myths and fairy-tails perpetuated to engineers people's mindset. . . . . .

Egypt's Christians anxious, anticipate troubles
Christians gathered Friday in front of a Cairo cathedral holding signs denouncing a film that mocked the Prophet Muhammad amid fears that Muslims will take out their anger on Egypt's minority community.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 14 September 2012 13:36)

Iran wants turmoil in the Middle East. Tehran wants to ensure that Israel will be on her own when the decision for a strike against the Mullah regime is made. What makes so many Arabs and the Egyptians sure that the US is responsible for this video. The Obama admin. has no interest in a release of such a video nor do US citizen have such an intend to provoke troubled region except some radicals who feel a desire for a crusade. These crusaders do not represent the US. They just serve Iranian interests.

U.S. embassies attacked in Yemen, Egypt after Libya envoy killed
SANAA/CAIRO (Reuters) - Demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassies in Yemen and Egypt on Thursday in protest at a film they consider blasphemous to Islam, and th...

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 14 September 2012 13:32)

China talks tough and acts unassertive. For a long time China has nourished nationalism to compensate ideological deficits. Now in time of political uncertainty Beijing is challenged by China's the archival Japan. Chinese people won't take any humiliation from Japan. Besides strong national sentiments (nationalism) Chinese history-meter for Japan is running fastest.
Chinese leaders can't afford to be moderate.They need a triumph over Tokyo, otherwise they are gone and hardliners will replace them.
The current admin in Beijing is regarded as fairly moderate. And Xi Jingping the heir is a relatively liberal politician who is the is the fair-haired boy of the current leader.The heir has canceled all his meetings even the international and hasn't been seen for a while in public.There are rumors cursing about his whereabouts. After a weeks of absence the official statement was that Xi is suffering from a back injury coursed by his daily swimming exercises. Now 2 weeks passed and he hasn't still been seen.The delayed announcement, the length of disappearance and the murkiness of Chinese leadership this coursing doubts in Xi's role as the coming leader. The current leadership is not uncontested and at the brink of a downfall.

China patrol ships enter Japan waters: Japan Coast Guard
TOKYO (Reuters) - Six Chinese patrol ships entered Japanese waters near disputed islands claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo on Friday, said Japan's Coast Guard,

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:40)

Xi Jinping not well on track anymore. His presidency is embattled. This weak a number of his international meetings at home and abroad have been cancelled without reasoning. A sign for serious turmoils among Chinese top leaders. At it all comes after their meeting in Beidaihe, north of Beijing. The world should prepare for a bog surprise from the Middle kingdom. .

Ex-police chief charged in China political scandal
A former police chief whose flight to a U.S. consulate set off China's biggest political scandal in years has been charged with crimes including defection and b...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:39)

Economically a war with Iran wouldn't be that damaging as Washington is pretending. Iran is already off road as oil producer. Oil prices have been rising in the last months. Europe, China and the US have depots to survive oil shortages. A war with Iran won't last for long. Iran is a fragile country. The Mullahs lost their "flair" long time ago.
There is of course a risk when attacking Iran. Washington needs a strong Iran to tackle the strong uprising of Sunni Islam in the region. A strong Iran also guaranties Gulf monarchies' loyalty and big weapon deals. Some in Israel do not feel the loyalty to the US weapon industry neither are they very concerned about a Sunni dominated Middle East. They understand that Sunnis never made up a unity. Inside to what is categorized as Sunnis there a vast political differences. Sunni identity is politically relatively irrelevant. The Saudi, the Egyptians, the Libyans, the Algerians etc. are Sunni regions but that can't mobilize or create a political identity for any action on a bigger scale. The only action that might turn the situation is a common threat Sunnis are exposed to and this is Iran. So the US strategy is from the security point of few based on wrong presumptions .But if Washington goes on insisting on it it might become a self-fulling idea.

Israeli leader ratchets up feud with US over Iran
Israel's prime minister, ratcheting up a public feud with the U.S. over Iran, made it clear Tuesday that he was dissatisfied with Washington's refusal to spell out what would provoke a U.S.-led military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.

T (Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:39)

Good that they are back home. It is irresponsible from the employers to ask their employees to stay Some of these rich people in Syria who higher Philippians are not even in Syria while the killings are taking place.
The reports about the humanitarian situation in Syria are shocking The world is still watching. The security council and Iran have to be hold accountable.

Filipinos flee war in Syria with tales of horror
Filipino Ruth Pana remembered the windows of her employer's house in Damascus riddled with bullets. The maid, who escaped first to the Philippine Embassy in the...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:38)

In a referendum Germans might vote against bailout support and initiate the end of the Euro.
Most Germans even some leading politicians do not realize the consequences of such a move. If the court decides in favor if the bailout fund politicians will become make hawkish concerning bailout for their southern EU "partners".
Factually the EU can hardly be cold a union. It's more a coalition that fights the negative impacts of globalization especially after the post cold war era. The biggest threat for the EU now is the inconstant structure. On one hand there is a common currency and other hand the countries are politically divided. A political unity is not achieved just by the fact that there is a common parliament. There must be a core, an unchangeable concern the parliament takes care of by the mandate of their voters. The EU has no identity,nothing that exceeds economic interests. Therefore if there is no change very soon the EU is bound to become history very soon.

German court ruling is key moment in debt crisis
A closely watched ruling by Germany's Federal Constitutional Court could trip up European leaders' efforts to calm the region's debt crisis.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 11 September 2012 10:45)

There are 2 ways to think about the Euro crisis. One is that the countries in southern Europe missed the goals. The second is that northern countries designed the Euro zone too much according their purposes.
True is that countries like Germany benefited most from the Euro. The single currency lifted German exports to record highs inside Europe. True is that Germany after the US benefited most from Greece's tremendous military expenses which takes up about a quarter of the country's GDP. True is that Germany very much fostered the enlargement of the EU to the east that changed the intention for development from the south to the east. Not true is that ordinary Greeks, Spain-yards and Italians coursed the countries depths. So why is in particular Germany holding these people accountable for a good time the German economy had?
The Germans are always claiming to act according bad experience they had in the past. Are the Germans telling the rest of the world that their decisions are simply superior to that of others?
Berlin hasn't changed its methodology to analyse history. Like many decades ago history in Germany is subjected to a very technical and at the end a utilitarian point of few. The German decision makers are about to derail the world again very soon. Politics and economy do not follow mechanical rules. It is rather the overall picture that matters at end .

German high court: No delay in bailout decision
Germany's high court says it has rejected a last-minute plea to postpone its ruling on the request for an injunction blocking the country's ratification of the eurozone's permanent bailout fund.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 11 September 2012 09:32)

Xi can'r do his job at the moment. That's a fact. I would out-rule that he is busy preparing for the power hand over. Xi is a professional and not a Chinese Middle School; student who is about to graduate.The reason for his disappearance is supposed to be a physical damage he suffered. It is not likely to be just a cold. The Chinese can handle such problems in no time. An injury while he was playing football? I do not believe in such a story. Nobody would dare to tackle him that hard. He is nearly 60. He might be not very into rough games. Most likely is an attempt to take his life or an unforced health problem like a hard condition. Judging from his face I would say his heard is not the strongest. .

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 05 September 2012 10:25)

China is surrounded and doesn't feel good about it. For Beijing the situation is deteriorating because the US is at least strengthening the communication between China enemy. The Chinese call that killing through a third hand. China's concerns are understandable. On the other hand China is getting "overconfident" and not offering constructive solutions for the disputes territories.
China's behavior is deceptive. From the outside Beijing looks overconfident. It is the strategy of the empty city. in other words China is extremely fragile and damageable, but simulates confidence.
Inside Chine there is a big political war going. Who will be the successor of Hu? Xi Jinping, the chosen heir and current vice president canceled various meetings and giving no reasoning. Xi is defiantly a disputed figure and become one of the victims in the power struggle. Personally I don not believe that he will make it to the top position. Xi is a liberal in Chinese, speaks very well English and has a sister in Canada. In the current political situation where anti western sentiments are running high among Chinese government members there is little backing for a man with Xin's profile.
If that I'm saying is nothing new to the White House, than the question is, "does Washington likes to deal with hardliner and oppressors more than with liberals?"
looking at US policy in the Middle East during the last decades the answer has to be yes.

Clinton seeks Chinese accord on South China Sea
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Beijing to press Chinese authorities to agree to peacefully resolve disputes with their smaller neighbors over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 05 September 2012 10:24)

Egypt under Mubarak was hell. Corruption, injustice that ruined many people as well as oppression, imprisonment and tortures were daily activities for the regime. Thanks to US support through huge military and financial support the system kept running for over 30 years. Mubarak was the US ducky. The uprising against Mubarak was overdue. The reason why the Islamist parties are so strong relies mainly on Mubarak's crack down on liberal parties and cultivation of Islamist opposition to give him the status of a savior in western eyes.
In other word western policy in the Middle East and especial US policy was misguided. Time for the US to think about better qualified leaders.
Time will show how Egypt will develop, The new president is still busy with consolidate his power and establish some routines in the post Mubarak institutions. In foreign policy Morsi did better than many expected. He is abiding the peace treaty with Israel and hold Iran at bay.

Islamists installed in Egypt state institutions
Egypt's Islamist leadership took a new move Tuesday to put its stamp on the country's government, appointing members of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood as...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 05 September 2012 10:24)

Countries who want to go nuclear go nuclear and than it is to late to do something against it. Israel is extremely vulnerable when attacked by heavy weapons. And the nuke is not the only way to knock down Israel, but Israel still relies on old fashion security ideas. The US is too far away to ensure security. Israel has to cooperate and to work on a regional security strategy in the region that includes economical and political integration. Since the end of the second world war the Middle East was subjected and dominated by violence. People grew up with hate and fatalism.
The Middle East is a ticking time bomb that is about to course the third world war. For some the idea of a united Middle East sounds absurd, but it is the only chance to avoid the worst case scenario. .

Israel tries to ease differences with US over Iran
Israeli officials said Tuesday they are in close discussions with the United States over how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program, seeking to ease tensions that have emerged between the two allies over a possible Israeli military strike against Iran.
t

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 04 September 2012 09:43)

Hezbollah is making me tiered. Nasrallah and his clique are linked to the Assad regime and Iran who are both responsible for the mass killings in Syria. Why do people people still follow such murderers like the Mullah regime in Iran, the Assad regime in Syria and Hezbollah in Syria. Is it because they are all Shiites? Social identity seems to be more important than the course of humanity. I gather that one day it will be more important to the Iranians to be Iranian than being committed to their fellow Shiites in Lebanon. Social identities are tools to maneuver people in the right direction. Governments play this game more perfect than any other institution. As Nazrallah is not representing a country his game strongly relies on being Shiite. Iran can jump from Shiite to Iranian and even Aryan when it goes against the Arab Shiites.
It would be better to abandon the idea of nations and all its identity brain prosthesis with which politicians abduct human senses for being human in order to engineer people's mind in favor to their goals. The course of humanity is enough to satisfy the need of social identity.

Iran could strike U.S. bases if Israel attacks: Hezbollah
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran could hit U.S. bases in the Middle East in response to any Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities even if American forces played no ro...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 03 September 2012 09:04)

Iran and Egypt never matched. Iran's policy in the region is to dominate the Arab world. They support Hizb'bullah and the Syrian regime. Moreover there are trying to capitalize from the Arab weakness and their disagreement about the Palestinian issue.
But with the event in Syria Iran is loosing it's grip in the Arab world. Lebanon and the Palestinian leverage will be next. So Iran very well aware of that is trying to build up a counter strategy. The idea is to reenter the match by building up closer ties to Egypt and distance Egypt from the Gulf states. The Gulf states will depend more on US support which is not popular in Saudi Arabia and might weaken the Kingdom domestically. Uprisings in Saudi Arabia would spill over to the the Gulf neighbors like Bahrain and the U.A.E were about 50% of the population are Shiites who are ruled by a Sunni monarch. For years Iran is trying to fuel conflicts in the Gulf.
Egypt has not much to win by cooperating with Iran. It would only be a short lived move to escape US influence. At the end Iran would dominate the region and contain Egyptian influence and options for political maneuvers. Cairo should sideline Iran.
The conflict is not originally religious. Iranians regard themselves as Aryans and therefore superior to Arabs and Jews. They believe to be entitled to dominate the region. Even if the Mullah regime changes ties between Arabs and Iranians will go through dire straights. National myths prevail for long and are difficult to overcome. Countries are mostly unwilling to clear up with such national viruses, because it might weaken the national coherence and the options for politicians to engineer people.
National identity and freedom do not go together. Such an identity has to be payed with having enemies and being subjected to the will of third parties. At the end national identity replaces the individual identification that is linked to a boarder free humanity.

Egypt's Morsi 'did not discuss boosting ties with Iran'
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made no mention of resuming ties with Iran during a recent visit to Tehran, his spokesman Yassir Ali said on Sunday, denying statements by Iranian officials.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 01 September 2012 14:28)

After shaking hands with Iranian leaders Morsi had to deliver a speech that puts things back in order. A Tehran friendly speech would have been the end of Morsi. Tehran received the message that Cairo is back on the scene. Saudi Arabia received Morsi's Iran endeavor with mixed feeling. Egypt made it clear that Iran's foreign policy won't receive Egyptian support. What Saudi Arabia doesn't like is Cairo's independent unilateral actions
Is Cairo today capable to promote an independent stand in foreign policy? Cairo first of all has at least to pretend to have it's own political agenda. Morsi is the first democratically elected leaders and more than ever he has to represent the people of Egypt. People have to like what he is doing. And they liked his speech in Tehran.
The Middle East is different from other regions in the world. Countries are closer linked through history, culture, religion, language and even common heritages. This even includes Israel. In other words what ever a president is saying and doing in the region has much bigger effects in the region than in any other part in the world. So what Morsi is saying and doing verbally will spill over the boarders of Egypt. Egypt's "daggers" are abroad Naser's Egypt was economically weak. But Egypt developed a big impact on the region and in Africa. Also the history of the last 18 month confirms the political density in the region. Today's events and ideas are even much better communicated and lead to more immediate reactions than ever before.
Very different from Naser, Mosri has a good chances not to succumb to the fatal time/economy mix.

Drama in Iran wins Egypt president a bold image
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's international debut made its biggest splash at home. After he publicly denounced Syria's regime while being hosted by Damascus' top ally Iran, Egyptian supporters and even some critics are lauding him as a new Arab leader that speaks truth to power.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 01 September 2012 14:27)

The Germans have considers the case very rational as usual. After 50 years many victims that includes also the parents are not alive anymore. And the people who are still alive and suffering from the impact of the drug arrange themselves with there destiny already. They hardly would like to go through a painful revival of the past.
After second world war the Germans just compensated those with a strong lobby. Many like the Gypsies and their case were not considered at all.

German producer of thalidomide issues apology, 50 years on
The German firm that made thalidomide has issued its first apology in over 50 years to the thousands born disabled as a result of the drug's use, but a victims' charity called for more tangible action.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 01 September 2012 14:26)

The US is heading to the pacific. US foreign policy is supposed to be conducted more through strategic aspirations than by short term tactical maneuvers like in the last decade. Beijing might be not very pleased about it but on the other hand China is rewarded with more international attention an upgrade in her political ranking. International trade offs with include China more and Europe less. The Middle East will be straightened through the regional own dynamics. .

Clinton pledges security in South Pacific visit
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday pledged renewed American commitment to security in the Asia-Pacific, where tensions are rising between China and its smaller neighbors over territorial disputes and many nations face threats from climate change.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 01 September 2012 14:25)

Egypt's new role in the Middle East is to antagonize Iran.Morsi went into the lion's cage, Tehran and won a decisive battle.Assad will be kicked out soon and Tehran contained.
But will Israel finally bring down the Mullah regime or collaborate with drawing Mullah regime? A united Sunni front is not that what Israel wants.

Egypt says Syria's "oppressive regime" must go
DUBAI/AMMAN (Reuters) - Egypt called on Thursday for intervention to halt bloodshed in Syria, telling a meeting of 120 nations it was their duty to stand agains...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 30 August 2012 08:56)

Is Iran containing Islamic unification movement?
The Mullah regime in Iran is not about to bring any hope for peace in Syria. It's time that the world get's rid of these war mongers, the earlier the better. I's just wondering if there might be still some people believing in a power balance function of Iran in the region like during the era of the Shah ? After the Mideast is in turmoil and ashes Iran is disturbing any idea of balance. In the long term some strategist in the pentagon fear that the Sunnis might dominate the Islamic world. So the pentagon's strategy to avoid a strong Islamic movement is to fraction and widen the gap inside the Islamic world.
Lebanon and Syria are those places where this strategy is showing it's results openly.
Further countries are most of all Bahrain and the U.A.E with 50% Shiites is on the brink of such a development and a ticking time bomb for unrest.
One hurdle on the way to settle the Syrian crisis is that Washington's political advisers who are divided about the long term strategy in the Mideast. So are the voices coming from Israel.There are those focusing on the immediate thereat and those keeping there eyes on long term considerations in old fashion.
The rifts inside the Sunnis about the future of Muslim countries are huge. A unification under the banana of Sunni Islam is very unlikely. The only scenario that fosters the Sunni unity is exactly a common thereat from outside like Iran the western idea to bulldoze the region by supporting corrupt and violent military regimes and totalitarian monarchs. .
Iran is supporting to bulldoze the Middle East. They work with the same strategy like the West. Therefore Tehran has been part of the big western strategy, paralyzing the social, political and economical development. For Syria it just means that more damage has be to coursed till anything should be put in action to stop the destruction and the killing.

UN chief hits host Iran over human rights
The U.N. chief jolted his Iranian hosts Wednesday by pointing out "serious concerns" in Tehran's human rights record and urging cooperation with the world body to improve freedoms.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 29 August 2012 09:10)

Well dressed terrorists
Arabs, Persians and Israelis are perverting the religious course. They all legitimize themselves with holiness that rectifies all kind of cruelty. Regretfully people are buying it. The truth is they are not different from other criminal state leaders.
During the cold war the superpowers and their disciples were the biggest terrorists on earth. For their course they threatened to extinct all live on earth. The world followed these terrorists and played their game. Now the game is on in the Middle East. This time they do not call the game ideology but religion. Time to weak up and get rid of all these international criminals and super terrorists high-jacking our planet.

Israel calls Iran the greatest nuclear threat
Arab nations and Israel are heading for a confrontation at a 154-nation nuclear meeting next month over an Arab initiative to criticize Israel's secretive atomic program.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 29 August 2012 09:09)

Violent and vulgar "Islam" a curse for Muslims and others
Dialog should be used to filter the militant group to figure out to whom those militants are connected. Many weapons are smuggled from Libya. Are there weapon dealers in between, No, it's not big business and risky anyway. So the motivation is political. It is enough hearing from this vulgar Islamist who threat anybody disagreeing with them. They believe strongly in modern technology and hate social science and philosophy. Yes, Arabs have a tradition in natural science, but is very different from the way those dangerous people use science and technology. They deny Islamic tradition in philosophy, poetry and arts, the engines and watch dogs of all human inventions and development.

Egypt leader said to reach out to Sinai radicals
Egypt's Islamist president is using former jihadists to mediate with radical Islamists in Sinai, trying to ensure a halt in militant attacks in return for a stop in a military offensive in the lawless peninsula, participants in the talks say.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 29 August 2012 08:26)

Violent and vulgar "Islam" a curse for Muslims and others
Dialog should be used to filter the militant group to figure out to whom those militants are connected. Many weapons are smuggled from Libya. Are there weapon dealers in between, No, it's not big business and risky anyway. So the motivation is political. It is enough hearing from this vulgar Islamist who threat anybody disagreeing with them. They believe strongly in modern technology and hate social science and philosophy. Yes, Arabs have a tradition in natural science, but is very different from the way those dangerous people use science and technology. They deny Islamic tradition in philosophy, poetry and arts, the engines and watch dogs of all human inventions and development.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 28 August 2012 08:58)

Do the interests of a country mutate by appointing a new leader? Politicians everywhere rectify their actions with the term national interest. In other words politicians claim that there are interests inherent to a country. But as we can see in Egypt there is not much we can call interests inherent to a country.
Originally interests are inherent to interests and not to countries. Countries and people are the tools subjected to interests. In the international community interest shifts are in general not well received because they unveils the myth that countries stand for a stable identity. Egypt like many countries in Africa and Asia suffered from many of such interest shifts within the last 50 to 70 years. Egypt under Morsi is transforming again. The identity question in Egypt has been strained behind the limits. So called Egyptians will start questioning the game of nations where people are pieces on a chess board, positioned, maneuvered and sacrificed by an invisible mind. The same is true all around the globe. The "Egyptians" just have the honor to be one of the front bumper of the disclosure.

Egypt president names mainly Islamist adviser team
Egypt's Islamist president Mohammed Morsi on Monday named a team of 21 advisers and aides that includes three women and two Christians and a large number of Islamist-leaning figures, backing off campaign promises to appoint a Christian and a woman as vice presidents.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 27 August 2012 19:18)

Morsi is getting the wrong people on board. Iran is a war monger in the Middle East. Tehran is the back bone of the death squadrons in Syria, the Shiites in Lebanon as well as the militant Hamas people. Iran is high-jacking the Palestinian course and misguiding Palestinians in their aim for a future. Iran is also trying to infiltrate Islamist circles in Egypt. Morsi seems to believe in a deal with the perpetrator will bring him a good bargain. Morsi needs Iran to dominate Saudi Arabia at the table and Turkey to lift him up to Washington DC. The people in Syria are currently part of the game. When Morsi flies to Washington he can be the envoy of the whole region and even act as the intermediary between Iran and Washington Why is he not trying to get Russia which is the main source for weapons for Damascus on the boat? Most likely is that the end of the Assad regime is not on the agenda.
I do not believe that Morsi can broker a deal in favor of the people in Syria because Iran won't give up supporting extreme regimes and violent leaders and the Assad regime won't be questioned by this conference. People in Syria will not get a saying. That is not what Iran wants. Mosi's ideas for the region are not likely to bring peace.

Egypt defends Syria contact group that includes Iran
Egypt on Sunday defended its idea of forming a regional contact group on Syria which would include Iran, a staunch Damascus ally, insisting that Tehran could "be part of the solution" to the Syrian crisis.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 26 August 2012 13:05)

Iran is an enemy of the Palestinian case. Tehran is luring simple mined Hamas officials with weapons and brainless slogans. Some people and especially decision makers among the Hamas elite are very attached to Iran's brain wash. Palestinians should be aware that inside the Iranian mindset Arabs are enemies and regarded as inferior to the Persians or Aryans as they describe themselves. A kind of thinking that opposes Arabs as well as Israelis.

Abbas threatens Iran summit boycott over Hamas
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will boycott the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Iran if his Islamist rival Ismail Haniya of Hamas attends, a minister told AFP on Saturday.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 25 August 2012 15:36)

As so many before religion has become politics. Living or dying depends on as what individuals were born. A human being is a human being and deserves full respect for that. Segmenting human mankind by religion, nationality etc. means setting the less important aspects ahead of the most vital. Originally religion as pure believe is about thoughts of the world beyond the world we are living. It cannot be a matter of disputes among "people". If religion is about "who gets what for what he believes" than the case inconsistent.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 24 August 2012 11:21)

The CCP is not a main contender in the race for power in Myanmar anymore. The military regime wants credit from western medias. That is what western leaders need to get public approval back home.
The point is that western leaders themselves like to deal with the military rather than a real democratically elected leadership. A Junta is easier to control and to satisfy. The west even does not want a regime change in China. As long as the CCP is in power China won't take over the pole position from the US. .
If you can't believe it all than have a look at the Middle East where the West had supported violent dictator regimes for decades and is still yearning for the come back of military regimes where they simply can get what they want for money and weapons If you are still not satisfied than trace back US-Latin American history.

Myanmar press still fighting for true freedom
Although unshackled from decades of direct censorship, journalists in Myanmar still face repressive laws that can land them in prison and say they will not stop fighting for greater freedom.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 24 August 2012 10:49)

The refugee stories are not about good, the question is even more essential
Countries are by nature too heinous to be bad. Countries are concerned about interests and nothing else. The precondition for bad is good. In the functioning of a state there are non of such attributes. Countries are dark edges of institutional inventions taking our identity as a hostage. Not many people are ready to pay the price to eliminate the prime hostage taker in human history.
What the refugees show us is that human beings can be declared "illegal", hunted and unwanted. Some people have no place to go, no place to live or no place to hide. In other words states feel entitled to negate the right to exist of a human being and in a sense expelling them from our planet. Fact is that human beings really exist while states are just artifact. Therefore states can be illegal, but not human beings

Israel making inroads in halting African migration
Just a few months ago, Israel was in the midst of a nationwide uproar over the tens of thousands of African migrants who have poured into the Jewish state. Today, that influx has slowed dramatically, following a series of measures meant to halt the new

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 24 August 2012 10:48)

Freedom of expression is very important. Every state should respect this claim. But in many western countries where freedom of expression is guaranteed stating an opinion is being neutralized by people's idea that they live in the best form of political system. So people tend to ignore critics. Nowhere on earth we find demonstration so ineffective like in western countries. Nowhere on earth do we find so many people frustrated by the emptiness and meaningless in their life...The crucial point about expressing an opinion is to receive an echo. Otherwise freedom of expression means living in a padded cell.

Detained Egyptian journalist to be freed: president's spokesman
Egyptian editor Islam Afifi, who is facing charges of spreading false news and was remanded in custody on Thursday, will be freed on orders from President Mohamed Morsi, his spokesman said.

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 23 August 2012 12:36)

The power struggle has nothing to do with religion. Religion is just used as tear gas for the brain.
So what is the crucial difference for the people between Morsi and Mubarak? This we still have to find out.

Egypt police warn anti-Morsi protesters
Egypt's interior ministry on Wednesday warned organisers planning a campaign of protests against President Mohamed Morsi on August 24 that it would respond "decisively" to any violence.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 22 August 2012 09:27)

According to the reports Bedouins are behind the latest terrorist attacks on the Sinai peninsular. Who is arming those people? In other words who is using the Bedouin's case to get his interests through.
1. Is it an international organized terrorist group?
2. Is Egypt looking for a pretext to deploy more troops on the Sinai peninsular?
3. Is Israel trying to engineer a situation to tempt Egypt to breach the peace treaty ?
Case three means Israel wants to go to war with Egypt. The second theses indicates that Egypt is looking for a clash with Israel. And case one means somebody outside the region wants to bring a clash between Israel and Egypt.
In the current situation it is hard to believe that Egypt is thinking about a clash with Israel. It would be a non rational move. Is Israel trying to get Sinai by taken advantage of the situation in Egypt? Possible but not likely, because Israel would give up having a peaceful future for ever. It can end in a holocaust for the region.
Most likely is that Iran is behind the move. Iran would benefit from a deteriorating situation between Egypt and Israel. Both countries have opposing strategic interests to Iran. Animosities and tensions between the 2 giants Israel and Egypt would would force Israel to focus more on the danger at her immediate borders with Egypt. That means Iran would less likely be threatened by an Israeli attack and Egypt would be restrained from any military security engagement in the Gulf. The winner of an Israeli - Egyptian conflict would clearly be Iran. Therefore Iran is likely to be behind the Bedouin the insurgences on the Sinai peninsular.

Israel says Egypt violating peace treaty in Sinai
Israeli officials say Egypt is violating their 1979 peace treaty by deploying tanks in the demilitarized Sinai desert, which borders Israel.
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Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 21 August 2012 13:14)

Chinese media are not free and the CCP doesn't allow any free journalism in China. Regretfully many Chinese regard criticizing the CCP as hating China. China deserves a better leadership than it has currently.
To balance the case it has to be said that in Europe and North America people get extremely brain washed trough the media. The journalists are vegetarian sharks. Around the clock people are fed with trivial issues. on the other hand the majority of westerners do not really care of people in other parts of the world. When I read the comments below I see how little they know about China and Chinese people. What makes them angry is that westerners have been restrain from doing their job abroad.
I have to say that most of those journalists do not understand the country they are talking about very well nor do they care a lot about the people there. It is all about the story, their fame and reputation. They have to sell the story. So violence is utmost desirable.People in the West are getting what they order.
Neither the Europe nor the US want to see a power change in China. As long as the county is led by the CCP it's easier to find the leader to talk to and keep vital impact on policy making. China like western countries are very much supportive to dictatorships around the globe. Human rights, freedom and democracy is something for the "free press" to keep people's mind busy. The crucial difference between China and the West is that western people are no danger to their government at all. Elections are only about trivial differences. What the leader want to change they change with or without people's consents.

Foreign journalists 'intimidated' in China: press groups
Foreign press associations in China expressed alarm Tuesday over recent incidents of intimidation directed against foreign media workers, including the alleged beating of a Japanese journalist.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 20 August 2012 13:21)

Gu Kai Lai is lucky in dead. She will be free in some years because of health reasons e.t.c.
Her husband will celebrate his political come back in a few years. Bo Xi Lai is a hero for many Chinese. And a strong political lobby is still behind him. When the discussion about the couple cools down changes will follow immediately.

Gu Kailai gets suspended death sentence for murder
The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician was given a suspended death sentence Monday after confessing to killing a British businessman by poisoning him with cyanide in a case that rocked the country's top political leadership.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 19 August 2012 14:52)

Morsi can't be too friendly with Tehran. Iran is supporting the regime in Syria. Egyptians do not support Assad at all. Friendly ties with Iran get soon lead to the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

Egypt president to visit Iran, a first in decades
Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi will attend a summit in Iran later this month, a presidential official said on Saturday, the first such trip for an Egyptian leader since relations with Tehran deteriorated decades ago.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 19 August 2012 14:51)

The power struggle in China will dominate the decisions in Bo Xi Lai's and Gu Kai Lai's issue.
Xi Jun Ping might be the victim of the power struggle. His profile doesn't fit into a world economic crisis and China's fall of a skyrocketing economy into big unemployment .The political dreams and myths have to be revived. China will get a hard liner as new president.
The standing comity of the CCP will be reduced to 7 members. More power for the new leadership and in the hands of the president. Will China go for a new paramount leader?
If Bo or Gu receive death penalty the paramount leader is about to come for sure.

Chinese politician's wife due to hear verdict
A fallen Chinese politician's wife who confessed to killing a British businessman is due to hear the verdict Monday in her murder trial and Communist Party leaders might have decided against a death penalty for fear it could incite public sympathy for her.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 19 August 2012 13:33)

Iran and Israel are legitimized theocratic Both want to dominate the region. Both think to be a superior kind of human being . Actually both have very strong physical and very little spiritual motivation. The Mullah regime is just must more primitive while Israel is more a kind of a... More

'Tumour' of Israel will soon be destroyed: Ahmadinejad
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told an annual anti-Israel protest in Tehran on Friday that the Jewish state was a "cancerous tumour" that will soon be excised, drawing Western rebukes.

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 16 August 2012 01:22)

Tantawi has been replaced by another military. The new man is more loyal to Mursi. In other words Morsi is trying to gain the upper hand through dividing the military. The clique in the military that was loyal to Tantawi is has been sidelined. The appeal of the White House for more cooperation between the president and the military is a warning addressing Mursi .The White House is still pulling it's strings through the Mubarak generals and won't leave the pitch on Mursi's order. If the changes go too far the US would support a military take over like they did it in many Latin American countries and in former Arab history before.
Europe's stand on this issue is not much different. The western world prefers military regimes in the Middle East which are more predictable and easier to manipulate than the elected one.
The outlook for Syria is not better. When Assad will be gone the county is in ruins. They will need foreign aid. The aid won't b be unconditionally granted. There will be packages from the Gulf state and from the West, but not available at the same time....About the future direction Syria might enter a further civil war.

President shifts Egypt's balance of power
In retaking key powers and shaking up the military brass, President Mohammed Morsi has sharply shifted Egypt's balance of power overnight and transformed his public image from a weak leader to a savvy politician.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 12 August 2012 22:09)

Washington was so many times before acted not smart in deed. Doing the dealings with Enan and Tantawi instead of tying to get close to the elected president shows how immature current US foreign policy is. The US is still rationalizing the situation in the Middle East by tying tying to believe that "what should not be can't be". Realty is that the decades long strategy of US backed oppression failed.
For the US it's time to employ new Middle Wast experts.

Egypt president orders military chief Tantawi to retire
CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamist President Mohamed Mursi ordered Egypt's two top generals to retire, including Hussein Tantawi who led the nation after Hosni Mubarak

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 12 August 2012)

Tantawi is physically to weak to change his fate. He is ousted for good. A reshuffle makes the military more loyal to Mursi. It looks like the president won a decisive battle.

Egypt's president retires defense minister
Egypt's Islamist president ordered the retirement of the defense minister and chief of staff on Sunday and canceled the military-declared constitutional amendments that granted the top generals wide powers previously reserved for the head of state.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 12 August 2012 22:08)

Israel already decided to attack. Because it has been reiterated several times there are big doubts that such an attempt will ever take place. Iran will be hit in the very near future. I would say at the end of Ramadan or a month later. .

Israeli PM: Iran threat dwarfs all others
Israel's prime minister says the threat from Iran dwarfs all others the Jewish state faces.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 12 August 2012 14:04)

Soldiers are not the ambassadors of peace!
For the sake of peace Israeli soldiers should not enter Egypt. Even if getting a permission from Egypt the situation might tern very dangerous. As written above, Israel ignites anti Israeli sentiments. When Israeli forces are on Egyptian soil the risk of an armed conflict between both countries can become more likely. Soldiers are not politicians. When they meet they do not negotiate issues. Misunderstandings easily come into being. Some soldiers, Egyptian or Israeli might be loyal to certain group which do not have the same intention like the mainstream. I would not even preclude secret foreign arrangement to sabotage Egyptian, Israeli relation.

Israel's rectification
Israel can handle the refugee problem in Israel. I am a bit shocked about Israel arguing that the refugees endanger the Jewish character of the state. They sound a bit like Iran and Saudi Arabia or even right wing extremists in Europe. For the above mentioned theses this "pretext" points at 2 options. Israel has intentions that it is unwilling to unveil. That means Israeli intentions are peace threatening in the region. And the other option is what has been that is frankly the truth. Israel wants to preserve its "Jewish" character. It means that risking peace is a price they are willing to pay. Is Israel ruled by fatalists?
Politics is the art of the doable. Egypt's political weakness is seducing Israeli extremists to bring such ideas on the way. What can happen now is more dangerous than anything else we have seen in the Middle East before.

Activists: Israeli forces enter Egypt for migrants
Israel has been sending soldiers into Egypt's Sinai desert to stop African migrants before they reach the border, handing them over to Egyptian forces, human rights groups charged in a report released Friday.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 12 August 2012 14:03)

It is about common interests between Israel and the Gulf monarchies
The US very much unwilling to start a new war in the Middle East and Israel is denying to plan a "blitzkrieg" with Iran. So is it malarkey to be concerned?
The US wouldn't be worried if everything is just saber rattling. Israel is high on alert. If Israel goes for a strike on "its own" than the strike has to be fast and precis, a "blitzkrieg". Saudi Arabia as well as other Gulf monarchies like Bahrain and the U.A.E would be very thankful for such an action. The Golf monarchies are very likely have a deal with Israel.
This deal concerns the monarchies support in Syria, Egypt. and Lebanon. The US is not very flamboyant about such an arrangement because Washington will loose immediate influence in the Middle East
There are hints for a secret coalition between the Jewish state and the monarchies, for example the killings of Iranian and Arabian key figures on Gulf soil by foreign secret agents.
Usually it is very difficult to plan such an attempt in those countries. If not heaving an arrangement with the officials Israel would be better of to commit such killings anywhere else in the world.
The Gulf monarchies are fighting for survival. And Israel has big interests to keep them in power.They guarantee stability any other kind of government couldn't give. On the other hand the Gulf monarchies are benefiting a lot from the existence of Israel. The 6 days war in 1967 changed the political parameters from socialist regimes to more Saudi like Islamist political contend in Arabic politics. And the war in 1973 made the Gulf states really rich. The oil prices jumped up and kept their tendency to increase.
Like before the war in 1967 Israel and the Saudi Monarchies have the same enemy. In 67 their main enemies were Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Than it was Saddam's Iraq and now the Gulf states and Israel face Iran. A defeat of Iran would be good for both.

Talk of Iran strike dominates Israel press
Talk of a possible military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities dominated the Israeli press on Friday, a day after Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the issue had become more "urgent."

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 10 August 2012 11:30)

A meeting on the ambassador's level is not very important. The reports that arrive in the capital cities will bee filed. The countries that send their ambassadors there just show there disobedience to the West but do not necessarily support the Iranian case. Actually most of them do not have a big impact on the conflict. For Iran it's primarily a domestic propaganda show for the regime. The Mullah regime is engineering people's mindset in the direction that they are citizens of a strong regional power with big impact on world policy. People become proud of their country and their regime...The relevant conclusion I draw is "do not be proud of what you regard as your county. Your mind can be easily abducted by those who want to abuse your weakness to achieve their goals."

Iran tries to calm Syria crisis as violence rages
As Syrian forces struggled to drive rebels from the country's largest city, the regime's key ally Iran tried Thursday to start an alternative political process to address the crisis.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 10 August 2012 10:15)

Israel is not very unhappy about the combination of military versus Mursi. Egypt acts very handicapped indeed and is no threat to Israel at all. The uncomfortable feeling that is unleashed from "new" Egypt is that there seems to be nobody to talk to about long term issues. The current political and military elite won't last for long or their future is very much in a limbo. For Israel, a state with a very much up today military technology, it means no strategy to rely on.

Sinai buildup shifts tenet of Egypt-Israel peace
Egyptian troops, light tanks, armored vehicles and attack helicopters are pouring into the Sinai desert to root out increasingly aggressive Islamic militants in...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 10 August 2012 10:14)

Egypt needs a free press. One problem is the brotherhood. The other is military and the third is that Egypt has very little experience with a free press. Good journalism is a permanent painful experience because of the disillusion people have to go through. Very often an issue might be judged very controversially. The social and political rifts that go through Egypt will become more obvious. How tolerant and resilient is Egyptian society?

Egypt dailies protest Brotherhood 'muzzling freedom'
Three independent Egyptian newspapers ran white boxes on Thursday in the space where their editorials are usually found in protest at what they say is a bid by the Muslim Brotherhood to control the media.

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 09 August 2012 09:26)

The Bedouins are a marginalized minority like all over the globe. They suffer under any government like Gypsies and any other people who seems to be floating from one place to the next. In "A fiddler on the roof" it is expressed brilliantly, "..trying to scratch out a simple pleasant tune without breaking his neck" The Jews were once in a very similar situation. Now they have a state of their own and are like any kind of state abducted people on earth.
People living behind the walls of a state do not like to share, regard procession as most important and are trying to accumulate as much as they can even savage. The walls of a state exist in various forms, mentally, physically, socially, historically as well as geographically. Those walls let people's options and internal richness shrink to the size of Bonsai trees. States humiliate human nature and convert the human status to that of loyal dogs.
There is no rectification of the use of violence at all. But the violence already committed by states has to be put into account when trying to understand the gravity of the conflict and that it concerns all of us.

In Egypt's chaotic Sinai, militants grow stronger
After decades of neglect and with the collapse of government authority the past 18 months, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has become fertile ground for Islamic extremi...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 07 August 2012 12:46)

The Egyptian military is very laid back. The country is not in control. Violent groups are tacking over.This will cost Mursi credibility as a leader. That's what the military is waiting for.

Recent militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai, Israel
Even before Sunday's deadly assault on Egyptian soldiers, there have been repeated attacks by militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in the 18 months since the ou...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 07 August 2012 12:45)

Iran has its own reality that is comparable to that of Nazi Germany. Iran's religious approach is actually the camouflage of a Nazi regime. Iran & Iranians is what their ideology is about. Iran cooperates closely with Syria that is no theocracy at all., but the ruling elite has a bondage to Iran and regards Iranians as their brother!
The violent approach of the Syrian regime against civilians and especially children shows that this regime has not much to do with the majority of Syrians. Like Nazis, they hate people who are different. The Iranian regime has no other mindset. So when the Iranian regime is talking about reality they talk about the perception of Nazis. Let's see which Nazi regimes will join their club

Iran calls Syria meeting for 'realistic' countries
Iran is to hold a ministerial meeting on Thursday for countries having a "realistic position" on Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 06 August 2012 11:40)

The story will have a wide ranging effect on the situation in Egypt. The military will take advantage of the situation. More power will be given to the armed forces in Egypt. Each violent attempt will provide more arguments in favor of the military. Very soon Egypt might shift back to the Mubarak era.

Israel had reports of impending attack from Egypt
Israeli intelligence services had reports of an impending attack from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and therefore were able to thwart the latest assault by suspected ...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 06 August 2012 10:17)

The more Washington shows up the more Beijing is going to do the same. Currently China is politically in the most unstable situation since Zhiao Zi MIng was ruling in the mid 90th. Washington believes that what worked about 15 years ago works today. China has become much stronger and more confident. Sometimes even overestimating her power.
Asian states won't line up behind US diplomacy to fight the East Asian cultural icon China. Asian leader wouldn't commit such a damage to their future. If an armed conflict brakes out the US can just take the back seat. Should Washington openly try to foster their interests in the region the anti China coalition will brake down and only the Philippines and Brunei will remain US allies.
A good example is Japan that is highly threatened by N. Korea as well as China. Militarily they ask for US support but politically there is strong resistance against US troops stationed in Japan. In Japan there are strong anti US sentiments. And the 2 nuclear bombs have not been forgotten at all.
In S. Korea the situation is very similar. And Taiwanese are not about to get to close with anybody. They are Chinese at the end.
The current controversial approaches to the disputed sea areas do not provide glue enough to build a US conspired anti China coalition. The US strategy won't bring the wanted result. At the end there are no winners in the game.

Chinese state media blast US over sea criticism
China's state-controlled media lashed out at the United States on Monday, accusing Washington of "trouble-making" over criticism of Beijing's claims to a wide swathe of the disputed South China Sea.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 06 August 2012 10:16)

The Rohingya are the weaker part in this conflict. There existence is threatened by rioting mobs and the ruling military which is no willing to take respectability for their safety.
Suu Kyi went to Europe and met high ranking people. She went as an ambassador for Myanmar but not for Burma. The reforms are not valid for everybody. Under these circumstances it is questionable if the military has any idea about democracy.
Western countries were fast in contracting and dealing with South East Asian. The natural resources and the strategic importance gave enough reason to act fast. Now China has been maneuvered out of the game.
Myanmar looks more or less like the Yemen and Egypt under their former dictators. Upgrading the status from a former dictatorship to an authoritarian regime and a formal democracy will provide western countries enough backing to deal freely with Burma no matter how suffering is continuing.
The West is to greedy to act smart and wise. For good dealings the West wants the military to stay in power no matter how painful it is for the people on the ground. Egypt and Yemen are good examples and Myanmar will be no exception .

'Three dead' in fresh Myanmar sectarian unrest
Renewed violence between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya has left three people dead in Myanmar, a government official said on Monday, amid growing international concern about the sectarian unrest.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 05 August 2012 15:25)

The US is not neutral. Washington won't be able to unite the "little" Asian states to contain giant China. There is no general idea for such a big venture. The idea that is there is just a particular on. Washington is not used and the admin not trained the for an endeavor through a philosophy that contradicts very much their western mind sets. Like in Vietnam Washington's political strategy will fail.
It is not possible for the US to lead East Asian countries against a political and cultural East Asian heavyweight. East Asia is not the Middle East. East Asians more than any other people act according to an all over picture. It is a panorama view. The US is trying engineer East Asia by using a particular issue. East Asian mind set doesn't work like that. Washington's policy is bound to fail heavily.

China calls in U.S. diplomat over South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry has called in a senior U.S. diplomat to protest remarks by the U.S. State Department raising concerns over tensions...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 05 August 2012 15:24)

Only states interests do matter
Why has Saudi Arabia to put the draft on the table. The Saudi reputation is not the best. Western countries should take the lead because they are always pointing on others. Now they are hiding because a quick solution regardless of the suffering is not in their interest. So at the moment they can go along with Russia and China and postpone the case. The US has already shown some discontent because they fell that the Assad regime might not survive this month. The US wants good timing that service their interests. Iran has to go out as the looser and Russia has to be contained. A regime change is Iran is vital for US interests in the region. India abstains because they has a big number of Shiites and they want to show some loyalty to Russia. As members of the BRICS states there is at least once in a while a common approach in international affairs. In the future Russia will do the same for India.
The suffering of civilians and the mas killing of children has been sidelined. Even the international press doesn't pay a lot of attention to that.
It is estimates that this conflict has taken the life of over 20000 people most of them civilians and many children. And there is still understanding and backing for the Assad regime. The UN security council members first send Annan as alibi. His mission was bound to fail. But he did what was wanted from him, wasting time. Assad died politically long time ago. The game is about his successor...States do not make people happier. They are machines of oppression. Avoiding any identification with such machines is the best protection against being abused and seduced ....

China lashes out over Syria
China Saturday accused countries that oppose its position on Syria of undermining attempts to find a political solution to the conflict, after voting against a new UN resolution on the crisis.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 05 August 2012 01:27)

Arming Syrian rebels will destabilize Iran and that is good for peace and long term stability in the region. It is time for the Mullah regime to say farewell. As long as the Mullah regime is in place the Middle East will remain a volatile region.
The rebels in Syria need support against the Iranian backed killer machines under Assad's label. The current Iranian regime is mentally and psychologically close to Nazi Germany. It would be a gentle if they stop talking about religion.

Iran says arming Syria rebels will destabilise region
The arming of Syria's rebels will have "very bad implications in the region," Iran's Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday, according to state television.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 05 August 2012 01:26)

Israel hostility mostly under control...,. " They are not well aware of the situation. Any Egyptian who visited Israel during the Mubarak era was a suspected of being a state enemy. Egyptian-Israeli couples didn't have a good life. Mubarak was interested in a freezing cold peace between the 2 countries. Therefore the oppressor didn't want the people to come in touch. Like that he made people believe that only under his ruling peace with Israel can be guaranteed. It's a shame that western media are so haplessly brainless and remote controlled.
This show in Egypt that is cultivating anti Israeli sentiments is only in the interest of the military who would like to go back to the good old days of the dictator with warmhearted relations to the "holy" White House. For decades the the US president was like father Christmas to the Mubarak regime.
Boarders, weapons, hate, military, brain wash and mistrust are the tools of oppressors and have nothing to do with peace. It is also time for Israel to understand the message. The revolution in Egypt bears risks if it fails and all goes back to oppression. Mubarak engineered Egypt as a time bomb that was supposed to detonate after the end of his dynasty. We know how his time bomb works. It's time to neutralize the bomb by bringing the people from both sides together and work on a boarder free Middle East Union with Israel and Egypt as the engines....

Prank Egypt TV show exposes depth of Israel hostility
A prank Egyptian talk show that infuriates guests by duping them into believing they are on Israeli TV reveals the antipathy many hold for the Jewish state despite a wintry peace treaty between the neighbours.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 03 August 2012 11:04)

Washington believes in a peaceful settlement. Ridiculous! The Assad regime is weakening but at the expense of civilians many of them children. Less children means less Sunnis in future Syria. A policy a la Hitler, is that what Washington is looking for? The security council is picked the strategy of "pretended engagement for peace" which actually means killing through a third hand. The gaps between the different groups are getting bigger the longer the conflict lasts. With the downfall of Assad the suffering and violence won't be over. Sending another Annan would be the choice of Russia, the US, Europe, China and of course Iran. So the dirty game between those countries can go on behind close doors.

US stands firm against arming Syrian rebels
news.yahoo.com
The United States is stepping up support for the Syrian rebels but, despite the failure of UN envoy Kofi Annan's mission, is sticking to its refusal to pour arms into a complex conflict.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 03 August 2012 11:03)

The country is on it's knees. The Mosri government selection reflects the power structure in the country. The young people who risked their life on Tahrir Square are lost. The Muslim Brotherhood which was not part of the revolution took over, but under strict observation of the military. This is how Washington wants to deprive the country from freedom and self-determination to keep US influence on track like under Mubarak.
Egypt won't recover anytime soon. Further uprising are on the way. Tahrir square will be the stage for the clash between the real Tahrir revolutionaries, the brotherhood and the military.
Is that what Washington is looking for?

New Egypt Cabinet sworn in, faces heavy tasks
news.yahoo.com
Egypt's new prime minister and his Cabinet were sworn in on Thursday, the first government since the election of a Muslim Brotherhood leader as

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 03 August 2012 11:02)

Annan's mission was bound to fail. I mentioned that in several articles. Annan was not actin on his own. He was a UN envoy. The security council members were well aware that this this plan had no chance to implement peace. The US, Russia and China are deeply divided about Syria's future. Anna's mission should give them time to settle their disputes behind the curtains and meanwhile avoid the impression of being inactive. So the medias and the public are busy with the "Anan plan" and believe that the UN stands for peace.
Russia, China, Iran the US and the Europeans are to be hold accountable for the massacres committed against civilians. After the mass killing of children Annan had no better statement than telling Assad you killed enough people now. It's time to stick to the peace plan. And Annan still believed that the Syrian opposition could face the Assad death squadron unarmed and trust the regime. Annan's comment to the mass killing of children was a criminal action.
Now Ashton is stating that a successors for Annan has to be found. in other words the EU is still not satisfied with the power formation in Syria. France talked about military intervention but only with the consensus of the UN security council which won't. Otherwise Germany and most other EU states don't bother themselves a lot with the situation in Syria. They prefer the pretending strategy like it was done by the Annan mission.
In the German parliament politicians are busy talking about preemptive measures. They just miss the topic. it is the strategy of no result. Germans, Holocaust is every day. And there are different ways to participate in it. Not coming to terms is one.

Army fighting for 'nation's future' says Assad
news.yahoo.com
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that the army was fighting for the nation's future as UN officials said the regime was

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 02 August 2012 15:48)

Tarek Sharaf
They are in businesses all over the Middle East. They are linked with Iran and Iranian politicians. There culture, language and historic ties are closer to Iran than to the Arabs. Dubai is the place for money transfer and finalizing deals, because Iran can not do any international banking transactions.
When the western troupes leave Afghanistan many of the Bosses will relocate their activities to Afghanistan. The business will be in decline because the illegal deals will become less. As war in Iran is appearing on the horizon the next big deals might be ignited by more Persian influence.

Report: Afghan militants have mafia-like financing
news.yahoo.com
A report by a U.S.-based think tank says one of the deadliest militant groups in Afghanistan, the Haqqani network, has developed a sophisticated, "mafia"-style

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 02 August 2012 10:36)

Chasing the soul
The CCP doesn't like religion in general and Islam in particular. Chinese media and education system are design to support the CCP's view on religion and Islam. In China not only CCP members are restricted from Ramadan but also all people in public services as well as students. The CCP stranglehold on religion has become tighter. Tibetan Buddhists, Catholics loyal to Rome and of course Muslims are regarded as potential threats to the authority of the CCP. Tibet's religious identity is linked to the claim of independence. The Roman Catholics are more loyal to the pope than to their country. They do not accept the Bishops who are appointed by the CCP and the CCP won't allow any other decision makers in China. China has a number of ethnically different Islamic minorities. China is not listing them as Muslims, but under their ethnicity. The want most hated by the government is the Uighur minority in Xinjiang. They seek independence from China.
Beijing fears support Muslims receive from abroad. So pilgrimage is very much restricted and under control. Most Islamic scholars in China hardly get a permission to visit the holy sights.
At the moment Beijing is looking for an enemy to foster domestic coherence or patriotism (as it is called) among Han Chinese which has been in decline for the last 2 years.
Han Chinese do not know much about Muslims and rarely have Muslim friends. Thanks to western medias the cyber space is full of anti Islamic resentment and comments. Therefore it is not difficult to engineer people accordingly even those who keep distance to the politicians.
We are carrying something inside us that can make others very powerful. For that we are hunted like animals for their fur. So watch out!

China jails 20 on terrorism, separatism charges in restive Xinjiang
news.yahoo.com
BEIJING (Reuters) - Courts in China's restive far western region of Xinjiang have jailed 20 people for up to 15 years on c

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 01 August 2012 10:36)

CAIRO (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that Egypt's new president and its military chief have reassured him they will steer the country to full democracy.
"It's clear that Egypt, following the revolution, is committed to putting into place a democratic government," Panetta told reporters after meetings in Cairo with President Mohammed Morsi and Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi....

The US is not fostering democracy in Egypt. All US governments representatives have to check with the Egyptian military after meeting the elected president, Morsi. The president is supposed to hold talks with foreign guests and not a field marshal, who should have no saying in politics. After talking to Morsi checking with Tantawi is humiliating not only for the president of Egypt but also for the people. Washington is placing a military above the elected president.
Washington is even not honest about the rights of women and Christians in Egypt. Under Mubarak the Christians were abused for political purposes. Churches were attracted with the knowledge and the conses of the regime. Christians and Muslims didn't have the same rights. Moreover women were maltreated, humiliated and dishonored by the loyalist of the Mubarak regime. Never forget that Mubarak was always a very close friend of the White House. He did everything he got told, but there was nothing about democracy or human right
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Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 01 August 2012 10:35)

Of course Tlaas wouldn't be the right leader for Syria. He is one who wants to stay at the top. The same spirit like the members and loyalists of the Mubarak regime trying to have a political carrier after their master has been ousted.
Regretfully Tlaas influence in a new Syria might be boosted through his backing in the military as well as from the rich Golf states.
This month the Assad regime will fall. Many people from the military will face criminal charges and death sentences. Unlike Egypt the current Syrian military will be on the run as soon as fighting ends.

Syria rebels suspicious over defector's motives
news.yahoo.com
Syria's most prominent defector has been touring regional powers to garner support for the uprising. But many in the opposition are deeply suspicious of the handsome former general, a

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 01 August 2012 10:34)

Good to start a dialogue with Israel. What I like very much is that Morsi is talking about the people of Israel. I hope he also wrote the people of Egypt. The peace between Israel and Egypt needs a brush up. The cold peace needs to become a real one. This can only be achieved by bringing the people together.
Mubarak just did the opposite. He separated Egyptians from Israelis. Egyptians who traveled to Israel were subjected to repressions from the police. I do not have to explain what a misfortunes Jewish Egyptian couples have to face...Mubarak cultivated the hate between and animosities between the people of Israel and Egypt. At the same time he was upholding good relation to the Jewish state. The idea was to let people in the West and Israel believe that he is indispensable for the security architecture in the Middle East even if he was one of those who created the long lasting problems. Israeli politicians played the Mubarak game, because it was so comfortable not to go into depth. Time for the people of both countries to take the lead and intensive the relations to the point of no return.

Egypt president sends 1st letter to Israeli leader
news.yahoo.com
Egypt's new Islamist president has sent his first letter to an Israeli leader, Israel said Tuesday, in which the Egyptian leader expresses his hopes

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 31 July 2012 13:35)

A dangerous mindset not depending on religion
Like all nations Iran has its myths and national believe system handed down from generation to generation to keep people together and give their togetherness a kind of meaning. People are usually so attached to this meaning that they commit their thinking, plans, devotion and identity to it. Any try to disenchant them is bound to fail and might only cause aggression.
Iranians regard themselves as a superior species in the region. They like to call themselves Aryans. Religion is just secondary or just a tool to live up to their ambitions to dominate the Middle East. Arabs and Israelis are likewise threatened.

Iran's Ahmadinejad calls sanctions 'ridiculous'
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the West's sanctions on Iran's oil sector are "ridiculous."

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 31 July 2012 13:34)

The Assad regime is dissolving. Top members of regime know that it is time to leave the sinking ship. If Aleppo is in the hands of the rebels the Assad regime will be more than 50% weaker with a strong deteriorating tendency for the dictator. The regime troops are are loosing motivation while the rebels are relentlessly seeking Assad's dis-empowerment. The ruthless brutality makes the opposition just more determined to win. At the same time the Russian and Iranian backed butchers are more and more discouraged and frustrated, because their concept has been reduced to killing today and paying tomorrow.
This August will be the end of the Assad regime. Not a good month for Iran, Russia and China.

200,000 flee Aleppo as Syria battle rages
Around 200,000 civilians have fled fighting in Syria's most populous city Aleppo and many more were trapped, the UN said as a fierce government offensive against rebels entered a second day.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 31 July 2012 09:51)

We are all sliding into a new dark age of human existence
It is not the time to talk about history and its "laws". Like that history is a matter of a self fulling profecy. Before western scholars were talking about the clash of civilization and by that nourishing the arguments of the extremists from Islamic as well as western countries.
The book of Samual Huntington, "Clash of Civilization" was a best seller in Iran.
What is happening all over the "Arab World" now is very close connected to Western and Russian policy in the region. Most oppressors in the region were and are still US backed dictators. Assad is supported by Russia. And exactly because of this reason the conflicted has being so extended. US and Russian interests are clashing.
The term "Arab Spring" has been invented later on in order to disconnect the movement and stabilize the current system of oppresion. In the early it was called the Jasmine revolution. The uprising reached China and Ai Wei Wei was arrested for supporting the spirit of the Jasmine revolution.During the later stage of the development there was an anti authoritarian uprisings in all around the West, starting on "Wall Street". The medias renamed the phenomena as "Arab Spring".
The uprisings were acts of disobedience against autocratic ruling and oppression in various forms. People feel faint against the overwhelming power which they are not able to describe.
A strong indicator for their shiftlessness was that the accusations were strongly emotional and there was a strong lack of alternative proposals.

Tens of thousands flee Syria's largest city
Smoking a cigarette outside a Turkish hospital near the Syrian border, a man in a gray gown and flip-flops held his sleeping 2-year-old daughter, Aya. On Aya's right eye was a bandage. In her left hand was a chocolate bar.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 30 July 2012 08:55)

Romney is sailing in dire straights of politics, but his tactic is very simple, "get the Jewish votes on board". He is targeting the Jewish middle class in the US. Obama might also fight to win them. So how will the president reply. What more than Jerusalem can he promise? Obama should not try to enter this swampy ground. Focusing on a nuclear free Iran and improvement of Israeli - Arab relation would be the right doses for his reelection

Romney in Israel seeking foreign policy kudos
White House hopeful Mitt Romney was to meet Israeli leaders on Sunday as he seeks to burnish his foreign policy credentials and portray himself as a better friend to Israel than President Barack Obama.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 30 July 2012 08:55)

The PRC and the ROK disagree highly on the case of the DPRK. China has no interest in a regime change in Pyongyang. Any action that fosters N.Koreans to flee their country destabilizes the Kim dynasty. North Korea rectifies the presence of US troupes in East Asia especially from the Japanese point of view. So China would like to see a less aggressive approach of the DPRK that makes a more difficult for Washington to keep it's troupes in Japan. But it politics nobody is nobodies friend. Therefore even among the closest allies there is big mistrust. Pyongyang first of all doesn't want to become a Chinese satellite. Secondly also the DPRK is assessing the political situation in China. And Pyongyang is not positive about it. It looks like the DPRK believe that a regime and with that a harsh political change in Beijing is more likely than in their country.
In this context a leftist human rights activist can hardly count on any state support.

S.Korea activists seek UN 'China torture' probe
A South Korean rights group said on Monday it would ask the United Nations to investigate the alleged torture of a Seoul activist detained in China after helping North Korean refugees there.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 29 July 2012 13:49)

The Syrian regime is claiming to fight against terrorists. The Opposition is claiming to liberate the country from the oppression of the Assad regime. Fact is that the Assad regime is a dynastic ruling. The legitimacy of ruling is basically relying on the loyalty of the institutions of oppression. States in general monopolize the use of violence. With all power in hands the law is always supporting the government. The opposition is marginalized as terrorists.
The word terrorists has been used inflationary in order to criminalize political opponents regardless of their concept of resistance. Labeling a certain group of people as terrorists can creates a win win situation for governments. Many governments seek a final crack down on anti government groups or individuals. So terrorist is the magical word to use to create a congenial international environment.
Most states do exist today becomes some people took up weapons to fight the ruling elite or others who were likewise claiming this land. "Terrorist" made states come in to being.Governments are the result of violence. States are rooted in violence and survive only through it.
Hopefully one day this devilish circle can come to an end and states cease to exist.

Firestorm hits rebel-held Salaheddin in Aleppo
Dawn in the Salaheddin district of Syria's second city Aleppo brought a firestorm with four buildings quickly set ablaze as rebels and foreign fighters battled a long-anticipated army offensive.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 29 July 2012 13:49)

China's schooling system is full brainwashing. People in Hong Kong are well aware of it. Beijing is planning a micro cultural revolution in Xiang Gan (Hong Kong). A dangerous endeavor, because Kong Kong is very well linked to the world and might course an earthquake in Beijing. In a time of political insecurity the CCP can find it's future in a limbo if continuing selling it's brainwash campaign to the Hong Kongers an by that exposing its political nature to the world.

Thousands in HK protest China patriotism classes
Thousands including teachers and parents pushing strollers took to Hong Kong streets Sunday to protest the upcoming introduction of Chinese patriotism classes

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 28 July 2012 14:03)

Enough!

Russia's stand on Syria is in general that of state interests. Western countries were supporting and keeping oppressors in Latin America in power. And even after the downfall of some oppressors in the Middle East the west didn't change to the better at all. The West is supporting the monarchies on the Arabian peninsular especially in Saudi Arabia. Ans in Egypt and Yemen the old oppressors, the military and secret services, is being nourished by West. They are on guard for western interests.
Therefore Russia is acting as states act, immoral. Human rights are the best camouflage for states to keep a humanitarian image. But the expression "human rights" should unveil what the issue is about. It is about "rights". Rights are given and taken by states. In other words "human rights" expresses our vulnerability to leaders and state interests. Time to set an end to the existence of states...

Russia warns of looming 'tragedy' in Aleppo
Russia warned Saturday that a "tragedy" was looming in Syria's second city of Aleppo but said it was unrealistic to expect the government would stand by when armed rebels were occupying major cities.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 28 July 2012 14:02)

The fight won't end in favor of the government because not enough regime friendly people will will be left to endure the fight to the "end". Regime friendly people will change strategy and reemerge in the opposition. After the Assad downfall won't be out of the woods at all. The pure elements of human nature, the good the bad, the worst and the ugly will start their battle.
The good is in the worst position and the game will get an ugly look. The bread of evil is already on the way.
Re

Activists: Syrian helicopters pound Aleppo
Syrian activists say the government is pounding the country's second city, Aleppo, with military helicopters.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 27 July 2012 10:41)

Gu Kailai will receive the death penalty. Being trialed in Hefei is not a good sign. Bo Xilai might follow his wife later after loosing enough creditably so that his death won't course any harm to the CCP's top leaders .
China is getting new top leaders. Currently the main concern is a smooth transition. The Bo and Gu case are treat by far more political than criminal. Any change in the case won't rely much on evidence but on political gravity.

Trial shows China eager to end Bo Xilai scandal
China's decision to try fallen politician Bo Xilai's wife for murder underscores Communist leaders' determination to draw a line under a scandal that has engulfed the party ahead of a power handover, analysts say.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 27 July 2012 10:40)

Too late!
Defecting is not enough. The future of Assad and his friends is very much foreseeable. It will the the international tribunal. The Syrian general has an instinct for survival. The uprisings in the Middle East show a lot about the instincts of leaders and their priorities. Leader an their regime are most interested in staying in power. The only consideration to prevent therm to follow this logic to the ultimate step is their physical survival. Assad still believes that he will get away with the killing like his father did. He believes that history repeats itself.
Some times it does. So with the killing it did, but I hope not with the result. The earlier an oppressor understands that there is no getaway with crimes against humanity the less likely it is that they will commit such crimes. Another theses or take ob this issue can be that Assad already knows that his death verdict is unavoidable if he is being caught. So he and his regime are determined to fight by all means. In China there is a saying, "never go to a battle with an enemy in a hopeless situation. He will cause huge damage".
Russia and Iran might be Assad's hope. Therefore I do believe that the Syrian regime regards itself in very difficult, but not hopeless situation.
Assad strategy can be to inflame the conflict further and use the western media to transform the message of violence and relentless brutality to an ethnic and religious conflict that can spill over to Lebanon and Turkey and involve Iran. In this case Assad wants to be the savior, the one who stand for stability. The favorite role of all latest oppressors in the Middle East backed by the West.

Defected Syrian general meets with Turkish foreign minister
Defected Syrian general Manaf Tlass met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglo on Thursday after visiting Saudi Arabia, where he said he was working on a plan to end the Syrian conflict.

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 26 July 2012 09:50)

Identity, a deadly endeavor
Again like in so many humanitarian disastrous cases the colonial powers left their finder prints. The french finger prints also triggered the civil war in Rwanda. The cases are numerous in Africa but also in Asia. The question is," has something been changed"? The principles of politics are still same, "divide and control". The idea of an Alawite state has just been reborn. Syria's Alawites are not prepared for such a transition. But across the border in the southern part of Turkey there is a big Alawite minority that has close links to the Syrian neighbor. For Turkey it is troublesome issue that can immerse Ankara in a further minority conflict that exceeds the countries borders.
The conflict between Alawites and Sunnis isn't religious but ethnic-political. It is about influence, power and privileges supported by the historical heritage. It is the same with so many other so called religious conflicts.
People's mind is abducted by political manipulation. It is not difficult because people find their identity (no matter if it is religious or national) often more important than their children. So the sons have to go to war and defend what so ever identity, pride etc. and the parents are proud even if their children leave their legs or even their life on the battle field.
The medias do not question the bizarre deformation of conflicts. They keep transforming conflicts and support the political abduction of the case. As a result the numbers of conflicts are growing and religion mutates to a vulgar mind set.
Remember G.W. Bush who went on a crusade.... Even if he softened his speeches later on the damage was done. People in western countries were engineered to hate Islam. The Brevik case in Norwegian shows how engineered people can become loose cannons or cause a historical mechanism of hate, violence and wars.
The crusade has mobilized people in the medieval Europe and it still has the power over people's mind and sentiments today, because the link between the past and today has been kept alive through the bonds of what is believed to make up identity.
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Breakaway Alawite state may be Assad's last resort
In the recent sectarian violence in Syria, some observers see a grim pattern: Alawite fighters from President Bashar Assad's minority sect, they say, are trying...See More

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 25 July 2012 11:28)

The ethnic minority question can divide the country and course a civil war. The country still has the name Myanmar, which represents the dominant ethnic group only. It is hard to say how tolerant people are. Usually after a long period of dictatorship tolerance and diversity are hardly manageable when freedom has just been granted. Suu Kyi's authenticity an integrity as the savior from oppression is a spark of hope that Burmese have.

Suu Kyi urges minority rights in first parliament address
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday called for laws to protect the rights of ethnic minorities in her first ever speech to the country's fledgling parliament.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 25 July 2012 10:22)

Time for a foreign intervention is overdue. For many countries of the so called international community the death of so many Syrians is a trivial. When people in western countries demand a higher salary they demonstrate. They challenge the institutions even for 100 Euro or Dollars a month. About money they are very serious. After Sept. 11 western countries didn't hesitate to declared their solidarity with the US and supported them in their fight. against what so ever they targeted. Very different from Libya, Syria has no oil. So in the short run it is just about people's life. No reason to hurry up. The Annan "plan" served as an alibi to pretend being active. All the plan was based on the idea that Assad will calm down, leave the people in peace and allow free elections. Ridiculous idea! There was nothing serious about the Assad plan. It was just bound to fail.
It is time to question the legitimacy of the security council and the conscious of people living in freedom.

Aleppo fighting reaches 5th day in Syria
Opposition activists say fighting raged through the night in many neighborhoods of Aleppo, bringing the conflict in Syria's largest city into its fifth day.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 24 July 2012 15:52)

Tensions in the south China sea are steadily for years. US military presence has a deterring effect on China to seek a military option. This doesn't mean that the conflict is solved. Solutions can be found on the battle field or through negotiations. Deterrence is dangerous because it doesn't always work and problems are not getting solved.
People from the far East are not very talented in solving problems through discussions.
All over the far East there are numerous issue unsettled. The whole political security architecture is a result of a delicate power power structure. If one conflict escalates into a hot war the whole region will be on fire. For East Asia it's vital to built up institution who work permanently. in order to settle security issues. US interference like today is no long term solution. It won't work always. The more often it worked the less likely it will continue work .

Armed conflict possible in South China Sea: ICG
news.yahoo.com
Tensions over competing claims in the South China Sea could escalate into conflict, with an arms build-up among rival nations raising the temperature, an international think tank warned Tuesday.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 24 July 2012 10:14)

Chinese party is in the defense. Insight the party there are clear signs of rifts between the Hu and the Zhiao fraction. The communist party is no solid block at all like in the Mao era. What hasn't changed are the meetings between party leaders in Beidaihe a beautiful beach resort over 200 km north of Beijing. Here they stipulated the agenda for the annual party congress and discuss top sensitive issues. It is summer. All are on holidays. The best time to go ahead and set the guidelines for the rest of China.
For the next years China's economy will grow much slower and many people will experience a sharp drop back of living standard. Europe won't recover any time soon so China's economy is getting in to dire straight by loosing significantly in total figures in her biggest Export market.
Domestic consumption in China can never keep up with export business. The majority of Chines have by far less spending capacity than the European market. Chinese have to safe more money for their retirement age, children's education as well as for purchasing a flat. Chinese have a notorious habit to safe money.
China's young people are not very much in line with a strict one party system. They are daily online experiencing a different world. They get to now foreigners not only through the social media but also during their schooling and time in university. And more and more Chinese are studying abroad.
China's political opposition is still a weak movement that isn't very organized mainly because the authorities keep a close eye on the internet and on the foreign lecturers in the county. There is also very little support from overseas countries. Most countries, including western democracies do not want a political change in China. Just remember the noble price winner Lou Xia Bo who has already been forgotten.
"Let's have a cup of tea" is the standard sentence of the security police when they abduct people. The worse the economy gets the more invitations will be granted and the more Lo Xia Bo's will be arrested. But one day and I anticipate in the near future the tea parties will be over. It will rock the world especially the western decision makers in the lazy chairs. .

China's Hu calls for party unity as succession looms
news.yahoo.com
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for unity in the ruling Communist Party and unflinching backing for economic reforms in the face of "unpreced

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 23 July 2012 12:41)

Too little too late. People are hunted down. Mass killing is on going. The worst violence is against children. The EU meetings are about feeling good about themselves, keeping a good image and having coffee and croissants.Actually they don not really care. The EU is just busy keeping their countries economically on top, saving the Euro and pleasing Russia. .

EU beefs up Syria sanctions, tightens arms embargo
news.yahoo.com
The EU beefed up sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime on Monday and agreed to tighten an arms embargo by inspecting

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 21 July 2012 13:22)

July 2012, at the eve of the "Chinese Spring". Beijing's leadership lost it's grip to really. Chinese people can't be the first in economy and at the end of the scale when it comes to freedom, justice and political progress. Beijing's leaders should think about the benchmark for happiness.

Ai Weiwei wanted for tax evasion
news.yahoo.com
View the Ai Weiwei wanted for tax evasion photo gallery on Yahoo! News. Find more news related pictures in our photo galleries.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 21 July 2012 12:49)

Putin is more than a criminal. Mentally he is a close relative of Stalin. He is suffering from schizophrenia. He is totally paranoid about staying in power. He is cracking down on any opposition by all means. Internationally he isn't behaving any better. In the security council he is using Russia's veto to block any resolution against the Assad regime. And not enough with that.Putin is supporting the Syrian regime with massive weapons delivery they need to keep going behind the opposition and non involved civilians, many of the children. Putin is a ruthless leader. Regretfully he is leading one of most powerful countries on earth and shaking his sanguine hand with leaders around the glob. Putin, Stalin, Assad, Saddam, Hitler, US backed Galtieri, US backed... etc. are examples that state leaders can be a bigger threat to humanity than any terrorist on earth can ever be.

Anti-Putin feminist punks on trial in Moscow
news.yahoo.com
The trial of feminist punk rockers who chanted a "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin from a pulpit inside Russia's largest cathedral started in Moscow on Friday amid controversy

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 21 July 2012 12:16)

Putin is by far more than a criminal. He is not only oppressing and killing people in his county. He is responsible for the mas killing of many people in Syria. Russia is blocking any resolution in the security council that can bring down the Assad regime. Putin can be more harmful than Ben Laden could have ever been. He is a leader of a very influential and powerful country. He has a saying in the security council and leaders from all over the world shake his sanguine hand.
People who support him are Russian right wings who either benefit from him monetarily or just proud that Russia is exercising her power and influence ruthlessly. A state leader can be more evil and harmful than any terrorist on earth.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 21 July 2012 11:05)

Rogerleolafontaine, this is one reason among others way back in Latin American history. In Argentina, called the golden coffin, the search for the hero is like seeking for the national Messiah, like Evtia. The Argentinian psych is still waiting for the countries resurrection. Argentina was one of the riches countries in the world. They want to be back in place. And before that time of big wealth Argentina was a forgotten place where hopelessness and injustice met. At that time the country was dominated by the English who were exploiting people and county and drove Argentina into a terrible civil war in which the whole black population has been wiped out.
The Tango is an expression of Argentina's tragedies. Tango is a way to get along with the ordeals and disasters people suffered....

Reply to Argentina's psych

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 20 July 2012 09:21)

Why has he never been trialed? Omar Suleiman was supported by the military, the US and Israel. Suleiman committed is responsible for torture and death of many people. And as mentioned is was most loyal to the oppressor Mubarak. Shall we just turn the page of history and go on? I miss the US media reacting to this strong allegations that Washington is keeping top criminals in power and collaborates with them. Maybe it's already too normal to attract media attention. Western public in support with the media are cultivating an intrinsic apartheid effecting big parts of the world population. A dangerous endeavor!.

Egypt's ex-spy chief Omar Suleiman dies
news.yahoo.com
Egypt's former spy chief Omar Suleiman, deposed president Hosni Mubarak's top lieutenant and keeper of secrets, died Thursday, the country's official news

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 20 July 2012 08:43)

Hamas and Egypt have just limited options to work together. Morsi is representing a state in which he works against the opposition of the army and about 50% of the population. Hamas is a stigmatized organization with more enemies than friends. Morsi is trying to gain ideological credibility among his followers, but the meet will remain a publicity stand . With Fatah there might be more dealing possible, even if they are secularists. At the end Morsi will try to bring them to the table under a Arab solidarity umbrella.

Egypt's Morsi meets Hamas chief
news.yahoo.com
Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi met Palestinian Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Thursday, a day after hosting his rival Mahmud Abbas amid scrutiny over how Cairo's policy on

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 19 July 2012 09:58)

A civil war in Lebanon is not unlikely. It's hard to imagine that Assad will stay in power and continue to support Hizbbullah. It is even harder to imagine that Hizbullah will agree to a smooth power transition after Assad is gone. In Lebanon the method of violence has been kept in place despite bitter experience of a long and blood civil war nearly 3 decades ago.
Iran and Syria have their share in fostering a tradition of violence in this country once called the Swiss of the Mid East.

Syria uprising puts Hezbollah on defensive
news.yahoo.com
On a main road connecting the Lebanese capital with the south, Sheik Ahmad Assir kneels under a blazing sun to pray and then sits down with supporters at his anti-Hezbollah

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 19 July 2012 09:23)

Dear Rabbi Boteach,
It's good to hear from your campaign and your strong awareness of the problems in the Mid East.
I believe that the Mid East needs a new political structure. The idea of national states in European terms is not workable for the region. Israel will always feel threatened because of it's size. Palestine would even be smaller and wouldn't feel much better about it's Geo strategic position. Palestine would need security guarantees from Arab neighbors.
All we get is tension, mistrust and arms race. A prisoner's dilemma. I suggest to start a unification process in the Mid East. The target is to have something like the EU, but with less egoism, in the Mid East. Egypt and Israel should be the engine.
People in the Mid East are culturally much closer than the Europeans are. Even their language, their food, their values are very alike. The earlier we start introducing this project the more life we can safe and the more people will benefit.
At the moment there are turmoils and political unrest in the region. It's the right time to promote this idea. The enemies in the Mid East are just bad governments. People can get along with each other. The peace between Egypt and Israel was regretfully just between the head of states. The people were kept outside. No efforts were done to bring people together. The politicians cultivated the hate to legitimize their policy. A devilish game.
The new strategy in the Mid East is to bring people together. Peace and the big vision for the Mid East won't be achieved by the politicians. People will build the house, day by day.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 18 July 2012 14:35)

The Europeans were not better. Before the Chinese came Europe and the US sidelined Africa. Now the Africans are exploited and benefiting a bit from Chinese investment. It's time from Africa to master the situation. I'm just afraid to say that it is hard to expect improved labor conditions under African ownership.The rich are too powerful and the poor are too weak. It's time to introduce an promote a global culture that binds all people to humanitarian obligations.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 18 July 2012 09:35)

The Latin Americans believe in caudios, the saviors of the people. When the country is in dire straights a savior has to tern up. The culture is fostering such attitudes and behaviors. On the football pitch we can observe the same. We had Maradona and now the story is going on with Messi. They are brilliant players indeed. So my question is does this Latin American culture (in our case the Argentine culture) look for it's "heroes" and by that fostering the approach of exceptional personalities? "Heroes" in northern Europe have more a technical function. In Argentina or Latin America being a heroes has very strong social and cultural implications.The Latinos have a holistic few on their icons.
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Argentina's media divisions stoked by president
news.yahoo.com
When Argentine President Cristina Fernandez got an earful from some reporters frustrated over her general refusal to take questions at news conferences, she offered little hope for change: "If you want official information, listen to my speeches," she told them. "I won't be

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 18 July 2012 09:33)

Annan is shaking the hand of a mass murderer. Talking to Putin is like talking to a wall. The same about the Chinese leaders. But are the other security with ouncil members so much better? The so called Annan plan was an extension for the civilian hunting season. The plan's content was way apart from really on the ground. How comes that the security council was so misguided about the situation in Syria. They simply disregarded the A, B C in politics. I do not believe that it was Mr. Annans personal initiative. The plan was bound to fail to let the ocean boil and kill all kinds of fish. The security council members got blood on their hands.
Shading blood and let mas-killing happen seems to be no crime if legitimized by state interests

Putin, Annan meet on Syria crisis
news.yahoo.com
Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday said Moscow is ready to seek consensus in the UN Security Council on a new resolution aimed at ending Syria's civil war, but gave no indication

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 17 July 2012 16:56)

The Mid East is at a turning point. Leaders are changing in the Arab world. But is that enough for the big loop to the better? I think not. The heads changed but the receipts are still about the same. Is structure dominating human ingenuity? Among politicians it's very like to be the case. What about changing the structure? Might be too sophisticated for those in power. They love it simple and as before. Otherwise their essence, being in power, might be questioned. Can ordinary people achieve something? Yes they can but they prefer to follow. Comfort is the rule of thumb. And of course who wants to be regarded as an idiot for trying and believing in something else than the majority.
Nobody wants war, hate, suffering, killing, etc. etc. etc..All belongs to life threats. But the opposite is not a prospering economy, money and wealth. Here all belongs to dead bodies. It is related to the threat scenario. Try it with a good taste for life.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 16 July 2012 16:15)

Clinton is using Egypt with Iran and Syria in one go. In other words the Obama admin is putting the "Islamic" world on one side and Israel and the US on the other. Israeli US ties are first of so close because of the big number of the double identity among high ranking people on both sides. The number of Arab/Americans and Muslims is relatively high but they do not have that big influence on political decision making. It is hard to believe in a substantial change in the Mid East till all sides understand that with categories of nations, countries and boarders the Mid East will remain a battle field till worst happens.

Syria, Iran discussed during Clinton Israel visit
news.yahoo.com
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham and Israel's president spoke Monday about the need to halt Syria's violence and Iran's potential

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 16 July 2012 16:14)

What would the West do if Russia and China wouldn't veto UN resolutions on the Syrian regime? Actually it is like it is because non of this elephants wants to be deeply involved in Syria .The US is no going further to a bargaining strategy with Russia and Russia cannot see any reason to change its take on the issue. The civil casualties an the humanitarian disaster do not pride enough ground to come to terms with the crisis. Everybody knows that Assad's days are counted. When it comes to the political future of Syria the gazers in Moscow, Washington and the rest of them are still diving in murky water. So from the Geo strategic point of few they do not know what to act for.

Armor heads for Damascus districts after heavy clashes
news.yahoo.com
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Armored vehicles headed towards southern districts of Damascus after rebels battled government forces into the early hours of Monday, in what residents said was

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 16 July 2012 09:02)

Judge by the deeds not so much by the words! Washington is supporting the military. The US admin is delivering tear gas and all means needed for oppression. Clinton is meeting Morsi a man Washington refused to talk to before. Washington wants to keep control in Egypt. Within a 60 min. meeting Morsi received the guidelines to cooperate with Washington's friends the military. Just a one hour meeting with a key power leader in the region is not a good sign. Moreover which foreign minster goes abroad and and has consultations and is giving behavior instructions to foreign military leaders? There still must be very close ties between Washington and the Egyptian military. This ties are much stronger than to the president.

Clinton to urge completion of Egypt's transition
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will urge Egypt's civilian and military leaders to work together to complete a full transition to democratic rule, U.S. officials said on

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 15 July 2012 10:59)

Judge by the deeds not so much by the words! Washington is supporting the military. The US admin is delivering tear gas and all means needed for oppression. Clinton is meeting Morsi a man Washington refused to talk to before. Washington wants to keep control in Egypt. Within a 60 min. meeting Morsi received the guidelines to cooperate with Washington's friends the military. Just a one hour meeting with a key power leader in the region is not a good sign. Moreover which foreign minster goes abroad and and has consultations and is giving behavior instructions to foreign military leaders? There still must be very close ties between Washington and the Egyptian military. This ties are much stronger than to the president.

Clinton to urge completion of Egypt's transition
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will urge Egypt's civilian and military leaders to work together to complete a full

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 13 July 2012 09:06)

Back to terms! Fact is that the US is traumatized since September 11. The nation didn't really recover. Neither did the US recover from the Vietnam trauma. The south of the country is lethargic because of the lost civil war. The US has problems to deal with anything that is not a glories success. Real life is not Hollywood.
The US has changed the world a lot. Europe benefited very much from the US. And to be honest they should be thankful for that. In the Mid East regretfully it wasn't success story. The US was too much one sided except president Carter. He brought a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel on the way. But later on US admins went back to old thinking. They supported oppressors in Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Palestine etc. The values they defended in Europe were abandoned in the Mid East.
Instead of being traumatized Washington should show more resilience to crisis. Reactions to non glories results should be an accordance with the principle values of the country. Successful long term domestic and foreign policy should stick close to the values. What made the US a political super power were her values. For the challenge the US is facing today sticking to the political values is crucial.
Facebook NJ issue

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 12 July 2012 11:01)

China is a rising power. They claim territories in their scope and supremacy over are region like all other regional powers. The problem with China is that there is no transparency in their decision making no objectives are on the table. So other countries really do not know what is coming next. China is an autocratic ruled country and the most powerful in the region. Therefore concerns are high and the risk of military confrontation caused my misunderstandings or not understanding at all are a likely options.

US, China square off over South China Sea
finance.yahoo.com
The Obama administration pressed Beijing on Thursday to accept a code of conduct for resolving territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea, a difficult U.S. mediation effort

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 12 July 2012 10:16)

Neither Egypt nor Israel have a working strategy. They are working on day to day bases because there is no decisive leader on both sides since the Egyptian president Sadad to present a vision for the region.
Reply

Israel to deploy rocket interceptor at Egypt border
news.yahoo.com
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Wednesday it would deploy a battery of Iron Dome rocket interceptors at a southern frontier town opposite Egypt, a move

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 12 July 2012 09:40)

Countries are administrated like a churches. They want people to believe in their missions, values and what ever they seek to stand for. At the end they want to produce patriots. No wonder that patriot sounds similar to idiot. National oriented people are people looking for leaders. They cannot mange themselves. Patriots are simple minded people and dangerous followers. When they get the chance to hate they turn into predictors.
In the case mentions above a Bishop had been abdicated. The state is afraid of loosing sovereignty. The state doesn't want to compete with others. The more doubts a state has in the people the more repressive the action of the admin. Catholics in China do not belong to the very rich nor are they members of the communist party. Actually they are in an inside opposition to the system. The strategy of the communist party to insist on naming the Bishops is keeping control over the non patriotic movement.
In other countries patriotism goes hand in hand with catholicity or whatever the local dominant region is. At this stage believe turns out to be more more a religion than a believe, because it has become an institution fully integrated in the identity of a state. Believe has become a religion and turned into a tradition.
In China that won't happen to the catholic church. The reasons are at hand.
Reply

China probing bishop who quit government church
news.yahoo.com
The government body that controls the Catholic church in China says it is investigating the selection of a bishop who cut his ties to the group as soon as he was ordained, in an embarrassment to Beijing that could deepen its rift with the Vatican.
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Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 12 July 2012 09:39)

Neither Egypt nor Israel have a working strategy. They are working on day to day bases because there is no decisive leader on both sides since the Egyptian president Sadad to present a vision for the region.
Reply

Israel to deploy rocket interceptor at Egypt border
news.yahoo.com
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Wednesday it would deploy a battery of Iron Dome rocket interceptors at a southern frontier town opposite

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 10 July 2012 08:42)

Bishop Ma is somewhere in custody. Who knows what is happening to him? The Pope is actually the one to blame from the church's side. He "improved" the relations with China and left key questions in a limbo. Why didn't the Pope study the Tibetan case? Beijing is picking the Panshen Lama already. Corroding to the current status Beijing reserves a saying when it comes to name the new Dalai Lama. What...
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Chinese bishop disappears after split: reports
news.yahoo.com
A newly ordained Chinese bishop has not been seen since he quit the state-sanctioned Catholic association on the weekend, amid new tensions between Beijing and the

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 09 July 2012 09:23)

‎"Myanmar" is by far not out of the woods. Suu Kyi is at least partially abused as a camouflage for the generals who are still retaining the power. The generals are just dressed up like civilians. The outside world likes to be fouled because pretending not to know what is going on legitimize their relation to the civilian Junta back home. It is sometimes wiser not to be regarded as smart.

Suu Kyi to make parliamentary debut
news.yahoo.com
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is set to make her historic parliamentary debut on Monday, marking a new phase in her near quarter century struggle

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 07 July 2012 11:39)

Tarek Sharaf
Beijing plays the game of nations in international affairs by the conventions between states. Currently many people in Syria are dying because China and Russia have their saying in the security council. In all cases during the Arab uprising the Chinese government performed the same way, against the people and in favor of the oppressors who were actually supported mostly by western countries. The message is "China is loyal to oppressors". Beijing is calling it a strict policy of non interference in internal affairs. The state principles are more important to the Chinese than saving lives, even that of children. China is sending the pure message of the game. Western democracies are reluctant to do that openly. As long as there is a camouflage via an oppressor they support. China is a risk and an opportunity. The opportunity is to make the rules of the game clear. So that people become aware of what is going on. The negative story about it is, people ignore the message and the get used to the frank approach. So at the end the West closes the tiny gap that divides them from China. China is only gradually but not categorically different.

Leader-in-waiting says no need to fear China
news.yahoo.com
China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping insisted Saturday that Beijing would never impose its will on the rest of the world and instead wanted to "abandon the old mindset" and strive for global peace.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 06 July 2012 14:41)

The German Pop is a disaster. He is an authoritarian personality, with no sign of charisma a spiritual leaders needs. Now he is maintaining and supporting ties with the authoritarian leadership in Beijing. The Pop might do be matter as an "Apple" production manger rather than a spiritual leader.

China ordains bishop, defies Vatican
news.yahoo.com
China's state-run Catholic church ordained a bishop on Friday in defiance of the Vatican, authorities said as they dismissed protests from the Holy See as "rude and un

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 06 July 2012 13:41)

So many years after the Vietnam war the US is thinking about the disaster they caused to Laos. Better late than never. I just have about their motivation, "just a matter of interests in the region". In France Clinton might just reiterate there stand in the Syrian crisis. The US neither the US administration nor China and Russia really care about the death tolls in Syria. Again state interests the unique crucial criteria.
In Egypt all is about keeping Egypt on the Mubarak track. That means the US wants to set the topics and priorities for Egypt.
Anyway all that is less the evilness of a particular state. It is about the nature of states in general.

Clinton to make landmark Laos stop on Mideast, Asia tour
news.yahoo.com
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to become the first US chief diplomat to visit communist-run Laos in 57 years, as part of an eight-nation tour

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 03 July 2012 11:53)

The region went to the 2008 earthquake. At that time the government cracked down on demonstrations conducted by angry parents because they their children due to the disasters safety standards for school buildings. People won't forget that. Moreover it the time when oppositions against the government is most likely to effect the leadership transition planed for the end of this year. There a sharp indications that China might face it's spring very soon.

China vows crackdown after latest protest
news.yahoo.com
Chinese police vowed Tuesday to crack down on protesters after riot officers clashed with hundreds of people rallying against a planned new metals plant over fears about its

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 03 July 2012 11:29)

To a republican member of congress from New Jersey

Dear Rabbi Shumley,
what kind of values are eroding in the US?
Under the presidency of Bush the values were about 3Ms, money, might and more. He widened the gaps between people inside and outside the US. What are the values about that are deteriorating. If they can't be named or exemplified it's all just about a myth.
If the values which are concerned refer to people's doubts in existing values than the slogan "back to the past" is the refusal to understand what is going on in the world.
Regretfully people were blind and were supporting the system with obedience just because it was comfortable. Now they hit the walls of ignorance. Illusions are shattered.

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 03 July 2012 10:05)

Assad is determined to stay in power what ever it costs. No leeway for negotiations because he knows he has to go. Russia just wants him to stay till drawn, till a successor is found who preserves Russia's interest in the region. The same about the West. Neither the West nor Russia want a second Egypt, a place with political uncertainty. For the world beyond Syria the game is less about democracy but more about control and access. The battle field won't be the decisive place. Currently there is a kind of bargaining between the opposition groups and the major powers. This bargaining will determine Syria's future.

Syrian opposition makes new push to unite
news.yahoo.com
The head of the Arab League urged Syria's exiled opposition to unite Monday, saying they must not squander the opportunity to

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 02 July 2012 13:08)

All are sovereign states. Therefore they reserve the right to threaten the whole world and all life on our plant. During the cold states were ready to destroy all life on our planet just to safeguard their interests. The nature of states is obviously not friend to any life on earth. Looking at the reluctant efforts done against global warming as well as the denial of and the rejection of effective action to curb the danger reviles the dangers nature of states. Regretfully people are very attached to "their" country. Many would even die for such a mirage of threat.
It's time to end the existence of states. They contradict our interests as human beings and living creators.

Iran and the Bomb
www.aljazeera.com
People & Power examines a dispute taking place against much sabre-rattling but in which the truth is hard to pin down.

tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 01 July 2012 12:43)

Lugo was paralyzed by congress. Land reforms are high on the agenda since the first "free" elections in 1993. The majority of people where supporting the leftist party of Laindo, who came back from his exile in Cuba. Vargas from the liberal party was about to finish second and Colorado was actually far behind. But Colorado was well involved in drug crimes and had good support from western countries. A number of western countries are maintaining close ties to the Paraguayan elite especially to the military. Western medias failed to tackle the issue. Since then not much has changed. When Paraguay's people hit the street many people have to die. The ethics of the Paraguayan military is deeply rooted in that of Nazi Germany. So are there ties. They would straight ahead open fire.
The Paraguayan rich do not think a lot about the rest of the population. Many of those rich have close ties to Europe and the US. There is where the pressure should come from.

Land reform, Paraguay's ticking political bomb
finance.yahoo.com
Along Avenida Republica in downtown Asuncion stands the gleaming facade of the $20 million Legislative Palace, where well-tailored

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 01 July 2012 12:43)

Paraguay cannot be called a democracy. Drag trafficking, arm sails, save heaven for ... and a feudal relations between rich and pour dominate the economic order. Many well educated people leave the country. Paraguay has been forgotten by western medias. There is a lot to discover and to unveil. Why is this not happening?

Paraguay will not face Mercosur economic sanctions
finance.yahoo.com
Argentina's President said Friday the Mercosur trade bloc has suspended Paraguay from the trade bloc but will not slap economic sanctions against the South American country after the ou

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 30 June 2012 20:02)

The Germans are traditionally lacking the right tush for politics.There approach is often too mechanical. The German Chancellor is highly respected and sometimes even admired in Germany, because people can understand her which means she "represents" Germany. But there is also a dark side of the story. If she is easy to get it means that she is simple and often not able to handle a complicated strategy. Among the Europeans she played with her muscles. Very simple and understandable. But the nature of might in politics is by far more complicated. The Chancellor lost the grip to the political reality in Europe. She disregarded the complexity of a European society. The crisis has shown that the voter back home are not the only voices to listen to when Europe is in crisis. It is also clear that Europe needs a new political structure committed to a European society. .
Re

Merkel seen as big loser in euro zone showdown
ca.finance.yahoo.com
BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Angela Merkel was portrayed across Europe as the big loser of a euro zone showdown in Brussels after the

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 30 June 2012 19:56)

The Germans are traditionally lacking the right tush for politics.There approach is often too mechanical. The German Chancellor is highly respected and sometimes even admired in Germany, because people can understand her which means she "represents" Germany. But there is also a dark side of the story. If she is easy to get it means that she is simple and often not able to handle a complicated stra...
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Merkel seen as big loser in euro zone showdown
ca.finance.yahoo.com
BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Angela Merkel was portrayed across Europe as the big loser of a euro zone showdown in Brussels after the German chancellor was forced to

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 30 June 2012 19:21)

What he said was in the range of what most observes expected. With regards to the Palestinian issue I don't see him bringing something new to the table which would be essential. Syria will be solved regretfully only by he poker game between the US and Russia. Morsi needs allies abroad to start his international maneuvers. If he wants to do things different charisma and ingenuity are the magic words.

Egypt's Morsi in Tahrir tribute before oath
news.yahoo.com
Egypt's first elected civilian president, Islamist Mohamed Morsi, played up people power ahead of Saturday's actual inauguration by first taking a symbolic oath before

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 30 June 2012 18:53)

Saudi Arabia has to distinguish it's monarchy and it's style from others. Any reforms always brings them closer to a common trend. Changing nothing is in accordance with their philosophy. And any change is exactly the opposite. Saudi Arabia in-cooperates technological changes without changes in their political and social concept. Sooner or later the system will collapse. INTERVIEW: In Saudi Arabia a group of activists are today flouting the Saudi ban on female drivers by getting behind the wheel. They're marking the first anniversary of a women's protest drive which attracted attention around the world last year. We were joined on our Impact programme by Sara Al Khalidi whose mother is one of the women taking part in the protest. Why do you think driving has been so sensitive in Saudi Arabia?

SAUDI WOMEN DRIVERS - SARA AL KHALIDI INTV - BBC WORLD NEWS

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 29 June 2012 11:57)

Hu is about to leave office at the end of the year. The current leading fraction wants to show of being in control of issues. So the power transition can be carried out smoothly. In the coming month the power struggle in Beijing will gear up. 2012 and 2013 is the time of the Chinese spring. Developments in the international arena especially in the Asian Pacific region and around the European currency will be heading China into an accelerated controversial debate about the political and economical future. China missed to implement enough political reforms in reasoned years. Instead they went the pass of fostering nationalism to boost coherency in the country where communist ideology is in decline. This strategy is short lived. Feeding a dangerous believe is a time bomb. The military and the hardliners are em vogue as soon as national pride or economic hardships are concerned. In contrast more and more Chinese have access to foreign, contact to foreigners or have been abroad for years. There vision for China's future doesn't match with the current political debate at all. Will China face a situation similar to the one in Egypt? R

China set to install new but disliked HK leader
Chinese President Hu Jintao is in Hong Kong to install a new but already unpopular governor of the semiautonomous Chinese territory.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 29 June 2012 10:43)

True, Morsy has to consolidate power, like any other politician. And if the Muslim Brotherhood wants to change something they need power like the game of politics requires. So there is nothing unusual to note about the president nor the brotherhood. The question is where is Morsi going to make concession and who will disagree? At the moment he is trying to please everybody. But not everybody can live with Morsy's appeasement strategy. The ultra orthodox "Islamic" branch won't neither does the military. Behind the scenes different political movement are gearing up. Morsy is the weakest leader Egypt ever had and the Egyptians are more divided than ever before. A "significant" number of Egyptian might regard democracy as a curse or not suitable to Egypt. Some already do think that Egypt needs a strong man to lead the country (like many Shafiq voters), because Egyptian are used to do what they got told. They say Egyptians are not used to freedom and won't be in the years to come. Egyptians have plenty of hope but are in big need of confidence.

Brotherhood shelves Egypt's Islamization, for now
The Muslim Brotherhood has stopped talking about its longtime dream of an Islamic Egypt and expelling Israel's ambassador to Cairo. Instead, President-elect

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 28 June 2012 11:46)

The new plan is including far reaching concessions to Russia. The future Syrian government has to provide Russia with naval bases. All the time Russia an the US had a dispute over strategic interests and less about Assad's credibility. Annan is the message boy in this game. In other words there was little concern about the slaughtering of thousands of people, many of them children, but more concerns about controlling and safeguarding interests. The nature of states won't change. Thus in politics the life of human beings counts only in relation to national interests. States are inhuman institutions which by the time successfully build up a nearly perfect camouflage for their evilness. People believe they mentally an physically need states by reasoning their argument with the existence of states. Just think about the problem of climate change. In this case states lost their camouflage by openly acting against the idea of the survival of life on our planet.

BBC News - Russia 'supports Annan unity government plan for Syria'
www.bbc.co.uk
Russia and other major powers say they will support UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's plan for a Syrian national unity cabinet, western diplomats say.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 June 2012 20:19)

Morsi is trying to get support for all sides. Is is avoiding making enemies. Will he be successful? Hard to say! He will face opposition from some generals. Morsi has no experience in dealing with the secrete service which is very powerful in Egypt. They plan intrigues and topple presidents. Morsi's only power base is the street. He can mobilize people and bring the country to a stand still. Morsi has the opportunity to build a further base, the foreign ties. The Golf states can help him to decrease the unemployment rate and foster investments in Egypt. Egypt can in response coordinate their stand on Iran and the Assad clique with the Gulf Monarchies.The military should be more active in regional security issues instead of meddling in internal affairs. The White House for example should know that the Syrian issue has to be solved with Egypt, the Golf states and maybe Turkey. Russia, Iran and China are supposed to be out of the game. Washington should is initiate cooperation to solve the crisis. Finally the Israeli - Palestinian issue should be solves by the founding of a regional treaty that determines the political will a border free Middle East that is about to become a a political and economical entity....

Egypt's Morsi begins forming new cabinet
Aide says president-elect to "declare cabinet soon" after holding talks with military and outgoing prime minister.
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Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:50)

Under the Muslim Brotherhood foreign policy will make a shift towards more regional unity. Egypt's policy will be less driven by western interest has far as Morsi is able to associate with the Gulf States to solve the economical problems back home. But can Egypt do that? Maybe not! Egypt income depends very much on tourism but also on their expats in the Golf States. Egypt won't become very conservative nor will Egypt become more open to western manners. Egypt will keep distance to Iran as well as Israel and seek closer tries with the rich Gulf States and Europe. The relations to the US will only be as friendly as necessary.

BBC News - Egypt's neighbours watch rise of Muslim Brotherhood's Mursi
www.bbc.co.uk
Egypt's neighbours are watching the country closely for any change in foreign policy the election of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi may bring, writes the BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:01)

First time in history Egypt is "lead" by an elected head of state and not by a despot. But who knows how many bad wishes are on the way especially from those parts of the world who talk about enlargement. Exactly these countries are in favor of military supremacy in Egypt.

Egypt's Morsi 'to rethink Israel pact, build Iran ties'
Egypt's Islamist president-elect, Mohamed Morsi, wants to "reconsider" the peace deal with Israel and build ties with Iran to "create a strategic balance" in the Middle East, according to an interview published by Iran's Fars news agency on Monday.

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 22 June 2012 10:36)

The story could be told differently . Behind the scenes there is a big power struggle going on. The former had of state Zhao Zi MIng and his clique are yearning to lead China again. Bo was one of them. He was an auspicious figure in the game. Now taken out of the game. Are there other moves planed to regain control of China? Inside the military there is still strong support for the Zhao fraction. A military confrontation with one of China's neighbors can turn the wheel in favor for the hard liners. In reasoned years China was involved in a number of disputes with other countries in the region, mostly about territorial claims. China behaved verbal strong but restrained from military actions. The current leadership in Beijing is not undisputed at all. Anz abrupt changes in the in the political landscape especially those with military involvements are high risk operations. In internal affairs like Tibet and Xin Xiang the Hu administration intervenes drastically to show strength. This harsh approach compensates the lack of decisive actions in territorial disputes with other East Asian countries where confrontations never exceed muscle flexing.
Mao is still a hero in China and celebrated as such especially among the hardliner and in the military. The current administration itself has fostered the revival of the Mao myth in particular by boosting nationalism in order to compensate ideological deficits coursed by the opening up policy. China is maneuvering in dire straights. It's pay day for disregarding the need of political reforms.



Insight: Children of Mao's wrath vie for power in China
news.yahoo.com
BEIJING (Reuters) - Forty five years before ambitious Chinese politician Bo Xilai fell from power accused of flirting with Cultural Revolution extremism, he stood as a

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 22 June 2012 02:02)

Yesterday the oppressors and today the freedom fighters. The name of the game is might by all means..

Myanmar steps up dialogue with Kachin rebels
news.yahoo.com
Myanmar's government and Kachin minority rebels have held three rounds of talks over the past month in an attempt to resolve a civil war raging in the far north, the two sides said

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 22 June 2012 02:01)

The elections are in no immediate connection to the uprising from 2011 that toppled Mubarak. The elections are a growing nightmare. Shafik a man from the old regime and Morsy from the brotherhood. Both do not belong to the revolutionary movement.
The elections have already caused big concerns. First, have the elections been free and fair? Secondly, how powerful will the president be, especially if it is not a pro military candidate? The military will have the final saying and conduct the decisive moves to keep the power in their hands. Thanks to the West the generals were allowed and even encouraged not to play by the rules.
What is going on in Egypt at the moment will bring the country to the brink of a collapse or a civil war. The 2011 revolution already failed. No freedom, no democracy, military ruling, deterioration of the economy, rising unemployment and chaos on the streets. Will Egypt become a second Syria? As the military is taking the center stage and people are more and more reluctant to take more from those oppressors the Syrian scenario is becoming more and more likely. The difference is that the reason for the Syrian dilemma is the power struggle between Russia and China on one hand and the West on the other hand. While In Egypt it is about the military and their western allies and the Egyptian people who are not necessarily members of the M,B., but want to get rid of their oppressors.

Vote result delay frays Egyptian nerves
news.yahoo.com
CAIRO (Reuters) - Allegations of fraud delayed the result of Egypt's presidential election on Thursday, fraying nerves as the Muslim Brotherhood, which claims victory, threatened to take to the streets in protest at moves by the ruling generals to deny them power. For a

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 21 June 2012 09:26)

People are asking for the iron fist of military ruling. The model of dealing which such cases is oppression and offer the oppressors a legitimized leadership status. Are people rationalizing the necessity of their misery? Buddhists monks are arrested and killed by the Junta nut likewise protecting the Buddha worshipers. Schizophrenia is a survival mechanism.
Look at the advantages of diabetes. People with the tendency for diabetes have better chances than other people to survive a period of starvation. So is diabetes desirable?

reply to AFP ethnic riots in Myanmar 06.21.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 21 June 2012 08:58)

No matter who will be declared the winner the military will be the ruling power. The president won't be of big importance. In Egyptian history the head of state was always very powerful otherwise a soldier like Haram Hab will take over government and this means downfall.
Currently Egypt in descending rapidly. The country is in complete disorder. A permanent military takeover of power will harm the political landscape and the situation in the country will deteriorate even more. All the problems of leadership transfer in the Middle East are connected. Syria is at a new peak of confrontation and violence. The reason is not because the Assad regime can't let go. Their fate is already sealed. The Assad regime is still in power because there is no agreement about the power transfer between Russia and China on one hand and the West on the other hand. Washington doesn't want a second Egypt or Yemen where US influence and access wheeling and dealing politics might be jeopardized. Washington's allies are the generals, the members and elites of the oppressor regimes. In other words Washington is not interested in democratizing the Middle East neither is Israel. Israel wants to remain the only recognized "democracy" in the region and therefore enjoying a privileged status when dealing wit the West or blaming Palestinians and Arabs for what so ever. Neither the US nor Israel see the chances in the uprisings. Their mind sets are stonewalled in old schemata by insisting of having enemies and stipulating alternative political developments as not only a risk bit a deadly threat. The region is steadily maneuvering into an apocalyptic scenario....
ref. to AFP election results in Egypt 06.21.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:07)

Egypt's new president will face stronger opposition than Mubarak ever had. Non of both candidates has the profile to represent Egypt nor are they very auspicious. Moreover the elections are going to be a matter of disagreement. Egypt will have a less powerful and embattled president who won't be always in control of the situation.
For the next years to come Egypt will be more likely ruled by the military.

BBC News - Egypt: Army and Islamists on collision course
www.bbc.co.uk
A stand-off may be looming as Egypt's army takes back powers and Islamists claim victory in presidential elections, the BBC's Yolande Knell says.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 20 June 2012 09:14)

The crucial point for Russia, China, Europe and the US is who will become the successor of Assad. Putin made it clear when he admitted his low interest in keeping Assad in power. At the same time Russia and China will go on in their supporting for the Assad regime. So the question is will the West make concessions to the Russians and the Chinese about the successor regime in Syria? Nobody at the round table in Mexico is honestly thinking about democratic elections for the post Assad period. It did not happen in Yemen nor is it happening in Egypt. Western countries want to keep their influence in those countries. So despite criticizing the military power holders support for them is permanently continuing like in the good old days of the oppressors who haven't come to an and at all.
To end the violence in Syria the West has to recognize the appetite of Russia and China for influence in World Politics. From Putin's point of few Assad's resignation should happen, but under Russian and not under Western conditions

ref. to AFP News 06/20/2012 violence in Syria

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 19 June 2012 18:09)

Egypt's new president will have more and stronger opposition than Mubarak ever had. Non of the candidates has the profile to represent Egypt nor are they regarded as very auspicious. Moreover the elections are going to be a matter of disagreement. Egypt will have a less powerful and embattled president who mind not always be in control of the situation.

ref. AFP News Elections in Egypt 06.19.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 19 June 2012 10:36)

The military can't stay away from ruling. For decades the oppressors served foreign interests. Now they are openly criticized on one hand but materially supported by the West on the other.
In other words the continuation of dictatorial rule in Egypt is not ruled out at all or maybe still the favorite option among many Western states. It the idea to postpone the disaster or the oppression is accepted as karma? Many people are already discouraged.

ref. to article in Al Jazira "Power transition in Egypt" 06.19.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 18 June 2012 08:20)

Neither Mursi nor Shafiq are the right candidates for presidency. Shafiq is the law and order man. He was big under the old regime. He didn't found anything wrong with the Mubarak regime. Can a man change that fast or did he just now made up his mind? Mursi is too committed to the Muslim brotherhood. He hardly can represents Egypt.
The brotherhood wasn't part of the revolution. They high-jacked peoples impartial efforts for freedom.
Many Egyptians rejected to vote. Non of the contenders war regarded as suitable. But the results revile the big contrasts in Egyptian society. There is a huge tendency of conservatism, vehemently opposing changes. They represent Egypt's establishment. And there is a growing number of mostly young people who don't have there share in society. They are institutionally and conclusively also politically marginalized. This was the power behind the revolution with no name and no agenda. The revolution was ignited by the spirit in 2011 that went around the world and mobilized people against the establishment. It was the year of the nameless movement. Now the establishment is back on the stage. Taking back what they regard as their's. The medias played a deceive role in the role back of the street power.

BBC News - Egypt's military 'grants itself sweeping powers'
www.bbc.co.uk
Egypt's military council issues a declaration apparently granting itself sweeping powers, as the Muslim Brotherhood claims victory in presidential polls.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 17 June 2012 11:01)

Yemen is nothing to look at. What happened in Yemen was just an act of dirty business to keep the clique in power. People now that. In Yemen the hate and suffering will just grow. Yemen has become a time bomb. The Syrians are much more politicized and the conflict there even more violent. Assad and his Russian consultants failed to settle the conflict at the table. The Assad regime is aware of that. Both parties are not only fighting for power but also for survival. Russia did a bad job. Sovereignty is the key word to understand why negotiations fail and that the only language that is spoken is slaughtering people. This conflict will be solved through this language. To prevent future insistence like this the idea of state sovereignty and the general idea of statehood goes against the people. The idea of nations goes against human dignity.

ref. to BBC article violence in Syria 06.17.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 16 June 2012 21:38)

How to achieve?
A remarkable speech. "Ignoring others suffering fuels war", simply true. But is peace the top aim of those in power? Power and prosperity are what they seek. Suffering is very often the price others have to pay. War is not ignited by those in need but in greed.
"We live in an enlightenment age." Human rights are recognized, but with different understanding ans subjected to the will and ambitions of those whose appetite for power courses damage to the course of human dignity. Rights are something given, stipulated and can also being abandoned by states. Our world is more confusing than ever before. Our age the is the age of opportunities and risks where many are seduced to gambling.
"A world without refugees". Countries depend on borders. They defend "their" land against "intruders". People who are not welcomed but tolerated are called refugees. They became refugees because otherwise they have no place to be. No refugees means a world with no borders.
All the wishes of Auung San Suu Kyi can become true when states cease to exist.

ref. AFP News
Speech of Suu Kyi in Oslo 06.16.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 16 June 2012 12:12)

Mr. Fabius likes conferences. Politicians like cuddly meetings with cafe, croissants, and a good lunch. At the end they feel having done something for the world. In realty among politicians only pressure brings about results.Target and price for failure have to be clear. High targets are less the reason for failure but the price which was set too low.
ref. to AFP News Violence in Syria 06.16.2012
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Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 16 June 2012 11:38)

The Rohingya minority will hardly find peace in "Myanmar", The Buddhist majority simply hates them. And when the mob hates the hate is too vulgar to change. The regime is not impartial. At the end they will crack down on the Rohingya. The UN has recognized the injustice that the Rohingya minority is receiving. But this is about the work of so called fact finding commissions. To translate the diagnoses into political action is the more difficult step. The security council members have their saying and the drive behind it is not the well being of a minority group. The magic option of Western countries to influence the security council in favor of the oppressed is to air public opinion permanently and undoubtedly. Than there is at least a chance that the West might be able to broker a deal with Russia and China. However I'm skeptical. There won't be big pressure from the public, because people here feel it's non of their business. People think about issues in particular but fail to do so in general.
ref. article AFP News 06.16.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 15 June 2012 19:41)

She is loosing speed, but is still Suu Kyi. After all she went through she still is the power that turns the direction of history. The Junta in "Myanmar" and Western politicians as well as investors are well aware of Suu Kyi's magical power. Now she is giving the political blessing not only for big business in Myanmar but also for the for current leadership to settle for good.
Suu Kyi is lifting the barriers between 2 worlds which for political reasons were deprived from from an engagement. The "Wicked & Greedy" made it finally. Su Kyi's job will be regarded as done and gone. In some way she is becoming a bit like Lorenz from Arabia.

ref. 06.14.2012 AFP Suu Kyi visit to Europe

Tarek Sharaf (Friday, 15 June 2012 19:24)

Forced abortion is a crime against humanity. But such behavior is in the nature and concept of states. People can be declared illegal, deported or sentence to death. Forced abortion is a death sentence to an illegal. Opposition is placated by referring the law which is actually redundant, or sovereignty of states which is the XXL size of fooling people. People confuse state sovereignty with there own one. The opposite is the case. Sovereignty means people are hopelessly exposed to the mightiness of the state there are living in. No reason to be proud of.
ref. to BBC on abortion in China 06.15.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 14 June 2012 09:27)

It's not easy for the Mrs. Suu Kyi. She has been received nicely. But on the other hand she knows that back home she has an agreement wit the devil. To the latest m incidents with the Rohingya minority she didn't give up any comment. Maybe she was asked not to do so or she has no solution to offer. I reckon that this trip to Europe has been designed with the participation of the president in order to boost confidence among investors in Europe. Therefore it wouldn't be wise to open the case of minority issues in "Myanmar".
reply to AFP news "Suu Kyi's visit to Europe" 06.14.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 13 June 2012 10:54)

The key message in this article is that Auung San Suu Kyi is keeping silent over the Rohingya issue. Very clear the regime in "Myanmar" and the world press agree about the problem definition, "what to do with these stateless people not wanted by anybody? As the opposite question, "what to do with a state not wanted by the people?" States are artifacts and people are real. When artifacts dominate reality truth has been vanished.
Hopefully Suu Kyi tracks back from any national approach and solidarity with an artifact. Indiscriminate solidarity with human beings is required and should be the no. one commitment in politics.
reply to ASP news on "Myanmar" 06.13.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 13 June 2012 10:22)

Now it has been declared as a civil war. This is not going to improve the situation. It just describes the hopelessness to stop the violent conflict immediately. In a civil war foreign influence might even fuel more violence an slaughtering. War is war and the statues civilian is hard to recognize.
Russia is already supporting the regime with helicopters, weapons etc. Moscow is still counting on the dictator. Iran will gear up support for the Assad clique and the west is busy of thinking about peace plans, negotiations, maybe sanctions and prevention. Politician can't be that nave. Europe is busy with the Euro crises and the US is in an election year. Engagement in Syria is ranking low. There are Saudi Arabia and Qatar who want to counteract Iran's link to the Assad regime. Syria's future is in a limbo.
A decisive change needs political determination and commitment from kez players like the EU and the US. Regretfully not available at the moment. Currency and elections first, but even second won|t be Syria nor people in need. Governments need people as followers but do people need follow them?
BBC Article 06.13.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 13 June 2012 00:37)

The conflict has been ignited because 3 Rohingya allegedly raped a Buddhist girl. Out of this incident a religious conflict has been formulated by the media and the government in "Myanmar".
Rohingya people are at very bottom in so called Myanmar.They are regarded as illegal, no citizenship, no legal documents. They are also not welcomed in neighboring Bangladesh. By describing this crises as a irreligious conflict tension is getting worse. Therefore the international press is fulling this conflict. The conflict is first of all a clash between locals and "foreigners". These "foreigners" are people who never lived in another country than "Myanmar".
A situation similar to the pogroms Jews suffered in medieval Europe and Russia. Many people came to the US because they were hag-ridden in their country of origin.Most Rohingya people already left the the country, but there are still 800000 left and as it seems trapped.
Time for Auung San Suu Kyi to step up. She might have the moral authority to calm people down. Otherwise more violence, between different minorities will not only destroy all reform plans but divide the country irreversibly.
"Myanmar" is in between a conflict zone. The giants China and India are trying to gain influence and access in this potentially wealth country. China is afraid of loosing access to the Indian Ocean and India wants to avoid China having a navel base next to them. In between we have the little players in the game. They are looking for a chair or at least a good deal in this politically very volatile region." No scruples just interests in international politics".
comment to AFP nwes
about religious conflict in "Myanmar" 06.12.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Tuesday, 12 June 2012 10:20)

Myanmar" is shaken by uprisings. Now the conflict is between minority groups. Media talk about an ethnic conflict.
On one hand it is said that there a Buddhists and on the other hand a Muslim group. So at the in comes down to an ethnic conflict
in the media and in the mind of people. But when reducing the problem to the essence there is one recognized and one non recognized group.
The Muslim group is even not wanted by it's neighboring Muslim country, Bangladesh. As it said they are illegal. But how can people be illegal.
Being born as a member of an ethnic group or as a citizen of a country was nobodies free choice. So reduce the sentence now to the hard facts.
"Human beings existence can be illegal". That's the logic of states. The nature of states is deeply contradicts human dignity. The crime is
that artifacts like states determine who you are and who you have to hate. They occupy a big part of human mind set and how people see the world.
States are prisons of mind sets.The case in Myanmar should be addressed globally. People should have to start thinking about, "Why they are who they are?"
reply to AFP news from 06.12.2012 Ethnic conflict in Myanmar

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 11 June 2012 22:36)

Where is the Annan plan? Didn't Mr. Annan tell Assad that he killed enough people now? The UN seems to have a quota for how many people a government is allowed to murder in a certain period of time. But what happens when a government surpassed the limit and has problems to hide it? On strategy is blaming another party like the opposition or foreign influence or soldiers who got out of control. Look for Anyway fact is that a government is allowed to kill people but they should do it descent. For example in prisons or other quite or remote places. The world can't stand so much slaughtering. One day people might ask who ask for the allowed no. of victims to consolidate power. People regard war as a math problem, because they think about the no. of possible casualties. Even in political science a war is a war when at least around 1000 people lost there life. Otherwise it's "just" a conflict. Where is the difference between cows and chickens on farm and people in a country? The farmer can slaughter, sell etc. depending on the profit he can make. During a pandemic the farmers slaughters a bit more than they can sell. War is big business and uprising is a pandemic. There we have the answer for the allowed no. death tolls for civil unrest,
"slaughtering goes on till the farmer or the infected animals are gone".

BBC News - Syrian forces attack Homs amid fears of new massacre
www.bbc.co.uk
Syrian government forces renew their attack on the city of Homs as international mediator Kofi Annan says civilians are trapped there.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 11 June 2012 09:14)

The worst oppressors are the oppressed. "Myanmar" is at the bring of mass killing and civil war.The reform program is in jeopardy. The mistake is rooted in how the reforms were introduced. The former military junta itself implemented these reforms and used Auung San Suu Kyi as a figurehead. Maybe the military doesn't believe in the value of a spirit that is needed to foster a change. Or maybe thy fear the spirit because it's something that would cause disobedience. If Suu Kyi doesn't step up "reforms" will fail.

Tarek Sharaf (Monday, 11 June 2012)

The military and the secret service in Egypt are closely working with Israel and the US. The hate campaign against foreigners is coordinated with their allies in order to strengthen the military grip to power. People regard the military as a protection against foreign intruders. Therefore pointing at the bad intention of the countries overseas strengthens nationalism and increases the support for the military. The slogan is simple "don't trust foreigners". The virus of mistrust and aversion once infecting people might remain for decades or even centuries. In other countries like in China this virus is coursing a lot of damage in the relation between Chinese and people from abroad. This virus presents a dramatic security risk. People are easily lured into a black and white way of thinking. On that structure politicians can compose what ever they like.

reply to AFP article from 06.11.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 10 June 2012 17:06)

Tarek Sharaf
There are pockets of ethnic tension in sol called Myanmar.One of them is between a Muslim minority and one of the Buddhist groups. They are not discussing the content of their religion. Like in so many violent conflicts the source of disagreement is is of vulgar nature. Primitive cultivation of an enemy model becomes part of an ethnically mind set. All over the world there are examples for it. I just have to read some comments published below.
Secondly neighboring countries are messing up the situation. They are looking for a political chair in this part of the world. So nothing is easier than engineering people by using already existing patterns in their mind set. Get your proof online.

Nine dead in Myanmar mob attack: govt official
news.yahoo.com
At least nine people were killed by ethnic Rakhine residents in western Myanmar on Sunday, an official said, in an apparent sectarian attack in a region affected by simmering religious tensions.

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 10 June 2012 16:18)

"Myanmar" needs a miracle. The current regime can't make this miracle to happen, because they first don't have the necessary skills and secondly they don't have concepts. Just following an open door policy doesn't work. "Myanmar" is surrounded by countries who want their chair in Rangoon's new policy. East Asia is politically a dangerous terrain. A place where the to giants India and China compete for influence and a number of smaller countries, minorities, drug traffickers, war mongers and war lords compete bargain fight and shake hands.
The region needs a fix point like a polar star that gives direction to where the journey should lead. For this issue the only name that is crossing my mind is Aung San Suu Kyi. She has the political weight and enjoys trust among people. The input on national and regional base should target the big topics of the the country and the region. She can ignite a change in South East Asia. Inside The first step she might have to do in her country by finding a suitable name that stands for all people there and not only for a minority. Minorities have to be politically represented. Besides education, health and jobs people have to feel that they are part of the whole process. People's participation is required. The model must be different from that of other South East Asian States, because their models worked economically but
only in favor of a limited number of people. Politically major issues like security policy, border control, drug and weapon trafficking, minority rights and participation, human living conditions, education etc. etc. etc. have been left aside. Economic prosperity only won't achieve the goals of sustainable peace and generally good living conditions for the people.
A miracle can only be achieved with the presence and engagement of the right spirit.
. .
Ref. Article AFP News 06.10.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Sunday, 10 June 2012 07:43)

It is regrettable that "Myanmar" is suffering from such an unrest. A good opportunity for the military to legitimize their ruling with an iron fist. "Myanmar" has a very restrictive minority policy. The Rohingya won't be the only group that is starting to build up a resistance against
the central government. Burma is at the bring of a civil war.
Reconciliation between minorities can only be achieved by changing the regime an allow minority participation in the a new elected government. The name Myanmar is a provocation, because this name represents only the biggest ethnic group in the country. The country needs a new name, equal rights and political participation of all ethnic groups.With the current government reconciliation will remain far from achievable.
"Myanmar" as it regretfully deserves this name today is bordering a number of countries who are trying to gain influence in this country. With the opening up policy a power struggle in the region has been ignited. Once the military was dealing with China and keeping India as a back up. Now the leader are looking for new allies maneuvered the whole political entity in dire straights. The Junta has not the political skills to successfully manage this delicate power struggle in the region. Optimist of the development in Myanmar should batten down the hatches.
Ref. to article AFP News on June 10.2012

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 09 June 2012 19:22)

Its's not the way to deal with Myanmar and Su Kyi
Many international journalist are lacking dedication to the issue. According to many of them all these "little" East Asian states can only become tigers.
Aung San Suu Kyi is taking about jobs and a future for her people. The global media should stop to spread the roomers that Asians are only born to work for big investors and have no other concepts. Aung San Suu Kyi was talking about jobs for her people and the risk of corruption. Suu Ky is not copying other East Asian states.
Do people people overseas really listen to her. I reckon they just sea the business potential and the high profit margin. Foreign media love to report about the loud and ordinary character. The Suu Kyi reports are cold and do not transfer the flamboyant spirit of one of the most remarkable and inspiring supporters of human dignity. She took the full heat o the military regime and the ignorance of the outside world just because she believed that the good spirit will prevail. The world needs more people like her. Maybe there are more but the powerful incl. the international medias are more attracted by vulgar approaches.

Tarek Sharaf (Saturday, 09 June 2012 00:43)

Ref to BBC article from June 8th 2012"...Bloody traces of massacres seen in the village"

Again and again the UN appears as a very doubtful peacemaker. Syria is no exception.
People are slaughtered and the UN is "believing" in the trustworthiness of the Assad regime.
Of course there are members of the security council who are blocking any resolution that goes against the Assad regime. Some western countries might be happy about the Chinese and Russian veto. So they are released from decisions of encountering the Syrian regime by flexing their military mussels. Such strategies are unpopular in their home countries and can cost the support of voters. Anyway Europe is more concerned about the Euro crises and the US president is in his electoral year.
Human rights are not top on the priority list and have never really been.
The UN security council is just harmonizing the interests of the giants on the international stage. Peace and justice won't come through the UN. Human dignity can't be a UN business. The wolf cannot safeguard the sheep. What is needed is an organisation that works globally and indiscriminately, defending people's interests.
States work in the interests of power and to the benefit of a privileged group of people close to the power centers.
States depend on the myth that people need a national identity. Like that people can be engineered and abused for the goals of an "elite".

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 07 June 2012 11:32)

Post on digg
About illegal immigrants
Nobody on earth is illegal. States made themselves legal. Politicians are advocating free trade, free transfer of money, products etc... But people are restricted from this freedom. They need a passport to go somewhere. In other words when people travel they have to indicate who their owner is and make sure that they are not running away. This is also true when we talk about people from rich countries. States handle people like dogs. Don\t tell me that any person on earth is illegal.

Tarek Sharaf (Thursday, 07 June 2012 11:07)

Wrote on Facebook and yahoo. Ref. to "North Korea massive children rally" For the me the crucial point was that propaganda and agitation is used all over the world. Some forms like in N. Korea are simple and have a very limited scope while others like those in Hollywood movies are more sophisticates, wide ranging and with regards to side effects not manageable.

Tarek Sharaf (Wednesday, 06 June 2012 00:29)

Today I replied to 2 articles on yahoo news through facebook.
First was about Saudi statement to the Russian support for Syria.
The second concerns Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to Europe.