War

Ahmed Jatari moves his wheelchair at the Martyr El Sherif landmines victims’ centre near the Rabuni refugee camp in Western Sahara [AFP/GETTY]

Blood and mercy in revolution

The last thing I should care about–and anybody in the Arab world should care about–are the Western standards and criteria and conditions regarding upheavals in the Arab world. One day they urge restraint and non-violence against their favorite tyrants (Bin Ali and Mubarak), and another day they endorse the armed, violent revolt against a tyrant (Qadhdhafi) who is not as seasoned in loyalty to the US, although since 2003, he has prostrated as far as his forehead can touch the shoes of US officials who visited him.

But my point is this: all those liberal, non-violent standards should be discarded at a time of revolution against bloody tyrants, like Qadhdhafi and all the rest. Mubarak should be dragged from Sharm Ash-Shaykh and should be subjected to the same speedy, Mahdawi-style, military trials that he imposed on innocent Egyptians. Let the Western governments shed their tears over that. Revolutions are bloody and Western standards are at least hypocritical. The rightist fans of Edmond Burks have convinced generations of Westerners that the French Revolution was a bloody affair when a couple of thousands of French people were killed: hell, the US has killed more than that in one day in its lousy war in Iraq. They can’t preach anything especially that their preachings at this time are intended only to prolong the lives of dictatorships albeit in different names and guises. There should be no mercy shown to the criminals of the Qadhdhafi family or the Mubarak family. Their rule has been soaked in blood since day one.

Arab revolutionaries should press ahead with little attention–if any–to what the White Man in Western capitals is saying. I really think that mercy at this time in Egypt or Tunisia or Libya may be the factor that could undermine the goals of revolution. Don’t give me the bogus Christian notions of “turn-the-other cheek” (when Jesus also said: “I came here with a sword”) when Christianity has caused more deaths and destruction than any other world religion. Enough already.

Posted by As’ad AbuKhalil at 8:30 AM

From the lead Cockburn piece over at Cpunch:

One of my neighbors here in Petrolia is Dr Dick Scheinman, who emailed his address list Thursday thus:

“I recently read a horrifying article in the NY Times about Afghanistan and could not help writing my representatives. Maybe you can too. Tax time is coming up and tax resistance is an option.

‘May I call your attention to an article from March 2 in the NY Times entitled ‘Nine Afghan boys collecting firewood killed by NATO Helicopters’.

‘I live with my grandson, 12, and as part of our making a living we collect and sell firewood. Nathan gets paid 25 dollars for loading and unloading a cord of wood from our truck. When I read this story I could not get out of my mind the pure chance that made Nathan a healthy American boy who could collect firewood and earn money, rather than a poor Afghan boy whose life was destroyed by NATO (American?) men (women?) in a helicopter thousands of miles from their homes. With rue my heart is laden.

‘David Petreus has “apologized.”

Perhaps he has children and grandchildren. Perhaps he should send his children over to Afghanistan to collect firewood for these boys’ sisters for the rest of their lives to atone for this outrageous cold blooded murder.(‘they shot the boys one after the other”.) Maybe the men in the helicopter should do the same. Perhaps Barack Obama’s two daughters could help.

Perhaps they should put on rags and kiss their feet and beg forgiveness.

But the least, the very least that YOU can do is to never, ever vote to spend any more money to continue this war.’”

As I said, it’s not so hard to figure out why America is losing the propaganda war.  ….

Oh yes… more on our wars… and our spreading of Democracy:

This is mentioned in passing in The New York Times: can you imagine if this was in Iran?

“On Thursday night, the authorities banned all cars and motorcycles from the streets of Baghdad, making it hard for protesters to reach the central square. Similar bans were announced in Samarra and Kirkuk.”

Posted by As’ad AbuKhalil at 7:19 AM

And another:

This is what Obama and Bush call “Saudi reforms“

“Saudi Arabia has banned all protests and marches following recent anti-government protests in the kingdom’s east, reports say. State television on Saturday quoted the interior ministry as saying that security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order. The ban on public demonstrations comes amid media reports of a huge mobilisation of Saudi troops in Shia-dominated provinces in order to quell any possible uprising. According to The Independent, a British newspaper, 10,000 security personnel are being sent to the region by road, clogging highways into Dammam and other cities.” (thanks Ali)

Posted by As’ad AbuKhalil at 10:40 AM

And. Etc.:

Like we did not notice

“The Wall Street journal reported Saturday that the Obama administration is devising a new Middle East strategy in face of ongoing Arab world turmoil, preferring stability over democracy for key allies in the region.”

Posted by As’ad AbuKhalil at 10:31 AM