Political Turmoil in the North Africa and the Middle East
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-04-26/political-turmoil-north-africa-and-middle-east
The Syrian army used tanks, machine guns, and heavy artillery to beat back anti-government protesters. Nearly 400 people have died since the crackdown began five weeks ago. Yesterday in Libya, pro Qaddafi forces shelled a residential neighborhood in Misrata killing at least 12. In Yemen, there’s an exit plan for the country’s long time president and the first political transition in that country’s modern history: Join us for an update on political turmoil and violence taking place in countries across the Mideast and Northern Africa and the high stakes questions these developments are raising for the region and the world.
Guests
Anthony Shadid
reporter, The New York Times
winner of the 2004 Pulitzer for International Reporting
Samer Shehata
assistant professor of Arab politics, Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.
Hisham Melhem
Washington bureau chief for Al-Arabiya TV, and Washington correspondent for "An-Nahar."
Michele Dunne
senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and editor of the monthly online journal, "Arab Reform Bulletin."
Comments
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Diane please ask your panel this question , especially hisham milhem. what is his take on the gulf states and in particular Saudi Arabia the country that opresses its citizens ,women's rights are diminished and there is no freedom of religion not to mention the crack down on any voice that criticizes the govrnment or the muftis of the country
The powers that be want Gadhafi out and are doing it in the name of helping the rebels who no one knows who they are or what their goals are. The people have no say in what governments do in these interventions never have and never will until we ourselves revolt and change the government, then the whole thing starts over again. But then again what do you expect from primates, our bag of tricks is really limited.
Clearly killing peaceful protesters is reprehensible. But why is it that President Obama , Secretary of State Clinton, UN Ambassador Susan Rice refer to killings in Libya, Syria etc as "massacres, slaughters" But have not used those terms in regard to the hundreds of thousands dead in Iraq as a direct result of the Bush administrations invasion of that country or the Israeli killings of Palestinians in the Gaza? And could your guest also discuss that when people object to this selective focus of alleged human rights abuses we hear these same individuals say "well one size does not fit all" as if human rights protection is like fitting people for a pair of shoes.
Can your guest also discuss how protest are covered by the US MSM in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen but decades long and ongoing Palestinian protest are completely ignored by our MSM.
Why do you think the US MSM repeats how many people have been killed in Syria far more than they have let the American people how many people are dead in Iraq as a direct consequence of the Bush administrations invasion of Iraq?
Also can your guest address the language used by President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice when it comes to the situation in Libya, Syria etc. I hear them endlessly use words like "massacre, slaughter" Yet never hear them use those same terms when it comes to deaths in Iraq caused by the invasion or the Israeli military actions in the Gaza. Why are deaths "massacres" in one situation and "collateral damage" in another? I find this sickening.
And why is it that protest are covered by our MSM in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen etc but decades long Palestinian protest are never covered? Never
Imagine if you were the "farmer" and you controlled the gate valve for the slop. You could create conflict and chaos at will.
You might even send in a few razorbacks and throw some apples around randomly, just for entertainment, maybe let birds of prey dine on piglets. Outsized power is a treacherous thing, especially when us little piggies might hold collective title to liquid riches just below the sty.
Compare and contrast Pennsylvania landowners selling everyone's clean water to the same interests who install potentates. (Did you hear that funny story about the spilled frack... too late to cry now.)
Oligarchs profit in times of peace, but many times more in times of war. (At least under the current rules)
Adam Smith uses the phrase "invisible hand" only once in "Wealth of Nations", saying big business will at least have the good sense to avoid fouling their own nest. He was mistaken.
Ok so now you folks have discussed oppression and protesters in Syria, Libya, Yemen and now Bahrain. When are you going to discuss the brutally repressed Palestinian protesters? Our MSM covers protest in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen like they are following a script. The MSM outlets often jump over to Iranian protesters on cue. But never ever I repeat never ever cover decades long and ongoing Palestinian protest.
Please explain
Really have noticed that you folks are taking a disproportionate amount of calls from men. Really have been noticing this. This has always gone on on Talk of the Nation. But starting to notice it again on your program
monte is correct: the right wing's bag of tricks is empty. Tax cuts, racism, the Big Guy in the box with the rocket on top, and invading the bedroom only go so far. (We broke! We broke! No joke! We broke!) Not so with pro-business global neo-liberalism. Their middle east circus has 3 big fiery rings of thrills that will please any oligarch. Problem is, the American people may be bored with circuses and worried about bread. We've finally understood that all the sideshow carney games are rigged anyway. (Obama never looked good in that top hat, not like "W" in his ten-gallon with spurs. Here comes Huckabee riding a dinosaur.)
Is that what I said?