Rabu, 06 November 2013

The Saudi Leadership Crisis..??>> ... raja-raja Arab Saudi..sejak mereka berkuasa selalu merasa aman dalam pelukan perlindungan dan dukungan superpower dan para pemenang perang dunia II. walaupun mereka membayar dengan sangat mahal terhadap para pelindung mereka.. di PBB dan juga pangkalan-pangkalan militernya sudah sepenuhnya diserahkan untuk digunakan dalam menghancurkan musuh-musuh raja-raja Arab itu.. siapapun mereka..?? kini krisis itu datang...dan tumbuh didalam keluarga mereka dan para sekutu mereka.. Pangeran Qatar..sudah tersingkir- dan penggantinya adalah anak Pangeran Qatar dan konon sudah tunduk dengan Raja Faisal..?? Lalu Mesir - Moursie dan Ikwanul Muslimin sudah di kudeta oleh Jendral Al Sisis... dan kekacauan di Mesir dan krisis Pemerintahan... Itu semua atas arahan politik Arab Saudi.. Dan juga ...perang Suriah.. yang dimulai oleh perang sipil.. dan masuklah milisi-milisi dari Arab-Turki-Qatar-Yaman-Al qaeda yang semuanya dengan konsep yang diinginkan Saudi.. Dan apabila melihat kebelakang ... maka penghancuran rezim Saddam Husein-Iraq, Perang Iraq dan Iran, masuknya Israel ke Palestina.. juga adanya konspirasi Barat-Yahudi-dan Raja-raja Arab..? Maka lengkaplah semua keinginan raja-raja Arab itu dalam membungkam semua yang dia inginkan..dan yang mereka anggap akan mengacaukan posisi aman dari trah keturunan Saud. Padahal berdirinya kerajaan Saudia itu.. penuh dengan darah dan penindasan terhadap sesama kaum muslimin...? Benarkah..Sejarah..??.. >> . Saudi Arabia has no choice but to listen to the power that guarantees its security, I do not think Kerry’s task should be impossible. With the prospect of the United States reaching out to other regional powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia should not miss the opportunity to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem...>>> .... Kurds Rout ISIL from 19 Towns..>> ... Syrian Army Strikes Terrorists across Country,....>> the kings of Saudi Arabia .. since they are in power always feel safe in the arms of protection and support of a superpower and the winners of World War II . although they are very expensive to pay with their protectors .. UN and military bases has been fully assigned for use in destroying enemies Arab kings .. whoever they are ..? The crisis has now come ... and grow within their families and their allies .. Prince of Qatar .. already out - and his successor son the Prince of Qatar and is said to have been subject to King Faisal ..? Then Egypt - Moursie and Ikwanul Muslims already in a coup by General Al Sisis ... and the turmoil in Egypt and the government crisis ... It was all over the political direction of Saudi Arabia .. And also ... war Syria .. started by civil war .. and enter the militias of the Arab - Turkish - Qatar - Yemen - Al Qaeda that all the desired concept Arabia .. And when looking back ... the destruction of Saddam Hussein's regime - Iraq , Iraq War and Iran , the entry of Israel into Palestine .. also a Jewish conspiracy - and Western - Arab kings .. ? Then be complete all Arab kings desire it in silence all he wants .. and who they think will disrupt the safe position of the Saud dynasty descendants . Though the establishment of the kingdom of Saudia .. filled with blood and oppression of fellow Muslims ... ? Really .. History ..?...>>> While in Damascus, the Special Envoy of the Secretaries General of the Arab League and the UN, Lakhdar Brahimi, presented “his” draft peace conference project, Geneva 2. A conference whose objective would be to end the “civil war”. This terminology rehashes the analysis of one side against another, of those who argue that this conflict is a logical continuation of the “Arab Spring” against those who argue that it has been manufactured, fueled and manipulated from the outside...>>> Surat berjudul “Piagam Anugerah” itu diberikan Nabi Muhammad kepada seorang delegasi Kristen yang mengunjungi Nabi pada tahun 628 di Madinah....>>> .."Hidup Republik Islam Iran. Hidup Hizbullah. Saya akan berjuang untuk Iran seperti bagaimana saya akan berjuang untuk tanah air saya, Suriah. Terima kasih kepada Republik Islam Iran yang telah (membantu) melindungi orang Kristen di Suriah sementara (Kristen) barat mendukung pembunuhan orang-orang Kristen di Suriah."...>>>

Piagam Anugerah, dan Iran

Aisyah Fadiya* - De Ngaden Awak Bisa
http://cahyono-adi.blogspot.com/2013/11/piagam-anugerah-dan-iran.html#.UnoG2VON6So

Mungkin hiruk pikuk SARA, pertikaian yang hampir tidak ada habisnya antar pemeluk agama (dalam hal ini Islam dan Kristen) membuat kita terlupa dengan apa yang dipesankan Rasulullah saww jauh sebelum kita lahir. Begitu pula dengan yang disampaikan dengan gamblang di dalam Al-Qur’an (Al-Maidah:82)

 
 
 
"Sesungguhnya kamu dapati orang-orang yang paling keras permusuhannya terhadap orang-orang yang beriman ialah orang-orang Yahudi dan orang-orang musyrik. Dan sesungguhnya kamu dapati yang paling dekat persahabatannya dengan orang-orang yang beriman ialah orang-orang yang berkata: “Sesungguhnya kami ini orang Nasrani”. Yang demikian itu disebabkan karena di antara mereka itu (orang-orang Nasrani) terdapat pendeta-pendeta dan rahib-rahib, (juga) karena sesungguhnya mereka tidak menyombongkan diri."
Mengingat kembali Piagam Anugerah

Nabi Muhammad saww pernah menulis surat kepada biarawan gereja Catherine Monastery. Surat beliau saww kepada biarawan gereja ini telah dibuktikan keasliannya oleh ilmuwan sejarah, dan kini disimpan di gereja St. Catherine’s Monastery, Bukit Sinai, Mesir. 
 
Surat berjudul “Piagam Anugerah” itu diberikan Nabi Muhammad kepada seorang delegasi Kristen yang mengunjungi Nabi pada tahun 628 di Madinah.

Berikut ini terjemahan dalam bahasa Inggris atas dokumen tersebut:

“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

Terjemahan dalam bahasa Indonesia :


Ini adalah pesan dari Muhammad ibn Abdullah, sebagai perjanjian bagi siapapun yang menganut Kekristenan, jauh dan dekat, bahwa kami mendukung mereka.

Sesungguhnya saya, para pelayan, para penolong, dan para pengikut saya membela mereka, karena orang-orang Kristen adalah penduduk saya; dan karena Allah! Saya bertahan melawan apapun yang tidak menyenangkan mereka.

Tidak ada paksaan yang dapat dikenakan pada mereka. Sekalipun oleh para hakim-hakim mereka, maka akan dikeluarkan dari pekerjaan mereka maupun dari para biarawan-biarawan mereka, maka akan dikeluarkan dari biara mereka.

Tidak ada yang boleh menghancurkan rumah ibadah mereka, atau merusaknya, atau membawa apapun daripadanya ke rumah-rumah umat Islam.

Jika ada yang mengambil hal-hal tersebut,maka ia akan merusak perjanjian Allah dan tidak menaati Rasul-Nya. Sesungguhnya, mereka adalah sekutu saya dan mendapatkan piagam keamanan melawan apapun yang mereka benci.

Tidak ada yang dapat memaksa mereka untuk bepergian atau mengharuskan mereka untuk berperang.

Umat Islam wajib bertempur untuk mereka.

Jika ada perempuan Kristen menikahi pria Muslim, hal ini tidak dapat dilakukan tanpa persetujuan perempuan itu. Dia tidak dapat dilarang untuk mengunjungi gerejanya untuk berdoa.

Gereja-gereja mereka harus dihormati. Mereka tidak boleh dilarang memperbaikinya dan menjaga perjanjian-perjanjian sakral mereka.

Tidak ada dari antara bangsa (Muslim) yang boleh tidak mematuhi perjanjian ini hingga Hari Akhir (akhir dunia).

Iran, contoh negara ideal yang patuh terhadap isi Piagam Anugerah
Kalau saya mengangkat sisi ideal Iran versi orang Iran, mungkin itu adalah hal yang lumrah dan tidak istimewa. Namun jika membaca sebuah pernyataan dari orang yang bukan dari Iran, sungguh saya sangat tergetar dan terharu.

Apa suara rakyat Suriah (Kristen) tentang Iran?

Perawan Maria di Republik Islam Iran
Di mana Anda dapat menemukan syariat (Islam) sejati dan Hukum Nasional
Dan keindahan Islam (?)

Ada lebih dari 700 gereja di Iran. Iran bukanlah Arab Saudi dimana agama Kristen dilarang (penyebarannya). Orang Kristen merasa aman di Iran, mereka hidup berdampingan dengan saudara-saudara Muslim mereka. Iran menghormati Alkitab suci seperti bagaimana mereka menghormati Al-Qur'an

Pernyataan dari seorang yang beragama Kristen di Suriah:

"Hidup Republik Islam Iran. Hidup Hizbullah. Saya akan berjuang untuk Iran seperti bagaimana saya akan berjuang untuk tanah air saya, Suriah. Terima kasih kepada Republik Islam Iran yang telah (membantu) melindungi orang Kristen di Suriah sementara (Kristen) barat mendukung pembunuhan orang-orang Kristen di Suriah."



*Blogger, pemerhati masalah-masalah sosial dan kulinter Indonesia.
Tulisan-tulisannya bisa dilihat di daftar referensi atau di sini http://aisyah-fadiya.blogspot.com/

 

The Saudi Leadership Crisis

 
US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) is greeted by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal upon arrival in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia June 25, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Saudi Leadership Crisis

AuthorMadawi Al-Rasheed
Posted November 1, 2013
https://uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/the-saudi-leadership-crisis/
 
 
On his visit to Riyadh, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, will encounter a strategic partner that has become too bewildered by the changing Arab world.
 
A chorus of important princely Saudi voices have already been heard before the visit, pointing to disappointment amounting to anger over the failure of the United States to act in Syria and promising serious shifts in the Saudi-US partnership. The two Al-Faisal brothers, Saud and Turki, in addition to Bandar bin Sultan, have left no doubt that Saudi Arabia is distressed by recent US policies vis-à-vis Syria and Iran.

Over the last decade, Saudi Arabia struggled to reassure its own people and the international community that it still matters, not only for its oil, but also for its claims to lead the Arab world. Away from both rhetoric and wishful thinking, Saudi realities are today very different from what they used to be in the 1970s, when for a brief moment King Faisal had the potential to play a leading role. Yet Saudi Arabia today is far from that fleeting historical moment. Saudi Arabia consolidated its partnership with the West in the shadow of the Cold War. But as that war gave way to more complex political outcomes, the West’s reliance on Saudi Arabia was withering, regardless of how important Saudi resources are. Saudi Arabia was previously thought of as part of any solutions that deal with the region’s many problems, but now it may have actually become part of the problems facing the Arab region after its stumbling uprisings. The Saudis struggle today to reassert their position for many reasons.

First, Saudi Arabia today lacks charismatic and energetic leadership capable of energizing not only its domestic politics, but also foreign relations. Internally, the Saudi monarchy is at a standstill, refusing to acknowledge that it is out of touch with the serious changes that swept the Arab world over the last three years. The leadership is still relying on old strategies to keep the winds of change away from the Arabian desert. It resorts to a combination of carrots and sticks, with the latter often becoming easily deployed in an attempt to stifle debate and intimidate courageous activists.

This leadership still thinks that change can only come from above, with society remaining at the receiving end of royal largesse and initiative. It cannot comprehend that it rules over a different generation engaged with current affairs and aspiring toward real participation in decision-making. When most of the senior leadership is above the age of 80, there is a serious generation gap difficult to bridge with paternalism and the promise of subsidies. The leadership has only succeeded in keeping a lid on the implosion as a result of the ongoing instabilities in neighboring countries.

Saudis are meant to learn a lesson that equates political change with chaos, death and turmoil. As long as this instability continues, the leadership can rest assured that nobody will rock the boat. Then Saudis must watch those imaginary enemies, first Iran, then the Muslim Brotherhood, with their secret cells that allegedly plot to destabilize the country. If that’s not enough, there are always those conspiracy theories that circulate about an omnipotent superpower clandestinely planning the partition of Saudi Arabia. Consequently, Saudis are regularly injected with a fair dose of fear and apprehension about their future, to the extent that they do not even think about change. Ruling by fear of an unknown future and multiple alleged enemies in a turbulent region guarantees that society remains acquiescent.

Externally, Saudi Arabia has failed to recognize its limited capacities when dealing with regional issues from the occupation of Iraq to the recent Syrian crisis. As it has inflated its role in the region and sold propaganda about this role to its own constituency, any setback is immediately considered as threatening its stature. Saudis have been sold a good amount of propaganda about their government’s commitment not only to Arab causes, but also those of the Muslim world. Statistics about its overseas spending on these causes make big news, but not recently.

While in the past Saudis took for granted that their government should help Arabs and Muslims, more recently they have begun to resent this charity. The more they experience duress in meeting basic needs, the more they question the logic of dedicating a considerable amount of wealth to helping others. Why should new housing complexes be built in neighboring countries as gifts from the Saudi government while more than 70% of Saudis do not own a house? Such legitimate questions have been suppressed in the past but now ordinary citizens often ask them. Saudis are more inclined to question their government’s logic in pursuing charitable projects abroad as they become more aware of their own unmet needs. They have also learned the hard way that patronizing the Arabs has not always pacified them or turned them into straightforward clients.

Second, the Saudi government has failed to be flexible in its dealing with challenges both at home and abroad. A conservative monarchy with multiple aging heads is not a good starting point for flexibility. Since King Abdullah came to power in 2005, the image of the reformist monarch as a humanitarian father has collided with the reality of slow reform, corruption and increasing repression. Abdullah is truly sidelined as an arbiter of Saudi internal politics, which remains the prerogative of the Ministry of Interior, headed by Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, and its many bureaucratic branches.

 The king’s son, Mutaib, may continue to play the game and keep the myth of reform going, but contradictions in the system are already obvious. So Abdullah empowers women and appoints them to the consultative council while the Ministry of Interior curbs their campaign to drive and arrests male supporters of the campaign. Abdullah initiated the national dialogue forum amidst the euphoria of reform, which has evaporated with time.

Abdullah also saw no harm in mixing between the sexes in newly founded universities, but the Ministry of Interior, through religious police in search of immorality, continues to harass both men and women. Such contradictions are symptomatic of a Saudi leadership divided on reform and, in fact, short of formulating a comprehensive reformist agenda. The introduction of minimalist social reforms collides with the stagnation of the political system; hence contradictions are bound to be symptomatic of the old style of government.

The same inflexibility is a characteristic of the way the Saudi government conducts its foreign policy. In today’s world there seems to be no room for eternal enemies or friends. Even allies seem to fall out over covert intrigues and spying. Saudi Arabia has been accustomed to see the world in black and white, but it should develop its skills to deal with gray areas. If John Kerry has a chance to succeed in his visit to Riyadh, he must point to the Saudi leadership that the old inflexibility at both the domestic and regional levels threatens to perpetuate the Arab region’s descent into more chaos, not to mention Saudi Arabia itself.

Because Saudi Arabia has no choice but to listen to the power that guarantees its security, I do not think Kerry’s task should be impossible. With the prospect of the United States reaching out to other regional powers such as Iran, Saudi Arabia should not miss the opportunity to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Madawi Al-Rasheed is a visiting professor at the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has written extensively about the Arabian Peninsula, Arab migration, globalization, religious trans-nationalism and gender. On Twitter: @MadawiDr

A poster of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is behind Lebanese soldiers in Tripoli, Lebanon, where gunfire broke out between people loyal to different sides in the Syria war, Oct. 23, 2012. (photo by REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim )

SYRIA HAS CHANGED

Posted on November 4, 2013 by
https://uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/270046/
The media coverage of the war in Syria examines only military, diplomatic and humanitarian action. It ignores profound transformation. However, one does not survive a sea of ​​violence without changing profoundly. From Damascus, where he has lived for two years, Thierry Meyssan describes this evolution.
By Thierry Meyssan
JPEG - 49.7 kb
Damascus, the oldest inhabited city in the world
While in Damascus, the Special Envoy of the Secretaries General of the Arab League and the UN, Lakhdar Brahimi, presented “his” draft peace conference project, Geneva 2. A conference whose objective would be to end the “civil war”. This terminology rehashes the analysis of one side against another, of those who argue that this conflict is a logical continuation of the “Arab Spring” against those who argue that it has been manufactured, fueled and manipulated from the outside.

The war according to the armed opposition

For Westerners and the majority of the National Coalition, Syria is experiencing a revolution. Its people have supposedly risen up against a dictatorship and aspire to live in a democracy like the United States. However, this view is contradicted by the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Syrian National Council and the Free Syrian Army. For them, the problem is not one of freedom, but the personality of Bashar al-Assad. They would be willing to keep the same institutions if the President agreed to step aside for one of his vice-presidents. However, this version is in turn contradicted by the fighters on the ground, for whom the problem is not the personality of the president, but the tolerance that he stands for. Their goal is to establish a Wahhabi system where religious minorities would be subdued or destroyed, and where the Constitution would be replaced by Sharia.

Freedom of expression

At first, when snipers were killing people, they said that it was the regime gunmen who were trying to impose fear. When cars exploded, it was said it was a false flag attack by the secret services. When a massive attack killed members of the Security Council, Assad was accused of having eliminated his rivals. Today, nobody doubts that these crimes were the work of jihadists and they continue to commit more.

In the beginning, there was emergency law. From 1963 on, demonstrations were banned. Only a trickle of foreign journalists was allowed entry and their activities were closely monitored. Today, emergency law has been lifted. There are still few demonstrations because of the fear of terrorist attacks. Numerous are the foreign journalists in Damascus. They move freely without any supervision. Yet most continue to report that the country is a horrible dictatorship. They are allowed to go on in hopes that they will tire of lying when their governments cease to preach the “overthrow of the regime.”

Initially, Syrians did not watch national television channels. They considered these to be propaganda and their preferred source was Al- Jazeera. On live TV, they followed the exploits of the “revolution” and the crimes of the “dictatorship”. But with time, they found themselves confronted directly with events. They saw for themselves the atrocities of the peudo-revolutionaries and they often owed their survival solely to the national army. Today, people watch national television much more, and especially Al- Mayadeen, a Lebanese-Iraqi channel that recovered the audience of Al Jazeera in the Arab world and who is developing an openly nationalist point of view.

Freedom of conscience

At first, the armed opposition claimed to be multi-denominational. People from religious minorities supported it. Then came the Islamic Courts sentencing to death and slitting the throats of the “bad” Sunni “traitors” to their community, the Alawites and Shiites, tortured in public, and Christians expelled from their homes. Today everyone understands that one is always a heretic when one is judged by “the pure ones”, the Takfirists.

While intellectuals argue that Syria was destroyed and needs to be redefined, people know what it is and are often willing to die for it. Ten years ago, every family had a teenager they were trying to exempt from military service. Only the poor were considering a career in the armed forces. Today, many young people enrol in the army and their elders join the popular militias. They all defend eternal Syria where various religious communities live side by side and they all venerate the same God when they have one.

During the conflict, many Syrians themselves evolved. At first they mostly watched events from the sidelines, most declaring not seeing themselves in any camp. After two and a half years of terrible suffering, everyone who remained in the country had to choose to survive. War is but an attempt by the colonial powers to blow on the embers of obscurantism to incinerate civilization.

Political freedom

For myself, having known Syria for a decade and having lived in Damascus for two years, I realize how much the country has changed. Ten years ago, each spoke in a low voice of the problems he had encountered with mukhabarats poking their noses into everything and anything. In this country, of which the Golan is occupied by Israel, the Secret Service had indeed acquired extravagant power. Yet they saw and knew nothing of the preparations for war, of the tunnels what were dug and of the weapons that were imported. Today, a large number of corrupt officials have fled abroad, the mukhabarats have refocused on their mission of homeland defense about which only the jihadists have to complain.

Ten years ago, the Ba’ath Party was constitutionally leader of the nation. It alone was allowed to field candidates in elections, but it was already no longer a mass party. Institutions were gradually moving away from the citizens. Today, it’s hard to follow the birth of political parties as they are so numerous. Anyone can run for office and win. Only the “democratic” opposition from Paris and Istanbul have decided to boycott rather than lose.

Ten years ago, one did not talk politics in cafes but only at home and only with people you knew. Today, everyone is talking about politics everywhere in government-controlled areas and never in areas controlled by armed opposition groups.
Where is the dictatorship? Where is the democracy ?

Class reactions

The war is also a class conflict. The rich, who have assets abroad, left when Damascus was attacked. They loved their country, but especially wished to protect their lives and property.

The bourgeois were terrified. They paid “revolutionary” taxes when insurgents demanded, and asserted state support when the army questioned them. Worried, they awaited the departure of President Assad which Al-Jazeera announced as imminent. They only lost their anxiety when the United States abandoned plans to bomb the country. Today, they think only of redeeming themselves by supporting the associations of families of martyrs.

The little people knew from the beginning where it was at. There were those who saw the war as a means to take revenge for their economic conditions, and those who wanted to defend freedom of conscience and free public services.

The United States and Israel, France and the United Kingdom, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia who waged the secret war and who lost, did not anticipate this result: to survive, Syria has liberated its energies and regained its freedom.

If the Geneva Conference 2 stands, the great powers will decide nothing there. The next government will not be the result of a diplomatic arrangement. The only power of the conference will be to propose a solution which can be applied only after it has been ratified by a popular referendum.

This war has bled Syria, half of its cities and infrastructure were destroyed to satisfy the appetites and fantasies of Western and Gulf powers. If something positive emerges from Geneva 2, it will be the financing of the reconstruction by those who have made the country suffer.
Translation
Roger Lagassé

Saudi Decision on Security Council Is About Syria

lebanon Pulse

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/saudi-arabia-un-security-council-decision-popular-mood.html#

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A poster of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is behind Lebanese soldiers in Tripoli, Lebanon, where gunfire broke out between people loyal to different sides in the Syria war, Oct. 23, 2012. (photo by REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim )

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/saudi-arabia-un-security-council-decision-popular-mood.html##ixzz2jqu2pMMx

Saudi Arabia’s decision to decline a UN Security Council seat is neither ordinary nor fleeting. Many may criticize the move, while others might wonder how Saudi Arabia can demand reforming the United Nations, which arose in the aftermath of World War II, while the kingdom still needs reforming itself and is far from democratic. While international parties, most notably Washington, tried to play down the decision, and others considered it a routine way of criticizing the international system, the Saudis' move was nonetheless surprising and shrewd.
SummaryPrint Saudi Arabia’s decision to decline a Security Council seat expresses anger in some Sunni Muslim quarters about the Syria war.
 
Author Sami Nader Posted October 22, 2013
 
The first to notice this was Russia, an old Middle East player that today is taking on a new role as the United States focuses on its internal affairs while seeking regional compromises. By quickly expressing its bewilderment at the decision, Moscow essentially recognized the significance and dimensions of it, the primary aim being to strengthening the negotiating positions of the kingdom and its Arab allies, especially in light of the looming US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the explosive situation in Sudan, harbingers of the Arab Spring, and other developments. What may end up determining the shape of the Middle East in the next phase, however, is the Geneva II conference on the Syrian crisis, especially with Russia having succeeded diplomatically, and Iran militarily, in prolonging the Syrian regime’s life.

The other and more important aspect of the Saudi decision lies in the kingdom’s identity and roles. One should not belittle the decision, ignore its real causes, or consider Saudi Arabia a mere US protectorate that obeys Washington, which affords it security and strategic cover. In fact, Saudi Arabia’s decision was significant because it resonates in the Arab and Sunni Muslim street, which has been accumulating disappointments and experiencing growing frustration as a result of erratic international politics and the Barack Obama administration’s sharp turns.

One should not forget that Saudi Arabia occupies a leadership position in the Islamic world. It was recently joined by Egypt, the main center of gravity in the Arab world, after its relations with Washington reached a new low due to the US stance toward the Mohammed Morsi government and its decision to suspend aid to the Egyptian military. Even Turkey, the third “Sunni pillar” so to speak, has expressed understanding for the Saudi position. The issue is about widespread Sunni resentment among Arab states from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean. Of importance here, the Saudis' decision reflects this popular anger.

The Saudi statement rejecting the Security Council seat criticized the United Nations for failing to find solutions to Middle East crises. Its complaints included failing to deal with the nuclear threat by not imposing effective supervision on the Iranian nuclear program and not finding a solution to the Syrian crisis and ending the related humanitarian tragedy unseen in recent decades. They also highlighted the failure to craft a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that takes into account the conscience of the Arab street at a minimum. The Saudis called for the need to reform the United Nations, particularly its decision-making process involving the veto system. This position is in sync with a previous French request for suspending the veto power when dealing with major crises involving large-scale crimes.

The Saudis' rejection also has political dimensions. The US-Saudi relationship has always been close, but that is of little comfort to countries susceptible to falling under Iranian influence . These countries are concerned, for example, by how the United States decided to halt aid to Egypt while at the same time US representatives in Geneva were discussing the parameters for lifting the economic sanctions on Iran. Although none of the sanctions have yet been lifted, the new policy of openness is not associated with parallel gestures to reassure the anti-Iran contingent (excluding Israel) in the region.

The Syrian issue is proof of that and is no doubt at the core of the problem. Saudi Arabia openly disapproves of how the Syrian crisis was reduced to the chemical weapons issue. The US-Russia agreement on destroying the weapons did not include a settlement for ending the war, but instead left the crisis open-ended. The United States seemed to only care about Israel’s security, appearing indifferent to the Syrian people’s plight and the effects of that tragedy on the Arab and Muslim conscience. In short, the so-called US allies find themselves facing a declining US role, to Russia’s advantage, and a rising Iranian tide, from Tehran to Baghdad to Beirut. It is as if the US allies are the ones paying the price for the US rapprochement with Iran.

In Iraq, the Sunnis are marginalized. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government has failed to reunite the country, which has fallen under Tehran's influence. The situation in Lebanon is stalemated, with the decision on forming a government having collided with the desires of Hezbollah, Iran’s military wing on the Mediterranean. Hezbollah is insisting on a “blocking third” [in the cabinet] and on formal recognition of its “army-people-resistance” triad, which would allow it to keep its weapons outside the state's authority.
Syria has been torn apart and emptied of its people. Millions of displaced persons are flooding neighboring countries, threatening the region’s security and stability in ways unseen since World War II. Neither the Security Council nor the broader international community has been able to do anything to stop it. All they have done is give the Nobel Peace Prize to the team entrusted with dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons. The most dangerous aspect of this situation is its potential effect on the victims and others. If the events of 9/11 revealed anything, it is the correlation between repression and violence, and feelings of humiliation and recourse to terror.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt may not be model democracies, but they do represent Arab moderation, which must be sustained by taking at least a minimum of its interests into account. The alternative is the growth of jihadist groups, which will not be confined to a geographic area, but will spread to any mind or conscience that feels offended or deprived. A major crisis, like that involving Syria, cannot be reduced to its chemical weapons aspect. There is still time to address the crisis before it turns, like its predecessors, into a cause of war and a source of terrorism. The Saudi decision to reject a Security Council seat should be seen from that perspective.

The Saudis' action may be a warning signal about the possible dangers to come if the kingdom were to withhold its support for the ongoing diplomatic process, which has thus far proved incapable of finding solutions. In such a case, Saudi Arabia may decide to withdraw the two cards it holds — Arab moderation and Sunni representation coupled with Islamic legitimacy — both of which are necessary for any future settlement.

Sami Nader is an economist, Middle Eastern affairs analyst and communications expert with extensive expertise in corporate strategy and risk management. He currently directs the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, focusing on economics and geopolitics of the Levant, and is a professor for USJ University in Beirut. On Twitter: @saminader

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/saudi-arabia-un-security-council-decision-popular-mood.html##ixzz2jqtK4P2x

FSA Military Council Head Resigns, Slams Political, Military Opposition
Local Editor   
Syria: Okaidi _ FSA 
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=119161&frid=23&seccatid=20&cid=23&fromval=1
 
President of the Military Council of the so-called 'free Syrian army' in the province of Aleppo resigned on Sunday from his post in protest against what he described an international community "conspiracy" against the Syrian people.

"Because of some people's refusal to heed calls for unity. which led to the loss of fronts, supply routes and Sfeira city (east of Aleppo), I announce my resignation from the leadership of the Revolutionary Military Council in Aleppo," Colonel Abdul-Jabbar Okaidi said in a video statement.

"The blessed revolution has torn off the last mask on the face of the international community", which is "conspiring against this people and against this revolution," he said.

Stating reasons for his resignation, Okaidi mentioned "the fragmentation of the political and military opposition which resulted in "the downturn on ground".

Okaidi also lashed out at the exiled opposition "who represent no one but yourselves," stressing they have turned their backs on Syria and have detached themselves from it completely," he said.

In the video, which was shared widely online, Okaidi also criticized some rebel leaders on the ground, whom he referred to as "warlords":

"Stop... racing each other for power and for your kingdoms... Go back to how you were" at the start of the revolt, he said.

On the other hand, he saluted what he described as "the Mujahideen rebels heroes" who "wrote the greatest epics of heroism and pride away from the showing off," in an implicit belief that killing the Syrian people and sabotaging the whole country is a sign of heroism.

The strategic city of Sfeira has been seized by the FSA several months ago. It's fall has given rise to fears for Aleppo city since Ministry of Defense factories, which produces defense weapons and all kinds of other goods, are located on its edges.

Sfeira's fall means the road to Aleppo from the east is open.

Okaidi defected from the loyalist army in May 2012 to join the military opposition against Syrian government. He led Aleppo battle then the opposition military council of the province.

The Syrian national military launched a wide-scale military operation in May 2013 in the country's main provinces to restore security and release citizens from terrorist threats.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors, mainly the Saudi Arabia and Turkey, of orchestrating the conflict by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.

SAA Continues Field Achievements in Several Areas as Kurds Expel ISIL, Nusra from Towns in Hasaka

Syrian Army Continues Field Achievements in Several Areas
  Local Editor
The Syrian Armed Forces continued operations against the armed terrorist groups in many areas on Tuesday, killing scoresSyria Army of them and destroying their weaponry, munitions and equipment, including a boat in al-Rastan Lake in Homs, SANA reported.
 
In details, the Syrian army units achieved significant advance in Aleppo south eastern countryside and destroyed dozens of terrorists’ hideouts and gatherings in many areas in the province.
 
The army units also clashed with terrorists who tried to attack military posts in the area of Maheen in Homs countryside and eliminated the assailants.
 
A military source told SANA that the army destroyed a boat loaded with weapons and ammunition in al-Rastan Lake in Homs countryside, adding that the terrorists were trying to smuggle the weapons into the area of al-Houla.
 
The Syrian military ambushed members of terrorist groups on al-Seen-Palmyra highway in Damascus Countryside, killing scores of them and destroying two machinegun-equipped vehicles and a 14,5 mm machinegun.
 
Units of the Syrian armed forces on Tuesday wholly eliminated armed terrorist groups and destroyed their dens and gatherings in several areas in Daraa.
 
In a different context, scores of terrorists were killed when a number of explosive devices they were preparing suddenly went off in al-Nakhleh area, according to the source.
 
Source: Agencies
05-11-2013 – 18:45 Last updated 05-11-2013 – 21:16

Kurds Expel ISIL, Nusra from Towns in Hasaka

Local Editor
 
KurdsThe opposition UK-based Syrian Observatory reported that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units clashed with militants of ISIL, Nusra and FSA, expelling them from the Asfar, Najjar and Tal Half areas of Ras al-Ain countryside in Hasaka province.
 
It added that fierce clashes have erupted between the two parties since the dawn of Tuesday in Manajeer area which is the last ISIL position in Ras al-Ain city.
 
Source: Websites
05-11-2013 – 17:20 Last updated 05-11-2013 – 17:20

داعش تنهار و اللجان الشعبية الكردية تحرر أكثر من 25 قرية

تستمر وحدات حماية الشعب الكردية في ملاحقتها لمجموعات “داعش” التي تمركزت في محيط مدينة رأس العين في شمال الحسكة.

العملية العسكرية التي بدأتها وحدات حماية الشعب الكردية، اسفرت عن تنظيف ما يقارب 25 بلدة وقرية في ريف مدينة رأس العين، حيث بدأت من الريف الجنوبي باتجاه تل تمر، لتسيطر في مرحلتها الاولى على كامل القرى الواقعة بين رأس العين وتل تمر، وتفرض حصاراً محكماً على بلدة المشرافة، والتي تعتبر المعقل الرئيسي والمهم للمجموعات المسلحة في الريف الجنوبي لرأس العين، لتنهار مجموعات “داعش” ومن يساندها من المسلحين.

أما في الريف الغربي لمدينة رأس العين، وهو أحد مراكز تجمع المسلحين المهم لـ”داعش”، بالذات بلدة قصر أصفر نجار، فقد بدأت العملية في قرى المسجد والدويرة والشركة، لتدخل لجان حماية الشعب الكردية إلى بلدة أصفر نجار وقرية تل حلف الواقعة 4 كم غرب راس العين، بدون مقاومة تذكر، خصوصاً بعد فرار مجموعات داعش، ليصبح بذلك الطريق بين رأس العين ومنطقة تل ابيض في الرقة وخاصة الطرف الشمالي منه آمناً.

سورية: اللجان الشعبية الكردية تحرر أكثر 25 قرية

هذا في وقت يستمر تقدم وحدات حماية الشعب الكردية، المتزامن مع مرحلة تنظيف خمسة قرى واقعة غرب بلدة تل حلف وهي حمو، تويمية، حردان، عزيزية وتل ارقم.

مصدر في لجان حماية الشعب الكردية، أكد أن القرى التي تم تحريرها في العملية العسكرية هي مجيبرة، حليوة شيشان، تل جاموس، قاطوف شمالي، قاطوف وسطاني، قاطوف جنوبي، جكيما، تل ذياب، أسدية، بئر نوح، قصير، بير الزاد، سيادة، قرية سفح، مشرافة، حلبية، مويرد، عدولة وتل حرمل وكازية سفراني وصوامع السفح، بالإضافة إلى العديد من الحواجر والمزارع ومعاقل مجموعات داعش.

وفي هذا السياق، تم الاستيلاء على العديد من الأسلحة والذخائر والآليات الحربية كسيارات الدوشكا، دبابة، وكميات من الذخيرة والأسلحة الفردية، كما تم تكبيد هذه المجموعات الكثير من الخسائر من قتلى وجرحى، فيما دعت وحدات حماية الشعب كافة أهالي القرى والمزارع التي تم تنظيفها من “داعش”، أن يعودوا إلى منازلهم ويشكلوا مجالسهم في القرى ويساندوا وحداتهم المتواجدة في المنطقة، وأن يكونوا عاملاً في خلق الاستقرار والأمن في المنطقة.

العهد

Syrian Army Strikes Terrorists across Country, Kurds Rout ISIL from 19 Towns


Local Editor
http://uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/syrian-army-strikes-terrorists-across-country-kurds-rout-isil-from-19-towns/
 
The Syrian army on Monday carried out wide operations against terrorists’ gatherings, killing dozens, injuring others and securing several areas, according to SANA.
 
 
army
 
 
The Syrian army restored peace and stability to al-Aziza in Aleppo countryside as it eliminated all the terrorist groups there.
 
The Syrian army also eliminated terrorist groups in Ein al-Jamajmeh village, Aleppo, while weapons and ammunition loaded in terrorists’ cars were destroyed on al-Bab-Aleppo road.
 
The Syrian military also killed members of armed terrorist groups in the areas of Dawar al-Dalleh in Maaret al-Numan and Kafr Battikh, Fillon, Korin and Binnesh in Idleb.
 
The Syrian army ambushed a group of terrorists in Abo al-Shamat to the east of al-Dmeir city in Damascus Countryside, according to a military source.
 
Over 400 militants who belong to “Capital’s Shield Brigade” surrendered to the Syrian army in Damascus countryside, according to Russia Today.
 
In Daraa, the Syrian army further foiled a suicide terrorist’s attempt to detonate a car bomb packed with a big amount of explosives near Bilal Mosque in al-Manshiyeh area.
 
An official source told SANA reporter that the army members destroyed the car before arriving in the densely-populated neighborhood, killing the suicide terrorist with no casualties among citizens.
The source noted that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the residents who informed of the car bomb which was prepared in al-Nakhleh area near al-Sad al-Sharqi in Daraa where armed terrorist groups affiliated to al-Nusra Front were stationed .
 
In Hama the Syrian army units killed 6 terrorists and destroyed their cars which are loaded with weapons and ammunition in Kharab Askar and Tal al-Jayer areas in Qamishli countryside, according to an official source.
The Syrian military eradicated all the militant groups in Hazm al-Wastani in Homs countryside and restored peace and stability in the area.

In a different context, Kurdish fighters have driven ISIL militants from 19 towns and villages across northeastern Syria in recent days, a week after capturing a key Iraqi border crossing, according to the opposing UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
 
“Since Saturday, a total of 19 localities have fallen into the hands of Kurdish fighters.”
 
Source: Agencies
04-11-2013 – 16:59 Last updated 04-11-2013 – 21:33
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