Skip to main content

Home/ CULF 3331: "Middle Eastern Revolutions"/ Group items tagged West

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
nicolet1189

Ignorant jihadis 'have bought into fantasy fuelled by social media' | World news | The ... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...antasy-fuelled-by-social-media

ISIS Recruitment Taliban War

shared by nicolet1189 on 19 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • boys aged between 10 and 20 who had been radicalised by the Taliban.
  • They all told the same story, sa
  • “They all had impoverished backgrounds, they were illiterate, their families had been approached by the Taliban and were coerced into abandoning their children, they were lambs to the slaughter,” she said.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Those from the west are naive and lack imagination, they are chasing a fictional dream, and they often have barely any knowledge of what Islam is.”
  • The book aspiring Isis militants most commonly ordered online before taking off to Syria was Islam for Dummies, she said.
  • “What Isis has done, and they have exceed al-Qaida in this, is take really spectacular control of the narrative of their organisation while sharing that story through masterful use of all mechanisms of the media,” she said
  • propaganda and recruitment videos spreading the jihadi message w
  • Ten years ago, it was difficult to access and acquire videos like the beheadings we have seen unless you were part of an inner circle, but now this material is mainstream, you can access it just by opening Twitter,”
  • “If you are a young person with limited imagination, a limited sense of self, and you are uninclined to engage with your neighbours, friends and a pluralistic society, you are very easily seduced. You’re like a blank canvas.”
  • Differentiating between Islam and Islamism
  • Islamism promotes explicit totalitarianism and the belief that Islam historically had incredible global and geopolitical glory that should be restored through violence, jihadism and barbarity
allieggg

Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East's 30 year war » The Spectator - 0 views

www.spectator.co.uk/...armageddon-awaits

proxy wars leadership polarization US Saudi Iran the middle east war

shared by allieggg on 21 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • There are those who think that the region as a whole may be starting to go through something similar to what Europe went through in the early 17th century during the Thirty Years’ War, when Protestant and Catholic states battled it out. This is a conflict which is not only bigger than al-Qa’eda and similar groups, but far bigger than any of us. It is one which will re-align not only the Middle East, but the religion of Islam.
  • Either way there will be a need for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution — a redrawing of boundaries in a region where boundaries have been bursting for decades.
  • But for the time being, a distinct and timeless stand-off between two regional powers, with religious excuses and religiously affiliated proxies will in all probability remain the main driver of this conflict.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • ‘Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the birthplace of Islam. As such, it is the eminent leader of the wider Muslim world. Iran portrays itself as the leader of not just the minority Shiite world, but of all Muslim revolutionaries interested in standing up to the West.’
  • ‘Saudi Arabia will oppose any and all of Iran’s actions in other countries, because it is Saudi Arabia’s position that Iran has no right to meddle in other nations’ internal affairs, especially those of Arab states.’
  • Saudi officials more recently called for the Iranian leadership to be summoned to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes. Then, just the month before last, as the P5+1 countries eased sanctions on Iran after arriving at an interim deal in Geneva, Saudi saw its greatest fear — a nuclear Iran — grow more likely. And in the immediate aftermath of the Geneva deal, Saudi sources darkly warned of the country now taking Iranian matters ‘into their own hands’. There are rumours that the Saudis would buy nuclear bombs ‘off the shelf’ from their friends in Pakistan if Iran ever reaches anything like the nuclear threshold. In that  case, this Westphalian solution could be prefaced with a mushroom cloud.
  • allieggg on 21 Nov 14
     
    This article touches on an array of ideas but for the sake of my research I focused on the "Thirty Years War" section. Douglass Murray from The Spectator conveys the perspective that the Middle East is likely to be going through a similar 17th century European 30 years war, when Protestant and Catholics launched a full fledged war against one another. This means that religious war in the Middle East is so much bigger than just al-Qaeda and similar groups. The conflict will re-align the region, but also the entire religion of Islam. Douglass says the outcome would call for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution, redrawing boundaries of a region where they've been bursting for decades.  For the time being the drivers of the conflict is a standoff between the two regional powers and their affiliated proxies, Saudi Arabia and Iran. 
allieggg

Can Libya Rebuild Itself After 40 Years of Gaddafi? - 0 views

www.newsweek.com/f-after-40-years-gaddafi-68601

Gaddafi libya Arab Nationalism recontruction political tabula rasa Revolution politics middle east

shared by allieggg on 12 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • the man has hollowed out the Libyan state, eviscerated all opposition in Libyan society, and, in effect, created a political tabula rasa on which a newly free people will now have to scratch out a future.
  • Jamahiriya, a political system that is run directly by tribesmen without the intermediation of state institutions
  • the problem is, of course, that much like in the former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe, virtually everyone at one point or another had to deal with the regime to survive.
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • Libya is truly a case apart.
  • the disastrous Italian legacy in Libya, has been a constant element in Gaddafi’s speeches since he took power
  • inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser, neighboring Egypt’s president, whose ideas of Arab nationalism and of the possibility of restoring glory to the Arab world, would fuel the first decade of Gaddafi’s revolution.
  • he was unimpressed with the niceties of international diplomacy,
  • In a brilliant move that co-opted tribal elders, many of whom were also military commanders, he created the Social Leadership People’s Committee, through which he could simultaneously control the tribes and segments of the country’s military.
  • When it turned out that Libya, which was still a decentralized society in 1969, had little appetite for his centralizing political vision and remained largely indifferent to his proposals, the young idealist quickly turned activist.
  • Green Book, a set of slim volumes published in the mid-1970s that contain Gaddafi’s political philosophy, a blueprint is offered for a dramatic restructuring of Libya’s economy, politics, and society. In principle, Libya would become an experiment in democracy. In reality, it became a police state where every move of its citizens was carefully watched by a growing number of security apparatuses and revolutionary committees that owed loyalty directly to Gaddafi.
  • Having crushed all opposition by the mid-1970s, the regime systematically snuffed out any group that could potentially oppose it—any activity that could be construed as political opposition was punishable by death, which is one reason why a post-Gaddafi Libya, unlike a post-Mubarak Egypt, can have no ready-made opposition in a position to fill the vacuum.
  • The tribes—the Warfalla, the Awlad Busayf, the Magharha, the Zuwaya, the Barasa, and the smallest of them all, the Gadafa, to which he belonged—offered a natural form of political affiliation, a tribal ethos that could be tapped into for support. And perhaps, in the aftermath of Gaddafi, they could serve as a nucleus around which to build a new political system.
  • Gaddafi feared they might coalesce into groups opposing his rule. So, during the first two decades after the 1969 coup, he tried to erase their influence, arguing that they were an archaic element in a modern society.
  • comprehensive reconstruction of everything civic, political, legal, and moral that makes up a society and its government.
  • After systematically destroying local society, after using the tribes to cancel each other out, after aborting methodically the emergence of a younger generation that could take over Libya’s political life—all compounded by the general incoherence of the country’s administrative and bureaucratic institutions—Gaddafi will have left a new Libya with severe and longstanding challenges.
  • the growing isolation of Libya as international sanctions were imposed.
  • Lockerbie was the logical endpoint for a regime that had lost all international legitimacy.
  • while the regime still had the coercive power to put down any uprisings that took place in the 1990s, it became clear to Gaddafi’s closest advisers that the potential for unrest had reached unprecedented levels.
  • way out was to come to an agreement with the West that would end the sanctions, allow Libya to refurbish an aging oil infrastructure, and provide a safety valve by permitting Libyans to travel abroad once more.
  • intent to renounce weapons of mass destruction in December 2003—after a long process of behind-the-scenes diplomacy initially spearheaded by Britain
  • “The Revolution Everlasting” was one of the enduring slogans of his Libya, inscribed everywhere from bridges to water bottles.
  • regime that had, for four decades, mismanaged the country’s economy and humiliated its citizens
  • country was split in half, with eastern Cyrenaica and its main city Benghazi effectively independent—a demonstration of the kind of people’s power Gaddafi had always advocated. Reality, in effect, outgrew the caricature.
  • used a set of divide-and-rule policies that not only kept his opponents sundered from each other, but had also completely enfeebled any social or political institution in the country.
  • Beyond Gaddafi, there exists only a great political emptiness, a void that Libya somehow will need to fill.
  • the creation of a modern state where Libyans become true citizens, with all the rights and duties this entails.
  • the terrorist incidents
  • Regimes can use oil revenues strategically to provide patronage that effectively keeps them in power.
  • allieggg on 12 Nov 14
     
    This article from News Week basically paints a picture of Libyan history and how Gaddafi's reign devastated the state economically, socially, and politically. Author Dirk Vandewalle uses the phrase "a political tabula rasa" which in Latin means a blank slate, to describe the fate of Libya after Gaddafi's rule and convey the extent to which the country has to literally reconstruct every component that makes up a society and its government. He highlights major events that led to the downfall of both the Gaddafi regime and the Libyan state as a whole such as Arab nationalism, Jamahiriya, the Green Book, security apparatuses snuffing all opposition, terrorist incidents, isolation and international sanctions, the Lockerbie bombing, weapons of mass destruction, human right violations, divide and rule policies, and his use of oil revenue to fuel his insurgency. Vandewalle concludes the article with uncertain ideas thoughts towards Libya's future and the way the state is going to literally rebuild themselves from this "blank slate" that Gaddafi left behind. 
zackellogg

Qatar-Gulf deal forces expulsion of Muslim Brotherhood leaders - 1 views

www.theguardian.com/...ian-muslim-brotherhood-leaders

Qatar-Gulf Brotherhood Saudi Arabia

shared by zackellogg on 28 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • kevinobkirchner on 28 Sep 14
     
    As part of a 2013 agreement signed in the Saudi Arabian capitol of Riyadh, Qatar has agreed to expel exiled leaders of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that have taken up residence in the country that has traditionally supported them. The Muslim Brotherhood is seen as an extremist organization by many Arab states and the West but Qatar and Turkey are still supporters of them however pressures from the threat of ISIS finally coerced Qatar to honor the 2013 agreement. The exiled leaders have already been welcomed into Turkey however.
  • zackellogg on 11 Nov 14
     
    This article discusses Qatar's agreement to expel any exiled leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. This is just one of the many agreements that Qatar is forced to abide by under Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This decision was made as a way of shifting political alignments.
zackellogg

Band of Brothers: The Muslim Brotherhood's Artistic Side - 1 views

muftah.org/lim-brotherhoods-artistic-side

Muslim Brotherhood Art Muftah

shared by zackellogg on 11 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • kristaf on 11 Nov 14
     
    The article mentions the refusal of an opera production to go on as a way of making a statement against Morsi and the brotherhood. The Orchestra conductor named Nayer Nagui addressed the audience and said "We have decided to abstain from putting  on tonight's performance of Aida...until the Minister of Culture is removed." The newly appointed Minister of Culture was given by Morsi to Alaa Abdel Aziz who was altering the message and production of the show. The show according to Aziz was not following appropriate or respectful interpretations of Islam. 
  • zackellogg on 11 Nov 14
     
    Muftah was first launched in May of 2010 as a way of push back against the Western media potrayl of the Middle East. According to the Muftah mission statement, the West has failed to provide diverse viewpoints, and it is things like Muftah that can really make a difference. According to the mission, Muftah focuses on original content by using diverse individuals to tell the story.
Briana S

Pope Francis leads Mass in Turkish Cathedral | Nation | Daily Sabah - 0 views

www.dailysabah.com/...s-leads-mass-in-turkish-church

pope francis pope catholics muslims Turkey tolerance

shared by Briana S on 01 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • Briana S on 01 Dec 14
     
    Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the globe's estimated one billion Catholics, has celebrated a special Mass in Istanbul on the second day of his official visit to Turkey. Security was tight at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in the city's... | Daily Sabah After graciously visiting Turkey, one of the countries in the Middle East that has only 1% population of non-Muslims to speak words of tolerance between Muslims and the West. He also addressed Christians with hopes of influencing them to be more accepting/respectful of Islam.
Briana S

Ben Affleck's Attack on 'Islamophobia' Inspires One Muslim Woman To Write An Open Lette... - 0 views

www.ijreview.com/...-affleck-youll-surprised-feels

muslims Ben Affleck islamophobia Bill Maher

shared by Briana S on 01 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • Briana S on 01 Dec 14
     
    After the heated argument Ben Affleck had with Real Time host Bill Maher, people are still debating the topic of Islam in the world. A Muslim woman named Eiynah has entered the discussion, and directed her opinion of the often archaic nature of Islam in an open letter to Affleck, which was posted on Pakistan Today : Dear Ben, I am writing to you today as a woman who was born and raised in Islam. This topic is interesting because liberals in the West are so annoyed by the rhetoric that comes from bigoted sources; while Affleck was standing up for what he believes in, the writer suggests he should have gone about it in a different way. It's just also unfortunate that many are quick to judge and condemn a faith even though other faiths have had just as many problems (and have supported immoral practices) throughout history. However its still important to bring up and try to make solutions for human rights crisis that take place based on Sharia law.
  • Briana S on 01 Dec 14
     
    After the heated argument Ben Affleck had with Real Time host Bill Maher, people are still debating the topic of Islam in the world. A Muslim woman named Eiynah has entered the discussion, and directed her opinion of the often archaic nature of Islam in an open letter to Affleck, which was posted on Pakistan Today : Dear Ben, I am writing to you today as a woman who was born and raised in Islam. This topic was interesting because liberals in America have to deal with bigoted rhetoric all the time and its frustrating. While the author of the letter was proud of Affleck for standing up for Islamic people and what he believes is right, she suggests he just go about it in a different way because discussions of human right violations in the Middle East should still be called out.
jherna2a

Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom? - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-29319423

Yemen Houthi rebellion power struggle

shared by jherna2a on 21 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • mjumaia on 21 Apr 15
     
    Yemen has war between several different groups, and this article explains more in details.
  • cguybar on 21 Jan 16
     
    The main fight is between the beleaguered President and rebels known as Houthis. The threat of attacks in Yemen posses a threat on the West due to its instability. 
  • jherna2a on 27 Jan 16
     
    Article explains the conflict in Yemen between the Houthis and the state. The Houthis are a rebel group who adhere to Zaidism.
joepouttu

The Pope's next diplomatic miracle? Middle East peace... - 1 views

www.independent.co.uk/...ranian-president-a6831331.html

Pope Francis Iran Peace

shared by joepouttu on 26 Jan 16 - No Cached
  • joepouttu on 01 Feb 16
     
    Pope Francis has decided to take on the task of ending the ongoing religious conflicts that are ripping apart the Middle East and sending millions of people fleeing for their lives. He will get an opportunity when he hosts the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during his travels to the West.
blantonjack

How serious is the ISIL threat in Libya? - 1 views

www.aljazeera.com/...eat-libya-160222081244640.html

ISIS Libya war Al Qaeda

shared by blantonjack on 24 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • blantonjack on 24 Feb 16
     
    The recent US air strike on a building in the western Libyan city of Sabrata, which killed more than 40 suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, highlights the growing expansion and danger of the group in Libya. Both ISIL and Gaddafi loyalists share the belief that the new political leaders in Libya are "agents of the West" brought to power by NATO. Sirte has become the first stronghold that ISIL totally controls outside of Iraq and Syria, and it is reportedly home to the group's strongest presence within Libya. For the Western powers to combat this, means many military airstrikes as well as working with Libyan forces to provide intelligence of the whereabouts of the ISIL powers
amarsha5

Turkey's Erdogan denounces US support for Syrian Kurds - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-35541003

turkey syria refugees support

shared by amarsha5 on 10 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • he refugees have fled an offensive by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias,
  • Turkey says the PYD, on which the US relies to b
  • Syria, is an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • More than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed since the assault began 10 days ago
  • urkey has already taken in more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees over the past five years and says it will continue to do so in a "controlled fashion".
  • rkey would be indirectly contributing to "ethnic cleansing" in northern Syria by the government.
  • urkey's president asked in a speech: "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organisation?"
  • While Turkey sees the PYD and YPG as offshoots of the banned PKK, the US does not and believes they are the only effective force against IS on the ground in Syria, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.
  • France's outgoing Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, also questioned the commitment of the US to resolve the crisis in Syria on Wednesday, saying its "ambiguous" policy was contributing to the problem.
  • But he warned: "We feel that we were sold to the Russians, and that the West has abandoned us."
  • joepouttu on 10 Feb 16
     
    Turkey has denounced the United States for providing support to the Democratic Union Party, who any are calling a terrorist group. This is contributing to the bloodshed. 
  • mcooka on 10 Feb 16
     
    Turkey is mad at U/S over their support for Syria's Kurdish group. Turkey claims them as a terrorist group. Refugees are still fleeing from Syria.
  • amarsha5 on 11 Feb 16
     
    US support of Syrian extremist group, the Democratic Union Party, has been denounced by Turkish president Erdogan. The recent fighting has displaced 50,000 people and cut off key supply routes for bringing in aid. Turkey has vowed to continue to accept refugees.w
cthomase

Islamic State-linked fighters seizing oil-rich land in Libya - 0 views

www.latimes.com/...isis-libya-20160208-story.html

ISIS war Libya politics

shared by cthomase on 11 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • cthomase on 11 Feb 16
     
    This is another example of how ISIS or ISIS inspired fighters are increasingly moving their operations Westward into Libya. As they continue to lose ground and support in Iraq and Syria, they find an area that is basically the wild west when it comes to terror. Libya has no stable government and no real solution to combat the influx of ISIS.
sambofoster

Saudi Arabia Women; Can an Arab Muslim Arabian Woman Work in KSA? - 1 views

hubpages.com/...Saudi-Arabia-Women

women saudi arabia freedom

shared by sambofoster on 24 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • sambofoster on 24 Feb 16
     
    In Saudi Arabia Women are not entitled to the same freedoms that we in the west take for granted, this hub will look at everything from how to dress, education, can an Arabian woman work, driving, segregation, abuse, marriage, divorce, Adultery, punishment even death by stoning for Saudi Arabian Women.
mkulach

Palestinian PM urges ban on Israeli settlement products - 0 views

www.business-standard.com/...t-products-116040400600_1.html

Israel Palestine EU trade

shared by mkulach on 05 Apr 16 - No Cached
  • mkulach on 05 Apr 16
     
    Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday urged the European Union to ban Israeli settlement products from entering Europe. At a meeting with Christian Berger, director for Middle East at the European External Action Service, Hamdallah said the Israeli settlements are illegitimate under international law. UNHRC adopted a resolution to "blacklist" companies that operate in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
« First ‹ Previous 41 - 60 of 64 Next ›
Showing 20▼ items per page