Tunisian protests continue-Egyptian,Algerian,Yemeni, Syrian and Jordanian protests -Rebirth of Arab Activism

[Count Bobulescu]

Hope this is not WMD all over again.

REAL WORLD - L.A. Times col. 1, "U.S. has plans to secure Syria's arsenal: If necessary, special troops will be sent to protect or destroy Assad's chemical weapons," by David S. Cloud and Shashank Bengali: "Securing the sites would probably involve stealthy raids by special operations teams trained to handle such weapons, and precision airstrikes to incinerate the chemicals without dispersing them in the air ... U.S. satellites and drone aircraft already maintain partial surveillance of the sites. U.S. intelligence agencies believe Syria has over the years produced or acquired hundreds of tons of sarin nerve agent and mustard gas, a blister agent, and has sought to develop VX, another powerful nerve gas."

http://lat.ms/NmKsgW

[Sam Lord]

PCOT. Always ready to help their neighbours.

On 1 July, the young Tunisian Ayman Elbahri, a member of our party PCOT was kidnapped by the Moroccan secret services outside the headquarters of the Democratic Way, in the heart of Casablanca. Ayman, who had participated in Sunday’s march called by the Movement February 20, regularly visits Morocco to support the struggles at home and in solidarity with the movement of unemployed graduates.

This Monday morning, the Democratic Way comrades still no news of Ayman. The night before, many young people the February 20 Movement of Democratic Path of PADS … gathered outside the Wilaya At Amne to demand the release of militant young Tunisian.

Finally, on Tuesday we learned that our comrade was eventually released and expelled from the country, although there is free movement agreements between Morocco and Tunisia. Our fellow Moroccans are reporting these facts, based on these agreements.

[C. Flower]

Hope this is not WMD all over again.

http://lat.ms/NmKsgW

Not far from it. Assad it seems does have these weapons. Counter threat to Israeli nuclear weapons, reputedly. But it was noticeable that Obama's statement referred to the movement or use of these weapons.

There have been reports that chemical weapons have been moved by the Syrian army to prevent them falling into possession of militias.

Obama has issued a very elastic threat.

[Count Bobulescu]

Democracy declined worldwide in 2011, Arab Spring nations at risk: report

Only Tunisia has improved markedly its overall governance score amongst the Middle East-North African countries that were surveyed in the latest Countries at the Crossroads report published by Freedom House. Bahrain slipped backward and Egypt edged up only slightly.
Worldwide, declines in the quality of governance far exceeded improvements, led by a worsening of government accountability and the rule of law in civil and criminal matters, the U.S. research group said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88H00X20120918

[riposte]

RTE News not giving much coverage to Syria in the last couple of weeks ......... I wonder why?

http://www.politicalworld.org/showpo...&postcount=679

[Dr. FIVE]

What's the story with Egypt then.

[C. Flower]

Democracy declined worldwide in 2011, Arab Spring nations at risk: report

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...88H00X20120918

"Freedom House"

lol

[C. Flower]

What's the story with Egypt then.

This:







http://www.smh.com.au/world/egyptian...128-2ae4l.html

[Kev Bar]

Net out in Syria

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/pos...rnet_goes_dark

[Kev Bar]

Dial up access #Syria: +46850009990 +492317299993 +4953160941030 user:telecomix password:telecomix OR +33172890150 login:toto password:toto

[Kev Bar]

Ghanem Nuseibeh غانم ‏@gnuseibeh
RT "@mgdowney: BREAKING: Reports that #Morsi is cornered in Mosque in #Cairo as protesters swarm outside."

[Sam Lord]

The Tunisian army has moved into Siliana:

http://www.modbee.com/2012/11/28/247...-tunisian.html

[C. Flower]

Three "Real News" reports, on Syria, Qatar, and Egypt, on the attempts of western powers to intervene in uprisings and superimpose regimes acceptable to them. Also, how Morsi and the US accommodate each other.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?...74&jumival=948

[Sam Lord]

More trouble in Siliana on Saturday. The youth seem to have no intention of giving up.

Interview with a Tunisian communist in which he says the Party is very strong in the in the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) and that the trade union movement is working with the newly formed Popular Front, which I believe was an initiative of the Tunisian communists.

He also makes the huge claim that:

Because of the deterioration of the living conditions of the Tunisian people and the government's inability to deal with these situations, a second revolution in Tunisia is also expected. The Popular Front is ready for this eventuality and prepared to lead such a revolution to achieve its goals.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/52826

Article on the UGTT which has been leading the protests in Siliana:

The UGTT is Tunisia’s biggest (with 517,000 members) and for many years was also its only union organisation (3). Centred on the public sector, it includes 24 regional unions, 19 sector-based unions and 21 grass roots unions. It brings together a wide range of political persuasions and has members in every part of the country and many different social groups, including factory workers, civil servants and doctors. As the cornerstone of the nationalist movement in the colonial era, the UGTT has always played a key role in Tunisian politics: not so much a trade union as an organisation that has always linked social demands to political and national watchwords. Unlike union organisations in other Arab countries, it has always been more or less independent from the state apparatus.

http://mondediplo.com/2012/11/03tunisia

[C. Flower]

More trouble in Siliana on Saturday. The youth seem to have no intention of giving up.

Interview with a Tunisian communist in which he says the Party is very strong in the in the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) and that the trade union movement is working with the newly formed Popular Front, which I believe was an initiative of the Tunisian communists.

He also makes the huge claim that:



http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/52826

Article on the UGTT which has been leading the protests in Siliana:


http://mondediplo.com/2012/11/03tunisia

The "democratic regimes" that are in place in Tunisia and Egypt have no way of dealing with mass unemployment and poverty. A second revolution would be needed to solve this.