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September 2007 Archives

September 29, 2007

Regarding Maghreb & Bread

Riots that is, an interesting exchange on recent disturbances in Morocco over basic staples rising prices (in French, sorry monolinguals and non-Francophones, go bloody use a substandard online translator).

Real reform, not make up...a good comment made by EcoMaroc (the blog). Important.

Meanwhile, online I read that Abbas el Fassi, mediocrity en chef is talking about ditching the Jettou government's budgetary rectitude for "investment" (i.e. likely senseless wasting of the ratepayer's money on corrupt schemes, and raising more funds domestically, crowding out of course productive investment).

Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Development

WB: Doing Business - Egypt tops reform

Well, I am most surprised: as Egypt, despite the Shrimp Eater tops the easing business race as measured by World Bank, which is to say that it's undertaken more operational reforms to make your average small business set up and running moderately less of a nightmare. I note also that there is a short and useful profile of MENA regional reforms available on this page as well as other regions.

Egypt, well given the coverage of this initial data release I have to congratulate WB with coming up with the benchmarking idea. Very useful, cross comparative (as in "what, Egypt is doing better than us" is useful. Above all as much signs of backsliding on liberalisation in the Maghreb stomping grounds (and Libya, who the bloody hell knows...)).

Continue reading "WB: Doing Business - Egypt tops reform"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Development

September 26, 2007

Abu Aardvark on The Surge & The Sunni Leadership

A personal favorite political magazine's blog presents a personal favorite political institute's video of an Aqoul favorite blogger Marc Lynch, aka Abu Aardvark, speaking at a conference at the CATO Institute on THE SURGE. The professorial Father of Aardvarks opines about the recent Iraq Sunni insurgent-US military cooperation, but bases his insights on Arabic language media and internet communications of Sunni community leaders. The conclusions he arrives at are basically that the Sunni leaders are stating to their very anti-US constituency that cooperation with the USA is merely tactical and the result of insurgent victories which forced the US to assist them in certain common aims of fighting al-Qaeda and fighting some Shiite militias. They view the government and al-Sadr as "Iranian" and they eventually want the entire US occupation out. In addition, the conditions are such that further sectarian fragmentation is underway and no matter how long the US stays, it appears the conditions will remain ripe for sectarian war. Informed readers, have at it.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 08:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities , Foreign Policy & MENA , Iraq War , Media , Political Development , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

September 22, 2007

America's Crusade to Drive Away Arabo-Muslim Investment

Senator Schumer, ignoramus and fear-mongerer at large whose understanding of Dubai, whore entrepot of the Gulf, is that it's Al Qaeda central: "Dubai has been cited as a nexus for terrorist financing and money laundering and a 'potential crossroads' for shipping and trading linked to Iran's drive to obtain nuclear materials and technology"

Evidently despite representing New York, his literacy in matters financial is also terribly limited (or he merely is one of those Phobics post 11 Sep who are smart enough to dress up their fear of all things Islamic in other clothes), for Dubai taking a stake in NASDAQ really means fuck all (other than they're likely to be soaked just like the Japanese were in their Rockefeller Centre / NY buying spree...).

Continue reading "America's Crusade to Drive Away Arabo-Muslim Investment"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:24 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Economic Development , MENA Region General , US Foreign Policy

September 21, 2007

King Abdallah of Jordan, member of a Bible study group?

I was reading Mother Jones' article about Hillary Clinton's religiosity, surprising in itself when it described how Hillary had been part of the conservative and elitist Bible study group called the "Fellowship" - also known, in an odd mafia-like way, as the "Family". It's not only mere vote-catching for this Democratic candidate formerly known as liberal - asked how her Christian faith had gotten through the Lewinsky-affair, she replied that she had "people whom I knew who were literally praying for me in prayer chains, who were prayer warriors for me."

My astonishment was not to end there.

Continue reading "King Abdallah of Jordan, member of a Bible study group?"

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 05:42 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Levant

September 13, 2007

Iran War On the Way: More Evidence

It appears that I may have been right to call attention to those saying a war on Iran is being rolled out by the Administration. An informed and expert source in DC affirmed it to me as well a few days back. And it looks like the usual suspect sources are now marketing it. (Love the part where we can mysteriously tell that the Germans really want us to attack even as they back away from sanctions against Iran. Saying "no" when they really mean "yes", those Teutonic teases!) Michael Ledeen appears to be the one whose job is to incite the converted; he who says that al-Qaeda and Iran are interchangeable terms and at one point called Dubai, an "Iranian colony". Man, all them dang camel jockeys are the same and interchangeable, and that thinking is how one manufactures a war. Anyway, Aqoulites and Aqoulite wannabes with Iran-specific knowledge are needed to weigh in, now and in the future.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 09:19 PM | Comments (19) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Central Asia , Foreign Policy & MENA , Gulf , Iraq War , Levant , MENA Region General , Media , Site News , Society & Culture , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

September 11, 2007

The Moroccan elections - a victory for makhzeno-khobzism...

As most readers will know by now, Morocco's by far largest party is that of the abstentionists, who, with 63% of registered voters, won a landslide victory. Of the remaining 37% who bothered to vote, a sizeable amount voted blank - around 25% in Meknès and Fez, for example. Of those who cast a valid ballot, it would appear that the supposedly nationalist Istiqlal party won less than a fifth of the votes, slightly ahead of the mdoerate islamist PJD. Of course, besides being a blow to the governmental aspirations of the PJD, which seemed reasonable prior to the elections, this outcome means that the King will have even more of a free rein than previously - plus ça change, moins ça change...

For Morocco's democratisation process, this is a serious setback - and it is arguably a false victory on the longer term for the "executive monarchy" (1) favored by the King and his advisers...

Continue reading "The Moroccan elections - a victory for makhzeno-khobzism..."

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 06:57 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa , Political Development

September 10, 2007

Morocco: Quick Reflexions on Not Quite A Spanish Democracy

A quick reflexion on the Moroccan elections that are without any doubt a disaster for the "emerging Spanish style democracy" image pimped for (and sometimes by) Morocco, which 'Aqoul via our good amigo Ibn Kafka (who I hope we will welcome at 'Aqoul in a not distant future, at least no more distant than rumours of postings on Infidel) has done I think yoeman service in 'covering' as it were. Before my own thoughts, as a running dog of capitalism, Anglo Saxon foreigner blah blah, a quick and useful summary of our election backgrounders.

1. Sept 8: Morocco's elections: Money, personalisation of politics and public disaffection
2. Sept 7: Rock-bottom turnout in Morocco's general elections (NB: yours truly retracts initial reaction as wrong, wrong wrong)
3. Sept 7: When even MEMRI has doubts... (slightly unfair I would say, but Ibn Kafka had a point)
4. Sept 6: A candidate above all suspicion (Palace man as "independent" candidate... the grotesquely structured domestic media commentary via the sats post-election does remind one that Morocco, however much it has advanced, has not but a smidgen of critical journalism in re anything Palace)
5. Sept 5: After Leb tarts and March 14, Moroccan babes and the PJD
6. Aug 29: Preview of the Moroccan elections, Part III
7. Aug 22: Preview of the Moroccan elections, Part II
8. Aug 19: Preview of the Moroccan elections, Part I

Continue reading "Morocco: Quick Reflexions on Not Quite A Spanish Democracy"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:31 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa , Political Development

September 09, 2007

Quick Roundup of News on Roundups

{Sarcasm} Here's a headline you'd never expect to see. I'm shocked, shocked. . . . {/sarcasm} (Iraq)

Now here's a headline you'd really never expect to see. (Israel)

Here's an interesting roundup about al-Qaeda leader roundups. For a variety of reasons, this Abu al-Yazid guy seems the most interesting and dangerous , specifically as he reminds me in terms of his alleged internal likeability, technical profession (accountancy/fundraising), energy, and tactical sense of a rather successful violent insurgent of the past. Insurgencies can use good accountants and fundraisers.

And, just for yucks, bad news for anyone planning to have online virtual sex with Osama bin-Laden.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 06:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Central Asia , Ethnic Minorities , Foreign Policy & MENA , Gulf , Iraq War , Levant , MENA Region General , Political Development , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

September 08, 2007

Morocco's elections: Money, personalisation of politics and public disaffection

The fragmentation of the Moroccan political scene, which has been ongoing since a quarter of a century, isn't only manifest in the number of parties participating in electoral politics - 33 in 2007. The personalisation of party politics, the largely interchangeable nature of party affiliation and the widespread use of money - not only vis-à-vis the voters, but also in the internal nominating process within parties - all these elements weaken the political and ideological significance of Moroccan elections. The régime is thus caught in a paradox: while the feebleness of the partisan scene, which it has encouraged, is of course fully intentional, too weak a partisan and parliamentarian scene will only serve to discredit the régime's democratic discourse, vital if it is to continue to gain the political , diplomatic and economic support it so sorely needs from its Western sponsors (the Arab sponsors of the régime, being mainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, couldn't bother less, of course).

Continue reading "Morocco's elections: Money, personalisation of politics and public disaffection"

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 11:10 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa

September 07, 2007

Bin-Laden Versus Bin-Laden, same day

Osama bin-Laden on Sept. 7 2007* -- "19 young men were able, by the grace of [God], the Most High, to change the direction of [America's] compass."

Osama bin-Laden on, um, Sept 7, 2007 -- "burning living beings is forbidden by our religion, even if they be small like the ant, so what of men?"

In addition to terrorist, criminal, fanatic, and other filth-and-foul words, we can now add "what a fatuous dick".

Continue reading "Bin-Laden Versus Bin-Laden, same day"

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 08:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Central Asia , EU Foreign Policy , Foreign Policy & MENA , Gulf , Iraq War , Islam & Politics , Islam General , Islamism , Levant , MENA Region General , Media , North Africa , Op-Ed , Political Development , Press Freedom , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

Rock-bottom turnout in Morocco's general elections

According to official estimates just in, just about 41% of Morocco's 15 million registered voters bothered to vote (and you should know that only 79% of potential voters did register) in the general elections to the Moroccan Chamber of Representatives.

Continue reading "Rock-bottom turnout in Morocco's general elections"

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 08:05 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa

When even MEMRI has doubts...

...then you're in trouble, if you are Morocco's pro-US monarch, with good if quasi-clandestine and somewhat uneasy relations with Israel. For those who've been held incommunicado the last five or six years, MEMRI is an Israel-based think-tank, led by former Israeli military intelligence officer Yigal Carmon. It is not renowned for its subtlety or detached, fair and factual analysis of the Middle East or Islamic issues.

Continue reading "When even MEMRI has doubts..."

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 06:15 AM | Comments (19) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa

F**kin' Alif, Dude! Arabic School Opens in Brooklyn

The Khalil Gibran International Academy school has opened in New York, part of the public education system. Being a wacko libertarian, I have my reservations even about public schooling as a general concept, but allowing it to be a virtue and necessity, still what advantage is it to have a specialized school devoted to Arabic culture and language for kids in Brooklyn USA? Folks, there does exist a private education option for establishing such things, if felt needed. This has a Euro feel of separateness to it, combined with the related US cult of the Great God Diversity. But I thought we yanks had passed on the "separate but equal" thing in public schools. Naturally, of course, the Daniel Pipes squadrons of haters-of-all-things-even-appearing-Muslimish-and-socially-acceptable made an unbelievably laughably weird xenophobic stink over it (Pipes: "learning Arabic in-and-of-itself promotes an Islamic outlook"). They even got the first chosen principal fired for correctly explaining that intifada in Arabic means a shaking-off, thereby apparently establishing that a school that teaches the Arabic language should most definitely not teach it accurately.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 12:47 AM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Ethnic Minorities , Gender Issues , Islam & Politics , Islam General , Media , Political Development , Religious Minorities , Society & Culture

September 06, 2007

A candidate above all suspicion

When former deputy interior minister Fouad Ali El Himma (FAEH) resigned on August 7 in order to be a candidate in the dirt-poor rural constituency of Rhamna, where he was born, Moroccan politicos and commentators couldn't really make out whether this was a demotion after a supposed incident involving an inebriated FAEH is said to have made a scene at a Moroccan border-crossing awith the Spanish enclave of Sebta (Ceuta). The shape that his campaign has now taken tends to dispel any lingering doubts.

Continue reading "A candidate above all suspicion"

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 06:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Filed Under: North Africa

September 05, 2007

After Leb tarts and March 14, Moroccan babes and the PJD

Many Western bloggers were struck by the beauty of some of the female supporters - Leb tarts to cut it short - of the Lebanese March 14 movement. In a moment of human weakness a few of them admitted to letting their newly found sensitivity to gender issues determine their support for the Hariri/Ja'ja/Jumblatt block, in view of the perceived lack of competitive edge from the Hezbollah camp.

Continue reading "After Leb tarts and March 14, Moroccan babes and the PJD"

Posted by Ibn Kafka at 01:44 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Islamism , North Africa

September 04, 2007

Incentives and Accountability in Gulf Labor Markets

If the penalty for shooting someone was a $12 fine, and a warning that repeat offenders might lose access to firearms, what would happen? The murder rate would shoot up. We rely on incentives and disincentives to promote or dissuade against all sorts of things, from charitable giving to compliance with the law.

Continue reading "Incentives and Accountability in Gulf Labor Markets"

Posted by dubaiwalla at 12:15 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Business, Private , Economic Development , Economic Policy , Gulf

September 03, 2007

Dar Fur: Not So Simple as Arabs attacking "Blacks"

As longer-term readers of Aqoul know, I have rather long been beating away at a point re Dar Fur: that the nice little story packaged up for college activists and Islamo / Arabophobes re Dar Fur fundamentally mis-characterises tribal resource war as genocide and that the real story is desertification and excessive population pressure on an environment that can't support the combination of population lifestyles and numbers. And that the simplistic narrative of Black Africans versus Arabs (imagined to be people looking rather like Saudis, rather than the said Arab elders in the photo... who are rather obviously Arabised locals of a most "Black" genotype....)

The New York Times in a generally decent article, Chaos in Darfur on Rise as Arabs Fight With Arab makes me point, if belatedly. Of course, it contains certain idiocies, such as referring to Arab tribes in the plural but the Fur as a single tribe - they are of course a linguistic group about as much a single tribe as "the Arabs." Which is to say, they are tribes, plural. The article is very much worth a read and promotion. As I am an optimist by nature, perhaps it can help correct some of the delirious whanking on about Arab genocide on the Blacks, and maybe refocus on the real tragedy of an ecological and economic catastrophe and a spiral of destruction as clan and tribal warfare becomes bloodbaths via guns (not that history of the Maori should be forgotten in reminding one and all this is hardly a new phenomena).

Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:50 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Filed Under: EU Foreign Policy , Ethnic Minorities , Foreign Policy & MENA , MENA Region General , US Foreign Policy

September 02, 2007

Tehran: A Sore US Wrecks? Iran War Looming?

The informed blogosphere and newsosphere are abuzz with rumors* that a US war, or a sustained attack (i.e.war), on Iran is being put out for aggressive marketing by Administration innards this week. Events will prove this true or false. Regardless of the rightness or wrongness of such a thing, if it is being planned, I do wonder if the questions and considerations below have been addressed.

Continue reading "Tehran: A Sore US Wrecks? Iran War Looming?"

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 08:28 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Central Asia , Foreign Policy & MENA , Gulf , Iraq War , MENA Region General , Media , Political Development , Terrorism , US Foreign Policy

Remittances & MENA, a brief reflexion on money flows

My favourite newspaper, as a running dog of an anglo saxon ultra liberale as the francophones like to style me (well except the running dog part, it not being in the idioma) The Financial Times has a fine series on Remittances, or in more ordinary language, money sent home by 3rd Worlders working outside of home country.

Funny these terms. Leaving this aside, remittances is quite a hot topic in the financial world, both in policy and in the money making parts, because the volumes are huge and our grubby little minds always think there must be ways to do interesting things with cash flows. More prosaically, the development people are all atwitter that:

In many developing countries today, more money comes from remittances than from foreign aid, foreign investment or even traditional exports. In Central America, remittances have long eclipsed traditional agricultural mainstays such as coffee and bananas. Migrants send more money to Morocco than tourists spend there. In some small countries – Lebanon, Serbia, Haiti, Tonga, Albania and Jamaica are all examples – remittances generate more revenues than all merchandise exports put together. The latest World Bank figures list 14 countries where migrants’ earnings account for 15 per cent or more of economic output, ranging from Moldova with 38 per cent to Jamaica with 16.4 per cent.

So there must be ways to make this money work better than merely supporting consumption, they say!

On the other side, and this is particularly true for marginally financially literate American government officials, there is this huge obsession with hawala (their mot phare, having just learned it, and thinking it applicable everywhere in - what do they call it, the silly little American provincials, BMENA or GMENA (Broader / Greater MENA), (1) and transfers (informal or otherwise) as terror financing. Apparently insensible to the data indicating nothing much in the way of money laundering as such has been involved in al Qaeda acts despite much fevered talk.

Continue reading "Remittances & MENA, a brief reflexion on money flows"

Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:25 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Business, Private , Economic Development , Economic Policy , MENA Region General , US Foreign Policy

New Month Open Post

That ancient tradition, here it is for September 2007. 'Aqoul as a site is now over two years old.

Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:06 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Filed Under: Site News