Politics

Some political articles

Journalists reporting on Mubarak's health land jail sentence

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Back in August, opposition newspapers in Egypt reported that president Hosni Mubarak's health has deteriorated, as well as speculation about the succession.

It seems that this is a sensitive topic among the ruling elite,
because in a rare reaction, Mubarak was interviewed in Al Ahram, the
semi official newspaper and the headline read : "I know who is
spreading these rumors and their objectives".

Muslim veil, Elections Canada and Stephen Harper: why the issue?

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I am not a supporter of the Muslim veil (Niqab or Burka, among other names), as I think it is more cultural than religious. But I certainly do not mind someone wearing it for whatever reasons she may think.

Now,
Elections Canada said that veiled women will not have to uncover their faces to have their identity verified for the upcoming elections.

CBC reports:

Provincial Liberals try to bribe Ontarioans with long weekend to get reelected

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While I all for a long weekend in the only month that does not have one (February), the proposal from the Ontario Liberals wreaks of a bribe.

These are the same party who lied about not increasing taxes, only to impose a hefty health premium. These are the same party who would rather deprive Jews, Catholics and Mennonites of arbitration rather than grant Muslims the same rights.

China threatens the USA economically using the Dollar "nuclear option"

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The Chinese government has begun a concerted campaign of economic threats against the United States, hinting that it may liquidate its vast holding of US treasuries if Washington imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation.

Two officials at leading Communist Party bodies have given interviews in recent days warning - for the first time - that Beijing may use its $1.33 trillion (£658bn) of foreign reserves as a political weapon to counter pressure from the US Congress.

Four million Iraqis displaced since war began

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Politics

A new report by the Iraqi NGO coordination committee and Oxfam concludes that 4 million Iraqis have been displaced since the invasion by the US began in 2003.

Jewish ancestry as a slander: Che Guevara as a recent example

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Over the years, I have seen many people getting "accused" of having Jewish ancestry by their political adversaries. This tactic is used to discredit the person, throw doubts on their loyalty, and attribute undefined ulterior motives for their often controvertial actions.

These rumors are appealing to the masses because it offers a simple (wrong) answer to complex questions (actions of leaders).

People that I have seen in the Arab region and the Middle East accused of this include:

Shia and Sunni militants unite against US troops

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Politics

We all know how sectarian violence between Shia and Sunnis was caused by the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq following the US invasion in 2003. Old prejudices became magnified, external influences meddled, and the power vacuum made things much worse.

In a strange move, the presence of US presence is causing at least some Shia and some Sunnis to unite against the USA, ignoring all the sectarian violence in other parts of the country.

USA financial aid to Israel: is more or less better?

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Politics

One would think that Israelis would be more welcoming to more financial aid from the USA. It is free money, in the tune of $2.4 billion annually.However, the case is not as simple as just getting money. Rony Bart, a research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv makes a compelling argument for cuts in US aid to Israel. He also notes that Benjamin Netanyahu, the ex-prime minister, has started the trend of cutting aid annually.

Avraham Burg on Israel as a Jewish state, Zionism

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Politics

Avraham Burg, is an Israeli politician who was the former speaker of the Knesset from 1999 to 2003. He was also the chairman for the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the World Zionist Organization. In 2003, he wrote an article for The Yediot Aharonot (translated for the Guardian) titled: The End of Zionism. In that article he says that "...

10 steps towards Fascism: historical and contemporary

Contents:

Politics

The Guardian has an article titled Fascist America in 10 easy steps. Although the article is specifically about America, it applies to any country with the same symptoms, whether historical or contemporary.The steps are:

Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
Create a gulag
Develop a thug caste
Set up an internal surveillance system
Harass citizens' groups
Engage in arbitrary detention and release
Target key individuals

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