"President Bush authorized covert plans last year to support the election campaigns of Iraqis with close ties to the White House, but government and intelligence officials said yesterday the plan was scrapped before the January vote." I read this in the Washington Post, and believe the first part of the sentence, and strongly disbelieve the second part, and consider it propaganda to lend legitimacy to the current Iraqi government to show that it was freely chosen. No free choices are possible in the presence of foreign occupation forces, even when they hail from Macedonia.

Who is fighting in Iraq? I talked to a well-known Arab nationalist leader who has close ties to people and groups in Iraq, and others, and have formed the following impression of Iraqi developments. The media are exaggerating the role of Zarqawi and his savage gangs, and that may be not only due to ignorance but also due to deliberate attempts by the new Ba`th of Iraq to obfuscate reality. The new Iraqi Ba`th has been reformed and restructured, and while they do have criticisms (finally) of the Saddam era, they still treat him as the "symbol" of leadership, and are impressed with his stand in jail (no mention of his handwashing skills, as of yet). The Zarqawi and Bin Ladenite groups have been able to intensify the attacks as of late because they have been able (primarily through large sums of money) to recruit former soldiers but most importantly officers and some high ranking officers of the dissolved Iraqi army. Thus, the newly formed Faylaq `Umar (the birth of which was announced by Bin Ladenite sites) is none other than a former Iraqi army squadron, if that is the right technical term in English. The new Ba`th has been in negotiation with other groups and parties, and have only recently agreed that the leadership in the new Iraq should be decided by a free vote, once the occupiers leave the country. What I find very interesting is that the mess in Iraq has led people inside Iraq to speak now about the post-occupation era. It now hovers over political meetings inside and outside Iraq, I am told. A major conference of anti-occupation forces will be held in a couple of weeks in an Arab capital, and will for the first time include representatives of the Ba`th and of Muqtada As-Sadr. I maintain that As-Sadr should not be counted out of Iraq's future especially that he has been very quietly and not-so-quietly building ties and cultivating relations with many Sunni groups opposed to the occupation, taking advantage of the high strong Sunni antipathy against the Badr's milias. The torture and the cruelty exhibited by the new Iraqi police and army forces (which include much of the Badr Brigades) have discredited the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, at least among Sunnis and others. I am told that Shi`ite Ba`thist cadres who had been hiding in Sunni areas in the North have recently been permitted to return to the South. Such is the mood in the new "liberated" Iraq where opposition to occupation and revulsion from the violence and mayhem of everyday's life may have changed the rules and formulas of politics. The Ba`th is increasingly becoming assertive and often hide behind the declared Sunni political groupings. The Ba`thists (historically) have been very skillful (and equally criminal and murderous) when they conspire to seize power. This has been true in Syria and in Iraq, but especially in Iraq. Iraqi Ba`thists brag that Saddam was caught because he sought the shelter of his family and clan, and that `Izzat Ad-Duri survived because since the 7th of April, he has not been in touch with any family member, and relied on the party for his hiding techniques. It pains me that George W. Bush will be out of office when the American people finally realize how dumb his policies were, and how disastrous his "liberation" wars have been, even by the standards of US interests. One only wishes that the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq would lead people in the US to stand opposed to the current occupation that made it possible for Zarqawi and others to operate so freely. But never forget this: that occupation, every occupation, kills and hurt civilians by its very nature, and produces within its womb (to use the logic of Hegel) the dynamics of its own destruction. Maybe we need another century to agree on the futility of foreign occupation. This is the dreadful premise of Zionism, and why Zionism would never last. It is doomed because it is based on the notion that "our occupation" will be different and will last in bliss.

Olivier Roy's last insight was a while back.

"The heart of Simone de Beauvoir"

"Neo-Con Novels" (I can neither stomach their fiction or non-fiction)

The capital of ranking: Lebanon. One of the many things that I detest about Lebanon and its culture is the obsession with ranking. Everything is ranked in a country that officially does not have a caste system but practices one that is more rigid than in 18th century India. Even kids are ranked: parents rank their kids in terms of intelligence and beauty, and share the results with the kids. Yes, Lebanese are the "best" in instilling high self-esteem in their kids, as you can guess. People even ask visitors to rank their kids. Everything is defined and identified as "the Best" and the "most famous." If they get a degree, it is always from "the best university" in the world even if they have a fake degree. Even falafil stands and kiosks are ranked. A falafil and potato (not kidding) little place in Hamra is named King of Potato (Malik Al-Batata), implying that he was crowned that title by a delegation of world potatoes in some remote potato island. Even Rafiq Hariri was known to eat there once a year, to send a message about his close links with "regular people" not unlike Princess Diana (who is still mourned daily by CNN and Larry Kind) when she used to take her kids once a year to McDonald's, and less-than-naive people would marvel: "She is just like you and me." Speak for yourself, I would assert. In Lebanon, humans are ranked, and western white people are seen as the best, which explains the ugly racism of the culture, and the insane attempts by some Lebanese to claim that they are "Westerners" or "misplaced Westerners" as the New York Times once put its (otherwise lousy) coverage during the Potato Revolution. The Maronite Patriarch in an upcoming interview with Future TV (Wara Wujuh program) said that Lebanese are "better and more distinctive" than people of countries around it. Even barber shops carry bogus certificates given to them (by their mothers, I am sure) which "authenticate" their being the "very best barbers" in the world. When somebody reads a book, it is "the most important book in the West" even if it is the 9th volume of Larry King's memoirs. When politicians get sick and are hospitalized, the newspapers always report the arrival at Beirut airport of the "the best hemorrhoids' expert" in the world, as if there is only one. People are always looking for the "best" bakery, and the "best plastic surgeon" and the best "terrace" and the "best school" and the very "best hotel" etc. You get the picture. Such are the standards of the silly homeland. But I can assure the Lebanese of this: they indeed have a claim to the "best" at least in one regard. They certainly have produced the "very best" civil war in terms of savagery and cruelty, and their political and popular cultures contain the seeds of the very best lies ever told. Good night.

I told Maryam Said (Edward Said's widow) in Beirut two weeks ago that what I miss about Edward the most is his...presence. His very presence powerfully discouraged those Arabs in the US who so badly wanted to mimic Fouad Ajami.

"In October 1997 the business correspondent of the New Yorker, John Cassidy, reported a conversation with an investment banker. 'The longer I spend on Wall Street, the more convinced I am that Marx was right,' the financier said. 'I am absolutely convinced that Marx's approach is the best way to look at capitalism.' His curiosity aroused, Cassidy read Marx for the first time. He found 'riveting passages about globalisation, inequality, political corruption, monopolisation, technical progress, the decline of high culture, and the enervating nature of modern existence - issues that economists are now confronting anew, sometimes without realising that they are walking in Marx's footsteps'."

"The Question of Zion"

"The best thing non-Muslims can do is to avoid doing anything that makes the moderates' job harder, such as invading Muslim countries on what turn out to be completely spurious pretexts or making inflammatory Islamophobic comments. We also need to recognise the way our own faiths and ideologies can lead to violent action. But Muslims need to recognise this as well. It needs to be said, loud and clear, that it was not the CIA or Mossad who brought down the Twin Towers and bombed the tube but Muslims. We need to be clear that, like any faith, Islam is a religion of peace - and sometimes of violence."

True story. I was noticing how rational and elevated (especially in comparison to what I saw and heard in US after Sep. 11) the debate in UK TV stations is about dealing with the menace of terrorism. In one particular roundtable I was listening to while reading, I was struck by how reasonable the commentators were, but with one lousy exception. I looked up to see a commentator from the...US offering advise.

Stayin' Alive. Don't ever think that stupidity is confined only to one government. Just read in a UK newspaper that Tony Bliar will be seeking advice on how to deal with Muslims and Islam from.....Hamid Karzai. Hamid Karzai? Of all people? How idiotic is that? I mean, is there any Muslim who is more hated and despised by Muslims than Hamid Karzai? This is a Muslim who cannot even walk in any Muslim city. Hell. He can't even walk in his own cities in Afghanistan, and has to be sequestered in the presidential palace in Kabul, protected by US guards, to stay alive? What advise will he give? Staying alive?

Sardinia Says It's Time for the U.S. Navy to Leave Port (Angry Arab Says It's Time for US Occupation Forces to Leave Iraq and Afghanistan)

"Shiites bring rigid piety to Iraq's south"

Sartre and Bush: "he wanted every sentence to yield at least four levels of nuance"

Who silenced Sayyid Al-Qimni? One of the most gifted and daring critics of Islamic fundamentalists, the Egyptian Sayyid Al-Qimni, has released a statement in which he expressed repentance, and dissociated himself from his own writings. He also said that he will now retire from writing in order to take care of his family. This came after death threats to Qimni, who recently changed his residence. Qimni is one of the most effective polemicists against Islamic fundamentalists in the Arab world, and his book Shukran Bin Laden had been confiscated by the book burners at Al-Azhar Islamic University, and his other book Rabb Az-Zaman resulted in his trial (he was acquitted). I closely follow Qimni's writings and appreciate his secular perspective but I do not like his "liberal" views or his invocation of vulgar Orientalist cliches. I also disagree with his support for the Egyptian dictatorship, and his views on "peace" with Israel. But his articles in Ruz Al-Yusuf (not to mention his books) in which he railed against Yusuf Al-Qardawi (among others) greatly amused me.

Sa`d Hariri can navigate the web (by himself): And...Is Lebanon a homeland or a time bomb? I am in London now. It was a very busy trip for me. Not much time for schmoozing, or so it seems anyway. People in Lebanon are nervous, and they don't know why. They keep reassuring themselves: "the civil war cannot resume" they keep saying to nobody in particular. Maybe to themselves. Maybe they are airing their wishful thinking. They want so bad to believe that things will get better; that the lies that were spread in the Western media and Hariri propaganda (that the Lebanese people will be united once Syria leaves Lebanon) could be true afterall. They were just that: flat lies, funded by oil money and spread by ignorant and sinister media outlets. The US ambassador expressed his puzzelment at Lebanese development and his frustrationg with the Lebanese politicians that he is dealing with, in a meeting with a former Lebanese minister who told me that. Now the Lebanese are facing the reality: they are more disunited than ever, and sectarian segmentation draws the lines of combat, even in the Lebanese parliament, where the Sunni bloc, the Shi`ite bloc, the Christian bloc, and the Druze bloc all face one another and are now battling for the formation of a new cabinet that will probably supervise a deterioration of the security situation. The Lebanese president (Emile Lahhud) told me that the heads of all security agencies and departments have been appointed by the Hariri people. He added that the security agencies, due to the reshuffling and the restructurig, are not functioning, and that may lead to worsening of the security conditions. A former Lebanese minister told me that the Lebanese intelligence reports have been reporting for months the rejuvenation of the terrorism and subversion (they have other fancy names of course) arm of the Lebanese Forces militia. The notorious Israeli hand (and the master of car bombs and explosions under Samir Ja`ja`) Ghassan Tuma (who has been sheltered in the US for he is a wanted man in Lebanon) has been seen in...Cyprus, and some people report that he was even in Lebanon as of late. There are talks about the smuggling and the distribution of weapons. Hizbullah sources (and others) report that the thuggish head of the Hariri political arm (Salim Diyab) is distributing weapons among his men, but not their women (they are not feminists, of course). When I asked the Lebanese president about such reports he shrugged them off: "Those [he was referring to Hizbullah] who were not intimidated by Israel will not be intimidated by Salim Diyab]", he said. The Lebanese president is now bolstering his position by solidifying his alliance with Hizbullah and with the returning General `Awn. He will never resign: "Only a coward will resign," he told me. `Awn has some appeal among Shi`ites (the Lebanese pollster `Abduah Sa`d confirmed that from his recent polling--more on that later). Only a few days before leaving for Lebanon, a producer at AlJazeera's headquarters in Doha, Qatar called me and told me to not go to Lebanon. He said that it will not be safe for me. While in London for two days on my way to Lebanon, a few Lebanese on the streets of London stopped me and told me the same message. They said that it will not be safe. And while in Lebanon, on three occasions, strangers stopped me while waiting for a cab, and expressed concern that I was by myself with "no protection", as they put it. What do you say to that? I am no big shot, I told them. Well, I went, and made it, I guess. I am not a political operator in Lebanon, afterall, and have only the Hummus flag to wave anyway. When people (Hotel staff among others) stop me and ask for my opinions about the future of Lebanon, I of course could not but be candid with them. The stress with Syria will only increase. I know that the designated prime minister already has decided to go to Syria: but it is not certain that he will meet with Bashshar. The Syrian government will have a tough message to give him, I was told. They will link improvement of ties with changes in the Lebanese media coverage of Syria, I was told. I did not go to Syria; they gates of Damascus were closed in my face. A decent and competent Syrian diplomat had tried to help me to arrange for interviews in Damascus with Syrian officials for my upcoming book on the "Myths of the Lebanese "Revolution"." Not a single interview was obtained. I was told that my last comments on AlJazeera (in which I said that the Syrian president was wrong (when he had said "mistakes were made in Lebanon"), and that CRIMES against Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians were committed by the Syrian-Lebanese security order that was in place in Lebanon would make any appointment with me impossible. Was I surprised that I was not given access in Syria? Not really. A closed and oppressive regime is more closed than ever it seems, and shows signs of confusion and erratic diplomatic conduct. I met Syrians in Lebanon, and they were appreciative of my words regarding Lebanese racism (and attacks against) Syrians in Lebanon. I cannot believe that the US government (which has the political credibility that is equivalent to the feminist credibility of Mike Tyson) is now mouthing off about the delay of Syrian trucks at the borders between Lebanon and Syria. Despite my opposition to the Syrian government (and to every other Arab government for that matter) it can be maintained that this is a diplomatic course of action that governments do all the time. The US afterall has strangled Cuba, and imposed the most inhumane economic sanctions on Iraq, and now has some form of sanctions against well over a 100 countries in the world. And US officials (and obliging US journalists) think that US words carry any meanings here? And today the car of a Syrian lawyer who lives near Zahlah in Lebanon was set on fire. She was not hurt. It must be the work of Lebanese patriots, and such deeds do not result in a word of condemnation by the US government. But let us face it: the US government has very little in terms of means of influence in Lebanon. Aside from money and bribery, there is very little the government can do given the quagmire in Iraq. The US will only offer words and propaganda speeches, and cannot--given the mess in Iraq (which had been "liberated" by Bush as you may remember)--resort to a military "option" in Lebanon. Let us remember that the US remain one of the most unpopular sides in Lebanon. And the US will now try to do what it failed to do in Lebanon in 1982-84: to impose a new security regime that is aligned with Israel. This time the US will rely on a Muslim (Sunni) force (instead of the Maronite Gemayyel gang). The last attempt failed miserably and this one will fail too, I assure you. The US could not have a worse ally than Sa`d Hariri, who is now regarded as a well-tailored fool. I am told by somebody in the Hariri camp, that former Rafiq Hariri's aides, shake their heads after meeting him, and utter: "May God have mercy on Rafiq's soul." And the CNN man in Lebanon, Brent Sandler, is a mere (volunteer?) propagandist for the Hariri political Inc. He basically reports press releases written to him by Hariri family members, or so it seems to this innocent viewer. Did you see his lousy piece yesterday on CNN International? I could not believe my eyes? By what standards was that piece "journalism"? It must be by the standards of the Syrian newspaper Tishrin, no doubt. But Brent Sandler had serious reporting: he said--I am not making this up--that Sa`d Hariri can use a computer, even a laptop. And for those cynical few, he had actual footage of Sa`d Hariri navigating the web, by himself. Is that a sign of brilliance by a gifted son, or what? A person who was around the Hariri Residence during Rafiq's days, and during a visit by Iyad `Allawi (the former puppet prime minister/car bomber/former Saddam's henchman/embezzler-in-Yemen), Rafiq (who reportedly gave moral, technical, and financial assistance) to `Allawi's failed political campaign, led `Allawi to a meeting with none other than his son Sa`d to talk business (Sa`d and `Allawi talked about Hariri telecommunication business in Iraq--I am told). In other news, London did not overreact--not yet--to the horrific bombings in the city. I received after posting a comparison between the US reaction to Sep. 11 (and the wars that it led) with the UK's reaction (in favor of UK) so far, letters from Muslim organizations and media in London reminding me that there were reported harassment and attacks on Muslims. I read about that, and it is true. But still: the UK did not lash out in crazy wars of "liberation", and even the speeches by Bliar (and I am no fan of his whatever) were less crazy than those by Bush. But on my way out of the airport, I noticed that every single person who had his luggage inspected was either Pakistani looking or black. But: I also noticed that custom and security personnel in UK often include veiled women and bearded Pakistani (looking) men. You do not see that in the US.

My recent days: too much to report and very little time. I shall report at length upon my arrival in US on Tuesday. I spent many hours on Tuesday with leaders of the Lebanese Communist Party. I maintained that the Party would not survive if it moves away from Marx (from Marx, of course, and not from Lenin and Stalin and Mao), and I expressed my views as an anarchist who belives that Marxism is now as relevant as ever especially in the age of Bush and globalization and Hariri. Do people in the West, and their ungifted New York Times reporters, know that there are still communists and leftists and secularists in the Middle East? Do they? Yesterday, I spoke at the `Ayn Al-Hilwah Refugee camp. It is always emotional for me when I speak at a refugee camp. Is it before I always related to the Palestinian people better than I could relate to the Lebanese people? Is it because I always believed in a Palestinian cause but never in a "Lebanese cause"? Today, I interviewed the Lebanese president, Emile Lahhud. My mother was upset that I, in addition to going in my jeans and my New Balance 991, did not shave for the meeting. But I explained that I shave every other day here, and it just happened that today was not a shaving day for me. She did not understand, it seems. The protocol people at the presidential palace, noticed my shoes, I could notice. Were they realizing that this particular brand was great for running, or it was a different thought in their head? At one point, when Lahhud told me a very interesting piece of information, I asked him whether I can use that, and he very politely said that I could not as it contains information about an Arab head of state. Did he mean that I could not use on this site? Or is this site subject to no rules or regulation? Stay tuned.

People are nervous around here; the bombing yesterday threw public opinion into confusion. Here was the pro-Hariri camp (and its allies) insisting on blaming Lahhud and Syria for the bombings in the last several months. But the target yesterday was a son-in-law of the Lebanese president, and the Murr family is one of the staunchest allies and beneficiaries of the Lebanese-Syrian security order in Lebanon. People are now really confused, and willing to accuse new parties and sides. There are now people who are worried that Israel or some Sunni fanatical group may be behind the bombings. Or is there more than one side responsible? Nobody knows; and wild speculations abound. The Hariri TV yesterday accused a group sheltered in the `Ayn Al-Hilwah Palestinian Refuge camp. In other news, I will be speaking tonight at 6:00PM in the `Ayn Al-Hilwah Refugee camp. Abu Mazin is increasingly detested in the refugee camps here. By the way. Is Bush still "making progress" in Iraq? And as I have been away from the US, has Bush been spreading "liberty" around the world?

The brilliance of George W. Bush: "According to US assessments, the turmoil in Iraq has replaced the still-simmering conflict in Afghanistan as the chief recruiter of international jihadis."

THIS is Zionism: "Israeli Barrier in Jerusalem Will Cut Off 55,000 Arabs"

"Fear of prosecution prompts US paper to pull stories"

"Susan Windybank speaks to Robert Kagan"

Lebanese architect, Pierre Khuri passed away. He is responsible for many "monumental" monstrities in the skyline of Beirut. He after all, among other works, designed the ESQWA building in the city. Of course, An-Nahar paid tribute to his "great works."

Eliane Raheb is a brilliant director (and a great story teller) from Lebanon. She put me in a dark editing room the other day, and left me alone to watch her great documentary film titled "So Near Yet So Far." It was quite a moving experience for me. I will not give it away here, but this is part of the official information:
"Title: So near yet so far
Nationality: Lebanese
Duration: 59 min
Production: Beirut DC
In co-production with: Al shahed production
Director: Eliane Raheb
Camera: Eliane Raheb, Arlette Giraradot, Muriel Abourouss
Sound: Tania Khoury
Editing: Eliane Raheb
Original Music: Cynthia Zaven".
She has some synopsis for the film but I did not think that it does justice to it. She also made a very intelligent short documentary on the Lebanese reactions to the US war in Iraq. She is an "independent" filmmaker, in the true sense of the word, and not in the commercial sense often used in the US these days. Some "independent" films are not marketed and distributed by large corporations and they use the word "independent" as a mere marketing device. Once I am in the US, I shall post the poster of the film and give my review.
Beware. Eliane is working on a documentary on the recent Lebanese "events" and she has a very original take, and that belongs to her alone. I can't wait to see her documentary.

I ask this question very innocently: how many American "liberation" can Fallujah take?

A shop owner in Beirut told me this proudly: that the interpol has declared the fake $100 bills made in Beirut to be the best fake $100 bills in the world. I told him to add this to the civilizational contributions of his homeland.

"Pakistani man and some of his relatives chop off his wife's feet after accusing her of being promiscuous." (I never understood why crimes against women in, say, Pakistan get more coverage in Western press than crimes against women in...WESTERN SOCIETIES.)

Al-Manar TV and An-Nur Radio do not refer to the car bombs in Iraq as "Istishhadi" (martyrdom) operations. They in fact refer to the victims of kooky Zarqawi's bombings as "shuhada'." They do the same even when the bombings are directed against Iraqi police targets. I wonder whether that conforms with some tendencies in Sunni Arab public opinion. And one wonders: did the US war in Iraq exploit Sunni-Shi`ite tensions, or unleash them? And will the unfolding of the war in Iraq reduce or increase those tensions? No time to answer. Will be back in 10 days.

"Hume passed away aged 65 of intestinal cancer, cheerful and in good humour."

"Yet, while in Britain women write, buy, read and borrow far more novels than men, male publishers, reviewers and award-givers continue to define public taste."

To be sure, US military powers are far superior to those of Lebanon. But Lebanese cock roaches are far bigger, deadlier, and more menacing than those of the US. Oh, and they fly (high in the sky).

I am sorry to say that Layla Khalid did not tell the truth about Rafiq Hariri in her last interview on NBN-TV. Rafiq Hariri did not drive her to her "mission" in 1968 when she hijacked the plane. It was Abu Ghalyum, who still lives in Sidon. Why did Layla Khalid tell the untrue story? I wish I have to the time to explain, but will do so when I return to US. Former comrades of Khalid told me the whole story the other day in Sidon before I gave my talk. It was a weird event: due to a mishap, we started the event with Q & A and then I proceeded with my talk. A cab driver in Beirut who picked me up from the GYM told me that I resemble that "Arab professor in US, As`ad AbuKhalil." I said that it was me. He said: "No, you are not; but you resemble him." I said: "You may be right." He may be right. UK (and Madrid before that) did not lash out at the world, or at the Muslim/Arab minority in their midst the way the US lashed out after Sep. 11. Not a single Muslim/Arab has been arrested in the UK because the police there does not presumably believe in punishing innocent Muslims/Arabs. Clerics around the Muslim world are denouncing the culprits of the hineous crimes in London. But more needs to be done. Senior Sunni clerics in the Arab world are tied to Saudi financial interests, and have been aligned with kooky fanatical trends. Some fear alienating some segment of public opinion although you do not encounter people sympathetic to Bin Ladenite type although they exist. Shi`ite clerics may be hesitant in coming out strongly against the culprits--although, like Sunni clerics, they make their opposition to Bin Laden/Zarqawi terrorism clear--because all are very worried about the state of Sunni-Shi`ite relations. UK will unlikely follow the US lead in declaring wars and overthrowing governments and "liberating" countries and bombing poor people in remote villages. UK will unlikely to follow US lead in adopting a Patriot Act, although a version was adopted a few years ago. One worries that Al-Qa'idah may have given birth to new fanatical groups that we do not even know. One thing is clear: Bush's wars on "terrorism" will increase terrorism on the long run. How much damage to world peace has Bush (and Bin Laden) caused. Al-Arabiyya started a new morning "news segment" modeled after American morning "news" shows. I declare the version I saw this morning a great success. It was indeed successful in imitating the very silly, annoying, unfunny, contrived, and boring format and content of US morning "news" shows. Some young people in Lebanon like Che without knowing anything about him. I will recommend to the Lebanese Communist Party a conference along the lines of "The Return to Marx." A US Department of state official is visiting Lebanon. She met with the families of Lebanese detainees in Syrian prison. Their cause is just, for sure, and many Lebanese and Palestinians disappeared in Syrian jails over the years for a variety of "reasons." But will the US official meet with the families of Lebanese detainees in Israeli jails? The hyporisy here angers me. The statement of the new Lebanese cabinet (not yet formed) will include a strong statement in support of "the weapons of the resistance." Chirac and Bush will not be pleased. Not much time to report more. Have taken hundreds of picture, only tens of them are worth posting on my site. None are personal. I can't take personal pictures for some reason. But I did take good pictures of the polluted Bardawni river yesterday in Zahlah.

Even the puppets are complaining about US bombings: "Afghan Government Condemns U.S. Air Raid That Killed Civilians"

The item that I posted last week (based on a private email that I received) (and which Nir did not believe) has now been confirmed in a New York Times story: "From Filmmaker in Los Angeles to Iraq Detainee"

An Empire in Distress: "Call for US date to leave central Asia"

"Iraq insurgency forces Pentagon rethink on ability to fight two wars at once"

"Cubist Slugs"

"Rome did not fall in a day."

Moderation in Fanaticism: The strange release and rearrest of Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi. Without much fanfare, the Jordanian police state released Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi a week ago. He is a former mentor and collaborator of Zarqawi and one of the most formidable and effective--from the stanpoint of the Salafite movement--polemicists and theoreticians of the entire spectrum of fanatical groups. The Jordanian police state even encouraged him to give interviews to the media, and the last one was yesterday's interview on Al-Jazeera, perhaps due to exaggerated evaluations of the impact of his minute disagreements with Zarqawi, and hoping to please US empire. While the taped interview was being aired yesterday, he was rearrested. I will speculate on why. He said many things: he preached "moderation" (within fanaticism presumably--but he would not describe himself as fanatical because fanatics of his ilk equate their fanaticism with "Islam" or their version of it), and disagreed with Zarqawi not on matters of principle but only on style and intensity. Not more than that. He does accept the takfir--the declaration of the infidelity of somebody--of Shi`ites but does not agree with Zarqawi that all Shi`ites are infidels. He implied that only ignorant Shi`ites are not infidels, relying on the authority of Ibn Taymiyyah. He does accept the Zarqawi's practice of killing fellow Muslims (the notion of Tatarrus--I wrote about that before) but thinks that Zarqawi goes too far in its practice. Such are the stylistic differences between the two fanatics. But why would the Jordanian police state rearrest him when he was found innocent of the charges. He declared in the trial that they could not find explosives on him, but that his ideas are explosive. His writings are widely available on the internet among the Salafi-styled groups and movements. His role will only rise, I predict. But he was arrested because, I am only guessing, US and Saudi Arabia wanted him rearrested. They may have found him way too appealing to the fanatical ranks, and may have provided inspiration to some of the Sunni fundamentalist audience. He also discredited the TV-based confessions of former salafites in Saudi Arabia. This may have embarrassed the Saudi government. Stay tuned. On another matter, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (who is illiterate and can not read a text infront of him) used this word in a recent speech: he said that the government will eliminate the "Sha'fat Al-Irhab." "Sha'fat" is an old word that is rarely used in common usage and it means the "origin" or the "root" of. A Beirut-based correspondent for one of the Arab oil-funded TV satellite channels was telling me (based on her experience) how keen her bosses are on censoring every word that is aired by their correspondents. Every report has to be submitted to the oil-rich capital for approval before it can be read, and aired. Often, sections and words are taken out. The new Arab media: glitzy old media with more desire to please US Empire.

Yesterday, Palestinians demonstrated against hunger. I don't know why, but I thought that this was really important. The vulgar (and cruel) Arab nationalist regimes (from Nasser to the Ba`th) would not want any demonstration that does not chant nationalist slogans. As Nasser put it after '67: "No Voice Shall Raise Above the voice of the battle." I am pleased whenever Arabs don't chant "with spirits, with blood, we shall sacrifice ourselves for you...Mr/Ms Potato head." How much I detest that chant. The parameters of "freedoms" in Lebanon are quite constrained: criticisms of Hariris are not permitted. Even Gen. `Awn has muted his criticisms. I will post a detailed view of the new cabinet, once it is formed. Apparently, many Sri Lankan maids were forced to wear Lebanese flags t-shirts and to demonstrate during the Hummus Revolution. I heard many accounts already. Kuwait is really getting into the Arab media business. Not only has it launched Sada Al-Balad newspaper in Lebanon (which is doing well), but they also own part of ANB TV, and will be buying shares of NBN-TV, I was told. Kuwaiti royal family is also planning a news channel. I can report to you that Al-Hurra TV can't be found on any TV in Lebanon. People just don't program that channel in. Why would they? Al-Hurra is busy airing a documentary on potato chips in the US when major events are happening around the world. I heard that NASA is celebrating yet another major "scientific discovery." I never believe them. NASA is the best propaganda scam that the US military-industrial complex could come up with too fool US taxpayers. And how fooled. Most of their work is defense/intelligence-related, but they want to convince you that sending a rat into space can help find a cure to cancer. And you believe that? You actually believe that.

To my friends in Lebanon: I learned from Nadia today that my hotel has NOT been delivering all my messages, and my voice mail on my phone does not pick up at all. And I don't carry my Lebanese cellphone: I just leave it in my room. For those who care, I shall appear on NBN TV this Thursday night (Beirut Hummus Time Zone) on Al-Malaf program. It will feature a debate with right-wing Ilyas Bu `Asi. My talk in Sidon is this Saturday night at 7:00PM. I dont have details about my talk in Shiyyah this Wednesday evening.

Ministry of Human Rights And...TORTURE: "British and American aid intended for Iraq's hard-pressed police service is being diverted to paramilitary commando units accused of widespread human rights abuses, including torture and extra-judicial killings." But in the Observer's investigation, I really noticed that the Iraqi Ministry of Interior is only meters away from the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights. That is precious. How symbolic is that? I really suggest that Arab Ministries of Human Rights (wherever they exist, and if they don't, they can be created just as lineage to the Prophet's family can easily be created by Arab ruling dynasties) be merged with the Ministries of Cruelty and Torture (otherwise known as Ministries of Interior). How much the "new" Iraq looks like the old Iraq, and how much the New American order in the Middle East replicate and duplicate the old Middle East order that the US ostensibly came to change, when in fact the US was instrumental in the creation, construction, and perpetuation of the old order. Now Bush can attend to find an obscurantist jurist who can fill in the vacancy in the Supreme Court. If only he can draw upon the clerical talents from the Middle Ages. He really can find a perfect intellectual--if that is the right word when talking about Bush--match for his juridical views. Sa`d Al-Hariri went YET AGAIN to Saudi Arabia to seek the wisdom of the royal family. He does not take one step without consulting with them, an advisor of his confided to me. Today, he went because he was not sure whether to have Italian or Arabic-Style ice-cream for dessert. Crown Prince `Abdullah will have the correct answer, no doubt. An Italian correspondent yesterday was wondering about the upper class fascination with plastic surgery. I did not know what to tell her. I speculated that this may be tied to the cultural aesthetics of American-dominated globalization, which includes the promotion of the misogyny of pornography. And those who are taking opportunity of the Fourth of July celebrations in the US to engage in jingoistic patriotic celebrations, please remember to celebrate...without me. I did not enjoy US patriotism or Lebanese patriotism and wish to be spared of either versions. In the meanwhile, feel free to spin the wheel of fortune.

I have heard from Adam Shatz regarding my critique of his Nation's article below. I wrote him back. I still stand by my outrage at the recent Nation's coverage of Middle East events, and of the Shatz' piece on Qasir, while acknoledging that Shatz represents the better position in the Nation as far as the Middle East is concerned. US media coverage of Lebanon (and that includes Nation) exhibits disturbing tendencies of racism/classism/sectarianism all mixed together. The other thing about the Qasir thing is this: it is common in Lebanon for right-wing intellectuals to justify their current positions by drawing attention to their past (years or decades ago) leftist positions. This is like justifying the positions of the neo-cons in the US by drawing attention to their past liberal or leftist positions. One is to be judged on her/his position, NOW. Now, not yesterday or the day before yesterday. This is what Shatz (and leftist supporters of Qasir) try to do. Of course, and at the risk of repeating my self here, I fiercely condemn the assassination of Qasir and others in Beirut, and have saluted Qasir's courage against Syrian domination (but does not salute his lack of courage against Saudi oppression, or the racism and sectarianism of An-Nahar). Saudi Arabia is very visible in Lebanon these days, and a campaign of buying off Sunni clerics is being conducted in earnest. I was invited to appear on Al-Manar TV which had hosted me in every visit in the past. I had to explain to them that American law prevents me (as an American citizen) from appearing on Al-Manar as the new law prohibits "material or moral" support to an organization that Bush considers to be a "terrorist" organization. And Al-Manar has been thus classified. I can easily argue that no TV Station worldwide is more guilty of racial and ethnic agitation and the spewing of hate than Bush's own Fox News TV. But who is following consistent standards here. The new lifting of ban on Palestinian work in many occupations in Lebanon does not allow for the unionization of Palestinians in the labor force. I really feel that the new Lebanese cabinet (with the participation of Hizbullah) will open Lebanon's doors to cruel globalization. And just as under Syrian domination, the labor force will be subjugated and pacified. World Bank and IMF will applaud; and Wolfowitz may even visit this country to "attend to the needs of the poor." Maybe AUB will invite him to pontificate on his methods for attending to "the needs of the Iraqi poor." A well known Arab opposition leader explained this to me about Lebanon' Sunnis: he said that you have to understand the complexity. Sunni public opinion includes admiration for Hariri as a Sunni regional political symbol, but also includes support for Zarqawi and Saddam, he said. Figure that one out. This is what political psychologists call "cognitive dissonance." I have no admiration for my alma matur, AUB, whatever. I loved it when Egyptian recepient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (George W. Bush won the prize for physics that year) told this story to an AUB crowd while receiving an honorary doctorate a week ago. He said that when he started his career, he applied for a position at AUB only to be told that "he lacks qualifications." That is the AUB I know. For those who care, I will appear live on Sawt Ash-Sha`b Radio (the moutpiece of the Lebanese Communist Party) this Tuesday afternoon (Beirut Hummus Time Zone). The topic will be "Karl Marx and Falafil: the forgotten papers."

American Left and the Middle East, PART III: Samir Qasir and the Nation Magazine: I have noticed that the Nation magazine has not noticed that Palestinians are being killed regularly by Israeli gunfire, but they mostly don't speak French and don't amuse and entertain Adam Shatz and other cosmopolitan Western journalists. They don't get tributes from the Nation magazine. They just don't deserve it. They are trouble-makers. The Nation and other ostensibly leftist US publications could not wait for Oslo to urge the Palestinians to fully surrender, and accept a part of the 23% of Palestine. I know Adam Shatz and I am writing those words from Beirut after somebody sent to me his latest article on Samir Qasir. He wonders why American leftists have not taken notice of his passing. I will tell you: he has not been a leftist in 10 years--or even more, but he spoke French and English and reminded Shatz of an Italian actor. He also was "glamorous" unlike the Palestinian victims that Shatz has not been noticing, and who have not been covered. Does Shatz wonder why the American left does not notice them either? Palestinian victims must not remind Shatz of Italian actors and may even scare him with their unItalian beards, and unItalian clothes. How rough they are. I have written before about Qasir, and denounced his murder, and while I have not agreed with him on anything in 10 years, I did mention that I doff my hat to his courage against Syrian domination in Lebanon. But that is it. His courage against Syria, was not matched with any courage against Hariri globalization or An-Nahar's right-wing agenda. No, Mr Shatz: not everybody awaited Qasir's article. There is more than one side in Lebanon, Adam. Yes, more than one side, and even if one of the many sides may not appear elegent to Western eyes. Many wondered why Qasir would not write one article critical of Arafat: he was one of the most unabashed voices speaking for Arafat in Lebanon, and some even suggested that his enmity with Syria matched Arafat's. Qasir did not speak against the racist tone and content of An-Nahar's coverage of Syrian AND Palestinian affairs, which continues. Only when the rapist or the murderer--or the accused--happens to be Syrian, An-Nahar makes sure to point that out. Shatz chooses to ignore that there are different opinions in Lebanon: and not everybody in Lebanon who disagreed with Qasir is an agent of Syria. Please, take note. He captured the mood of SOME Lebanese: but then again. These are the Lebanese that most journalists talk to. I was just talking about this the other day to a Western journalist here, pointing out how biased the sample that Western journalists--those who are stationed here and those who come for brief Hassan Fattah's style trips of coverage--deal with. Very very few, venture into the southern suburbs of Beirut, for example, or to South Lebanon: I know, I know that Adam did go there, and I had even helped him to set up some of his interviews. Yes, Qasir was courageous in condemning anti-Semitism, but there are now many Arabs who do so. But I want Arabs and non-Arabs to condemns anti-Semitism and Israeli crimes. Israeli crimes in fact far supersede the harm of Arab anti-Semitic outbursts, as reprehensible as they are. But Western journalists only want Arab condemnation of anti-Semitism, and Arab condemnation of Israel and Zionism always appear jarring to there ears. Qasir's views on the Palestinians were very close to those of Abu Mazen: he never criticized Arafat but came to appreciate the stance of Abu Mazen. Western journalists and the Nation magazine like that. They love it when Arabs just give up, and allow Israel to continue its domination and wars. To be sure: they remind you of how wonderful they are for allowing the Palestinians to have a state in 23% of Palestine. How nice of them; how considerate and compassionate of you, Western journalists. Do you want me to send you candy for those wonderful positions? Let me know. Shatz liked Qasir for being "glamorous." This is like the MERIP article on Lebanon by Nicholas Blanford that mentioned the "telegenic" crowds of one side of the demonstrators in Lebanon. But how can Shatz judge Qasir's articles in Arabic in An-Nahar when I know that he knows that I know that he does not know Arabic? Did he ask for regular summaries, or did he just ask Qasir for accounts of his articles on a daily basis? Did he ever ask Qasir about his close relation with Rafiq Hariri? Rafiq Hariri, for potato's sake. Is Hariri now also an object of admiration by the Nation. I would not be surprised. Not anymore. Did he ask his ostensibly leftist friend to explain the connection between the Hariri political Inc and any ostensible leftist? And lest Shatz make the Lebanese to be superior and the Syrians inferior, Syrian domination of Lebanon took place through a joint Lebanese-Syrian apparatus. Lebanese and Syrians were responsible for it. But Shatz here really internalizes the message of the right-wing opposition when he talks about a "special" Lebanon; a Lebanon different from the rest of the Arab world. This is a message that you can hear in any cafe in East Beirut and elsewhere: by those Lebanese (of different sects) who think that the Lebanese people are certainly genetically superior to other Lebanese. Is that what Shatz is talking about? And not all Syrian dissidents agreed with Qasir: let me tell you that. Many of them did not understand why the chic Lebanese columnists for An-Nahar, including Qasir, never EVER criticize Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia for potato's sake. How can anybody be for enlightenment and "modernity"--how much I hate that term perhaps because I have read Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment--without being totally and absolutely against the Saudi dictatorship. But there are chic causes that Western journalists like. How much does the Nation magazine remind me of the New York Times these days. I bet they win awards more often now. I know and feel that radical Arabs like my dear friend Joseph and I make Nation magazine journalists very uncomfortable. I have felt it over the years. They just can't deal with them, because they don't treat them as their inspiration and role models. They also want "glamorous" characters. Shatz liked Qasir's belief in Lebanon as a "model of modernity". What a wonderful phrase. I wish I have time to write a paragraph on that. Model of modernity? Like the Jordanian dictatorship? I bet a model of modernity would open its doors fully wide to World Bank and IMF. These are topics that Qasir never worried about. Why should he? The definition of "freedom" and "sovereignty" espoused by the right-wing opposition that is adored by the NYT and Washington Post and the Nation magazine does not include opposition to the violation of sovereignty by World Bank, Israel, and US. Qasir and An-Nahar NEVER bothered with such trivial matters. Why should the Nation? They just don't like the non-telegenic Shi`ite crowds--let me be blunt here. In fact, during the showdown between the two massive demonstrations, the "chic" side (the one that is admired by Shatz) it was common to refer to the other side as "dirty" and "smelly" and "poor." I never supported any of the demonstrators of either side, but am fully aware of the class/sect dimensions in play. Yes, Qasir was planning on criticizing Gen. `Awn: they wanted one voice, and it was supposed to come from the billionaire's headquarters. And the Nation magazine understood that. I strongly urge the creation of an organization called Billionaires for the Nation magazine. Maybe Hariri would establish an endowment for Nation too. And then Shatz talked about the Democratic Left Movement. What a joke. I bet that Shatz here does not have a clue of what he is talking about. I was just talking yesterday to a journalist who attended the founding meeting of this small and marginal group--I call it the Hariri Right, or the New Right in Lebanon. Nobody in the left here in Lebanon considers it to be on the left. I always wondered what is "left" about the Democratic Left Movement that Shatz so admired. They never employ class analysis in their evaluation of the Lebanese events. They have become mere tools for the Hariri Political Inc. In fact, their deputy, Ilyas Atallah, who led the Syrian offensive on Tripoli in 1984--for those who remember--only won his seat in parliament by shifting his candidacy from Mount Lebanon to Tripoli. Hariri wanted to reward the movement with a seat, for services rendered. So this Lebanese journalist that I was talking to yesterday, told me that Qasir would not allow the small number of members to "elect" the executive committee of the movement at that meeting. He said: "why elect them, when we can appoint them." And appoint them, they did. Long live Leninist Democratic Centralism. And let us remember that many of the members and founders cut their teeth in the fully Stalinist Lebanese Communist Party of the 1970s and 1980s. It is amazing how the Qasir described in the last section of Shatz' article remind me of Fouad Ajami in 1978 when he came out with the Arab Predicament. In fact, Qasir's last book was a replica of the message. But Shatz and others love it when attention of criticisms is shifted away from Israel. Direct your attention elsewhere, and let the Nation magazine attack the militancy of my dear friend Joseph Massad, and let them write series of articles about the "anguish" of Israeli occupation soldiers.