Source: A Conversation With Ayaan Hirsi Ali | The Counter Jihad Report
A Conversation With Ayaan Hirsi Ali
23 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, liberalism, libertarianism Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, Middle-East politics, political correctness, religious tolerance, war against terror
Tony Benn v Hilary Benn on war votes
22 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: just wars, Middle-East politics
Gaza’s border with Egypt? #EndGazaBlockade
04 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Egypt, Gaza blockade, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, war against terror
Oxfam inadvertently left the neighbour on the western border of Gaza off the map in its YouTube clip but not on its eastern border. An honest mistake despite the Arab Spring drawing the attention of Egypt and its politics to everyone’s ears including ODA activists.
The Gaza Strip has two borders: both Egypt and Israel restrict trade with the Gaza. Through this honest mistake in map reading, Oxfam blames Gaza’s problems on the Israeli blockade. I am sure it will correct its position once it reads a map such as the one adjacent which is identical to that in its YouTube clip in all but one detail. It has all of the Gaza’s neighbours on it.
We're currently helping ~700k people in #Gaza affected by Israeli blockade: oxf.am/gaza-crisis #EndGazaBlockade https://t.co/4BWdGDqo2F—
Oxfam International (@Oxfam) June 04, 2016
Any blockade of Israel of the Gaza Strip is not grounds to attack Israel because it can always trade across its border with Egypt but Hamas backed the wrong side in the recent Egyptian presidential election.
After the military coup, the military leaders closed 95% of the tunnels that connected Egypt to Gaza. In 2013-2014, Egypt’s military has destroyed most of the 1,200 tunnels which were used to smuggle food, weapons and other goods into Gaza, including flooding them with sewage. Egypt is setting-up a 13-mile buffer zone with the Gaza Strip. The includes clearing 10,000 residents from 800 houses.
Hamas derived 40% of its tax revenue from tariffs on goods that flow through those tunnels with Egypt. One estimate puts the economic losses at nearly a fifth of Gazan GDP.
The Israeli blockade of the Gaza may have something to do with Gaza firing missiles randomly at civilian targets in Israel. Hamas now murders Israeli citizens in the street in knife attacks.
The Gaza strip may have political differences with the Egyptian military dictators but it is not actually committing acts of war against them.
There is no good reason why Oxfam is not protesting against Egypt’s blockade of the Gaza in the same way they protest against breaches of international law involved in the Israeli blockade!Passing references to the Egyptian blockade in press releases is not enough.
No peace convoys attempt to break the Egyptian blockade. Plenty were launched against Israel. One reason is the Egyptians are rough customers. There is rule of law in Israel, none in Egypt.
Drone strikes on terrorist cell phone users by time of day in Yemen
04 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Al-Qaeda, electronic surveillance, ISIS, Middle-East politics, national security, war on terror
I will worry about terrorists in a more serious way when they stop using their mobile phones. I worry even more when they stop blabbing to everyone at the local mosque about their intentions.
Source: Fotini Christia, Leon Yao, Stephen Wittels, and Jure Leskovec | Seven Things Cell Data Shows About Life In Yemen, Foreign Affairs (July 2015).
Sykes-Picot: Would redrawing the borders improve the Middle East?
22 May 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history Tags: Middle-East politics
@BillClinton spot-on on #Hamas #warcrimes and rejection of peace
16 May 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Bill Clinton, Hamas, Middle-East politics
Persian gulf ethnicity map
16 May 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, economics of religion Tags: Middle-East politics
Who are the Kurds?
19 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of media and culture Tags: Middle-East politics, The Kurds
Sunni/Shiite divisions
08 Mar 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of religion Tags: Middle-East politics
Where Shia and Sunni live in the Middle East
01 Mar 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of religion Tags: Middle-East politics
The shifting alliances of the Syrian Civil War
14 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Middle-East politics, Syrian Civil War, war against terror
Who is friends with whom in the Middle East
17 Jan 2016 Leave a comment
in war and peace Tags: Middle-East politics
Airstrikes in Syria during the second half of 2015
11 Jan 2016 Leave a comment
in war and peace Tags: Middle-East politics, Syrian Civil War
What’s happening in the Middle East?
10 Jan 2016 Leave a comment
in war and peace Tags: Middle-East politics
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments