2013-05-23T08:50:59-04:00 Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=faisal-abbas Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Faisal J. Abbas Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3115146 2013-04-22T15:22:06-04:00 2013-04-22T15:17:32-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
Rather, things usually happen behind closed doors in Saudi Arabia. Most of the time, issues are resolved through negotiations, and the Saudis usually have the means to make them fruitful. However, striking deals is not always attainable, and there have been instances in the past where Saudi Arabia had to resort to alternatives which secured a quicker remedy.

Recent unconfirmed reports suggest that Saudi patience with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been exhausted and estimates that there could be a possible end to the Syrian regime "within months."

Over a series of interviews which I have conducted with him, a source with access to a senior Saudi official who has opted to remain anonymous, reveals that Saudi Arabia has managed to secure wide international -- albeit unannounced -- support for its initiative to end the Syrian crisis. The Saudi efforts are reportedly spearheaded by the Kingdom's recently appointed intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

Ever since, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been able to operate in a more effective manner and has enjoyed a significant upgrade in its arsenal; this is mostly due to better international coordination and management of the situation.


(Former Saudi Ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, was appointed head of Saudi intelligence in July 2012)


A proven track-record?

Despite a reputation for being laid back, inconsistent and ideologically restricted, Saudi Arabia has previously proven that it can be an extremely influential player when it chooses to intervene in global events.

Its role was paramount in ending the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. In addition, the Saudis have been an important -- if not the most important -- player in the global fight against terrorism falsely conducted in the name of Islam.

The common factor among those three examples of extraordinary Saudi ability is the fact that they all involved very close cooperation with the United States. More importantly, they all required very precise 'casting' on behalf of the Saudis to get the right man, or men, for the job.

When it came to the current Syrian crisis, the kingdom chose earlier on to break its silence. Since it became evident that the Assad regime had decided to make a bloody massacre of the peaceful protests that started in March 2011, Saudi Arabia has made its concerns vocal. King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz recalled his ambassador from Damascus, and made very strong statements criticizing Assad.

However, when it came to logistical and military support for the Syrian opposition, most of the work was being done by the kingdom's small neighbor, Qatar.

The truth was that the Saudis and Qataris had reached an agreement, whereby Saudi Arabia outsources the logistical and military support tasks to Qatar, and confines itself to just paying the bills, the source says.

By March 2012, a year after the outbreak of the crisis, the Saudi-Qatari arrangement had achieved very little on the ground. The death toll stood at over 50,000, while hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians became displaced and sought refuge in neighboring countries.

Both the Saudis and the Qataris understand that if the situation is not contained more rapidly, then not only will there be very few Syrians left to save, but Iran will be a major step closer to achieving regional hegemony.

The issue with Iran

Unlike how some orientalists prefer to analyze the situation, the efforts to curb Iranian enthusiasm for regional domination is not due to it being a Shiite state and Saudi Arabia being Sunni.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad at al-Shaab palace in Damascus on Oct. 7, 2009. (AFP)

There is also a widely-believed thought that Saudi Arabia is now acting against Assad because the latter happens to hail from the Alawite minority, while Syria is predominantly Sunni. This is laughable because the same regime has been ruling Syria for 42 years, so anyone who actually believes this is insinuating that it took the Saudis four decades to find out the Assad family's religious background.

The Saudis and the Assads go back a long way. However, the relation was much better when the late Hafez al-Assad was alive.

"Hafez rarely said yes, but when he did say yes, he meant it. On the other hand, Bashar always says yes, but he never means it," the Saudi source said.

"Bashar is politically immature and a pathological liar. He had full Saudi support when he first assumed office, but the support quickly began to vaporize until none was left at all following the assassination of (former) Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005."

Hariri was a moderate Sunni leader whom Saudi Arabia nurtured and supported. His rise to power came as a result of the Saudi-brokered Taif Accord of 1989, which effectively ended 15 years of Lebanese civil war. Syria was responsible for Lebanon's security as per the Taif Accord, which is why upon the assassination, fingers were quickly pointed at Damascus and its ally, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Albeit a purely Shiite group, Hezbollah enjoyed wide support across various Lebanese sects -- including Hariri's -- when it was regarded as a resistance movement fighting the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Today, it is labeled a terrorist organization, and reportedly continues to receive weapons from Iran through Syria.

Upon the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah began consolidating power internally. It forced Lebanon into a war with Israel in 2006, and in 2008 it used its arsenal against its own people to occupy Beirut.

The crisis ended after a political agreement was reached, but there is nothing to stop Hezbollah taking over Beirut (or attacking Israel) again. As such, the group continues to be a double-edged bargaining chip for both the Iranians and the Syrians.

Just this week, Bahraini lawmakers voted to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The group, along with Iran, have been accused of stirring trouble and promoting sectarian strife between the Sunni and Shiite populations of Bahrain.

As such, it could be argued that the true face of the Saudi-Iranian confrontation is not a Sunni-Shiite one, but an Arab-Persian one, whereby the oil-rich successor to the Persian Empire is using its allies in Syria and Hezbollah to destabilize and control Arab nations. Needless to say, what did not help limit Iran's regional ambitions was the miserable American failure in handling post-Saddam Iraq.

Following a swift and successful military operation that toppled the long-standing regime of Saddam Hussein in less than a month in 2003, the U.S. administration at the time adopted a series of extremely ill-advised strategies that did nothing except give Tehran more influence over its partly-Shiite neighbor.

With all of this in mind, when it became clear that -- due to Iranian and Russian support -- Assad was winning the war he is waging against his own people, the Saudis decided they needed a plan B.

B is for Bandar

Throughout 2012, there were many rumors that contrary to the previous arrangement of outsourcing logistics and military support to Qatar, the Saudis were involved in arming the Free Syrian Army, but nothing was ever officially confirmed. In fact, by the end of the year, some senior FSA members were actually predicting that due to a certain "game-changer," Assad's fall was only a few months away.

Many analysts argued that what helped change the situation was that the American elections were finally over, and the road was now clear for President Barack Obama to act without restraints. Others said it was likely due to a change in the hitherto extremely pro-Assad Russian position.

Whilst both those reasons were to a certain extent true, the Saudi factor did not emerge as a publically-known reality until the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year.

"I'm not in government, so I don't have to be diplomatic. I assume we're sending weapons, and if we're not sending weapons, it would be a terrible mistake on our part," said Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief himself and a former ambassador to both London and the United States as well.

Prince Turki's statement came as part of a special panel on Syria, which was moderated by Al Arabiya News Channel at the WEF. Unsurprisingly, the statement was all over the international news wires within hours. Of course, it was significant enough that such a statement (albeit carefully worded) came from a senior figure in the Saudi royal family, but the timing of the statement was of particular importance as well.

Only six months prior to the WEF event in Davos, Prince Turki's brother-in-law Prince Bandar bin Sultan was appointed head of the Saudi Intelligence Agency (al-Istikhbarat).

As in the United States -- where the FBI focuses on domestic security, while the CIA is responsible for international intelligence-gathering -- in Saudi Arabia, the Istikhbarat handles international threats and operations, whilst another body called the Mabaheth -- whose head reports to the Ministry of Interior - handles domestic security.

Despite the fact that his "official" role has long been Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar -- especially under the late King Fahd -- has always served as his country's international man of difficult tasks.

During the Lebanese civil war, he was a personal envoy of the late king, mediating between rivals and negotiating with the Syrians. As ambassador, he brokered what was at the time the largest U.S. arms deal in history, to deliver AWACS surveillance planes to Saudi Arabia despite Israeli opposition. Furthermore, he played a significant role in assisting the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Following his tenure as ambassador, he was appointed secretary general of the Saudi National Security Agency. Prince Bandar is believed to be in his mid-60s. In recent years, he was a victim of rumors that raised questions about his health, his loyalty to the Saudi throne and suggested that he was assassinated by the Syrians, all of which turned out to be untrue!

"When Syria started looking like it's going to be mission impossible, the Saudis turned to Prince Bandar to manage the situation. Knowing him, he would never agree for anyone else to be behind the steering wheel, so Qatar was asked to take a back seat," the source said.

"Prince Bandar toured the world, gathering support for his mission to end the crisis in Syria. Many countries in Asia and Europe offered their support, and began actively arming the FSA with lethal and advanced weapons, although they might deny this publically."

The source confirmed recent stories in Western media that the weapons were being shipped to the FSA through Turkey and Jordan from countries such as Croatia. These weapons have been reaching FSA fighters since December 2012. "The Jordanians' help has been crucial. They know that if the Syrian crisis is further prolonged, then the spillover across their border will be inevitable," the source added.

According to unconfirmed reports, Jordan is supposed to be hosting an advanced joint-operation centre, where the situation is monitored. Throughout the crisis, and especially since the beginning of Plan B, the Americans have been indirectly supplying its allies with highly-sensitive and accurate information about the situation within Syria.

"Jordan has to play its cards very carefully. We're in a very delicate situation, given our proximity to Syria. Bashar can cause trouble in Amman within hours. This is probably why we haven't expelled the Syrian regime's ambassador yet," a veteran Jordanian journalist told me during a meeting in Amman in March.

So why has Plan B not worked so far? And what happened to the optimism, towards the end of 2012, that gave Assad only a few months before he would be taken down?

"There are a number of factors as to why we haven't succeeded yet. Unfortunately, we (the opposition) are partly one of them," a leading Syrian opposition figure told me in a private meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah last month.

"Can you believe that (the head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition) Sheikh Moaz (al-Khatib) declined to meet (American Secretary of State John) Kerry and senior U.S. military figures? What was he thinking? The Americans were ready to listen to us and to help us early on in the year. We're still immature politically as an opposition group," he added.

In the meantime, Al Arabiya sources say Assad's fall is imminent. How long will it take? "A couple of months, and if it doesn't happen within a couple of months, then I'm afraid it might be a very long time," said the source with access to a prominent Saudi official.


This analysis first appeared on Al Arabiya English on Friday 12 April 2012.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2900053 2013-03-18T21:41:22-04:00 2013-05-18T05:12:01-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
Indeed, the narrative of the film repeatedly - if not obsessively - insinuated that what's happening in Syria today was "written"; or in other words, it was mystically meant to happen (just like some conspiracy theorists believe that the Egyptian revolution was also "written" due to a curse which dates back to the days of the Pharaohs!)

However, presenter Dan Snow got so carried away with this narrative (and I fully understand its appeal given the historic similarities), that he missed what many believe was a key instigator of the Syrian revolution.


(The recent BBC documentary caused an uproar among many Syrians living in London)

I am of course referring to the 2011 Syrian regime abduction and abuse of Syrian school children who wrote anti-Assad graffiti in the small city of Daraa; an incident which rival news broadcaster CNN described at one point as the "spark that lit the Syrian flame."

Rather, the documentary went on to suggest that twenty years after the 1982 Hama Massacre, the Muslim Brotherhood have risen once again and returned for their revenge.

It goes on to insinuate that the fight over Syria was "destined," given that it has for much of its history been ruled by the Sunni majority, whilst the Alawites took refuge in the mountains; and now it was the time for the Sunnis to take back what they believe is rightfully theirs.

'Deceiving' and 'One-Sided'

It is almost surreal that the Assad regime's infamous prisons, its torture legacy, widespread corruption and longtime oppression of the Syrian people failed to be portrayed adequately in the film.

However, even at the few incidents were there was a mere mention of the regime's security apparatus; there were immediate and appalling justifications made by longtime Assad-loyalist and biographer Patrick Seale as well as Buthaina Shaaban, a regime official and expert spin-doctor.

On the other hand, all the Syrian opposition alliance got in terms of exposure were two unidentified veiled fighters who spoke on behalf of the Free Syrian Army.

Given all this, I wasn't surprised to read our Al Arabiya story which revealed that there are prominent London-based Syrians who are demanding an apology from the BBC over what they described as a "deceiving" and "one-sided" documentary.

For its part, the BBC defended "A History of Syria."

"We're satisfied the description of events is balanced and impartial and the program is made in accordance to our editorial guidelines meeting our usual rigorous journalistic standards," a BBC spokesperson told Al Arabiya.

Orientalist Fantasies

However, many Syrians have told Al Arabiya that they are suspicious of the access that Snow was given inside Syria at these critical times; and even with the access that the BBC got, there were questions raised regarding what they choose to do with it.

Instead of travelling to Daraa to see what is left of it or its abducted children or visiting the infamous "Mazzeh" prison in Damascus, there was too much focus on the Roman ruins in Lebanon and too much narration about Arab and Islamic heritage.

If I were to guess, I wouldn't be surprised if the production team actually proposed that Dan Snow does the final scene somewhere in an old bazaar, bringing in a snake-charmer in the background; and while we are at it, perhaps he should have recorded his stand-up on a flying-carpet... this would have ticked all the boxes!

It is painful to see that as Bashar al-Assad continues to massacre his people; that while the death toll of innocent lives has surpassed tens of thousands, the British media seems to be pre-occupied by Orientalist fantasies instead of rallying to end the plight of the Syrian people.

It is equally painful to have to remind an honorable colleague, and a reputable journalist of the caliber of Mr. Snow, that the children who were abducted and abused in Daraa weren't part of the Muslim Brotherhood nor are the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries members of al-Qaeda.

While we are at it, I might as well break the news to those who watched "A History of Syria" that there is no Cave of Wonders, nor is there a lamp that will produce a genie if you rub it!


This article was originally published in the opinion section of Al Arabiya English.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2801044 2013-03-04T12:11:35-05:00 2013-05-04T05:12:01-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ recently sworn-in Shura Council, the country's consultative assembly, held its first session with 30 women appointees participating for the first time.

Thanks to a Royal Decree issued by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz earlier this year, room has now been permanently made for women to take part in advising the government on issues that matter.

As such, Saudi Arabia's Shura Council will never again be a "men-only" club.

While most Saudis rejoiced this historic accomplishment; the implementation of the decision was received with the contempt of some who resorted to micro-blogging site Twitter to publicly insult the recently-appointed women Shura members.


(The insults to the female members made headlines last week)


Derogatory terms such as "prostitutes" and "the filth of society" were used to describe Saudi Arabia's finest female academics and technocrats.

These terms are already deemed foul and derogatory when coming from the man on the street. But those behind the appalling statements were Islamic teachers and Sheikhs; a slash of irony unleashed from the men who should otherwise be preaching tolerance, respect and compassion.

'The Filth of Society'

Whilst one doesn't expect all members society to behave in a similar manner, nor to necessarily respect the achievements of Saudi women; the idea here is that this shouldn't legitimize the public defamation and insults we have witnessed.

Among the "tweeps" who resorted to insults was member of the Islamic Ministry for Da'wah, Guidance and Endowments, Ahmed al-Abdelqader.

"They thought they can mock the mufti by giving these 'prostitutes' legitimacy to be in power," tweeted al-Abdelqader.

Following angry reactions by Twitter users whom objected the cleric's foul language, Al-Abdelqader said: "We have heard and read many insults against (God) as well as mockery against the prophet, prayer be upon him, and none of those defending (these female) members was angered."

Earlier last week, another controversial Saudi cleric also attacked the decision to appoint female members to the Council.




"Corrupt beginnings lead to corrupt results," tweeted Sheikh Nasser al-Omar warning more of what he described as "Westernization."

For his part, Dr. Saleh al-Sugair, a former teaching assistant at King Saud University slammed the assignment of female members at the council and tweeted: "The insolent (women) wearing make-up at the Shura Council represent the society? God, no. They are the filth of society."

This wasn't the first controversial statement by al-Sugair, who is not a cleric but a medical doctor known for extreme religious views.

Last year, he called for a complete separation in medical colleges between male students and female students.

Sharia is against defamation

Last summer, two courageous young female athletes by the names of Wojdan Shaherkani and Sarah Attar agreed to become Saudi Arabia's first ever female participants at the Olympics.

The decision, which was reached at the eleventh hour, saved Saudi Arabia from being excluded completely from the London 2012 Olympics.

At the time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had insisted that all participating countries needed to have female representation; and even though Sarah and Wojdan knew they lacked the experience to win on the international level, they still agreed to take part and respond to the call of duty.

Instead of praise, the two young athletes received their share of derogatory terms, in a very similar manner to what the ladies of Shura Council had to endure last week.

Wojdan's father (and her Judo instructor) had pledged to take those who have questioned the morality of his 16-year old daughter and insulted her to court.

As a professional and aspiring Judo player, Wojdan is likely to fight many battles for the rest of her life; however, of all those battles, this legal one has to be the most important, and it must be won.

Of course, the battle will be tough as it will require a much clearer and much stricter implementation of defamation and libel laws, probably under a specialized committee.

Whilst one doesn't expect all members society to behave in a similar manner, nor to necessarily respect the achievements of Saudi women; the idea here is that this shouldn't legitimize the public defamation and insults we have witnessed.

Women at the Shura Council should study this matter and make appropriate suggestions to the government to criminalize and penalize such libel acts.

What will definitely help such a move is that Shariah law is renowned for prohibiting defamation; and it doesn't make exceptions if the perpetrator is a cleric or not.


*This article was first published in the opinion section of Al Arabiya News Channel's English website.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2658360 2013-02-11T12:08:29-05:00 2013-04-13T05:12:01-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
However, there was very little room left for uncertainty recently, when a highly disturbing video of Egyptian police brutality went viral. The footage shows police officers stripping middle-aged protester Hamada Saber naked, and beating him senseless in front of the presidential palace; this was said to have taken place last Friday.




No reason to celebrate

Egyptians have taken back to the streets since last Jan. 25, to mark the second anniversary of the revolution that ended the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak. However, it was quickly evident that the crowds were not gathering to celebrate; this was another angry protest.

With a tarnished economy, worsening living conditions, the re-establishment of the state of emergency, and a government that seemed only keen to serve the interests of the ruling party (the Brotherhood in this case), Egyptians were back to square one.

Eight months into its rule, the Brotherhood has very little to show in terms of achievements (apart from Cairo's first 'halal' coffee-shop, where gender-segregation is imposed and playing music is forbidden!). The only brilliance the Brotherhood has shown is in waste-management: they "managed" to "waste" a real and valuable opportunity when the whole world was ready to support the resurgence of Egypt.

Unsurprisingly, many global players are now reluctant to lend the country the money it so badly needs to get back on its feet. Egypt has just received a loan offer from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but this is not necessarily a good thing. In today's world, any offers of 'assistance' from Iran can only mean one thing: that you must have messed up so badly with everyone else.

A unified opposition

This is not to say that Egyptians were wrong to go down the democratic route, and this is certainly not to say that we should not accept the choice of the now-democratic republic of Egypt.

However, let us not shy away from the truth: that it was not the Brotherhood that ignited or led the 2011 revolution, and that since there was no clear opposition figure that claimed responsibility for it, the path was clear for the Brotherhood to reap the rewards.

In addition, due to some questionable inner-workings of local politics, when the time to vote arrived in 2012, Egyptians were caught between a rock and a hard place. The only two choices left were the Brotherhood's candidate, and one associated with the former regime.

Whilst much can be said to criticize the Brotherhood, one cannot but admire how well-organized and structured it is. Indeed, it was evident that it was going to be the de-facto beneficiary of the Egyptian revolution.

The country's liberal opposition must unite behind a strong and savvy politician, and this must happen now. Without a healthy, solid and powerful opposition that could impose a system of checks and balances, it will not just be a protester dragged naked onto the streets, but the whole country.


This article was originally published in Al Arabiya English. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2561853 2013-01-27T19:52:31-05:00 2013-03-29T05:12:01-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ open letter to then president-elect Barack Obama, congratulating him, the American people and all believers in liberty and freedom on his remarkable achievement.

At that time, President Obama's "Yes, we can" campaign had managed to send a refreshing breeze of "hope we could believe in," not just in the United States but across the globe as well. His election as the nation's first-ever African-American president -- less than five decades after the height of the Civil Rights Movement -- restored faith in 'Brand America' once more.

Indeed, America was once again a nation to look up to, thanks to its new impeccably cultivated and highly sophisticated man-in-charge.

There was no question about it, President Obama knew what to say, when to say it and how.

He gave his first ever interview as President of the United States to Al Arabiya News Channel and his legendary Cairo Speech sent immediate comforting signals that the Arab World is finally dealing with a U.S. President who "gets it."

In the letter I wrote him at the time, I urged President Obama for a more balanced approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; based exclusively on the fact that Israel (a country which was established based on a U.N. resolution) leads the way in disobeying U.N. resolutions.

The truth must be said, President Obama gave it his all.

During his first term, he almost committed (what in American terms might be considered as) political suicide to do what is right by challenging the incredibly powerful Israeli lobby and supporting the moderate Palestinian leadership. Aside from former President Bill Clinton, very few presidents have chosen to engage so closely with this issue.

Yet, President Obama faced an incredibly stubborn Israeli government; which insisted to continue occupying Palestinian lands and building new settlements in them, demolishing all efforts to orchestrate a final peace treaty as the Palestinian side refused to negotiate while Tel Aviv continued to expand its settlement activity.

Needless to say, in the world of politics it doesn't matter how hard you try or how noble your intentions are, as the bottom line will always be what you have actually achieved.

The question remains whether or not President Obama will give "mission impossible" another attempt and try to broker a deal that sticks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.


(Earlier commitment: Obama declaring re-launch of peace talks back in 2009)


The Arab Spring


In my Jan. 20, 2009 letter to President Obama, I spoke of how jealous I am of the American people on the day of his inauguration. I felt regretful that while they (Americans) are moving forward, us -- Arabs -- are moving in the other direction, mostly due to our own shortcomings.

Things have changed dramatically over the past years. If I were to write another open letter to President Obama this time around, I would speak of how proud I am to be an Arab.

During what has now become known as the 'Arab Spring' of 2011, people of my region has proven to ourselves and to the whole world that we too would rather "live free or die."

Moving stories of courage, selflessness and standing-up for what is right moved us all as crowds of young Arabs took to the street demanding the fall of long-standing dictators. They succeeded in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

Looking back two years later, the world continues to hold its breath as it monitors what will become of the Egyptian revolution for example. Following the collapse of the Mubarak Regime, Egypt witnessed a democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood candidate by the name of Mohammad Mursi becoming the president.

However, all President Mursi has been doing throughout last year is consolidating his power, which leaves us wondering whether all what happened was that a secular authoritarianism was simply replaced with a religious one.

As such, it is too early to label the revolutions as successful

America's obligation in Syria


In my 2009 letter to President Obama, I appealed to the sophisticated public-speaker, to the Nobel Peace Prize winner and to the man whose middle name is "Hussein" but still managed to become President of the United States of America. I pleaded that he uses his profile to eradicate any traces left of what the previous administration tried to portray as a "clash of civilizations," and Mr. Obama did a fantastic job in restoring understanding and dialogue between America and the Muslim World.

However, the developments over the past four years made it inevitable that the Middle East today requires less great public speaking and more strategic "Commander-in-Chief"-ing.

The Middle East requires the same Commander-in-Chief which managed to rid the world of al-Qaeda's leadership.

It is well-known that whilst uprising in the above mentioned countries were successful, the revolution in Syria turned into an ugly bloodbath as the Assad Regime sought to crush the aspirations (and bones) of all those who dreamt of a democratic nation.

The death toll stands at 60,000 lives with hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced between neighboring countries.

Yet, President Obama's second inauguration speech doesn't send comforting messages as to how he intends to move on the U.S. foreign policy front.

Some analysts say that due to bitter experiences not just with Israel but with Iran and North Korea among others, President Obama will be adopting a second term strategy reminiscent of one of his Republican predecessors: Dwight D. Eisenhower.

"The appeal of the Eisenhower approach is that it had a big element of turning inward, of looking to rebuilding strength at home, of conserving American power," an anonymous senior Obama national security advisor told the International Herald Tribune a few days ago.

However, what worked for President Eisenhower at his time, doesn't work for President Obama or America at this time, certainly not after America's last interference in the region which -- intentionally or unintentionally -- only empowered Iran due to the mess it left behind in Iraq.

More importantly, in my personal opinion, the United States of America has a moral obligation to stand up for the freedom-aspiring people of Syria. Turning its back to them would be the equivalent of the French turning their back to America when the later fought for its independence from Britain.

Furthermore, it is often said that the Iranian nuclear program is about to give birth, and if this happens President Obama's declaration that "a decade of war is now ending" will soon be questionable. Recent events in Mali also show that the previous administration's mismanagement of the war on terror has produced many new franchise terrorist organizations, which is again something President Obama must also deal with.

Undoubtedly, the Middle East and North Africa deserve a bit more... Obama Care!


* A version of this article first appeared in Al Arabiya English's Opinion Section. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2542940 2013-01-25T12:17:23-05:00 2013-03-27T05:12:01-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
However, he arrives to Davos this year a different man. As head of the Lebanese government in a very delicate time, P.M Mikati comes with a whole new agenda.


(Prime Minister Mikati of Lebanon -- Al Arabiya image, used with permission)


In an exclusive interview which I conducted with him for Al Arabiya, he says that during his participation at the WEF Annual Meeting he will seek to call on economic and political leaders to perceive Lebanon as the beacon of hope for freedom and pluralism in the Middle East.

The Syrian Crisis Spill-Over

As optimistic as he sounds, P.M. Najib Mikati's plans were likely to be obstructed by questions around the 'elephant in the room': the Syrian crisis spill-over.

Throughout the interview, Lebanon's P.M repeats that his government is doing what it takes to isolate Lebanon from the consequences of the atrocities happening in neighboring Syria.

Known to have been a close personal friend of President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria, Mikati tells Al Arabiya that it has been two years since they last spoke.

On the humanitarian side, Mr Mikati says that he "feels very sad about the violence that is claiming hundreds of innocent lives each day in Syria."

As such, he stresses that his government is "committed to support, within its capacities, the displaced Syrian families awaiting their return to their homes."

According to his figures, over 206,000 displaced Syrians would have been officially registered.

"The situation has reached an alarming level that Lebanon cannot handle on its own," he adds as he explains that his government designed a sustainable response plan as he called upon the international community for support.

Economic Recovery and Inner Challenges

The inner workings of Lebanon itself are not at their best and tourism in this Mediterranean country is suffering. Recent kidnapping incidents of some tourists from Gulf countries certainly didn't help and the growing armed hegemony of Hezbollah doesn't send comforting signals.

In Switzerland, home of the World Economic Forum, P.M Mikati is very likely to also be asked if his country (which was known as "Switzerland of the Middle East") will ever be able to make a come-back.

He stresses that any country in the geographical case of Lebanon would have suffered from the regional turmoil. On tourism, he admits that there has been less tourists coming in and says that "citizens of countries whose governments have, unlike Lebanon, taken side in the conflict taking place in Syria may have felt some unease."

There is also the question of Lebanon's debt, currently estimated at $56 billion and whether or not this nation will ever be able to make a recovery.

Against all odds, Prime Minister Mikati still sounds optimistic and mentions that the Lebanese debt is manageable, whilst the banking sector is still enjoying growth in its deposits whilst claiming that his nation's economy has achieved close to 2 percent in real growth.

The full transcript of the interview can be read here.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2224634 2012-12-03T11:40:12-05:00 2013-02-02T05:12:01-05:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ Pakistanis on an unprecedented scale.

With just a few months left until the upcoming general elections, many in Pakistan are now
hoping Khan leads their country into stability and prosperity, just like the former cricket
captain led the national team into winning the World Cup in 1992.

Khan is the founder and chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -- also known as
the "Movement for Justice" -- which now boasts 7 million members.

According to various opinion polls, including that of the U.S.-based Pew Global, he is
the "most popular politician in Pakistan today."

In an interview I conducted with him for Al Arabiya News Channel, Khan described the PTI as the "only party that could bring change" to his country.

"People are sick of the old political leadership, who have all been in power in the last five
years and have led Pakistan to destruction," he added.

However, if Imran Khan does win the elections, he intends to have a different type of relation with the United States.


(Full television interview with Imran Khan is available in English through Al Arabiya News Channel)

America is "losing the war"


As far as his plans go following an election win, Khan said the first thing he would do is
disengage Pakistan from the American war on terrorism; adding that such disengagement
would make the "Jihad syndrome" go away.

Khan is known to be an outspoken critic of American drone attacks in Pakistan; describing
them as a "violation of all humanitarian laws," particularly as they don't distinguish between
criminal and suspect as they are operated from thousands of miles away. He also believes
they are a violation to Pakistan's sovereignty.

When I previously interviewed Imran Khan in 2008, he was very optimistic at the prospect
of the then-U.S.-presidential-hopeful Barack Obama winning the elections alongside Vice
President Joe Biden.

"If anyone understands this area from American politicians, it's Joe Biden," he said back then.

I ask him if he still stands by his views.

Khan believes that while Obama and Biden had their heart in the right place, they are
surrounded by generals and military advisors, who he believes didn't give them correct
guidance.

"They are losing the war, because they are losing the hearts and minds of the people," he
said, adding that today there is more anti-Americanism and more hatred due to the Obama
administration's handling of the situation.

After tens of thousands of people were killed, with no end to the war as of yet, Khan stresses
that it is time the U.S. had friends, not lackeys.

"We will be friend of the U.S., but we're not going to be slaves of the U.S," he said.


(With Imran Khan in London after recording the interview - photo courtesy: Faisal J. Abbas)



Position on Syria and India

As for the situation in Syria, Imran Khan describes the deadly conflict as "a mess."

"I believe in democracy; I do not believe in these dictatorships, but the problem is there's a
different stake when it comes to pro-U.S. dictators and ... anyone who's perceived not to be
pro-U.S. like Libya or Syria. It's the double standards that are causing problems," he said.

However, some observers have said that Khan is unwilling to criticize Syrian President
Bashar Assad publically.

"I cannot understand any head of state killing his own people," Khan said in response.

As for relations with India, Khan said his country and its neighbour came very close to
resolving their issues, particularly Kashmir.

He considers that both countries should follow in the footsteps of the Europeans, in opening
their borders and allowing free economic flow.

"The answer lies in politically solving the issue," said Khan.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1962865 2012-10-15T13:20:31-04:00 2012-12-15T05:12:01-05:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
First let us get the facts straight; we have said up front that these documents were obtained from members of the Syrian Opposition; and to be precise from a group called 'New Syria'.

As a news channel, we have dealt with 'New Syria' in the past; the opposition group was/still is one of the many and various sources which have supplied us with information since we started covering the Syrian pro-democracy protests eruption in early 2011.


(For the past two weeks, Al Arabiya has been reporting some shocking stories based on information obtained in a number of leaked Syrian security documents)

Leaked documents obtained from this particular opposition group have proven to be true in the past; as a reminder, our viewers will remember very well Al Arabiya's first batch of true and shocking leaked presidential emails last March.

Last July, Al Arabiya also exposed another batch of emails which were equally controversial; these belonged to the daughter of Syria's ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.): Sheherzad 'Sherry' Jaafari.

At the time, some people criticized our decision to reveal the contents of these emails which they deemed 'too personal'; however, what I always believed in was the conclusion me and my team reached when we discussed the matter: publishing these emails was for the public good.


(Al Arabiya revealed that Sherry Jaafari delibrately concealed facts from Vogue editor Joan Juliet Buck)

Thanks to our 'Sherry Leaks', the whole world now knows that -- among other things -- she received instructions from her boss at New-York based PR firm, BLJ, ordering her not to mention key facts about the Assad regime to Joan Juliet Buck, the (now former) Vogue editor who eventually wrote an incredibly-flattering profile of the Syrian First Lady, Asma Al-Assad. (The timing couldn't have been more unfortunate for Vogue magazine, as the article came out early in 2011 while Mr. Assad's henchmen were crushing both the hopes and bones of the country's pro-democracy protesters).

Appologies for the disappointment

The whole reason for this long introduction is to apologize to some of our critics for a major disappointment which I am about to bestow about them.

To all those professional journalists who forgot or didn't bother calling us for a comment or those café-based bloggers who think they can do a better job, I truly am very sorry for what I am about to say.

Sadly, the fact is that there is simply no "agenda" apart from doing our best to report the news as accurately and professionally as possible, nor are there any secret labs where documents are fabricated at Al Arabiya.

We also didn't "have" to publish the recent leaked security files; it was purely an editorial decision which was reached after weeks of verification and cross-checking; and like the case was with Sherry's emails, this decision was a collective one.

Now, there are those who make that rather simplistic assumption that since Saudi Arabia -- like most countries around the world -- is against the slaughtering of the Syrian people and Al Arabiya is 'Saudi-owned'; then the channel by default "must" have an agenda against Assad.

First, we are as 'Saudi-owned' as CNN is 'American-owned'; AH! But then again, saying 'CNN is American-owned' is exactly how the Syrian regime attacks the credibility of CNN and every other channel, newspaper, journalist, human-rights organization that doesn't report news the way the Syrian state-owned or controlled media does.

Now, I don't care what inter-galactic conspiracy Assad wants the world to believe is happening; the reality is that there are between 28,000 and 36,000 reported deaths since the Syrian crisis erupted; these numbers were not invented by Al Arabiya, these were official death tolls published by the U.N. and other observatory groups.

What are we supposed to do? Not cover this atrocity? Ignore the hundreds of thousands of homeless refugees, children, women and old men who escaped Assad's killing machine but must now face a cold winter with no prospects of ever returning to their normal lives?

Needless to say, these people didn't just decide to escape to refugee camps because they wanted a change of scenery, they were forced to; Just like the pro-democracy protestors DID NOT suddenly die without a cause but were actually KILLED.

The leaked documents

Now, let us go over the fact relating to the documents which we have been exposing for the past two weeks.

First, we did clarify that these documents were obtained from opposition sources; as professional journalists, we obviously knew that this naturally means that they (our sources) may have been selective in what they chose to share with us.

Then, we did mention up front that our sources declined to inform us how they managed to obtain these highly confidential files.

We also did declare that we have spent a long time verifying these documents and fact-checking them (which we did); and as an Al Arabiya newsroom insider I am exposed to the huge number of documents, information and claims we turn down every single day, so I do know for a fact that we could have easily declined to publish the recent leaks as well.

Now as for getting other sources to confirm authenticity; many people -- especially those dreamy bloggers who think they can do a better job from the comfort of their own home -- tend to forget that this is a crisis happening in a country ruled by one of the most secretive and autocratic regimes in the whole world.

The point is you don't just ring someone's press office and expect an answer in Syria; nor should we ever expect that an independent investigation into the violations will take place where the ruling elite would eventually be held responsible and collectively resign.

Despite us knowing these facts, I can't even begin to recall how many times we have tried to get Syrian officials on our screen; they simply decline to do so or don't take our calls.

Let us also not forget that since the early days of the crisis, the Syrian regime has kicked out correspondents, along with every other international correspondents that didn't cover the news the way the regime wanted.

Needless to say, this is actually what Assad probably prefers, if we are not there and his officials don't appear on our screen or anyone else's... he could easily support his conspiracy claims by saying we are deliberately not carrying their point of view.

The Angry Arab

We finally come to the criticism of our leaked documents; I will of course not comment on some countries which didn't comment at all -- or commented in a very discreet way -- on the contents of our leaks; as politicians rarely say what they mean or mean what they say.

The fact is many of the things mentioned in our documents were already known to many people; however, we still did what we can to verify what was in them and didn't take their content for granted.

Yet, this didn't seem enough for a particular 'Angry Arab'.

I am of course referring to the comments made by California-based professor As'ad AbuKhalil, who in a recent blog post for the Lebanon-based 'Al-Akhbar English' attacked the credibility and ownership our channel as well as one of our most prominent and respected presenters, Giselle Khoury.

He then went on to discredit all our documents, claiming that the "days when an Arab intelligence services would put in writing assassination orders are long gone"; adding that "Arab regimes - especially those of the Baath - are known to rely on a very small circle of people (and on need-to-know basis) for any assassination orders. No trail of paper is ever left behind".

Apart from his analysis insinuating that he seems to have interesting insight into how Arab intelligence services and dictatorships work; it is shocking that Abukhalil has deployed all his academic experience in 'shooting the messenger' and not analysing the actual documents.

Had he enlightened us with a substantial academic finding, we would have gladly published his theory, even if it was critical of us at Al Arabiya.

After all, we did carry Hezbollah's denial of their involvement in the killing of former Lebanese MP and publishing guru, Gebran Tueni, as one of our leaked Syrian security documents insinuated they did.

Of course, and I hate to be 'shooting the messenger' myself, but if AbuKhalil is going to discredit us based on ownership, what is he doing writing for a newspaper renowned for serving an Iranian and Syrian agenda?

*This article was first published on the English website of Al Arabiya News Channel on 13 October 2012. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1907386 2012-09-24T09:52:39-04:00 2012-11-24T05:12:01-05:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ article on the occasion of the Saudi National Day arguing that despite the country's blessings of economic prosperity, continuous growth and remarkable stability; Saudi Arabia still had an enormous challenge that it needed to overcome.

The Kingdom's biggest challenge comes from within, I argued. "Saudis are only now starting to wake-up to their present-day demographical realities, having seen the county's population grow at a staggering rate of 333 per cent in just 34 years," I added.

A year later, and as we celebrate another Saudi National Day, I can't help but repeat myself to emphasize -- yet again -- what our biggest challenge is.


(Young Saudis celebrating their National Day. Image courtesy The Saudi Gazette)

Our government, which in 1975 only had to cater for the needs of a population of only seven million, now has to deal with almost four times that number. Furthermore, we are a predominantly young population; this means that most of us are yet to find a job, get married, buy or rent a place to live and of course consume an enormous amount of energy, which is used for air conditioning, transport and to power the massive desalination process which we run to ensure that we all get enough drinking water.

Now, this would all be manageable if we had an infinite amount of resources. Unfortunately, despite the abundant amount of oil reserves we are blessed with, the reality is whilst our population is growing, our reserves are diminishing in parallel.

This simple fact has a double-edged disadvantage: Given our demographic growth, more and more oil is going to be consumed locally rather than exported. Recent estimates suggest that 25 percent of our oil production is channeled towards local consumption.

On the other hand, exporting less oil will eventually mean the government will have less money to pay for development projects, enhancements and/or expansions on infrastructure and utilities for its people.

A few weeks ago, a Citigroup analyst raised the prospect of Saudi Arabia turning into an oil importer within a few decades.

"Energy consumption per capita exceeds that of most industrial nations. Oil and its derivatives account for 50 percent of Saudi's electricity production, used mostly (50 percent) for residential use. Peak power demand is growing by 8 percent per year. Our analysis shows that if nothing changes Saudi may have no available oil for export by 2030," noted Heidy Rahman of Citigroup.

A while before the Citigroup analytical forecast was published, the Saudi government had taken strategic steps towards diversifying its economy and diversifying its energy-mix.

Massive projects have been announced in nuclear and solar energy, courtesy of the recently announced King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE).

Doing more... by doing less!

However, there is probably no better quote to use at this point more than what was recently said by American "financial dignity" and poverty eradication activist John Hope Bryant.

"Sometimes, governments have to do more by doing less," Bryant said during a recent visit to Jeddah.

Bryant was talking at the launch of "Riyali," a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program created by the Saudi SEDCO group to help spread financial literacy among young Saudis.


(John Bryant talking at the launch of 'Riyali' on 5 Sept. 2012. Photo by Faisal J. Abbas)

Of course, Bryant wasn't talking about Saudi Arabia's future energy policies nor was he insinuating that governments shouldn't make every effort to ensure the long-term well-being of their people; he was merely suggesting the best ways to spread awareness and a sense of financial responsibility among citizens.

Bryant was also commenting on the findings of a recent SEDCO study commissioned ahead of the announcement of the "Riyali" program.

It turns out that 89 percent of Saudi youth don't keep track of their spending; that 46 percent of them also rely on their parents for funding big purchases; and that 80 percent of youth's income is spent on mobile phones and travel.

The American activist's view is that young people should rely on themselves and not on their parents or governments to secure their own well-being. He also says that the private sector, through CSR programs, also have a vital role to play.

"Parents who have worked hard to reach where they are today shouldn't give their children everything, they should let them work as hard as they did so that they achieve the same results," he added.

"Sooner or later, the party is going to end ... and you better be ready for it," was another memorable quote by Bryant.

And perhaps "the older we get, the wiser we become" shouldn't just be a run-of-the-mill cliché to admire.

Celebrating Saudi National Day and contemplating a wiser, more efficient way forward should be two congruent moves, both for the average teenager planning how to spend pocket-money on a micro-level and the corporate official planning the next, big macro decision.


* Versions of this article have been originally published in Al Arabiya English and the Saudi Gazette to mark the Saudi National Day on Sep. 23, 2012. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1883067 2012-09-14T16:45:38-04:00 2012-11-14T05:12:01-05:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
"The Innocence of Muslims"... Are you kidding me?

How could we -- Muslims -- be "innocent" when we have allowed some dodgy filmmaker by the name of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula to be taken seriously?

Thanks to us, this man -- who has reportedly been convicted of financial crimes and is believed to have directed the film under the alias 'Sam Bacile' -- is now under protective-watch of the Los Angeles Police Department.


(In an interview with Al Arabiya, several actors claim they were conned into taking part in "The Innocence of Muslims")

Yes! All what was achieved by those of us who attacked the U.S. missions and those who killed Chris Stevens, the American ambassador in Libya, is that they helped turn Nakoula from a villain to a victim!

All he (Nakoula) has to do now is to play the "freedom of expression" card and watch himself transform into a "hero," despite the hateful nature of his film.

Thanks to the reckless retaliation of some of us, the voices of the many peace-loving and kind-hearted Christian Copts (in Egypt, the U.S. and elsewhere), who have criticized Nakoula (a Copt residing in the U.S.) will now be lost in the details.


(The Wall Street Journal interviews a number of Egyptian Copts who condemn the film)



Furthermore, as many actors and participants in the film are now claiming that they were tricked into taking part in the project; who knows what would have happened to the ex-convict, anyway?

This is not to say that we -- Muslims -- don't have every right to protest and to strongly oppose any insults to our religion or its icons.

However, we must realize that when we allow some of us to attack an American embassy; we are not only allowing a serious breach of international laws and diplomacy to occur, but we are also suggesting that we have an issue with America in its entirety, rather than with one cheap video, its director and a few of his assistants and promoters.

Did we really forget -- so soon -- how bitter and difficult it was to have to keep repeating that we, Muslims, are "not terrorists" and that "it is not fair to generalize" throughout the past eleven years?

Did we really forget -- so soon -- that it could also be argued that it was those same "Americans" (including the late Mr. Stevens) who helped the Libyans liberate their country?

Let us also not forget that the official American position has condemned the film.

Needless to say; many aspects of America's foreign policy remain undoubtedly questionable, particularly when it comes to Washington's blind support for Israel; a matter which we have tried to resolve using our own methods rather than by adopting ways that actually work in the U.S., such as lobbying and forming pressure groups.

However, if after 64 years of trying the same thing we are still expecting different results, then we are certainly guilty... at least by Einstein's standards!

This article was first publish on Al Arabiya News Channel's English website. ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1760797 2012-08-10T19:00:00-04:00 2012-10-10T05:12:15-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/
Last Friday, the other Saudi contender, 16-year-old judoka Wojdan Ali Shaherkani, made her international debut at the London ExCel Centre, in a match which was certainly not even.

The inexperienced Saudi faced Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica, who is ranked 13th in the world. The challenge ended in a mere 82 seconds, when Mojica performed an impeccable match-ending ippon throw.

After she picked herself off the floor, the young Saudi martial artiste received a much-deserved standing ovation from the crowd as she left the arena alongside her father, coach and judo referee, Ali Shaherkani.


(Wojdan's international debut lasted only 82 seconds)

Many will say the Saudi women lost their London Olympic battles, but Wojdan and Sarah won a much bigger 'war' for women in their home country. After all, up until a few weeks ago, nobody (including the two athletes themselves) even anticipated that Saudi Arabia - where a ban is imposed on women's sports - would have a female presence in London 2012.

Participation by Sarah (who was born and raised in California) and Wojdan came only as a result of months of negotiations between their government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

No infrastructure

The IOC went out of its way to ensure that by the time the 2012 Games were inaugurated, it would be the first tournament to ever have female representation on all participating teams.

With no real infrastructure for female athletes in Saudi Arabia, sports officials had to scramble to secure whomever they could find. For its part, the IOC made exceptions and allowed the two Saudi women to participate based on 'special invitations' and not on merit or competiveness.

This is why the results achieved by Wojdan and Sarah were not surprising; hardly anybody actually anticipated they would contest for a medal.

The surprise came from the appalling comments made about the pair on social media sites, blogs and web-forums.

Many ultra-conservatives, who oppose allowing women to engage in sports publically, used extremely offensive terms questioning Wojdan's and Sarah's morality.

Others made further comments disassociating Wojdan from being Muslim and even from being Saudi. One racist comment described her as Tarsh Bahar (sea remnants), a local derogatory term used to describe people who came to Makkah from outside Saudi Arabia, but decide to stay and become Saudi.

Such comments are utterly unacceptable towards anyone, let alone a person who took it upon herself to respond to the call of duty when she knew she didn't stand a chance against superior competition.

Wojdan knew she had no experience, she knew she lacked the training and she knew she was facing the world's 13th best judo player. She still didn't shy away from the competition.

If anything, she has proven to be more of a man than most of the mice who were squeaking rubbish against her on Twitter.

As for the 'Father of the Pride', Ali Shaherkani, he was well-advised to pursue in a court of law those who insulted his daughter, as he announced he would.

In most civilised countries, most of these hateful comments against Wojdan would easily be categorised as libelous; she would be able to claim for serious damages and demand a public apology as well.


("Father of the Pride": Ali Shaherkani with daughter/student Wojdan - Image Courtesy: Al-Arabiya)

Public support

We also must remember the many supporters of the two Saudi athletes, who went public with their encouragement and gratitude.

Activist Manal Al Sharif, who led a campaign to allow Saudi women to drive, described Wojdan's participation in the London Olympics as historic. "For us Saudi women judoka Wojdan is a champion," she said on Twitter.

The praise wasn't limited to Saudis, as UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan tweeted: "Thank you, Wojdan Shaherkani".

Yet there needs to be more gratitude for these courageous women. Even though Wojdan and Sarah are officially Olympians, they have not yet been officially recognised by the Saudi government as Olympic competitors.

It was virtually impossible for these two female Saudi athletes to bring home a gold medal, but there is nothing stopping the Saudi government from awarding them with a medal of honour.

After all, if it wasn't for the courage and patriotism of these honourable young ladies, Saudi Arabia wouldn't even have had an Olympic presence this year.

* A version of this article first appeared in the UAE's Gulf News and on Al Arabiya English.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1680982 2012-07-18T10:12:16-04:00 2012-09-17T05:12:07-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ announced that Saudi women athletes will be participating at the 2012 Olympics.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei were the only three countries in the world that didn't have female participation during Beijing 2008. The latter two were quicker to confirm that they will be allowing women to go to London where the Olympic Games are scheduled to open later this month; whereas the negotiations with Riyadh took slightly longer to come to fruition.

This obviously is a remarkable achievement for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as well as the event's British hosts: the 2012 Olympics have already made it into history.

"With Saudi Arabian female athletes now joining their fellow female competitors from Qatar and Brunei, it means that by London 2012 every national Olympic committee will have sent women to Olympic Games," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Jacques Rogge.


Video of Saudi runner Sarah Attar, born and raised in Califronia, commenting on her participation in London 2012


To make the participation possible, the IOC went out of its way and sent out two "special invitations" to Sarah Attar, who will be running in the 800m race, and Wodjan Shahrkhani, who will be competing in Judo (above 78kg).

The two Saudi athletes are not finalists nor are they the best of their country's sportswomen; but happened to be available, suitable and granted exceptions.

The Real Issue

Naturally, feminist groups and human rights organizations rejoiced; however, one of the few statements that managed to accurately hit the nail on the head was that of Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch.

While emphasizing the importance of this breakthrough, she correctly pointed out that having two female athletes participate in London "Will not hide the fact that millions of Saudi girls are effectively banned from sports in Saudi Arabia."

Now, this is exactly where a fundamental -- and not a symbolic -- "achievement" is required. However, to be able to deal with the issue, as a society, we must first understand the situation with greater precision.

To start with, the reasons behind banning sports for women fall within a grey and ambiguous area. Like the case is with banning women from driving cars in the Kingdom; there isn't a clear law or religious edict (fatwa) that prohibits it in general.

Again like the ban on driving; it is believed that the restriction on sports is a social preemptive measure which came to place in fear of the "greater evil" which might follow.

Driving, for instance, might "provoke a surge in prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce" given that it provides women with more liberty to move, argued one infamously interesting study submitted to the Saudi Shura Council late last year.

As such, who knows what wrath could fall upon us if women were allowed to -- perish the thought -- play with balls or go pole-vaulting!

Such arguments can't be described as anything but silly and illogical; even if a few people were to abuse an activity and cause harm, how does this justify banning everyone from engaging in it?

If this is the case, then ALL driving should be banned as well; as many male drivers are likely to speed and have fatal accidents, and let us not forget that they are also likely to use their cars to engage in premarital sex or to obtain drugs!

Luxury or necessity?T

he other thing about the women sports ban is that it only applies to Saudi girls schools (excluding some of the highly exclusive ones with international standards).

On the other hand, whereas none of the official state-run sports clubs in the Kingdom have female-sections; private "health clubs" are available for women in major Saudi cities.

However these gyms have long operated under specific regulations such as having to be part of a hospital or medical group (of course, these clubs also have a strict women-only policy and also charge premium rates for membership).

As a result, regular exercise has transformed from a need-for-all to a luxury that only the affluent few can afford.

This is most alarming when we take into consideration that 44 percent of Saudi women are obese according to a 2011 Gallup study. Reports also indicate that 20,000 people die every year in the Kingdom due to obesity-related illness whereas the country is also ranked the seventh highest on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)'s global index.

One could easily argue the need for society to allow sports in girls' schools or make a case for more affordable and/or female public gyms; however, Saudi women are clearly showing that they already have their Nikes on and are ready to "Just Do It" on their own.

Just a few weeks ago, while the world was still wondering whether or not the Saudi/IOC talks would end up allowing female athletes to participate at the London Olympics; an independent team of Saudi women were already climbing Mount Everest.


Last May, a group of Saudi women climbed up to Mount Everest's Base Camp in support of breast cancer awareness -- Al Arabiya Screen Grab


The initiative was organized by the Zahra Foundation, a local Saudi charity dedicated to fighting Breast Cancer; a disease which is LESS likely to affect women with healthier and more active lifestyles.

The hike to the mountain's Base Camp was accompanied by a call for Saudi women to support the climbers by walking 15 minutes every day... anytime, anywhere.

The Zahra Foundation was the same charity which also managed to get Saudi Arabia to enter the Guinness Book of World Records in 2011 by having local women form the world's biggest human-chain pink ribbon in Jeddah.

Such inspirational women shouldn't participate at the Olympics as a result of "special invitations;" such women should be allowed to compete and bring home the gold!

A version of this article was first published in the UAE's Gulf News and Al Arabiya English.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1665675 2012-07-12T09:35:09-04:00 2012-09-11T05:12:10-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday on his first official international visit as President of Egypt.

President Morsi -- who has also received an invitation from U.S. President Barack Obama to visit America when he attends the United Nations' General Assembly (UNGA) in September -- was in the kingdom to meet with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

According to analysts, the meeting is intended to imply the continuity of bilateral relations between the two states, regardless of who is in power.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been long-time regional allies during the reign of ousted President Hosni Mubarak; however, given the fact that the Brotherhood's relations with Riyadh has had its ups and downs in the past, questions were raised around the future of relations between the two countries following the election of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Morsi.

This is why opting to make his international debut as president in Saudi Arabia could be read on various levels.

Of course, the meeting will have discussed bilateral relations and increasing cooperation and investment; but first and foremost, it was a "let's get to know each other" opportunity.

Morsi, now an undisputed head of state, needs to build strong personal relations with Egypt's traditional allies; as such, he was quick to accept the Saudi invitation to visit the Kingdom.

Looking back at the Egyptian president's first few days in office, it is interesting to note the significant resemblance between Mohammed Morsi of 2012 and Barack Obama of 2008.

Both successful presidential campaigns were preceded with much hype and were branded "historical": Morsi is Egypt's first-ever democratically-elected president; Obama was the United States' first-ever African American president.

Both elected presidents marked the end of a significant era: to many Egyptians, Morsi's election is a "dream come true" as it suggests the success of the 2011 revolution which overthrew the Mubarak regime. For many Americans, Obama's successful campaign was an "end of a nightmare" as it meant they finally saw the end of the disastrous era of George W. Bush.

As a result of this similar background, voters ended up having high expectations of both politicians.

Like Morsi, President Obama was also keen on building personal relations with traditional allies. He too stopped in Riyadh in June 2009 to meet and consult with the Saudi monarch before his magnificent Cairo speech which was intended to mark a "new beginning" between the U.S. and the Muslim world.

I remember being interviewed on CNN at the time to comment on Obama's visit to Egypt; my opinion was that despite the favorable views the newly-elected president (at the time) enjoyed in the Middle East, Arabs remained convinced that "actions speak louder than words" when it comes to American foreign policy.

Looking back at Obama's presidency, it seems many analysts could argue the same when it comes to many of the campaign promises he made prior to his election.

One could always make excuses and argue that Obama faced (and still does) perhaps the most divisive Republican congress in recent American history. Not to mention the various and vicious pressure groups which resisted almost everything he wanted to achieve.

However, people don't vote a president in just for the sake of winning an election and/or scoring a point against the other side; people vote and back a particular candidate because they expect him/her to deliver on his/her pledges -- no matter what the obstacles.

This is why Obama, as noble and inspirational as his beliefs may be, is facing a real challenge to secure his reelection this year.

Morsi has been a very good Obama so far! He has made many impressive promises; such as the one where he says won't allow corruption to spread in Egypt and when he insinuated that he will have several vice presidents who will include a woman and a Christian Copt (a symbolic gesture which is meant to imply that he has no ideological issues with empowering women and Christians).

On a regional and international level, he has vowed not to "export" his country's revolution, pledged to support Palestinians in their right to a state of their own while also emphasizing that Egypt will respect existing international treaties it is committed to.

This is all very good; however in four years time (which is more than enough for the public mood to dramatically change, more than once) people will not judge Morsi on what he pledged, but on what he delivered.

Let's face it: there is no Republican Party in Egypt to stand in his way, but he will have to deal with the realities of the political scene, namely the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Of course SCAF, representing the country's military establishment, shouldn't interfere in the day-to-day running of the country; but the fact remains that the military has been Egypt's de facto ruler ever since the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952.

Morsi and SCAF should work together for the sake of the people and for the sake of the country's safety and security.

Furthermore, Morsi should remember that unlike his predecessor, he is not above the law. This is why he must reconsider his position if the Egyptian judiciary finds that his decision to reopen the parliament is unlawful.

One extremely important lesson learned from the Obama experience -- which Morsi should pay immediate attention to -- is that he must quickly work towards reviving Egypt's suffering economy.

Let's face it, slogans will fall and people will become less likely to believe that the "Muslim Brotherhood" is the solution if their economic remedies fail to put food on the tables of 80 million people.

This is why Morsi must act quickly to win the trust of his country's long-standing allies; the world needs a strong and stable Egypt and Egypt needs the world's confidence to boost its economy and regain stability.

Can this be done? 2008's Obama would say "Yes, we can" -- but 2012's Morsi must remember that both his people and the world needs to see actions, not words.

This article first appeared on Al Arabiya English.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1583230 2012-06-11T12:16:52-04:00 2012-08-11T05:12:07-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ mourned its "Dean of Journalists" over the weekend, Prime Minister Nagib Mikati was spot-on to suggest that the nation "lost a true national symbol" with the passing of Ghassan Tueni.

Tueni was a veteran publisher, author, politician, diplomat and intellectual.

"Much has been said in your life and much will be said in your death, but none will give it the credit you deserve," said Mr. Mikati as he presented the deceased with the honorary National Order of the Cedar medal.

Indeed -- Tueni (who passed away at 86) was perceived to have been larger than life.

Born in 1926, Ghassan Tueni studied at the American University of Beirut and later obtained a master's degree in political science from Harvard in 1947.

His father, Gebran (Sr.), is the founder of An-Nahar; the country's leading daily newspaper since 1933.

At 22, Ghassan found himself having to head-up the newspaper following his father's early passing.

Often regarded as a journalism "school" in its own right, An-Nahar (which means "The Day" or "The Morning" in Arabic) remains until this day a beacon of professionalism, liberalism and enlightenment across the Arab World.

Furthermore, Tueni -- who hails from a Greek Orthodox Christian family -- was among the early post-Lebanese independence intellectuals calling for a secular state.

He, alongside pioneering intellectuals such as the late Kamal Jumblatt, called for the abolition of all sectarian aspects of government and political appointments in favor of a system where the Lebanese could vote for candidates based on merit, not sect or religious affiliation.

He served several terms in parliament and headed several ministries before becoming Lebanon's ambassador to the UN between 1977 and 1982; a period which saw the outbreak of the nation's civil war and an Israeli invasion.

He is remembered for his fervent plea at the UN Security Council as he called upon the world, saying "Let my people live."

To many people, Tueni also resembles an unmatched symbol of personal endurance; continuing to "live and give" despite a life which was filled with tragedies.

He challenged social norms and insisted on having an inter-faith marriage to marry the love of his life; Nadia Hamadeh (a Druze).

However, the marriage was short-lived as Nadia died in 1983 following a battle with cancer. His daughter Nayla then died of the same reason, aged only 7; while his younger son Makram died in car accident in Paris in 1987.

His remaining heir and eldest son Gebran (Jr.) followed in his father's footsteps and created a legacy in both journalism and politics. Eventually, he succeeded his father in heading-up An-Nahar and became a leading figure and an MP in the March 14th coalition; a movement which drove the Syrian troops outside of Lebanon following the tragic assassination of former PM Rafic Hariri.

However, the Tueni family-tragedy continued in 2005 when Gebran was among a number of anti-Syrian interference March 14 figures who were killed in a series of atrocious attacks which remained anonymous.


A video produced by An-Nahar in commemoration of Gebran Tueni


Following the assassination, Ghassan had to succeed his son in both the Parliament and An-Nahar.

Ever the dignified figure that he was; he is remembered for his completely selfless and honorable words during Gebran's funeral.

As he comforted weeping family members and friends, the heart-broken father pleaded "Let us bury hatred and revenge along with Gebran." (He later published a book carrying the same title).

Ghassan Tueni passed away on Friday, June 8, 2012. He is survived by his second wife Shadia el-Khazen and four granddaughters; among them is Nayla Tueni (junior) , who apart from currently sitting on the board of An-Nahar is one of the youngest members of the Lebanese Parliament and the very few women in Lebanese politics.

An icon in the eyes of many; I regret to have never had a chance to meet this extraordinary man in person. I -- like many Arab journalists across the world -- know him through his work and through the accounts of those who have had the privilege of working with him.

I had hoped to meet with him one day but my hopes were shattered when I learned of his death last Friday.

Having heard the news, I picked up the phone and called a friend who knew Ghassan for over three decades.

"How did he die?" I asked our mutual friend as I began taking notes for this obituary.

"This isn't the question you should be asking, Faisal" he replied.

Following the prolonged conversation I understood exactly what was meant by that comment.

When telling the story of extraordinary men; how they died becomes an irrelevant detail.

As such, when it comes to someone of the calibre of the late Ghassan Tueni, the story is always going to be... How he lived!]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1567294 2012-06-04T07:57:46-04:00 2012-08-04T05:12:12-04:00

Faisal J. Abbas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faisal-abbas/ World Economic Forum on the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and Eurasia will be inaugurated.

Set to be launched under the theme "Bridging Regions in Transformation", this is the first-time ever the Geneva-based international organisation has dedicate a single meeting for both MENA and Eurasia; a clear indicator of how interconnected our world has become.



On the other hand, this meeting constitutes the third Forum event in Turkey, which is a statement in its own right.

In recent years, Turkey has managed to re-emerge as a key regional and global player politically. Apart from its current role in trying to resolve the Syrian crisis, Turkey (a member of NATO) has always acted as a mediator in the Middle East, building on its relations with Arabs and Israelis.

Speaking of the World Economic Forum, one also has to remember that in 2009, Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan gained instant popularity in the Middle East following his angry exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Davos.

At the time, Mr Erdogan vowed never to return to the Forum as he stormed out of the session in which he opposed the Israeli aggression against Gaza.


(A YouTube clip portraying the 2009 Erdogan-Peres confrontation at Davos)

Turkish relations with Tel Aviv haven't improved since then; particularly following the Israeli Commando raid against the Mavi Marmarra Gaza flotilla in 2010. An incident which ended with 9 Turkish peace activists killed while over a hundred were injured in total.

As Turkey grew even further in its prominence, relations with the Forum - an NGO which constantly stresses on its no political, partisan or national interests - seem to be back at its peak with preparations underway for the current meeting which takes place in Istanbul.

Mr Erdogan is expected to give the Forum's Opening Address himself tomorrow morning; as he addresses fellow heads of states, a number of key regional and world politicians, business leaders and journalists, he seems all set to cement Turkey's positioning as a regional leader.

Now, as for his 2009 vow... well, Erdogan said he would never return to the Forum, however, he never said anything about bringing the Forum- which usually holds its Middle East summit in Egypt, Jordan or Morocco - to Turkey.

Turkish Delights

However, the prime minister wasn't the only Turk winning the hearts and minds of the Arab Street over the past few years. He was competing with Mohannad and Noor, two famous characters from a Turkish television series by the name of Gümüş.

This phenomenal television series literary swept the Arab World in 2008 and began an ongoing and unprecedented demand for Turkish drama across the region. 



(A YouTube clip portraying the outstanding welcome the cast of Gümüş received in a recent visit to Dubai)

On a more serious note, and in a post-2011 Arab Spring, Turkey has become even more interesting to examine as the newly-freed Arab countries looked for models of secular states that has managed to balance being a democracy and being Muslim.

More importantly, Turkey hasn't allowed its past to stand in the way of its future, and with a consistent annual economic growth of 7-10% is looking quite bright at the moment.

Although not being an oil-based economy, Turkey has managed to surpass many of its rich Middle Eastern counterparts and its debt-burdened Western neighbours, who have long denied it membership to the European Union.

As all this was happening, a staggering 31.5 million foreign tourists visited Turkey last year, mostly from Europe, the Arab World, Eastern Europe and Japan.

Turkey has certainly regained its leadership position on the world's stage; the post-Arab Spring Middle East has a lot to learn from the Return of the Ottoman Empire, as one leading Arab columnist portrayed it.



*A summerised version of this article has first appeared on the World Economic Forum's offical blog on Monday 4 June 2012. ]]>