Thursday, November 1, 2007

LATEST MIDDLE EAST POTPOURRI

1) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has visited UK and caused a stir by charging that the Brits did not pay attention to warnings prior to the 2005 terrorist attacks. MI5 says their warnings were off base and useless. Lots of commentators are taking the Saudis to task for funding Wahhabist madrassas that are viewed as missionaries of extremist terrorism and religious hatred. See crossroads arabia for more.

2) Abu Aardvark has shown a map that the Hakims, leaders of the largest political party in Iraq and itching for a separate South, have published, showing much of Sunni Anbar province carved off and given to them, a clasping pair of hands across the border with Iran, and the Sunnis getting some Kurdish territory. And the Bush people would like to replace al-Maliki with a Hakim. This is a formula for war and one more reason the Senate vote for Biden's "soft partition" plan was looney.

3) Juan Cole notes the announcement that the State Department is trying to force diplomats to serve in Iraq. They are resisting. Cole says all bloggers should push for shutting down the monstrosity of an embassy we have there. It is a war zone, and that thing is a colonial horror. So, I am agreeing here and supporting his call. Shut it down!

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