In light of speculation about an impending military assault on Lebanon, Emile Khoury, in an article for the Lebanese daily Al Nahar, expressed his view about the best way to protect the country. "The Lebanese themselves disagree on how to protect Lebanon." Some claim that the best shield is achieved through reinforcing the army and the security forces with developed weapons and through the support of the Hizbollah-led resistance because an armed confrontation is the only solution in the face of a bloodthirsty Israel. Others say that no matter how developed and large the army's arsenal, it cannot in any case withstand a clash with Israel's state-of-the art military power. Advocates of the second opinion consider that the best immunity can be obtained through one of the following options:
First: co-ordinate with the Arab states for the best confrontation strategy in case of an attack on Lebanon. Should it be through diplomacy, regular and irregular weapons or through negotiation? Second: seek the interference of friendly nations, especially the US, with Israel to abide by UN Resolution 1701 in the hope of a comprehensive peace in the region. "Once Israel fulfils its part in Resolution 1701, irregular weapons will have no reason to exist." In all cases, a unified Arab attitude towards a theoretical assault is needed to find the best method toward reaching peace.
Reem Khalifa published an opinion piece in the Bahraini newspaper Al Wasat criticising the decision by the Bahraini Ministry of Culture and Media to close Al Jazeera's office earlier this week. "The closing of Al Jazeera's office comes at a time when Bahrain needs to deal with numerous reports by international organisations about diminishing freedom of expression, closing of websites and banning of BlackBerry messenger as well as a clampdown on all new forms of media."
The Ministry may be right in its decision, but the problem is that such an action will be viewed by international and human rights organisations as yet another step away from the open media environment for which Bahrain created an official award. Add to that that the press law in the country is still in dire need of modification and modernisation to allow for more freedom. The month of May is media month. All over the Arab world, the media community is celebrating a new age of openness and freedom of speech. Just last week, during the Arab Media Forum in Dubai, Bahrain's Al Wasat newspaper was awarded the political press award. In light of all this attention to the situation of the press in Bahrain, "it would've been best not to close down Al Jazeera's office now because such a measure tarnishes the country's reputation."
"The answer was swift, strong and decisive," said Hassan Haydar in a comment piece for pan-Arab daily Al Hayat about the US reaction to the celebrated agreement between Iran, Brazil and Turkey on uranium exchange.
As soon as the visit of the Turkish and Brazilian presidents to Tehran was announced, the White House issued instructions to accelerate negotiations within the Group of Six to complete the list of sanctions against Iran. Washington was able to get the support of both Moscow and Beijing despite their friendship with the Islamic regime. What convinced the two great nations to approve the sanctions bill against their ally?
Russian politics are proving that the Kremlin is steering the country towards a better relationship with the West, which culminated in the signing of Start 2 agreement. Also, Russia fears that Iranian nuclear aspirations might threaten its southern front. China, on the other hand, is seeking to reach an economic balance with the US, which is its first and foremost priority. And despite diplomatic tensions between both nations, their economic ties remain a strong factor in any decision-making process. "The Turkish and Brazilian presidents may boast of their achievement in settling one of the problems of the Iranian nuclear issue, but theirs remains a role outside the big boys' field."
For a week now, the Lebanese people and press have been celebrating the crowning of a Lebanese beauty as Miss USA and hailing the event as "a radiant image of Lebanon's brilliance abroad", wrote Tariq al Homayed, editor-in-chief of the London-based Al Sharq al Awsat newspaper.
However, brilliance abroad can't be restricted only to the Lebanese, for this is the case of numerous Arab scientists, novelists, economists, artists and athletes who were able to achieve high levels of success in the West, bringing their mother countries honour and pride. The writer isn't criticising the manifestations of joy and celebration across the Arab world. However, he raises an important question: "Why do these individuals excel in the West and not in their own countries?"
Some say that they succeeded abroad because of the progress of science in developed countries. True, but what about the artists and the athletes who find more recognition for their talents so far away from home? The sad truth is that the media in the countries of these great achievers is overwhelmed with the coverage of "destructive" elements. They don't have time to turn their attention to the brilliance among them.
* Digest compiled by Racha Makarem @Email:rmakarem@thenational.ae
