A new shopping mall opens in Gaza

catefrances

rafie wrote:

You really think that Egypt is some sort "insignificant country" or some sort of lapdog following Israels orders? Are you that ignorant to world politics??? Egypt is considered the most significant arab country in the world as far as the west goes. Hundreds of millions of dollars are put in to Egypt every year in military aid and western interest. And this is all despite the fact that Egypt has no oil to offer the west.


Commy, until you start to actually provide intelligent arguments for your beliefs I am going to stop replying to you.

but what egypt does have to offer is easy and quick access between the indian ocean and the mediterranean sea. it is to the US egypt answers, not israel. egypt wouldnt get as much aid as it does if it werent for the presence of the suez canal.

rafie

catefrances wrote:

rafie wrote:

You really think that Egypt is some sort "insignificant country" or some sort of lapdog following Israels orders? Are you that ignorant to world politics??? Egypt is considered the most significant arab country in the world as far as the west goes. Hundreds of millions of dollars are put in to Egypt every year in military aid and western interest. And this is all despite the fact that Egypt has no oil to offer the west.


Commy, until you start to actually provide intelligent arguments for your beliefs I am going to stop replying to you.

but what egypt does have to offer is easy and quick access between the indian ocean and the mediterranean sea. it is to the US egypt answers, not israel. egypt wouldnt get as much aid as it does if it werent for the presence of the suez canal.

I actually do not think that this is true. Egypt has always been the main superpower as far as the arab countries goes, even before the suez canal. Few things happened in the arab political world without the approval of Egypt. Although this has diminished a little ever since Egypt has aligned herself with the west.

redrock

rafie wrote:

You really think that Egypt is some sort "insignificant country" or some sort of lapdog following Israels orders? Are you that ignorant to world politics??? Egypt is considered the most significant arab country in the world as far as the west goes. Hundreds of millions of dollars are put in to Egypt every year in military aid and western interest. And this is all despite the fact that Egypt has no oil to offer the west..

Why so much aid from the US pouring into Egypt? Easy... oil is not a factor here - it's for their continued support for US policies, it is of course for keeping 'peace' with Israel (and they are 'some sort of lapdog' to Israel) and allowing US access to the Suez Canal. This aid is also to try and ensure Egypt stays a stable country (ie poodles to the US and Israel).

Though the tide may be changing...

"Economist Special Report: Egypt at the Tipping Point?

July 16th, 2010 by Farid

The Economist has published a new in-depth, 9-part, special report by Max Rodenbeck describing various aspects of Egyptian political, social, and economic life. The report considers the past three decades under the rule of Hosni Mubarak as characterized by political paralysis and stagnation amid economic growth, while concluding that now, “the expectation of a seismic shift is almost tangible in the air.” Uncertainty regarding the looming presidential succession, accompanied by signs that Egypt’s “rising generation” may be less politically passive than its predecessors, suggest that political paralysis may finally give way to substantive change. Rodenbeck outlines three main possibilities for Egypt’s future: “It could go the way of Russia and be ruled by a new strongman from within the system. It might, just as possibly, go the way of Iran, and see that system swept away in anger. Or it could go the way of Turkey, and evolve into something less brittle and happier for all concerned.”

Regarding Egypt’s relationship with the U.S., the report describes the country as “America’s Arab poodle,” noting that Egypt has gained “some $60 billion of economic and military aid over the years” from its American partner. With significant strategic and cultural influence over the region, “Egypt still collects rents for its moderating role,” in terms of trade, diplomacy, and “indulgence for the Mubarak government’s repression at home.” Yet, while states like Iran and Turkey are becoming leading actors, Egypt is losing its pull over events in the region. Even as the Egyptian geopolitical game has faltered in regard to its neighbors, including the Israeli-Palestinian issue, “Egypt’s leaders have failed to absorb an important lesson: that old foes such as Israel, new rivals for regional influence such as Turkey and even small non-state actors such as Hamas are strengthened by democracy. In Egypt, that still seems some way off.”

catefrances

rafie wrote:

catefrances wrote:

rafie wrote:

You really think that Egypt is some sort "insignificant country" or some sort of lapdog following Israels orders? Are you that ignorant to world politics??? Egypt is considered the most significant arab country in the world as far as the west goes. Hundreds of millions of dollars are put in to Egypt every year in military aid and western interest. And this is all despite the fact that Egypt has no oil to offer the west.


Commy, until you start to actually provide intelligent arguments for your beliefs I am going to stop replying to you.

but what egypt does have to offer is easy and quick access between the indian ocean and the mediterranean sea. it is to the US egypt answers, not israel. egypt wouldnt get as much aid as it does if it werent for the presence of the suez canal.

I actually do not think that this is true. Egypt has always been the main superpower as far as the arab countries goes, even before the suez canal. Few things happened in the arab political world without the approval of Egypt. Although this has diminished a little ever since Egypt has aligned herself with the west.

explain the crisis of 1956 if the suez canal isnt of such vital importance vis a vis shipping.

rafie

catefrances wrote:

rafie wrote:

I actually do not think that this is true. Egypt has always been the main superpower as far as the arab countries goes, even before the suez canal. Few things happened in the arab political world without the approval of Egypt. Although this has diminished a little ever since Egypt has aligned herself with the west.

explain the crisis of 1956 if the suez canal isnt of such vital importance vis a vis shipping.

I am not saying that the suez canal is not very important, but rather that it is not the only thing that interests the west.

catefrances

rafie wrote:

catefrances wrote:

rafie wrote:

I actually do not think that this is true. Egypt has always been the main superpower as far as the arab countries goes, even before the suez canal. Few things happened in the arab political world without the approval of Egypt. Although this has diminished a little ever since Egypt has aligned herself with the west.

explain the crisis of 1956 if the suez canal isnt of such vital importance vis a vis shipping.

I am not saying that the suez canal is not very important, but rather that it is not the only thing that interests the west.

knowing the continuing need of the west for both economic and military dominance id say its the only one that counts.

Open

rafie wrote:

TriumphantAngel wrote:

rafie wrote:

bigdvs posted this in a different thread (http://community.pearljam.com/viewtopic ... 4#p3111022) but I thought it deserves its own thread.

i didn't reply in the other thread. i saw that it was a piece by Pamela Geller and ignored it. she endorses white supremacists and is a nutjob, and i normally wouldn't waste my time reading the rubbish she writes.

these pictures (if they are real), don't prove that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is not something we should be deeply concerned about. how come people who have been to Gaza and who work there contradict the rosy picture you are trying to paint? are they all liars? what about Richard Goldstein and his report, all the relief agencies, Jewish doctors who speak out against the occupation, B'tselm and so many others? i'd believe them before any biased websites.

no matter what you or anyone else says, the fact is that human beings are suffering and dying under the brutal Israeli occupation, and all the denials in the world are not going to change those facts.

Chris Patten was in Gaza on the weekend. here's some of what he has to say. you can read the full article here. seems things are not as wonderful as some might like us to believe.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ju ... iddle-east

Israel's policy of blockading Gaza had been a "terrible failure – immoral, illegal and ineffective", he said, which had "deliberately triggered an economic and social crisis which has many humanitarian consequences".

Patten, who found it "easier to get into a maximum security prison in the UK than to enter Gaza", said Israel's relaxation of its blockade had not gone far enough. "It's moved from about minus 10 to about minus eight. It doesn't do anything to help restore economic activity in Gaza.

"It's difficult to understand what preventing exports has to do with security. It has everything to do with the view that Gaza should be collectively punished to discredit Hamas.

I am not trying to say that there are no problems in Gaza and that life is peachy there. Things are bad there for many people, but my point here is that the situation there is not as horrible as some would have you believe. Almost every country in the world has starving citizans that need federal aid to get by. Problem is that the Hamas is a corrupt government that takes care of its own and abandons the rest (Fatach).
The humanitarian situation in some african countries is far worse than that of Gaza, but gets much less support as far as aid funds and press go, simply because those areas do not have any global political influence.

As for the person who posted the article, I only noticed later that she was not the actual writer. She just copied it from some where else.

This thread is an absolute disgrace. If Israel were to take someone and cut of his head, you would post that he still has arms and legs. You should be ashamed of yourself.