There is understandable nervousness about recent changes in Libya and in the Middle East. Today, the most successful Middle Eastern country is Turkey. Turkey is evolving and reputed to be making changes that will take it in a more Islamic direction. It that true? What will be the Turkish influence? If you can find the time and interest, the second video, "Empire: The New Ottomans?" is as good an analysis as I have seen. The discussion about current social changes within and outside of Turkey occurs at the 22 minute mark. Syria, Libya, the Kurds and Israel are all reviewed.
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Libya seeks to calm Sharia fears
(UKPA) – 1 hour ago
The head of Libya's transitional government tried to reassure Western powers which helped topple Muammar Gaddafi that the country's new leaders were moderate Muslims, after a speech that emphasised the Islamisation of Libya.
Just as in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, Islamists have emerged from yet another Arab Spring uprising as the most powerful group in the country. How far they will go will be decided at the ballot box - in Tunisia this week, in Egypt in November and in Libya within eight months.
National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said on Sunday that Islamic Sharia law would be the main source of legislation, that laws contradicting its tenets would be nullified, and that polygamy would be legalised.
"I would like to assure the international community that we as Libyans are moderate Muslims," said Mr Abdul-Jalil, who added that he was dismayed by the focus abroad on his comments on polygamy.
A US State Department spokeswoman said America was encouraged that he had clarified his earlier statement.
The stir created by Mr Abdul-Jalil's address in Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city where the anti-Gaddafi uprising was born in mid-February, came as international pressure mounted on him to investigate the circumstances of Gaddafi's death.
Abdul-Jalil ordered an inquiry to establish whether the deposed Libyan leader was killed after being captured alive last Thursday by fighters in his home town of Sirte, or whether he died in the crossfire as the government has suggested.
Meanwhile, the bodies of Gaddafi, his son Muatassim and his former defence minister Abu Bakr Younis were moved from a commercial freezer in a warehouse area of Misrata in anticipation of burial, a security guard said.
Local military spokesman Ibrahim Beitalmal has said the burial is likely to take place later.
He said the three men would be interred in unmarked graves in a secret location to avoid vandalism. Asked about the removal of the bodies from the freezer, he said he was unaware of the process of burial getting under way.
The discussion on the Arab awakening begins at minute 34. Turkey is pushing for a success in Egypt and is warns that they will not tolerate an Israeli hegemony in the Eastern Mediterranean.
ReplyDeleteTurkey is trying to be the country for all seasons. Surely, with the US pulling out of Iraq, Turkey will will have something to say about Iranian influence.
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ReplyDeletePossible study of anthrax vaccine’s effectiveness in children stirs debate
The Obama administration is wrestling with the thorny question of whether scientists should inject healthy children with the anthrax vaccine to see whether the shots would safely protect them against a bioterrorism attack.
The other option is to wait until an attack happens and then try to gather data from children whose parents agree to inoculate them in the face of an actual threat.
A key working group of federal advisers in September endorsed testing, sparking objections from those who consider that step unethical, unnecessary and dangerous. The National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB), which advises the federal government, is to meet Friday to vote on its working group’s recommendation...
Or We Can Go With SOB and Test it on Kids In Guatamala or Somewhere in Africa
Haven't we seen this story play out a number of times before?
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Holy Moly.
ReplyDeleteThat RT presenter.
Wow...
Although official results have not yet been released, Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda party announced on Monday that its workers had tallied the poll results after Sunday’s vote and that Ennahda had obtained first place in the election. The news is a clear indication of what the results of the wave of uprisings will be throughout the Middle East.
ReplyDelete...
Tunisia became the birthplace of the “Arab Spring” after one of its citizens set himself on fire late last year in protest of government repression and widespread poverty. His suicide spawned a wave of protests that eventually spilled over Tunisia’s borders and inspired revolts that toppled entrenched leaders in Egypt and Libya and also threw Syria and Yemen into tailspins.
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The dramatic changes sweeping through the Middle East portend some grim times ahead. But the Prophet Daniel made clear that these sobering events are leading to the return of Jesus Christ to spearhead a global revolution that will fill the whole Earth with peace and prosperity.
The Turks have long been Masters of Diplomacy. They managed to walk the tightrope between Germany, and the Allies in WWII.
ReplyDeleteSome say Hitler really wanted to invade Turkey, but somehow the Turks put a spell on him, or something. Exceptional Diplomacy.
Just to be on topic for a moment: What makes anyone think that Turkey will not be pitted against Iran?
ReplyDeleteI would watch the Turks carefully. Their economy is on the brink, they have rediscovered the value of that "friendship" they had with Israel in the wake of the recent quake, and Turkey has the historical imperative (worth much currency in that part of the world).