Is there an echo here?

Over the past few days, I found it more and more difficult to get meaningful information from CNN and Fox News.  All the news seems to be about Qaddafi, Japan, and Syria; just have a look at the front page of these two websites: http://www.cnn.com/ and http://www.foxnews.com/.

Because of the redundant information we are fed on the main media channels, I decided to invest more time in reading Guysen News International.  On this website, you can read pure information, in real time, in chronological order: http://www.guysen.com/en/.   CNN and Fox News keep on telling us the same things over and over again about nuclear radiations and NATO taking over the “humanitarian mission” and we are getting the false impression that nothing else big is happening the world.  I want news, not a 3-4 stories daily feed that sounds like I’m too stupid to integrate more information.  The advantage of Guysen News is that it doesn’t give opinion or an analysis of the news: it provides the reader with raw news, and we are free to interpret it however we want, and there is less chance of a bias in this way.  You should check it out.

Who are we defending?

When President Obama argued for a no-fly zone in Libya, he said that it was for humanitarian reasons, to save civilians from a terrible oppressor.  It struck me as weird that we seemed to be that concerned about the welfare of civilians in Libya when there are plenty of other countries—such as Iran—where civilian protestors are mistreated by the army.

As soon as Kaddafi’s headquarters got bombarded, the vast majority of news channels jumped to the conclusion that either the French or the British were responsible for firing these missiles and that the US had nothing to do with it.  But the problem is that the French and the British are operating under US command—under Obama’s command.  It seems totally hypocritical to point at your allies and proclaim: “it is them, not us!!!”  Moreover, just a few days after the facts, Obama declared that getting rid of Kaddafi was a priority.  Wait… I thought we went into Libya for humanitarian reasons, for the sake of the people, and that we had no business in the interior affairs of a foreign country.

Consequently, I am deeply worried about two things.  First, since when can we just intervene in a foreign country that is experiencing civil unrest?  This is not genocide, nor is it mass murdering: it’s civil war, and it happens.  So what’s next?  What could stop the UN to implement a no-fly zone over Israel with the excuse that it is exercises excessive force over the Gaza strip.  Now that a precedent has been set, what could possibly stop the allied forces of the West to make Israel their own business, just as they are now doing with Libya?  The second thing that worries me has been voiced by a few people over the past few days.  That question is pretty straight forward: who are we really helping?  The problem with the current protests plaguing the Middle East is that nobody knows for sure who is fighting the establishment.  And more and more indications point to Islamist organizations.  True, Kaddafi is a bad guy; he committed terrible crimes, both against his people and against other countries.  But for the past few years, he has actually been trying to fit in with the West, stopped his nuclear program and attempted to join various international institutions by making further concessions.  We knew who we dealt with, knew what to expect.  But now, who are we helping rise to power by weakening Kaddafi?  Is it the Muslim Brotherhood?  Al Qaeda?  Perhaps our old little secular Kaddafi was actually effective in keeping Islamic forces at bay.  Are we helping our future enemies rise to power?  Why enter the realm of the unknown, with so many unanswered questions, when we had tangible facts in the previous state of affairs?

So I’m worried; worried about Obama’s decisions and the way he by-passed Congress; worried about the West and its involvement in another country's interior affairs; worried about what’s coming next in and after Libya.

No news!

It is Thursday, March 17, 2011 and I can’t even see a headline about the Fogel family.  The only headline I found with regards to Israel on Fox News was “UK urges Israel to return to peace talks” (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/17/uk-urges-israel-return-peace-talks/#) where William Hague—Britain’s foreign secretary—voices concerns to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak with regards to settlement construction in the West Bank, settlements that “run contrary to peace” according to Hague.  I find this incredible; not a week has passed since the terrible murders of the Fogels, and we are already back on the theory that it is the settlements that are undermined the peace process.  A hundred years from now, historians and students will be at a loss to understand that, I am sure.

On the CNN website, it is worse, true story.  No mention of Israel at all on the main page.   If we venture under the “world” tab, the 4^th top world story read “Netanyahu on Japan and nuclear power,” a video where Netanyahu worries about having nuclear plants in Israel and announces that Israel will not develop nuclear energy for civilian use (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/03/17/exp.piers.morgan.netanyahu.japan.cnn).  But if you keep on scrolling down and reach the end of the page, you will find another article about Israel.  There is nothing about the family that was slaughtered less than a week ago in Israel, of course not.  Rather, there is an article about the interception of a weapon shipment, originating from Iran, which was bond to reach Gaza.  That’s a good consolation!

“Three Year Old Stabbed in the Heart, Baby's Throat Slashed” VS “Israeli family of 5 killed in 'terror attack,' military says”

One article reads “Three Year Old Stabbed in the Heart, Baby's Throat Slashed” while the other says “Israeli family of 5 killed in 'terror attack,' military says”

The first headline comes from an article in Arutz Sheva http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/142843 while the other was featured on CNN http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/12/west.bank.family.killed/index.html?hpt=T2#

There are many inconsistencies between the two articles, and I find that there is a serious spin in the CNN article.  Just look at the headline: “killed in ‘terror attack’ military says.”  Oh, so it’s according to the military, meaning other people have a different view and this is only one side of the story.  Or maybe the fact that the military says it is in itself a source of unreliability; after all, there are a bunch of killers themselves.  And then we see ‘terror attack’ in quotes.  Seriously? What is it if it’s not a terror attack?  The fence was jumped, intruders came, and footsteps lead to a neighboring Arab village: “military trackers discovered footprints leading to the Arab village of Avrata,” says the Israeli article; this was not a mere killing!  This was a massacre of innocents, a terror attack by cowards who kill children reading in bed, babies in their cribs, and parents sleeping. 

In the CNN article, we talk about “an intruder.”  A little further down, we read that “more than one person may have carried out the crime.”  This is widely different from the “Fatah ‘Freedom Fighters’” described in the Israeli article.  The Israeli article tells us the murders were carried out by terrorists (and please note the plural), while the other article put the terms “terrorist attack” in quotes.  This is absurd. 

Now I ask you, what would have happened if it had been a Palestinian family?  What would the situation be if it had happened in an Arab village?  I’ll tell you: there would have been outrage, protests, cries from governmental agencies around the world, boycotts, bashing of Israel and the IDF, maybe even a kind of new Goldstone Report, who knows.  Where are all the people so keen to show outrage when the Israelis buy land in East Jerusalem to make hotels or residential buildings?  Where are all the individuals that claim to want justice and peace in the Middle East and are so upset about the Israeli security checkpoints?  The title of that CNN article is upsetting, to say the least.  We do not get outrage; we get "quotes."

Is Saudi Arabia next?

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0311/glick030411.php3

This article by Caroline Glick is very enlightening with regards to the Middle Eastern state of Affairs, and kind of scary.  It depicts a new Middle East where Iran has a stronger voice and can now openly criticize the Saudis and their policies to stabilize the price of oil by producing more.  She also announces that some protests are schedule to take place in Saudi Arabia, despite the efforts make by the Saudi royal family “to literally buy off its opponents by showering its subjects with billions of dollars in new subsidies and payoffs” and by arresting Tawfiq al-Amir who on February 25 “delivered a sermon calling for the transformation of the kingdom into a constitutional monarchy.”  Also, Iran is said to be a driving force behind the protest in the Middle East, information that has been confirmed by Hillary Clinton last Tuesday.  Carolina Glick says in this article that “Iranian officials, Hizbullah and Hamas terrorists and other Iranian agents have played pivotal roles in the anti-regime movements in Yemen and Bahrain. Their operations are the product of Iran's long running policy of developing close ties to opposition figures in these countries as well as in Egypt, Kuwait, Oman and Morocco.” She then points out to the policies of the Obama administration with regards to the conflicts, and voices her concerns about the inaptitude and the wrong conclusions reached by the current American government, which can hinder a liberal movement in the Middle East instead of helping it.

State of Affairs in Libya

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/04/libya.conflict/index.html?hpt=T2#

In some places the reporters are not allowed.  In other places, tens of civilians are seriously wounded and are waiting for help.  Trucks full of gunmen are riding through the cities while more and more people are fleeing the country.  This is what Libya looks like right now, and I can’t help but think this is not democracy that is emerging.  Doctors, ambulances and civilians are shot at and die in great numbers every day; the government is definitely not the sole target of the protestors.

Fake oil prices!

Because of the turmoil taking place in Libya, we have recently observed an upward surge in oil prices here in the United States. Media outlets seem to find this correlation between an unstable Libya and rising oil prices as something natural and expected. However, I think this is far from the truth for one simple reason: Libya accounts for only 2% of the worldwide production of oil.

If the oil production in Libya is stalled for whatever political, social, or economical reason, it doesn't make sense for oil prices to increase like what we saw a week ago in the US. Moreover, Saudi Arabia pledged to compensate for any shortage in oil caused by the recent troubles plaguing the Middle East. Therefore, these facts lead me to believe that oil producers are taking advantage of the political climate to increase their margins. I can't understand why we don't hear about this theory on major news channel. It seems like they are all willing to accept a simplified version of the truth: uncertainty and instability leads to higher prices.  For my part, I think this is not a satisfactory answer.