Interesting News from the Middle East
Events in the Middle East continue to astound.

First, the US came out and openly blamed Syrian-backed Islamic Jihad members for Friday's Tel Aviv nightclub bombing.

Second, in what is clearly a bad day for Syrian dictator President Bashar Assad, Lebanese protesters defying a ban on public demonstrations successfully ousted the pro-Syrain Lebanese government of Prime Minister Omar Karami.

Third, while what comes next for the Lebanese government is a good question, so far Syria says it's going to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in a matter of months. While Base10 remains somewhat skeptical of this timetable--after all the Syrians promised to get out in 1998--it is certainly a good turn of events.

Fourth, in the aftermath of the single most deadly terrorist attack in Iraq that killed over 125 people, there's this report that a spontaneous demonstration drew thousands to protest the murders and actually called those responsible "terrorists." Of course CNN continues to refer to them as "insurgents."

According to the second-to-last link above, demonstators shouted "No to terrorism!" and "No to Baathism and Wahhabism!" Good for them.

Fifth, there's this curiously timed report about how the young people in Iran are rebelling against the strict Islamic practices of the theocrats. Couple that report with this item about many members of an Iranian opposition group returning, and it makes you wonder if the Iranian mullahs are going to be in power for very long.

Base10's big prediction is that there will be a major political upheaval in Iran as we approach the July anniversary of the 1999 student uprising. Let's hope the CIA is wrong as usual.

Sixth and last, according to this report, Al Qaeda has called upon Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted Islamic militant in Iraq, to consider launching attacks in the US. How lame is that? So let me get this straight, the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world is asking for al-Zarqawi, a guy whose key aide was recently captured by Iraqi forces and can only be assumed to be on the run, to launch attacks on the United States. I'm sure he's got a little time on his hands what with ducking US troops and avoiding Hellfire missiles. You know, sometimes even CNN can't spin things that badly.
- posted by Base10 @ 8:02 PM