RSSMENA Fringe Archives
July 04, 2010
Muslim Periphery: Guinea Conakry (Elections and opportunities)
On the fringe of the MENA world but increasingly of interest to the Maghreb from a business point of view (and having long historical connections, if not entirely profound), West Africa is of increasing interest to folks like me. Interestingly I was speaking with a Senior US diplo in the Maghreb a few days before he disappeared into 4 July vacation land, and he noted that the US policy on Maghreb was awkward as it worked (from a Washington DC end) from the presumption that the most important ties and issues were East (Mashreq) - West, but he'd found after several tours, that they're moving more North - Maghreb - South. I found it an interesting comment from such a person as I have made similar observations (here even).
FT.com / Africa - Guinea election set for run-off
Guineau is a place that if they get a modicum of stability can bloody well take off.
Guinea election set for run-off
By Tom Burgis in Lagos
Published: July 3 2010 17:57 | Last updated: July 3 2010 17:57
The race for the presidency of mineral-rich Guinea is set for a second round after no candidate won a decisive victory in Sunday’s elections.
The poll is the first free ballot in 52 years of dictatorship and penury since the west African nation’s independence from France, as the military prepares to hand power to a civilian ruler.
It comes as mining investors tussle for Guinea’s bauxite, used to make aluminium, and iron ore, used to make steel.
Cellou Dalein Diallo, a former prime minister, won nearly 40 per cent of the vote, election officials said.
That was well ahead of his nearest rival but not enough to win outright at the first attempt with a simple majority.
Alpha Conde, a veteran opposition leader, came second with 20 per cent.
Subject to verification by the supreme court, the two men will go to a run-off scheduled for July 18 but which is widely expected to face delays.
Foreign observers praised the spirit of the polls but warned that logistical flaws risked undermining the process. ....
Here's hoping the elections wrap well and they don't take Cote d'Iviorian turns. That would be a bloody shame.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 27, 2009
The Madness of USofA Security Overreaction
While understanding that Americans are sensitive creatures unused to risk, and sympathising with being rattled by the incompetent Nigerian cretin who failed in his terror attempt (but seems to have done a fine job in burning his inner thighs, I hope with the proper results to his privates as well insofar as reports suggest the materials were in his undies areas):
What kind of lunacy is this: New American flight rules, no getting up from seat during last hour of flight and no electronics.
No more than one carry on, including handbags. The reports from others flying into the US of A seem to confirm this hysteric over-reaction in now in place.
What the logic of this is escapes me insofar as no reports indicate any electronics were involved, the explosives (same failed method as that Jamaican sneaker-non-bomber cretin) were power sewed into his pants.... and the mere fact he did it in the past minutes of the flight seems to have fuck-all to do with methodology.
Well. I for one am cancelling my plans for a business meeting in New York. Let the fuckers come out here, damned if I am going to spend 9 hours on a flight without my laptop.
And for the US TSA: get some fucking ball you cowardly gits. All the Al Qaeda people need to do now to send America into a hysteric tizzy is to yell boo for fuck's sake.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:01 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 15, 2009
The Staggering Stupidity of Libertarianism
Ron Paul's plan to fend off pirates - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and a growing number of national security experts are calling on Congress to consider using letters of marque and reprisal, a power written into the Constitution that allows the United States to hire private citizens to keep international waters safe
This is staggerngly stupid. As if private contractors in Iraq worked well.....
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:04 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 11, 2009
Self indulgent idiocy.
Death on the high seas as pirates put to the sword - Times Online
The Lemaçons were not to be deterred by the risks. In their blog they described the other couple’s account of being held hostage as “impressive” but also “reassuring” because it was clear to them that the pirates were motivated more by money than any interest in harming westerners.“The danger exists,” Lemaçon wrote in his blog, “and it has probably grown in the course of these past few months, but the ocean is vast. The pirates must not be allowed to annihilate our dream.”
Two friends came out to join them in Yemen as “reinforce-ments” for the dangerous part of the journey. Lemaçon was in regular contact with French naval vessels as they approached the Gulf of Aden.
According to the defence ministry, the Tanit was warned, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from the region. “They were told that it would be reckless in the extreme to attempt the trip down to Kenya,” said a defence ministry spokesman. “They were told that the threat from pirates was greater than ever. Frankly, it is baffling to us that the warnings were not heeded.”
Emphasis added.
Idiots. Putting themselves and the French forces in pointless danger in a fundamentally self-indulgent 'anti-consumerist' indulgence in consumerism. Very French that.
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Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 18, 2008
In all indications, the concept of equity was not well understood
Although it means that I am an evil person, the news of rioting over dropping equities on the Pakistan bourse really amused me.
The best one:
I am upset because I am constantly losing money and there is no one ready to help me,” said Naeem Jehandad, an equity investor in Islamabad. He said the value of his shares had halved in the past four months.“For me, this is just a murder for my economic future,” said Usman Khan, a lift operator who returned from the Middle East last year and invested his savings of Rps350,000 ($5,000) in the KSE.
Why he bet after seeing what the Gulf bourses did....
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:25 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 08, 2008
Iran, US Sanctions & Finance
American Footprint's China Hand has a fine note on the strange idiocies of American policy in re Iran and financial sanctions. An idiocy only exceeded by Iran's horrible domestic economic policy.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 27, 2007
Bang, bang goes petrol
The US administration is queerly talented in enriching its enemies while engaging in pointless, self-defeating particularly nuisible form of extra territorality in its unilateralism.
I don't know that I could put it better than Stephens: "the White House once again seems hell-bent on being outwitted in the court of global opinion; and, maybe, on making a strategic miscalculation that could make the war in Iraq look like a sideshow."
Regardless, while dealing with big international money center banks has its efficiencies, there is other non-transparent sources of financing, and while perhaps less skilled, their equally non-transparent friends in Dubai's 2nd to 3rd tier operators can get by.
I am merely happy to have a new found interest in likely benefiting parties.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 15, 2007
Dar Fur: Finally a decent article in the US press
I do not have much comment, other than to say that this is easily one of the more well-informed articles published in English (although the faux racialisation of Arab versus non-Arab remains in the background) on Dar Fur. In reading this, I should think it clear wny I take a dim view indeed of Western intervention in such conflicts, givent he penchant for White Hat Black Hat thinking, and the utter ignorance that comes with it. Like the Tuareg - Mali Bambara conflict of the early 90s, this is something best left to the locals to settle. Foreign intervention by gullible dupes rarely goes well. And yes, I do not exclude Rwanda from this. The best resolution for Rwanda was not foreign intervention, but rather what occured, except earlier.
[16 April 9:00 GMT: Link fixed]
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:38 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 07, 2007
Imperial America: Iran & Sanctions on 3rd Party Hydrocarbon Sector Investment
The Financial Times has an interesting, if infuriating (from its content, not writing) article on the Imperial American pretension to regulate other's investment in Iran. What irritates here especially is that I know from experience the slightest hint of similar actions by EU or similar parties touching on American interests provokes paroxysms of incoherent rage on the part of Americans. I confess readily knowledge of this, as well as my conviction that the US efforts here are posturing and will end up merely alienating without any real achievement, adds to my deep sense of irritation.
Now, mind you, the concept of the effort does not offend, and my snide swipe at Imperial America is most explicitly not from your usual Lefty whinging "evil capitalist America" tripe sort of point of view. No, It's about over-reaching, and clumsy over-reaching. I am a strong believer in avoiding too much obvious hypocrisy. One reason the overdone language the Americans and the French tends to engage in in their precious self-fellating rhetoric over their respective civilisations irritates.
Operationally, for many of the same reasons I predict that it will be the Chinese and similar parties that will reap the Iraqi hydrocarbons windfall, I strongly believe the US sanctions are an example of cutting off your nose to spite your face, which for some reason the current American administration seems to find to be a queerly enjoyable activity.
Continue reading "Imperial America: Iran & Sanctions on 3rd Party Hydrocarbon Sector Investment"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:43 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 10, 2007
Somalia & MENA: Compounding Errors & Bad Optics
I was working on an Aqoul main post on the Somali situ - speculative - and am finding that events are overtaking me. Whenever I have the smallest hope the US will not make some profoundly idiotic engagement, wasting resources and money on pointless muscle flexing (I am not, I may add, against muscle flexing as such, not being a pacifist at all, just against idiocy), the US goes a step further.
Air strikes against villages, where perhaps there may be al Qaeda people.
Well, great optics that. More of the callous imperial monster blowing up women and children in its heartless oppression of good Muslims optic.
If the payoff were real, it might be worth it, but I am have no doubt the payoff is not there, the al Qaeda leadership (taking for a moment the proposition, however dubious, was correct) will be easily replaced, and the sheer bloodyness and apparent callousness will actually generate more support for the very thing the US has interest in diminishing.
Bloody experts in own goals, the US.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:29 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 27, 2006
Somalia: Appearances and Decisions
It is difficult to determine what precisely is occurring in Somalia with the Ethiopian intervention - which strikes me as rather typical of the Zeneoui government adventurism (as in Eritrea) - but the reports from the US media such as the Washington Post leads one to suspect that Ethiopian adventurism (combined with some real but limited security threat) is being egged on and supported by the Americans who are likely pointlessly giving themselves a black eye backing a government of feuding warlords over the Islamists.
Bad optics at best, probably a fundamental error - presuming that the reporting holds up.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:47 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
July 20, 2006
Bollocks - Somali-Habash War upcoming
On the periphery of our MENA region, but with the potential for nasty blow-back upwards, it appears that Ethiopia has invaded Somalia, per reporting from Al Jazeera (Eng.) and from Reuters, reporting Somalia Islamic Courts milita(s) response. Bollocks. I'd like to have a year in MENA & Periphery where I need not suspect disaster was coming. Of course, not to be alarmist either, despite some fevered imaginations, the whole region is not exploding. But neither does it help to have more petrol poured on the various fires.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:35 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 19, 2006
Dar Fur - Intra-African Bloodshed or Why I have been banging on against the idiotic "genocide" spin
I was surprised and pleased (in a way, although in another way not pleased, given the subject, i.e. bloodshed) to find in The New York Times an article illustrating why I have been banging on about the idiocy of viewing the Dar Fur situation as a 'genocide' rather than a nasty case of ethnic warfare between sedentary and nomadic peoples in a region fast running up against an ecologic/demographic wall.
I will expand on this later, but this is a perfect illustration of the problem of simple minded declarations, like Kevin Drum's that arguing over Dar Fur is hair splitting. No, it is not, for if you charge in with simple minded ideas of the nature of the conflict, the actors involved, you are going to end up fighting the wrong battles - just like in Somalia, where Black Hat - White Hat American simpletonism fucked their own project.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 26, 2006
On Dar Fur - a fine op ed
Quickly, an editorial by Emily Wax, the Washington Post’s East Africa bureau chief who gets the facts and atmosphere right, if only for the novelty value.
Will the hysteric shriekers take note? No.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:37 PM | Comments (62) | TrackBack
October 18, 2005
Banging on about Dar Fur
A comment from a little ‘dialogue’ at Zenpundit which I thought I might expand on here, or rather a reply to a comment from some illiterate twit named Eddie banging on in half-informed ignorance about Dar Fur. The conversation may be found here, where Zenpundit’s core comments are reasonable.
My quoting and commentary on the Eddie comments.
Continue reading "Banging on about Dar Fur"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 01, 2005
Dar Fur: Quaint Student Activism
I thought I might pass along this quaint little bit of student activism I found in my Lounsbury at Aqoul mailbox. It's a bit precious but who knows, some of you less cynical and more inclined to such things might wish to know about this:
Dar Fur Fast.
I personally found the concept quite stupid and rather typically student activist (what is the penchant for idiotic acronymic group names among North American student activists - STAND, students against something or other...), but regardless, one must show one cares, yes?
Regardless, they start right out by annoying me with that idiotic, abusive usage "genocide" in regards to Dar Fur. Well, again, like the Irshaad Manji item I just posted in 'Aqoul, there is this tendency to inflate and want to be part of the cool suffering gang as well. Nothing is "merely" anything, if there are horrors, why they must be genocide.
Regardless, for those into such things, here is a chance to express yourselves. You can be sure I will not. Certainly as drilling through I find it doubly silly as Ramadan starts shortly, so the special fasting timing rather implies those behind this are ... well... not Muslims rather clearly.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:16 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 16, 2005
Turkish Developments
On the road at the moment, I note reports of the resort bombings in Turkey, one of which is reported to have a Kurdish connexion.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 09, 2004
Darfur - On Racism, On Ignorance, On Laziness and just plain stupidity (and Arab responses)
First, to avoid the typical miscomprehensions from the ignorant twits who lack in reading comprehension, let me say that what is happening in Dar Fur is a disgrace, and terrible. Ethnic cleansing (not genocide, ethnic cleansing, let's keep the word genocide for... well genocide and not yet engage in another namby pamby debasing of meaning for shock value to mobilize the sensitive) is never a good thing, and the Arab supremacist government in Sudan deserves scorn and pressure. Perhaps even getting a good spanking with an oil blockade.
This aside, Western commentary - whether in "blogs" or ordinary media has been remarkably ignorant and frankly often racist in a lazy and stupid sort of way falling into stupid "Black" versus "Arab" idiocies.
Let me first refer readers to this article, thanks to Charles Stewart: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17326
It is a serviceable article and far better than the piss-poor stuff I have generally seen. I'll return to comment on it after some comments I began before finding this.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
