INTERNATIONAL

NEW YORK, February 9, 2011 – The US should actively support the burgeoning democratic movements in Egypt and throughout the Muslim world, argues Anwar Ibrahim, who sees American support for embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the context of a larger "policy of ambivalence." "You talk about democracy and freedom; you support autocrats and dictators," said the former Deputy Prime Minister …

THE sectarian and ethnic divisions among Iraqi politicians have now become so deep that trust across the sectarian and ethnic schisms, Shia, Sunni, Kurdish, is now practically non-existent. Any action or statement by any politician, whether well-intentioned or not, is viewed through this destructive prism.  Where do we go from here?  Is there any action that all politicians could agree …

What truly worries Israel is not the radicalization of Muslim societies, but the rise of Islamic politics to represent a rational, mainstream political discourse. It threatens Israel because it could rally many Arabs around one cohesive political agenda, and repositions Palestine, once more, as central to what many Muslim intellectuals refer to as the “Islamic Awakening”. Senior Hamas leader Ismail …

Goldstone report is gathering dust in the UN shelf. Israel remains arrogant and lawless as ever. Palestinian sufferings continue unabated.   Three years ago between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009 Israel unleashed its latest carnage on the starving Palestinians in Gaza.   Gaza is a small beach side strip of around 365 sq miles by the Mediterranean Sea. …

The visit by Arab League observers to Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deraa , the Damascus suburb of Douma and other conflict zones has become the focus of concerted demands for the Western powers to intervene militarily into the ongoing civil war in Syria. The mission was endorsed by Syria, in line with an Arab League plan calling for the withdrawal of …