politics for the 99%

Published on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Ahmed Eleiba, July 10, 2014 (on the effect of the new developments in Iraq on the security situation in Sinai).

Security has been tightened in Sinai, with military operations claiming 18 takfiri militants since the beginning of this month. Additional measures are expected soon, especially in the light of the continuing existence of border tunnels, more of which have been discovered recently.  

Even if only on a very small scale, these tunnels permit the infiltration of dangerous elements into Egypt. Since the beginning of the month, security authorities have arrested more than 200 individuals being smuggled through these tunnels. Although most were Africans trying to enter Israel via the Egyptian border, such figures indicate that there are still weak points on the map.

The border situation is not new to Sinai. However, there are growing concerns that a new development in the Arab region may now cast its shadow over the famous Egyptian peninsula. This development is the events in Iraq and the declaration by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) of a state. Members of this extremist organisation have sworn allegiance to an emir called Ibrahim Al-Husseini Al-Qirshi, a name whose significance reverberates beyond the current Iraqi context.

In his meeting with the editors-in-chief of Egypt’s newspapers last week, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi discussed the question of ISIS. It was Egypt’s strong army that had prevented any repetition of the current Syria and Iraq scenarios in Egypt, which was also the object of a conspiracy to partition it, he said, adding that he had warned the West of the danger of ISIS.

Also last week, Ministry of Interior Spokesman Hani Abdel-Latif stated that there were no ISIS members in Egypt. He was responding to recently circulating rumours that a security agency was conducting investigations into a number of individuals of various nationalities allegedly suspected of being members of the organisation.

The attention given to ISIS on the part of senior officials is clearly intended to reassure a public alarmed by the images from Iraq being broadcast over the satellite news networks and by the organisation’s statements with regard to Egypt.

The fear is that Al-Qaeda affiliates or inspired organisations in Sinai, such as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, Al-Furqan, Al-Takfir Wal-Hijra and other such exponents of the jihadist Salafist current, and, perhaps, some Muslim Brotherhood cells that are fighting the security agencies, will merge with ISIS or “declare allegiance” to that entity that controls large swaths of territory in two major Arab states, namely Syria and Iraq … //

… (full text).

Links:

This Road Work Made Possible by Underfunding Pensions, on The Upshot/NYT, by Josh Barro, July 12, 2014;

Connecting Brazil to the world, on VOX, by Patricia Ellen, Jaana Remes, July 12, 2014;

Are Uber and Lyft the next jitney? on Neighborhood Effects, by MATT MITCHELL, July 12, 2014: … My colleague, Michael Farren, and I explore the short life and death of the American jitney in tomorrow’s LA Times;

U.S.: How Immigration Became Illegal: Aviva Chomsky on U.S. Exploitation of Migrant Workers, on Democracy Now, July 11, 2014;

Are the Twelve Regional Banks of the Federal Reserve System Private Entities? on Global Research.ca, by Lars Schall, July 10, 2014;

… und noch das:

Han´s Klaffl live – 40 Jahre Ferien – Ein Lehrer packt ein, 58.47 min, von Yezariael82 am 23. Oktober 2011 auf YouTube hochgeladen.