GENEVE II, A SOLUTION FOR THE SYRIAN CONFLICT?

While the blood of Syrians is shed fighting for their freedom against the government loyals in the multiple battlefronts, several meetings are taken place between the various opposition factions to prepare the next Geneva summit of 22 January. If the 9th and 10th of January, the Spanish government acted as host for a first meeting in Cordoba in order to assist in the search for binding agreements for all dissident groups. A few days later the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the "eleven" countries friends of Syria - namely, Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, United States, France, Britain, Italy, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey – met in Paris to establish a common action policy and reaffirm a number of commitments to end  the doubts of the opposition, including the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad .

Finally, the Syrian National Coalition - which brings together various opposition groups – met in Istanbul on January 17 to discuss their participation in the meeting they call "Geneva II". In the previous days, discrepancies, that have weakened the opposition since the start of the conflict, arose again. Prior to its conclusion, there were several resignations of several members. Nevertheless, the decision to come to Geneva II was adopted by a majority of 58 votes in favour to14 against and two abstentions. Both meetings in Córdoba and Istanbul have made clear that the first essential condition for the opposition to end this terrible civil war is that Bashar al-Assad and his acolytes leave office  Something that seems so little feasible now as was at the beginning of the conflict. To this Bashar declared, had I wanted I would have given up from the beginning. We stand on guard for our country.

MODERN SLAVERY.

She approached me with shaky steps. She was holding the tray as if her life depended on it. She struggled to move with the orange juice without tripping. Head down, aware of the inquisitive eyes of her boss and frightened by the number of guests occupying the terrace stumbled a few feet in front of me. Fortunately, the bright orange liquid did not reach me but left a small puddle on the tile floor.

SAUDI ARABIA: DRIVING IS AN OVARIES MATTER.

Driving harms the pelvis and ovaries. 

Of all the sexist comments against women's ability to drive a motor vehicle, this is perhaps the most peregrine and absurd. It should be enough to say that while there are numerous scientific studies that support the link between prostate cancer and staying long hours sitting in certain professions, such as drivers, there are none in the case of women. Imams have outdone themselves with this shameful explanation which focus, once again, on the "crux" of the matter: only women wombs matter and therefore should not move at will outside the control of male relatives, lest they discover that the world is outside the four walls of their prisons, excuse me, homes.

BASHAR AL ASAD’S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.

 Many were critical with the Norwegian Academy decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Barak Obama in October 2009. For them, the brand new President of the United States did not deserve it. The academy justified this award stating that: “Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.”[1]

Egyptian troops crossing the Suez Canal,
October 7, 1973

YOM KIPPUR, FORTY YEARS LATER.

Forty years have passed since the Yom Kippur War when in an unexpected move, Egypt and Syria, decided to attack Israel in one of its holiest days. It was the fourth major confrontation between Arabs and Jews since Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948. The overwhelming Israeli victory of 1967 and its overestimation of border security allowed this country to relax while its enemies’ desire for revenge was mounting. This surprise attack highlighted the vulnerability of Israel to the alliance of two of its strongest enemies. A vulnerability that was surmounted  - despite the initial strategic advantage of Egypt and Syria - due to poor communications between both that allowed Israel to recover and regain territory.

TURKEY OUTRAGED AGAINST ERDOGAN.

I have been asked repeatedly if the camping in Istanbul’s Taksim square and the subsequent demonstrations in other cities of Turkey, are the result of the influence of the Arab awakening or an imitation of the 15 - M movement. Doubts arise from the dual identity that the Republic of Turkey has been playing with since its formation in 1923: a democracy defined as "European" in an oriental surroundings. However, this country has a defined personality that can not be identified with either of these two social movements. The current situation in the Anatolian Peninsula and its adjacent piece of land across the Bosphorus can not be compared with the demonstrations in the Arab countries aimed to get a real democratization of their countries, or the movement of indignation that called for more participation in the governement and less measures imposed by large corporations while denouncing the corrupt behavior of many leaders, businessmen and bankers.

THE SYRIAN ADRIFT WITHOUT ACNUR

It was one of those stories told with a quiet and restrained gesture. The shivering little three year old walked aimlessly in the dark cold night. He was alone, helpless. His sight was heartbreaking. It was not possible not to pick him up and comfort him. He had lost his family in the midst of hundreds of thousands of people walking through the snowy mountains in their quest for a save refuge across the border. Terrified and in shock he could not even remember his name. He was lucky. A young man picked him up and nursed him until he found his family months later. But tens of thousands of children, elderly and sick were left behind, homeless at night with no blankets and no food.

Fortunately, some NGOs, including UNHCR, managed to reach and assist them. They were my, but also your, ultimately, our kind: Iraqi Kurds, Afghans, Bosnians, Guatemalans, Saharans, Sudanese, etc ... people like us who due to natural disasters, armed conflicts or political repression were forced to leave their homes to save their lives.