a thread about the civil unrest in egypt (& elsewhere in 'the region' if necessary)

That ideologues, nationalists or islamists get hold of these movements is my big fear. Eastern Europe had sufficient time & institutions to stop that happening, not sure how true that is in the Arab world.

This seems a rather, er, rosy view of what happened in the Balkans and Nagorno-Karabakh in the wake of '89!

1554: "Libya wants chaos, beards and turbans", says Col Gaddafi, according to the live translation.

Gaddafi barking at his people now... He won't step down, that's for sure. "I'll be a martyr, like my father, if necessary"

Col Gaddafi says he will not leave Libya, he will die on Libyan soil

Well, if you insist, I'm sure it can be arranged

Protestors are on drugs attacking police stations like mice

This is really two-doctors-and-a-social-worker level BATSHIT INSANE.

... don't forget the Ukranian nurse

when was that UN speech he gave that lasted like two hours?

Yeah, pull up a chair this might go on for some time

I'm sure the restraints she's been putting him in are... uh, not straitjackets, knawamsayin'? xpost

listening to this I can't help thinking that a lot of people are going to loose their lives

Yeah unless the army go "fuck this", it looks like a prelude to full-on civil war.

I would also be worried that he is going to take hostages.

now saying he has nothing to resign from.

"if you love gaddafi, go out and secure the streets"

uhhhh. revolution, you are understanding it wrong

i realize this guy's been insane for a long time, but WOW, he's not making any sense

I can't seem to see Al-Jazeera live. BBC News 24 is showing Hague. Stop showing Hague!

the al jaz interpreter keeps doing these massive amazing sighs in gaddafi's pauses

there was a point at which he said "means nothing! means nothing!" and i'm still not sure whether that was a direct translation of gaddafi's words or whether he'd just given up and resorted to meta-commentary

Do I need to download something for the AJ site? Not used it before but I don't think I can listen to Hague's monotone anymore.

just threatenin' the death sentence on pretty much everyone now

should be fine, its just overloaded right now

xpost

xp i don't think so, i didn't and it works - http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

Every line is a different shade of batshit, especially when he gets onto his "the kids are all drunk and on drugs" theory.

BBC News works fine but cuts away from the speech from time to time to preserve viewers' sanity.

Okay, I've got sound. This'll do.

yeltsin? china? wtf

The quotes would be hilarious if he weren't actually threatening to kill every protestor.

There was a good piece in the Evening Standard (honest) yesterday about the unfortunate habit of turning brutal dictators into comic figures - concentrating on the kitsch decor and absurd rhetoric rather than the crimes. I am certainly not immune to this.

"Hitler has only got one ball..."

Göring has two but very small,

Did he actually say "Do you want us to be like Somalia"???

did he just actually blame canada?

He's gone too far now

haha, interpreter changeover on al jaz like linespeople at wimbledon

ha, and al jaz has just given up the ghost. "we're going to come back to this and analyse what he said when he's finished"

On the basis of the analysis in this thesis, is it now possible to answer the question that is the sub-title of this thesis

i'd pass him just for knowing so many words in the dictionary that ends with "-is"

Psychoanalysemorelike

basis analysis thesis is that is this thesis electrolysis nowaysis

I always thought it was funny that Qaddafi never promoted himself above the rank of colonel. so modest, that guy.

There was a good piece in the Evening Standard (honest) yesterday about the unfortunate habit of turning brutal dictators into comic figures - concentrating on the kitsch decor and absurd rhetoric rather than the crimes. I am certainly not immune to this.

― DL, Tuesday, February 22, 2011 11:34 AM (43 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

feel like this is all abt people not knowing ~what evil looks like~

Shootings confirmed again on the streets of Tripoli.

Also apparently Algeria has just lifted its 19-year state of emergency? No idea what that actually entails on the ground.

they turn the sirens off

Was in Peal Riv Mrt yesterday and in the basement there are repros of Mao posters for your kitch consumption enjoyment. O_o

"He may not be in Caracas, but he is almost certainly crackers"

Thanks, Jon Snow.

hehe

(Great work on the title of this thread, Max.)

Why is Qaddafi a colonel?

"A Revolutionary Command Council was formed to rule the country, with Gaddafi as chairman. He added the title of prime minister in 1970, but gave up this title in 1972. Unlike some other military revolutionaries, Gaddafi did not promote himself to the rank of general upon seizing power, but rather accepted a ceremonial promotion from captain to colonel and has remained at this rank since then. While at odds with Western military ranking for a colonel to rule a country and serve as Commander-in-Chief of its military, in Gaddafi's own words Libya's society is "ruled by the people", so he needs no more grandiose title or supreme military rank."

So modest!

what the

Mr. Rabie said the decision — and timing — had “nothing, nothing at all” to do with the popular revolts against longstanding autocrats now erupting across the Arab world, which have inspired relatively small but spirited protests in Sudan as well.

“In Egypt, there was a gap between the rulers and the people, but not in our country,” Mr. Rabie said. In Sudan, he said, the rulers “live with the people.”

oh right

Was just in meeting in which boss said, about all the Arab-world stuff, "If you understand the MENTALITY of this part of the world, you'll understand that it has NOTHING to do with DEMOCRACY. This is going to change a lot of things that no one is even THINKING about." Delivered with total confidence in her own words.

O_o

First of all, racist. Second, by "things no one is thinking about," she clearly and patently means Israel. Third, TONS OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT ISRAEL, ACTUALLY, BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU AND ALSO, SHUT UP.

yr boss is an idiot

(FYI)