Iran and Hezbollah: Middle East’s friends with benefits
The Hezbollah is changing. As the dynamics in the Middle East continue to change with Israel no longer at the centre of conflicts defining the region’s geopolitics, the Lebanon-based militant group is also reportedly altering where it operates. Its partner in crime? Iran. The Persian country is increasingly using Hezbollah as an instrument in its drive for regional supremacy in a mostly Arab region.
There are many overlapping interests. Both are Shiite powers in a predominantly Sunni region. Hezbollah lends Tehran Arabic-speaking leaders and operatives who can work smoothly in the Arab world. In exchange, the alliance gives Hezbollah more money to run schools, hospitals and scout troops back in Lebanon.
“It is natural: All who are in accordance with us in any place in the world, that is a win for us because they are part of our axis and a win for everyone in our axis,” said Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general gladly acknowledging his organisation’s ties with Tehran.
Yemen’s star social media activist silenced
Yemen’s 38-year-old Hisham-al-Omeisy is a prolific tweeter in both Arabic and English. Ordinarily, his Twitter handle which has around 25,000 followers buzzes with updates on what’s happening in the war-weary country – until it suddenly fell silent two weeks ago. People immediately sensed that something was wrong.
His last tweet was telling. “Armed groups” had “just showed up” at his door. Four hours later, he was reportedly seen being taken away in a Houthi-controlled area in a convoy of three cars full of armed people. While thousands immediately took to social media to start an online campaign demanding his release, Yemeni activists say they are more cautious after Al-Omeisy’s arrest.
“There has been huge self-censorship after Hisham was arrested…It’s very very scary actually because the more silenced people are, the less we know,” a Sweden-based activist said.
Jittery govt bans group-jogging in Sierra Leone ahead of elections
Can an exercise routine as innocuous as jogging threaten a government? The Sierra Leone government thinks so. Citing disorderly and criminal behaviour by joggers, the national police just banned group jogging in the country. But the reason behind the ban is speculated to be purely political.
Rights groups say that as the country is moving toward a major presidential election, and the government is getting worried about the influence the running groups might have. A decade ago, the ruling party was accused of paying young people in cash and alcohol so that they would jog in groups on weekends singing hate songs and shouting slogans against the government. Whatever the reasons, the new ban comes as bad news for the country’s health-conscious who jog with company.
Thailand’s ex-PM vanishes before verdict that could land her in jail
“I’ll be there in court to the last day. We will meet there,” Thailand’s ex-prime minister battling criminal charges of negligence had said last month. However, on the day of the Supreme Court verdict, which could have landed Yingluck Shinawatra in prison for ten years, she was nowhere to be seen. What’s worse is her party officials say they have no idea where she is, or where the party is headed without her.
“It is now difficult for us to analyze what to do next…We want to hear from her and what her role will be now,” said the country’s former education minister.
Yingluck has probably fled the country with the help of her Thaksin Shinawatra, who is also a former prime minister in self-imposed exile after facing allegations of corruption. Thailand’s future now depends on the military and whether or not it reaches out to her supporters, a political science professor said. But it definiitely helps the military.
“Yingluck’s flight was a victory of sorts for the general,” as it reinforced their rationale for the coup, the professor said.
Trump is making GOP members livid
Donald Trump’s sustained criticisms of fellow Republicans are a result of “frustration” and “political calculation”, White House aides and advisors say. One explanation is that Trump doesn’t quite understand how things work, and how long they take to work out.
“He just says get it done, get it done,” says a White House advisor.
Another explanation is the fact that Trump sees little loyalty from his own party. And he makes no bones about it. He frequently tells advisors that he wants distance between him and Congress, which according to the president, has lower approval ratings than him.
Unsurprisingly, some senators and aides are livid. They say the president has made no attempt to understand the nuances of policy-making and is wholly absorbed in his own media coverage, even as the White House descends into turmoil. With the 2018 midterms approaching, GOP members are increasingly getting worried about the Democrats benefitting from their president’s incessant public criticisms of the party.