Asymmetric warfare - Cartoon

I am surprised the US embassador to the UN did not veto this violent act against Israel.

Khaled 

It must be sad to look back, and see it as it was!

I know GW is old news, but I have just received this cartoon in an email from a friend. It is not a funny cartoon, but it is amazingly sad.

Imagine yourself, with all the fire power, financial power, propaganda power, intelligence service capabilities in the galaxy at your disposal for a whole lot of 8 very long years. Yet, you leave the presidency with nothing you can claim as an achievement.

And when your best line on your way out is that history would be kinder to your legacy.... Boy, that really is bad. You almost feel sad for him.

The only thing going for our ex, is that he has proven himself consistently delusional, and predictably lacking when it comes to the perception of reality. And as long as he does not get treated, or miraculously acquires some common sense in the coming 40 or 50 years he still has to live, he will be fine.

So, having thought of that, I do not almost feel sad for him any more. I can just enjoy the thought that that nightmare is over.

Khaled

Proper farewell to failing arrogant and wasteful presidency

Theories on the timing of the last Israeli Gaza massacre and when Israel decided to wrap it up abound. And events like those are not of course haphazard. The timing of a rapidly cooked Israeli-American Pact, on monitoring Gaza weapons supply, signed by the smug Condoleezza Rice with the Israeli counterpart was not a mere coincidence either.

The Bush administration has found its soul mate in successive warmongering Israeli governments and politicians over the last 8 years. The Bush gang became the enablers of all the evil policies that Israel took pleasure in exercising regardless of who was in Israel Prime ministers seat.

That is why I think it is appropriate if Arabs in general, and Palestinians in particular, feel that this cartoon sums up their 'warm' feelings towards George W Bush and his times.

Khaled

With life being so depressing around us, how about some 'funnies' from Egypt?

A friend sent me an email today from Egypt with some painful political cartoons by a talented cartoonist known as Sharif Arafa. His web page is here, but was still under construction at the time this posting is written.

The cartoons are more painful for those who know Egypt well, or know some places like it: you know is on planet Earth, yet is seems on another planet.

I am not sure if the 'humor' will be appreciate by many, but I will give it a shot (and include some translation in English).

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"You need to know, Egypt was once a very different place"

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On the left: "Education in Egypt", and the poor thinker is memorizing 20 centuries-old poetry about 'tribal supremacy and pride' from the 'official study book'
On the right: "Education abroad". And the thought process does not nead my explanation!

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This is a most painful one: Protesting America, while willingly drowning themselves in consuming American culture and products.

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Another painful one. The hard core criminal asking the nerdy-looking newcomer: "Here for theft or murder?".
The nerdy guy answer is... well, you can read it in English.

And FYI, Facebook protests in Egypt can land you in jail!

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And concluding with this sad one.
The 'remnants-of-a-person' says: " .. no money ... and I cannot find a job .. but that is OK .. it is still a life."

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This last one brings up the issue I hate the most about Egyptians: their eternal contentment- the contentment that makes them put up with what other humans would not put up with.

They manage to survive, but at what price.

Khaled

Political cartoon - from an Arab Newspaper

This is a very telling cartoon: no matter how unhappy Arab people are, their 'official' government-controlled media paint a happy picture. I am not sure whom the media are trying to kid. It is unlikely any one will believe them anyway except their own dictators, if they care to pay attention to their own mouthpiece media outlets - the media that tells them exactly what they want to here.

But the sad story does not stop there. This very cartoon is a symptom of the same disease it is criticizing. .

The words in Arabic script read 'Hamas' on the painter's shirt, and 'Gaza' on the shirt of the unhappy broken arm 'model'. And while very few will dispute the validity of the statement made by the cartoon regarding Gaza, the cartoon is published in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (Arabic for: The Middle East), which is published in London under Saudi auspices.

That London based newspaper is also the mouthpiece of the Saudi government, and would not publish any criticism of the Saudi government or of other Arab governments. But since Hamas has no reach outside the few square miles that make the Gaza strip, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat has the 'guts' to criticize them.

Knowing that makes me, sadly, feel that the cartoon is a little 'funnier' than it really is.

Khaled

Other post with cartoons about the middle east can also be checked here:

• The Middle East: A place with a lot of laughs, very bitter laughs

The Middle East: A place with a lot of laughs, very bitter laughs

An old (and very popular) verse of old poetry that reads as follows in Arabic:

" كم ذا بمصر من المضحكات ---------- لكنه ضحك كالبكا "

It is translated from Arabic somewhat similar to the following:

For, in Egypt, there is a lot to laugh about ...

... but your laughter will sound more like crying.

This is not the case in Egypt only. The whole Middle East is a fulfillment of that centuries-old poetic verse. Many of the world's nations are filled with stupidity, poverty, greed and abuse. But the Middle East is special: it is where the depressing state of affairs goes hand in hand with the delusion of grandeur amongst the mighty rulers, and total despair amongst the people.
That despair is what immerses people is material hedonism or religious fatalism, and in some cases, a weird mix of both.
And with total thought control over everything, political cartoon and street-wise jokes have traditionally been the only venues for anything resembling expression of opinion.
The British Guardian Online has published a collection of political cartoons by several eminent cartoonist, and below is a small selection that I found very thoughtful, and painful. to see the full collection, please check the Guardian Online web site.

The comments next to the pictures are mine.

This will resonate with a lot of people here (in the US), as much as in the middle East.

You can easily apply this to most of the Arab world countries.

The next 2 cartoons are from Palestine: both are very deep and very sad.

The Graduation Party.

And finishing with this one:

To see the whole collection click here.
And for an article about it, click below:

Through a cartoon darkly
An exhibition of cartoons on the Middle East exposes the corruption, torture, venality and oppression common to region. By Ian Black for the British Guardian.