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ahad aham
Trad climber
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yeah lost, suleiman can become our next favorite dictator
yesterday i mentioned obama sent an envoy to brief mubarak before his "staying put until September" address. todays ny time s on frank wisner:
|Obama Envoy’s Lobbying Firm Tied to Mubarak Regime
As the United States continues to press Egyptian officials to begin the “orderly transition” President Barack Obama called for on Tuesday night, more attention is being paid to Frank Wisner, the retired American diplomat who met with Hosni Mubarak on behalf of the administration this week.
In my colleague Sheryl Gay Stolberg’s profile of Mr. Wisner, she reported that the 72-year-old retired ambassador and businessman trusted with this delicate mission “joined the lobbying firm Patton Boggs” two years ago.
As the Mideast Wire blog noted on Tuesday, Mr. Wisner’s lobbying firm has worked on behalf of the Egyptian government for two of the three decades Mr. Mubarak has been in power.
According to a description of the lobbying firm’s experience in Egypt on its Web site:
Patton Boggs has been active in Egypt for 20 years. We have advised the Egyptian military, the Egyptian Economic Development Agency, and have handled arbitrations and litigation on the government’s behalf in Europe and the U.S. Our attorneys also represent some of the leading Egyptian commercial families and their companies, and we have been involved in oil and gas and telecommunications infrastructure projects on their behalf. One of our partners also served as the Chairman of the U.S.-Egyptian Chamber of Commerce, promoting foreign direct investment into targeted sectors of the Egyptian economy. We have also handled negotiation of offset agreements and managed contractor disputes in military sales agreements arising under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales Act.
blue, think soros is looking to invest in some cheap realestate?
here's more from Patton Boggs website;
The commercial environment for foreigners has improved significantly since the passage of new investment laws in 1997. Egypt now allows full foreign ownership of ventures and guarantees the right to remit income and repatriate capital. There are also new legal guarantees against confiscation, sequestration, and nationalization. Foreigners may now own land within two miles of cities; land beyond that is considered “desert land” and may only be owned by Egyptian-controlled (51 percent minimum) entities. Foreigners may not own agricultural land.
Tax holidays of five years are granted to all joint stock companies employing more than 50 employees. After these five years, joint stock companies are granted a deductible allowance equal to the going interest rate on bank deposits. Taxes are only charged when the rate of return is above the market rate of interest (approximately 10.5 percent at mid 2005).
Tourism remains among the more important parts of the Egyptian economy. Tourist projects, including hotels, are given a five-year tax holiday, which can be extended to ten years for projects in remote areas.
Energy is also a major foreign investment focus. Oil and gas concessions are based on production sharing arrangements between the Egyptian government, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, and foreign oil companies. Contractors are given an initial exploration phase of three to four years. If oil is not found during that period the contract terminates. Foreigners also invest in many other Egyptian industries; however, projects outside of oil, gas, and tourism are not automatically approved and must go through an often-lengthy approval process, which can act as a deterrent to foreign investment. Special permission is required to invest in military-related industries. Foreigners may invest in agricultural projects but cannot majority own them when this would involve majority-ownership of agricultural land.
Patton Boggs has been active in Egypt for 20 years. We have advised the Egyptian military, the Egyptian Economic Development Agency, and have handled arbitrations and litigation on the government’s behalf in Europe and the US. Our attorneys also represent some of the leading Egyptian commercial families and their companies, and we have been involved in oil and gas
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jstan
climber
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When an executive is unpopular the decision to leave is a nice one. Stay too long and you are thrown out and you are followed by a period of chaos. No telling what will emerge from the box.
It's impossible but what would make sense now is for the Army to put Mubarack under house arrest but to guarrantee him three things. One, he will retain the title until the upcoming election. Two, he and some predetermined number of his associates must attend all the functions and meetings incident upon forming a new government. Three, they shall be assured safe passage from Egypt following formation of the new government.
This trades on the trust the people have for the army. That is all that is good about the whole mess.
That trust needs to play a role here.
I would think.
And yes. The Army needs to assure the people no one from the Army shall be a candidate to be the new executive.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Let me ask you. Do you think any country would allow "their entire military command" to be outside the country - ever?
Look it it up, Johnson!
Yea Bluey, it's a conspiracy. Just like the coverup for our Kenyan president.
How's the hunt for that birth certificate going?
I didn't mention anything about that. I'm just saying there are other nefarious reasons that our gov't supports.
Don't put weird words in my mouth, you should be able to do better.
Think clearly, follow the money, and look at the facts.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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The current MSM is misreporting this whole thing for some reason. Including Fox News.
Mark my words, this is a subversive coup by our gov't in collaboration with Int'l 'peace' (socialist) groups.
Something weird is afoot. And it doesn't serve us well as Americans. Mark my words...
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Matt why don't you STFU until you can honestly answer the questions I posed to you earlier, coward!
I knew you'd pull this shit!
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monolith
climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mark my words, this is a subversive coup by our gov't in collaboration with Int'l 'peace' (socialist) groups.
And that's not a conspiracy, Bluey?
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Nibs
Trad climber
Humboldt, CA
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It is interesting to see the neo-cons wringing there hands over this like the blue one. Isn't this the Bush Doctrine come to life? I would think you guys would be celebrating saying "I told you so"
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ahad aham
Trad climber
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"Isn't this the Bush Doctrine come to life? I would think you guys would be celebrating saying "I told you so"
great point, of course it is always democracy as we deem it to be. Same old game. Recall Bush administrations hypocracy when Hamas won what was considered one of the most fair "democratically" held election on record in the Palestinian territories..
Massive protests today "the day of departure". Whether it is or not is to be seen but one can not help but feel moved by the actions of everyday people united in taking back their country. I don't believe they will accept anything short of the current regimes ouster. That includes whomever it is that the US and their Israeli masters try to insert. No wonder our "leaders" are scrambling..
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Douglas Rhiner
Mountain climber
Truckee , CA
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Crowley, would you like to see the MB as a part of the gov't? WHy didn't Obama, Hillary, et al. denounce the Iranian leadership when the people rose up much more peacefully? Why not insist that a much more radical leader, Ahmadinajad, step down immediately??? That's what their doing to Mubarak.
Bluering,
"We" had/have a better relationship with Mubarak and the government of Egypt.
You don't see the military leaders of Iran coming to Washington.
Also, the relationship of the populous of Iran vs the government/military there of is a totally different dynamic.
If we were to have done the same thing with Iran it would have just made the leaders crawl deeper into their state of total control.
EDIT:
IF and a big IF this Egyptian revolution "works" wouldn't it seem logical that the people of Iran may find inspiration from this? And have a democracy come about organically rather than having it pushed upon them?
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Jingy
climber
Somewhere out there
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McCain calling this movement/revolution "a virus"...
Thought we, America, were into Democracy?
Not McCain, he wants something else.... Maybe he should just call for Hitler to be put in place... That might suit him better
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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IF and a big IF this Egyptian revolution "works" wouldn't it seem logical that the people of Iran may find inspiration from this? And have a democracy come about organically rather than having it pushed upon them?
I don't think so. It only demonstrates that the U.S. will leave certain 'allies' twisting in the wind. And didn't Iran try an 'organic' uprising? They received no support from our gov't and were stamped down by theirs.
Maybe he should just call for Hitler to be put in place... That might suit him better
The irony is thick there...The MB were allied with the Nasties BITD.
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Douglas Rhiner
Mountain climber
Truckee , CA
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Jeff Elfont and John McCain - Birds of a feather flock together.
Two of the most intellectually deprived people on the planet.
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Douglas Rhiner
Mountain climber
Truckee , CA
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I don't think so. It only demonstrates that the U.S. will leave certain 'allies' twisting in the wind. And didn't Iran try an 'organic' uprising? They received no support from our gov't and were stamped down by theirs.
Bluering you are correct about the people of Iran trying. But "they" probably did not try hard enough. I.e. some people laying down their lives for democracy. Heck, that is what happened here in the good 'ol US of A. Or maybe "we" should have just complained to KG and told him we wanted fredom rather than picking up arms.
What ally are we leaving twisting in the wind?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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What ally are we leaving twisting in the wind?
Mubarak. Maybe not a super-guy, but I think the best you could hope for in that region.
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ahad aham
Trad climber
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Israel is a parasite and a strategic liability.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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The only ally in the ME that the US has is Israel.
The USA is formally an ally of Turkey, as part of NATO. There is considerable diplomatic, economic and military cooperation between the two countries - even if it doesn't always conform to what IPAC wants.
Turkey has a freely elected and stable government, reasonable political freedom, civil liberties (unless you're a Kurd), a declining role for its military in government, a steadily growing economy, and it may eventually become a member of the EU. Many Turks, but far from all, are Sunni Moslems, of a moderate variety. Not Shias, not Wahhabis.
Israel has unstable governments that are hostage to religious extremists, and denies many civil liberties to 1/3 of its population.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Perhaps FatTrad can check with IPAC, but other middle eastern countries are also de facto if not de jure military allies of the US, and perhaps more. In particular, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Persian Gulf statelets.
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corniss chopper
climber
not my real name
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The existence of the morality police in Saudi is pretty weird. You can find some
unpleasant stories of their activities trying to keep the people in line.
Saudi woman beats up religious cop
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/18/saudi-woman-beats-up.html
There are always strange news stories that have their own flavor coming from
that area of the world. Of course that can be said of every region but still...
Wajeha Al Huwaider, a woman, driving in Saudi Arabia!
Saudi Arabia government to behead man for practicing witchcraft ...
Saudi religious police attacked by girls
Crucixion and beheading for child rapist in Saudi Arabia
Saudi family files lawsuit against cellphone-stealing genie ...
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Bullwinkle
Boulder climber
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"We have reached out to the Syrians and Palestinians" wow, really?
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