Bookmarks 03/17/2012

• Shades of the Sinai’s Instability – Sada

  tags: egypt sinai bedouin activism violence politics economics

  • However, the most recent manifestations of violence in the South Sinai governorate are not a function of northern resentment of southern “prosperity.” Rather, since the uprising—which brought a halt to tourism nationwide—southern tribes have expressed increased support for more drastic means of resistance. The most recent examples—the abductions of American and Korean tourists and the seizure of the Aqua Sun coastal resort by tribal gunman—were aimed not at destruction, but toward mounting an open and embarrassing challenge to state authority. Grievances and demands were quickly issued and met; attacks were poised as reprisals for the detention of family members with the goal of a “hostage exchange” in addition to protesting their exclusion from land they claim as part of their territory.  In keeping with tribal values, these attacks were not intended to cause physical harm (traditional Bedouin notions of honor and hospitality demand just treatment of strangers). The distinctly bloodless outcomes (hostages were quickly released, unscathed) easily dispel widespread media accusations that this was the work of al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents, whose operations almost always end in bloodshed.
  • Compared to the recent manifestations of resistance, the differences in methods and damage seem conspicuous and highlight the distinction between tribal forms of resistance and Islamist violence. Sinai kidnappings and resort takeovers vent economic grievances, and these types of attacks in both the north and south retaliate against state policies of marginalization, using “hostage negotiations” and the leverage of the state’s public image abroad to free their fellow tribesmen.

• WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks with WSWS

  • The WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief has not been charged with a single crime in Sweden, Britain or any other country. Nevertheless, Assange has been held under house arrest for over 450 days, forced to wear an electronic ankle tag, observe a 10 p.m. curfew and report to police on a daily basis.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.