Arab World developments

1. Diane West in her Townhall Column points out that the Bush Administration plans on doling out some $600 million dollars to the Abbas-led PA movement. This is in addition to the $275 million dollars sent last year. This is a good investment since all these dollars have given rise to lawless stampedes, burning synagogues, and a Rice-State Department snub of Israel's Hurricane Katrina donations. Read the whole article.

2. Afghanistan has held a second round of elections. This step is always a key step in becoming a true liberal democracy. The key phrase from the Reuters election summary is

Although there were no figures available yet, Joint Afghan-Un Electoral Management Body (JEMB) officials said that there had been a high turnout of female voters, citing local officials filing reports of long queues of women in many parts of the conservative [i.e., really Islamic] south, particularly in the cities of Jalabad and Kandahar.

There were also more polling places open this year than compared to the Oct, 2004 elections. The number of dead (including Al-Quaeda is less than 2-dozen.

3. Clifford D. May, a National Review essayist, has a Scripps-Howard news article here about Jalal Talabani, Iraq's PM. May describes the PM thus,

Talabani is effusive in his gratitude for the sacrifices Americans have made in Iraq. The young American men and women on the front lines in places like Fallujah and Tall Afar, he says, are “fighting fascism with the same dignity and courage as the Great Generation of Americans who fought in World War II.”

What an inspiring way to describe our soldiers. Fight on, fight on.


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