Links for 10/8/07

A mixed grill of hyperlinked morsels:

• BBC NEWS - Egypt Bedouins in angry protest (the continuing Bedouin upheaval in Sinai)
• Asia Times Online - Memories of monarchies revived (King Farouk nostalgia)
• SyriaComment - Ticking Clocks and ‘Accidental’ War (Alastair Crooke on Iran/US/Israel)
• Rural Egypt returns to the ancien regime, by Beshir Sakr and Phanjof Tarcir (land reform in Egypt)
• The 1952 land reform, by Beshir Sakr and Phanjof Tarcir (history thereof)
• alif - Avec "Chicago", El Aswany signe son retour (review of French translation of Aswany's 'Chicago')
• et - ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL (interview of Egypt's first lady)

From the last item, Suzanne Mubarak's reflections on the Egyptian press:

The media loves to attack the government and the cabinet. As far as the media is concerned, no Egyptian government has ever come that has done any good. Governments have only destroyed. Haram. Walahee haram, mish kedda. These people work 24 hours a day. They don’t even get a day holiday. And if they come to Alexandria for the day? The headlines declare “The Government Went on Vacation!” Haram alayhom. Even if they go to Alexandria to relax, so what? They’re still working around the clock.

I really feel sorry for these people. Really. I’m an insider, I see how they work, and they make huge sacrifices of their time, then they get no credit?

Who benefits from these stories? It’s not for Egypt’s benefit. And then they attack foreign investment. Without foreign investment, Egyptian investment, Arab investment, how are we going to proceed?

Comments

[Abu Muqawama]

The long-awaited redesign! It looks great!

[Sasha]

Impressed.

Seems like a pretty generic response.

[Manumission]

"So heading into August, what impression I had of the First Lady was that she was a decent woman with an immense interest in women’s and children’s issues. A bit cool in front of the cameras, perhaps, but the woman Princess Diana might have resembled in her autumnal years had God granted her the chance."

unbelievable piece of ass-kissing there by egypt today!

[jose]

Just by granting the interview and fielding the tough questions she's giving the independent media her implicit support which is more than you can say for any other woman in her position, L Bush included. And besides, she's done a hell of a lot more for Egypt than Hozz, all while raising a gay son who accidentally got hitched to the AUC bimbo to end all AUC bimboes... give the lady her props!