Saleh still using his skills

Those who complain of how the West sometimes treats Muslims should consider how Egypt treats its Copts, a columnist writes. Other topics: slippery Saleh, the Syrian opposition, and global opposition to capitalism.

Yet more twists and turns from Saleh

The US administration feels humiliated after its calls for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down from office fell on deaf ears, noted the London-based newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi in its editorial.

In response, Washington is preparing to go to the UN Security Council for a resolution requiring Saleh to sign the GCC initiative and hand over power to his deputy Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, a step leading to parliamentary and presidential elections.

Apparently Mr Saleh was able to circumvent US and regional pressure by showing a sort of make-believe flexibility. He once pledged to sign the GCC plan, and at another time added more conditions. This was done to gain more time.

"We cannot predict the reaction of the Yemeni president regarding the new US move, but we may assume that he has still got some tricks up his sleeve to circumvent the present crisis, as he did before. The man has proved to be skilful in the art of manoeuvring."

Mr Saleh had been undertaking extensive consultations to anticipate any potential decision by the Security Council. One of the options he might go for is to step down, only to form a military council to run state affairs. And this may suit the US interests too, since Washington believes that the Yemeni army is essential to continue the war against Al Qaeda.

Egypt's Copts and the coexistence myth

"I wished that Egyptian Muslims had taken to the streets this week in memory of their fellow citizens, who were killed last week at Maspero,"Maamoun Afandi wrote in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat.

Egyptian Muslims appeared indifferent about the pains of their fellow citizens, and were not interested in filling Tahrir Square to defend the much-talked-about national unity. Authorities denied any responsibility and blame unknown external parties.

"It's important to know that the army is less biased than some state institutions against Copts. Yet the leaders, who worked with Hosni Mubarak, still hold his discriminatory views.

"Discrimination against Copts in Egypt is complex. It starts at home, and continues at school, mosque and media. We claim Egypt is a site of coexistence between Muslims and Copts, but the very Egyptian coexistence parlance is a minefield of stereotypes."

The crisis between Muslims and Christians in Egypt is not a crisis over a church. It is deeper. It is a crisis of the whole cultural system, a civilisational predicament, as it is, that affects all aspects of Christians' life.

We demand to end forms of intolerance in the West towards Muslims, but what Muslims do in Egypt against Christians is no less cruel. The only difference is that Muslims are new to the West, while Copts have been Egyptians for thousands of years.

Syrian opposition must move beyond reaction

The Syrian opposition still benefits from the mistakes of President Bashar Al Assad, which can help it reach power sooner than many have expected, argued Satea Noureddine in a commentary for the Lebanese newspaper Assafir.

The opposition must owe much of its popularity to the regime's behaviour rather than to its own political or ideological discourse. It cannot grow stronger, because of its loose organisation and shaky leadership competencies.

If the regime continues to oppress the opposition, the popular uprising will have to choose between either to act independently or to reorganise itself by standing by the defected army and armed civilians, who are, for the most part, fighting a war without any clear political motives other than individual revenge against state tyranny.

It is likely, therefore, that the regime is veering toward its end, after it has used and abused security option, a strategy that was less than successful in controlling the situation in, for example, Daraa, the cradle of the uprising. The same is true for other cities and towns, which have challenged the regime politically and remained staunch in their demands.

The next step is for the opposition to think rationally by translating popular demands into a political agenda, with clear objectives. Urgent issues should include municipal, legislative and presidential elections.

Signs of impending worldwide uprising

Discontent with the performance of governments and the rapacity of the capitalist system is assuming universal proportions, presaging what may be "the first worldwide revolution", Al Sayyed Yassin wrote in the London-based newspaper Al Hayat.

An unsigned call to action was circulating on the internet last week, urging "people from America to Asia and from Africa to Europe" to take to the streets on Saturday and peacefully put pressure on governments that serve only wealthy elites.

And it happened. On Saturday, thousands of people in capitals around the world demonstrated peacefully - except in Rome where the protest turned into a riot - and called on their respective governments to change.

Some wanted an end to war, others wanted better health care, but the same aversion to capitalism was at the root of all the protests.

"When you look closely at all those demands, you will find that they basically sum up the fierce social criticism that has been levelled at globalisation and capitalism by eastern and western writers alike."

Capitalism is indeed collapsing. As a historical paradigm, it has reached its limit and a new epistemological and economic system - one that is socially driven - is likely to replace it.

* Digest compiled by Mostapha El Mouloudi