Many of Iraq's and the Arab world's elite are convinced that America is plotting with Iran against Iraq, wrote Tareq al Homayed, editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab daily Asharq al Awsat. They believe in a scheme to divide the area through a US indulgence with Iran in exchange for Tehran's cooperation with the West about its nuclear programme. Iran did in fact propose such an offer to the US. For this reason, Washington sees no harm in renewing Nouri al Maliki's term as prime minister at the expense of other Iraqi groups.
They believe the Americans are handing Iraq to Iran, which wants to prevent the country from regaining its political and economic status. As unreasonable as conspiracy theories may seem, the fact remains that the current state of affairs in Iraq, which puts it at the mercy of Iran to form its government, suggests a grave US mistake. The acceptance of Iranian interference legitimises the sectarian conflict in the area.
Accepting Mr al Maliki for another term means the destruction of the already precarious Iraqi political system and abolishes the credibility of the entire political process for it compels every sect to seek the protection of its leadership for survival. Does the US approve of supporting the plan to export the Iranian revolution into our region?
Careful balancing act amid sectarian crisis
Sectarian provocation among Lebanese politicians is being met with a balancing movement in the shadows, declared Daoud al Sharyan in an opinion article for the pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.
The complexities of the situation compelled all parties to the crisis to think rationally. Deliberations are completely different from public statements. Everyone feels the crisis has reached a conundrum and is just trying to buy more time and improve his negotiating chances. Despite the overwhelming seriousness of the situation, no one is speaking publicly about stopping the Special Tribunal's operations.
The opposition is attempting to clone the prime minister Saad Hariri's position with Syria and is warning against repeating past mistakes with Damascus, which would lead to a possible confrontation. Some in the opposite camp see this proposal as a likely gateway to a solution. Does this mean that they are ready to forsake the tribunal? Dialogues between both sides suggest that it is a possible end, but the solution has to come at a price commensurate with its importance.
Lebanon is now witnessing a period of imposed calm. Those who fear for the country's future are afraid that internal clashes would erupt once again. However, if past experiences have proven anything, it is that political crises cannot be resolved by force.
More spending, less saving in the UAE
In a comment article for the UAE newspaper Al Bayan, Maysa Ghadeer highlighted the results of a recent report on a lower tendency of saving among the UAE population, especially Emiratis.
The report is the first of its kind to gauge this economic factor in the UAE, showing that 74 per cent of the UAE population, mostly Emiratis and Arab residents, lack money-saving habits. The figures also indicate that one in four Emiratis do not save at all, while foreign expatriates are the major savers by 38 per cent. Such figures may either indicate that the majority of population has money but fails to save or it has not enough money. But what is sure is that the notion of saving is not highly valued.
The figures demonstrate the fact that foreigners were able to save because their original cultures encourage such a practice. "Regardless of the disparate cultures and nationalities coexisting in the UAE, we cannot ignore the fact that Emiratis remain the largest category accused of saving the least." If low salaries are a matter that is hard to fix by employees themselves, Emiratis must assume the responsibility over how they should save money. And after years of a lifestyle that promotes consumption, it is time to encourage more rational spending and teach better ways how to manage our wallets.
Questions about the China-Japan standoff
Since its defeat in the Second World War, Japan distanced itself from military adventures, but the last diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing seems to have drawn Japan back to political push-and-pull, wrote Abdullah al Madani, an Asian affairs specialist, in the opinion pages of the Emirati newspaper Al Ittihad. Earlier in September, the Japanese coast guard arrested the captain of a Chinese boat off the shores of Diaoyu/Senkaku, an archipelago long disputed between the two countries. A lot of questions have not yet been answered: what exactly were the (supposed) 160 Chinese boats doing around the archipelago? Were they really fishing ships or spying vessels? And were those boats warned before being accosted by Japanese authorities?
It is perhaps worth noting here that this crisis comes shortly after a statement from the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to the effect that another set of islands - currently disputed by China and many other Asian states - are of strategic importance for the US and its regional allies. Was that just an ironic coincidence? And was it a coincidence too that all these developments take place after Beijing refused to take part in joint military manoeuvres with the US-South Korean naval forces off the North Korean coast?
* Digest compiled by Racha Makarem
