‘Confusion in Syria continues’

‘Picture blurs as stakeholders jostle for hold’

“THE developments in Turkey, the moves by the United States in general and President Donald Trump in particular all represent the most critical issue, in terms of both the regional and international balance of power in the Middle East region,” columnist, Professor at Kuwait University’s Political Science Department and the Assistant Undersecretary for Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Information Dr Haila Hamad Al-Mekaimi wrote for Annahar daily.

“As a matter of fact, these developments are closely related to the attitude of the Gulf states towards Syria. In this connection, we recall when Trump came to power, he emphasized on the mistake that was committed by the former US administration or rather his predecessor Barack Obama by allowing Russia to enter the Syrian scenario, hinting Obama had failed to deal firmly with the Syrian regime.

“He went on to say, it is Obama who preferred to follow the policy of driving from the back seat and handed over the steering wheel in the hands of the Russian President Vladimir Putin to drive to any destination he wanted.

“However, the recent attitude of Trump represented by the US withdrawal from Syria most likely dictated by pressure on the home front in addition to the prospective report to be submitted by the Muller team is not different from that of his predecessor.

“Not only that Trump’s decision has not come as a surprise even for the US Defense Department (Pentagon) and as such we cite that the visit which was paid recently by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the region was actually aimed at assuring the US allies about the outcomes of the US decision to withdraw from Syria.

“Apart from the above, Trump resorted to the language of threat in dealing with Turkey in the wake of the decision in question indicating that he will economically destroy Turkey if the latter attacks the Syrian Kurds.

“Such being the case, we found how Trump entered into arguments with Turkey and the latter in turn had responded that it will not succumb to any threat. Not just that, the arguments resulted in raising many questions that coincided with the visit of Pompeo to the region. These questions revolved around the fact of US attitude in the withdrawal from the Syrian scene.

“However, the US policy to protect the Kurds, rests in establishing a neutral zone in North Syria in a bid to avert any Turkish attack that is likely to target the Kurds dominating the North and Northeastern Syria, particularly since we know that Turkey considers the forces of the Kurdish People Protection units as terrorist groups no different from other Islamic terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS) or the so-called ‘DAESH’.

“Given the above, the US Secretary of State has issued a statement saying, ‘We want to guarantee the security of the forces which fought with us for the sake of bringing down the Khelafat and DAESH organization and prevent the terrorists who are currently actively in Syria from attacking Turkey.’

“Anyway, the increasing number of players on the Syrian scene and the rapid changes of attitudes and coalitions and the intrusion of the terrorist groups all play their role in the liquidation undertaken by competing international powers.

“This happens although these groups have actually served all these powers, but at different times that began with the Syrian regime which chose to introduce itself as the victim of terrorism instead of responding to the reform demands that were submitted by the Syrian opposition and this had resulted in turmoil which in turn played its role in terms of creating more foggy atmosphere over the solutions that had been suggested, but such a keenness that was shown to maintain the regional and the international balances, shall remain the key for the prospective solutions.”

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Dr Al-Mekaimi

“How long our nation, shall remain in its current slumber? Can we wait until Israel entirely occupies the Holy Mosque and transforms it into a Jewish temple,” columnist Abdurrahman Al-Awwad mused for Al-Sabah daily.

“Of course, the answer to the above is not difficult, but it seems to be very bitter. Hence, we found how all the relevant parties have resorted to silence in the face of this type of questions.

“But those who are currently stationed around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and insisting to encounter the raids waged by the extremist Zionists who are striving to launch an assault and defile it, always confirming by saying ‘we shall not leave Al-Aqsa’.

“The crowds of worshippers from Jerusalem and the other Palestinian areas stay in the mosque since the beginning of Al-Fajr prayer up to Al-Eshaa’a prayer and some of them spend all their time and even sleep inside the mosque to provide security for the mosque.

“Such being the case, these people need at least some support. In other words, if the nation had chosen the way of peace to end the struggle with the Zionist enemy does this mean that this nation will relinquish its holy places or leave those who are still committed to steadfastness for the sake of these places as an easy prey for the Zionists?

“However, these brave people who believe in justice of their cause are actually involved in defending both the honor and the dignity of the nation. They are still encountering the guns of the usurping occupier through their naked body.

“This happens, while both the entire Arab and Muslim peoples are still unable to extend any type of assistance to them – the people who are the actual defenders of the nation who are still insisting to defend their honor and as such they should be supported by all means – material and moral – because this represents the less degree of belief, given the fact they are sacrificing their souls where all assistance and financial aid will not be enough to compensate.”

“In a 300-page book, I reviewed what I saw, what I read and what I knew about the ugly invasion of Saddam Hussein and his heavy party. My goal is to instill the sense of national security in the minds of Kuwaiti people who were humiliated and whose lands were occupied in an unprecedented manner. The country was liberated through a unique international action to correct the course of justice by expelling the invader, defeating his army, undermining his dreams, and ending his bad era”, Abdullah Beshara wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“It was my goal to convey to the people of Kuwait the extent of distress and the amount of suffering faced by the Kuwaiti leadership from the rulers of Iraq who ignored the feelings of the people of Kuwait and denied their rights.

“It was a time when the capacity of people’s open mindedness and endurance were recognized. Since independence, Kuwaiti leadership maintained calm when faced with allegations, provocations and harassment, and then the adventure of the invasion of madness followed.

“In the 1960s, I personally witnessed the leadership efforts of Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem and Sheikh Jaber to find a way to persuade the rulers of Iraq to demarcate the border between the two countries in accordance with the agreements signed between the two parties on the basis of mutual messages in 1923 and 1963. The late Sheikh Sa’ad, who was the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, oversaw the work of the technical committees formed between the two countries to demarcate the border, which continued without news from Iraq to achieve its mission. Iraq was not convinced of its work and was not in a position to accept its conclusion.”

“When Madam Nouriya Al-Subaih took over as the Minister of Education and Higher Education, I was presenting a weekly program every Monday evening on Al-Rai Channel entitled ‘Missiles’,” Mohammad Al-Awadhi wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“The series was devoted to the subject of spinning some ‘academics’ and their tricks and ways of attracting students! I was prepared for public confrontation or legal questioning, because I was equipped with archives, documents, evidence, testimonies, confessions and private messages for battle with a gathering of volunteer lawyers to protect people’s dignity and honor while defending our academic institutions from elite licorice!

“I was pleased with immediate response from the office of Minister Nouriya Al-Subaih through which the problem was resolved in a timely manner but due to sensitivity of the subject, which cast a shadow on the cultural and social reality, it caused popular and elitist controversy. I still remember the critical article of the colleague Dr Khalid Al-Qahs, professor of mass communication at the College of Arts. The issue is also delved into the problem of placing doctors in the accusation and acquitting some ‘demons’ who use rumor and blackmail. There is no doubt that the problem is very critical from the point of view of the prosecution and the conduct of investigation process, covering the complainant parties – ‘students or their parents’.”

“The by-elections will be a good opportunity to determine the tendencies of public opinion towards the political status quo regardless of the reasons and consequences of such elections”, Dr Hassan Abdullah Jowhar wrote for Aljarida daily.

“The public opinion in Kuwait reveals people’s resentment towards the political institutions including the National Assembly and government. Problems are accumulating, level of public services is deteriorating, and the number of administrative and financial scandals is accelerating. Flying gravel is not the last episode of this series of failures.

“Audit institutions, which are supposed to observe the government’s performance, are actually worse than the government. National Assembly has become a second government that is hiding behind the parliamentary mask. It misuses the parliamentary tools including grilling. It is content to make laws in favor of the allies of the government including the traders and elite as well as laws that restrict freedom. The level of speech in the National Assembly is deteriorating concurrently with the leakage of information about the exceptionally increasing bank deposits according to MP Riyadh Al-Adsani.

“This dark image of the political scene represents one side of the coin while the other side contains tragic stories of citizens being victimized, imprisoned, are wanted by law or living in compulsory exile as well as those who lost their Kuwaiti citizenship due to their participation in the political movement against corruption few years ago.

“The intended by-elections will occur in the Second and Third constituencies. They cannot be classified based on any particular sect, tribe or class. They have a mix of different popular components. Therefore, the result of the elections can be considered trustful indication of the public opinion in Kuwait.”

“People of some non-oil Third World countries are suffering from extreme poverty and neediness. However, lack of services, deteriorating infrastructure, unemployment, marginalization, and more than half of the people living under the poverty line in any oil-rich country indicate the level of confusion and financial and administrative corruption that affect the people and the country, according to many experts. It sometimes reaches such an extent that citizens in those oil-rich countries forget that they live in an oil country”, Mishref Aqab wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“There are many problems in the Third World, the most important of which are unemployment and marginalization. Some of these problems are seen in certain oil countries also, such as unemployment, poverty and ignorance.

“There are no job opportunities for young people, and there are lack of certain basic services. Citizens say their demands are jobs, desalination projects, construction of power plants, and fight against poverty and corruption.

“Increase in the unemployment rate in the Arab world and the Third World countries affirm that there is an imbalance in the work of government, and there is no governmental planning even though some of these countries are rich with oil. The problem is in some of the policies of the governments. There is no balance between the outputs of education and the labor market, which in turn causes other problems including social and psychological issues, such as inability to marry and support a family, frustration, and collapse of hopes on the rock of painful reality.”

“Members of the current National Assembly wasted our time on trivial matters. They come from one failure to another, raising issues that have nothing to do with public interest. They pay attention to two issues only: reinstatement of citizenship and pardoning some convicted citizens as if Kuwait has no problems except these two issues,” columnist Fatma Al-Khaldi wrote for Annahar daily.

“We have not seen even one lawmaker dealing with the most important issue – the housing problem which has become the concern of every Kuwaiti family. Thousands of citizens remain in queue waiting for housing care.

“Citizens are suffering daily due to certain problems, particularly the flying gravel on our streets, which caused damages to the cars of citizens and expatriates. Everyone is blaming each other without taking into account that we are suffering everyday.

“Health problem remains unsolved. We have neither seen nor heard the Ministry of Health taking action against doctors who committed medical errors. It only forms commissions of inquiry whose reports usually end up in the drawers of officials.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb