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Jordan

ARABICA - A Daily Shot Of What the Arab World is Saying/Hearing/Sharing

ARABICA - A Daily Shot Of What the Arab World is Saying/Hearing/Sharing

A R A B I C A ارابيكا

By Kristen Gillespie


REGIME AND REFORM
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's leading opposition movement, cautiously welcomed the appointment of a new prime minister on Monday, Awn al-Khasawneh, a former judge at the International Court of Justice. "The appointment of al-Khasawneh is a positive sign as he is a respected figure among Jordanians," Arahil Gharaibeh, the head of the Brotherhood's political committee told CNN Arabic.

But Gharaibeh said only time will tell if the new premier is empowered to make promised, yet undelivered, political reforms. Gharaibeh confirmed that representatives from the Brotherhood have been invited to meet with officials at the Royal Court. Longtime government critic Laith Shbeilat told CNN Arabic that the kind of change Jordan needs is not to "change the head of the government, but the reforms must begin at the Royal Court itself." The average government in Jordan lasts seven months, with the now-fired Marouf Bakhit have taken over the premiership in February of this year. As always, King Abdullah launched the appointment of the new premier with a letter sternly tasking him to carry out deep, comprehensive reforms, an order that has yet to be carried out after 11 years of the same instruction to a succession of prime ministers.

SON AND STANDARD BEARER
The Libyan leader's son, Khamis Gaddafi, and the regime's onetime intelligence chief are both confirmed dead by a pro-Gaddafi television channel based in Damascus. Arrai television, now known for broadcasting the tirades of the fugitive Gaddafi and his associates, reports that Khamis, 28, and Abdullah al-Senussi were killed in Tarhuna, a town 80 kilometers southwest of Tripoli on August 29th while fighting "enemies of the homeland." Khamis commanded an elite military unit loyal to his father.

CRACKS IN THE WALLS
This political cartoon features a man, presumably Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seated in a chair as the walls around him crack and muddy water begins to pour in and rise around him. On the man's lapel is written, "the Syrian regime."

POOF! THE POLICE
Saudi divers cleaning up waste along the coast found 22 talismans "and other items involving magic spells' that were turned in to the religious police. "The anti-magic committee examined the items and found that some of them are still active and that they have been dumped there for magic work….all those items were neutralized and destroyed by the committee," Sabq.org reported.

October 17, 2011

photo credit: illustir

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Alexandroupoli, How The Ukraine War Made This Sleepy Greek Port A Geopolitical Hub

Once neglected, this small port in Thrace, northeastern Greece, has become a strategic hub for transporting men and arms to the shores of the Black Sea. Propelled by ambitious infrastructure and gas projects, the region dreams of becoming an alternative to the Bosphorus strait.

Alexandroupoli, How The Ukraine War Made This Sleepy Greek Port A Geopolitical Hub

The U.S. military processing military equipment in the port of Alexandroupoli.

Basile Dekonink

ALEXANDROUPOLI — Looks like there's a traffic jam in the port of Alexandroupoli.

Lined up in tight rows on the quay reserved for military activities, hundreds of vehicles — mostly light armored vehicles — are piled up under the sun. Moored at the pier, the "USNS Brittin," an impressive 290-meter roll-off cargo ship flying the flag of the U.S. Navy, is about to set sail. But what is all this gear doing in this remote corner of the sea in Thrace, in the far northeast of Greece?

Of all the geopolitical upheavals caused by the Russian offensive of Feb. 24 2022, Alexandroupoli is perhaps the most surprising. Once isolated and neglected, this modest port in the Eastern Mediterranean, mainly known for its maritime connection to the nearby island of Samothrace, is being revived.

Diplomats of all kinds are flocking there, investors are pouring in, and above all, military ships are arriving at increasingly regular intervals. The capital of the province of Evros has become, in the midst of the war in Ukraine, a hub for transporting arms and men to the shores of the Black Sea.

“If you look north from Alexandroupoli, along the Evros River, you can see a corridor. A corridor for trade, for the transport of goods and people to the heart of the Balkans and, a little further, to Ukraine," explains the port's CEO, Konstantinos Chatzikonstantinou, from his office right on the docks. According to him, the sudden interest in this small town of 70,000 inhabitants is explained by "geography, geography, and… geography.”

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