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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 29-Mar-2012
29-Mar-12 World View -- Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions

Web Log - March, 2012

29-Mar-12 World View -- Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions

Israel cancels army's Passover vacations, raising concerns of military plans

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

Security fence separating Israel from Egypt nears completion
Israel cancels army's Passover vacations, raising concerns of military plans
U.S. Dept of Education turning to private debt collectors for student loans
Syria's al-Assad continues slaughter after agreeing to Kofi Annan peace plan
Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions

Security fence separating Israel from Egypt nears completion

Israel's security fence in Bethlehem

Israel's security fence in Bethlehem

Israel says that its new 15-foot high fence along the 150 mile border between Israel and Egypt's Sinai desert will be 94% completed by October, with the remaining 6% to be completed by next March. Under the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the Sinai was governed by Egypt's security forces. But since his ouster, the Sinai has become lawless. According to Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the fence does three things: it bars entrance of illegal workers, stops smugglers, and is a barrier to terrorists. According to Netanyahu, the fence answered one of Israel’s four main challenges, which he identified as the nuclear threat, the missile threat, the cyber threat and the border threat. When this fence is completed, then Israel plans to build an additional fence along the Golan Heights border with Syria. Jerusalem Post

Israel cancels army's Passover vacations, raising concerns of military plans

Israel has unexpectedly ordered that all its Israeli Defense Force (IDF) units are to be on full alert during the April 7-13 Passover holiday, and that all holiday vacations are to be canceled, so that the units can "operate in full capacity over the upcoming holiday." The announcement has triggered concerns that Israel is planning some military maneuvers during the holiday, possibly even an attack on Iran. However, IDF officials said that the move has nothing to do with the potential for any military maneuvers. Ynet and Now Lebanon

U.S. Dept of Education turning to private debt collectors for student loans

With $67 billion of student loans in default, the U.S. Department of education is turning to an army of private debt-collection companies to put the squeeze on borrowers. Working on commissions that totaled about $1 billion last year, these government contractors face growing complaints that they are violating federal laws with abusive collection practices, more abusive than the IRS. Bloomberg

Syria's al-Assad continues slaughter after agreeing to Kofi Annan peace plan

As expected, the regime of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad has continued its massive military assault against residential neighborhoods, this time in a town in the province of Hama, despite the fact that he signed a farcical Kofi Annan peace plan just yesterday. We have been here before. Last November, President Assad agreed to a deal proposed by the Arab League which had many of the same elements as the Annan plan - withdrawal of government forces from residential areas, freeing of political prisoners and good-faith negotiations with the opposition. None of those promises was kept. BBC

Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions

When Iraq was led by Sunni government of Saddam Hussein, Iraq was considered by many to be a full-fledged member of the Arab community of nations. But now Iraq has a weak Shia leader, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and has close ties with Iran. Thus the meeting of Arab League in Baghdad on Friday is being viewed with disdain by Arab leaders, many of whom are snubbing Iraq by staying away from the meeting, sending low-level diplomats instead. The major agenda item will be Syria. Leading Sunni countries, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, would like to arm the Syrian opposition, in the hope of overthrowing al-Assad and breaking his alliance with Iran. However, Iraq favors only further mediation. AP

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 29-Mar-12 World View -- Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (29-Mar-2012) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 29-Mar-2012 29-Mar-12 World View -- Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions

Security fence separating Israel from Egypt nears completion

Israel cancels army's Passover vacations, raising concerns of military plans

U.S. Dept of Education turning to private debt collectors for student loans

Syria's al-Assad continues slaughter after agreeing to Kofi Annan peace plan

Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 29-Mar-2012
29-Mar-12 World View -- Arab League meeting in Iraq split by acrimonious divisions