What citizens of other countries are reading about the Middle East
By COMPILEDTHE MEDIA LINEAnti-Trump protest(photo credit: REUTERS)Do men really need a global day of recognition? Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 20I have heard some men express their sadness, jealousy, and envy each year on March 8, when people around the world join to celebrate International Women’s Day. Interestingly enough, in 1999 the small Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago instituted an “International Day of the Man.” Shortly thereafter, it was adopted by other countries like Australia, the United States, and Canada. It has since spread to dozens of other countries that began celebrating the day on November 19 each year. None of the Arab states, however, picked up on the festival. The stated purpose of International Men’s Day is to shed light on the contribution of men to the building of society, in addition to promoting a culture of gender equality. However, in stark contrast to the hype that surrounds March 8, very few people, if any, celebrate November 19. Many other countries decided to ban the festival, claiming that it fails to recognize the inherent privilege of men. I will not get into the debate of who’s right and who’s wrong.Arguments could be made in favor and against both days. What I will offer is the following: instead of wasting our energy on envy and jealousy, we would do our society a much better service if we devoted our energy to caring about those around us, whether they are male or female, each and every day. Let us celebrate each other’s birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. Let us thank our mothers and fathers, our children, and our grandchildren.Men don’t truly need a global day of recognition.We can enjoy this recognition each and every day of the year.– Fadel al-Amani The American political system does not need restructuring Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, November 18While the majority of American people voted for Hilary Clinton, it was actually Donald Trump who won the elections. Two million votes separated Clinton from Trump, but it was the latter who won the presidency thanks to the Electoral College. This happened once before, in 2000, when George W. Bush beat Al Gore and won the presidency, while losing the popular vote.Growing voices in the US have been calling in recent weeks to restructure the political system and rid itself of the Electoral College. Despite its many flaws, however, the American political system remains one of the best in the world. It is strongly enshrined in the constitution, it provides stability and clear separation of authority, and it bestows the president with major powers while providing checks and balances. It is also extremely efficient.The US government only has 15 ministers, while other, much smaller, countries have dozens more. It requires elected representative, by definition, to report to their constituents and provide them with easy access to any information they request. It is less susceptible than almost any other political system to lobbying and action groups. It isn’t hard to see why this system has many benefits. It is certainly not perfect, but neither is any other political system we know of today. Americans must not complain about the need to restructure their political system, or cry about the Electoral College.They must, instead, come to understand what happened in the recent elections. How did two candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders come to compete in these elections? How did a demagogue who does not even identify with the Republican party, and a leftist candidate more liberal than any other of his predecessors, come to even be considered as candidates for the presidency? It seems like American society is undergoing significant polarization, in which people are abandoning the moderate center for the political fringes. The Electoral College is certainly frustrating, but it is not the reason behind these societal changes. Americans must turn their anger elsewhere. – Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed Keyboard activism is not patriotism Akhbar al-Khaleej, UAE, November 8Our world is undergoing rapid change. I remember, just several decades ago, how we could not even imagine the existence of cellphones, and today there are almost as many cellphone subscriptions as there are people on this earth. Not only are these devices everywhere, but they now come with cameras, Internet, and a wide variety of applications and programs. Other than connecting us to each other across distances, these technologies also pose some serious risks on our very basic interactions. In today’s political rhetoric, social media platforms have become divisive tools. They have been used by terrorist organizations to spread their evil message and recruit new members. They have been deployed by autocratic regimes to monitor dissident activity. Perhaps most prominently, they have been used by so-called “patriotic” citizens, keyboard activists, to defame and ridicule those they disagree with. Policymakers today cannot make a single remark without being attacked on social media from left and right. Around every street corner is a battery of political commentators, waiting with their Facebook and Twitter accounts, ready to launch their next attack. Similarly to the tactics of Israeli hasbara (public diplomacy) teams, they fill the net with libel and lies, and incite anger and hate. They pretend they care for their country, but they only promote fear and hate.This is not real patriotism. This is cowardice. Those who truly care about our country do so out in the open, with their names behind their words. They engage in political activity to bring about change. They take part in improving society, instead of complaining about it to the world.These are true patriots, not those behind their mobile phones and computer screens. – Haled al-Mina Is Israel protecting al-Sisi’s regime? Al-Youm al-Sabe, Egypt, November 20When President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assumed power in June 2014, Israeli officials in Tel Aviv rejoiced. Newspapers and pundits in Israel described Sisi as a protector of the Camp David Agreements and an “ally” of Israel.However, this euphoria has been replaced with deep concern and fear in recent weeks. The deterioration of the economic situation in Egypt, alongside Sisi’s plummeting popularity, have brought Israeli officials to worry about the fate of their ally in Cairo. With not much left to do, Israeli diplomats have been pressuring US officials to stand by the Egyptian regime and help protect Sisi’s government in whatever way possible. This makes sense from the Israeli perspective. Israel is in a constant state of anxiety over what is happening around it – from Iran, through Syria, to the Sinai Peninsula. Security reports put together both by Israeli intelligence and several think tanks consistently express apprehension over the possibility of a regime change in Cairo. Several experts in Tel Aviv have been reporting in recent days of an Israeli plan to invest in the Egyptian economy. This initiative comes following several years in which the two countries have not engaged in trade directly with one another. According to the same sources, the Israelis are hoping to get the Americans on board as well, in light of the administration transition in Washington in upcoming months.The Israelis know that the Egyptian economy is headed into stagnation, and that this will only exacerbate political tensions in the country. They will therefore do whatever they can to protect Sisi’s regime. – Fariq al-Amalwww.themedialine.org/
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