People who have met more interesting people than I have lately

Mohammed, From Cairo, with love:  got to hear a lecture by Tariq al Bishry.   He uses Bishry's account of the 1919 nationalist demonstrations to reflect on the dynamics of Egyptian protest activity in recent years:

What was awesome about that uprising is that it eventually achieved its goal, by getting rid of the British and the King with the events of 1952. The immediate results of the uprising was that a strong third political power surfaced on the scene, representing the general population, resulting in the 1923 constitution, and 30 years of institutionalizing the uprising. Saad Zaghloul was certainly an exceptional leader, and a very smart politician.

Interestingly enough, for the last 20 years, the only demonstrations that were close enough to being 'real' demonstrations were all about external issues, mainly the Palestinian problem. Countless demonstrations have erupted over the last few years, mostly led by Univeristy students, and some by opposition leaders, sometimes coming out from AlAzhar.

I guess its the nature of any demonstration to be over emotional, and not to know how things will turn out. But it seems to me that all of those demonstrations were just that; too emotional and very symbolic. They usually have demands, like "kick out the Israeli ambassador, "khaybar khaybar ya yahood, gaysha Muhammad sawfa ya3ood, "belroo7 beldamm nafdeek ya Islam", but none are really met (except when the Egyptian ambassador to Israel was withdrawn (to go back this week)). The emotional aspect is clearly the most important motive to take the streets and demonstrate, and thus it is the core of any such activity. Too often those demonstrations become a mean for people to vent their anger, and show their solidarity, more than anything else. For some reasons, our leaders seem to be too strong and well supported, that they are never pressured to take any action. Maybe its because they managed to create the void between the general public and the political leadership (what business people would call Middle Management), that there is no one present to steer and manage the demonstrations, and negotiate with the leadership the public's demands, which are blatantly ignored through the ineffective parliament.

Josh Landis got to sit down with Ibrahim Hamidi of al Hayat to talk about Syrian politics, which is always likely to be interesting.  Among the most intriguing bits:

I asked him what Syrian policy is toward Iraq and whether he believes the government is actively taking part in organizing the Iraqi resistance as American officials claim. He said that Bashar and the government are serious about working with the Americans and are now looking for ways to comply with American demands. They are ready to step up surveillance of the border and do what they can to stop infiltration.

The problem comes with implementation. Like all things here, the gap between intentions and implementation is large. “Bashar is trying to work through institutions,” Hamidi said. He asks the heads of Syria’s institutions to work with the Americans and shut down infiltration and dissuade Iraqis in Syria from using it as a base. As orders get passed down the ranks they become diluted. Corruption plays its part. Anyone with several thousand dollars can hope to find guards willing to turn a blind eye to an illegal or unorthodox crossing.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that Syrians are angry with America and don’t like the occupation one bit. Thus, there are many cogs within the bureaucratic machinery that don’t always turn in sync with the President’s wishes.

Furthermore, the President himself cannot take as firm a stand in support of the Americans as he would like. Because popular opinion is so anti-American and because he came out so resolutely in opposition to the American invasion and occupation at the beginning of the war, it is dangerous for him to reverse course with equal resolution. It makes him look weak. It contradicts his earlier stand. And it is not at all popular. Thus, there is a lot of slippage. Officials don’t follow orders, in part, because the orders are muddled.

I haven't met anyone interesting lately.  In a bit of a post-book (it's now off to copy-editing and production) / beginning of the semester / heavy snow funk.  Blogs seem petty and pointless these days, or, um, even more than normal.. something seems to be in the virtual air, something ugly (or, um, uglier than normal).  It makes blog accounts of these kinds of encounters refreshing.

UPDATE:  meeting interesting people may be overrated.  At least by Michael Totten's account of his dinner out with a bunch of Iraqis (via Crooked Timber and Jim Henley).  Best part of the story, for me, is that Totten evidently had no idea whatsover who Ghassan Attiyah is (other than "that guy who pissed all over the Iraqi elections on TV" in whom Totten "had little interest").   Evidently "spending most of the 1990s publishing the Iraqi File (the essential monthly anthology of anti-Saddam news and argument)" and "being one of the most articulate, independent minded and widely respected members of the Iraqi opposition over a decade" doesn't quite stack up to "not liking Chris Hitchens" in the greater scheme of things over there.  Poor Ghassan... And seriously:  did the author of that piece really not see how incredibly badly he and Hitchens come off in the story?  Yikes.  Oh well - I guess the whole thing is entertaining, in that Juan Cole-Jonah Goldberg way, which means that I should just lay off it now. 

Comments

[Leila Abu-Saba]

Ya Ustaz Abu-Aardvark, will that nice college of yours pay you to get down to New York for some panel or something? Take the wife, leave the cub with relatives, eat at a nice restaurant, get invited to a really cool dinner party, check out the latest gallery shows etc.? You need to get out of paradise and rub elbows with the greats and the ruffians of the big city.

Boston would do. Or San Francisco but our most interesting greats are all in Berkeley, which is okay to visit but it ain't New York. Just saying. You probably just need a little trip or something, and I mean by plane, not by chemicals.

[the aardvark]

But what if Chris Hitchens were there? That doesn't seem like a risk worth taking...

[Leila Abu-Saba]

Oh pooh. Eric Alterman would put Hitch in his place. Don't tell me some drunken Englishman would put you off travel for good, would he? Is it Berkeley you're objecting to, because Hitchens was rumored to be in residence here at one point? I really don't think he's around these days. Nobody at Cal can keep up with his drinking, and the place is crawling with Alcoholics Anonymous types. Like garlic to a vampire. And NYC - well that town is big enough for you, Hitch, Condi Rice, Jeff Gannon and Jonah Goldberg and you'd never run into each other. But you would run into your best friend from summer camp, it's the law in NY, when you visit, you meet up with the most improbable people from your past.