Tunisia’s Challenge to Keep the Boat Afloat

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Editorial A Weekly Political News Magazine

www.majalla.com/eng Recent decisions taken by the Tunisian President Qais Saied’s sent shock waves through the MENA. The consequences of freezing the parliament, firing the prime minister and announcing a fight against corruption are still unfolding, while Tunisians pin hopes for their country to restore political stability and get through its economic and social disturbances.

Many Arab countries showed support for Tunisia’s path of recovery and offered assistance. Meantime, the dispute over power which is mainly “a fight of the elite politicians” who don’t want to be held accountable should still be clarified as such and allegations of “an ideological conflict between Islamists and secularists” over a “coup” should be refuted.

In this week’s cover story, Dalia Ziada provides a comprehensive reading of Tunisia’s political crisis and addresses the issue of the democracy in a country that witnessed the first wave of the Arab Spring in 2011/2010. She also points to the current system of governance “the three presidencies” to be “one of the key reasons behind state failure” in solving its economic problems and the priorities that should be set to prevent violence and terrorists’ benefiting from the turmoil.

Another article this week addresses the US sanctions imposed for the first time on a Turkish-backed armed group in Syria. Jiwan Soz reveals the Ahrar Al-Sharqiya’s crimes which led to the US Treasury designation, as well as its affiliations and other entities that abuse civilians of Northern Syria and serve Turkish interests in their controlled territories.

Read these articles and more on our website eng. majalla.com. As always, we welcome and value our readers’ feedback and we invite you to take the opportunity to leave your comments on our website.

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A Weekly Political News Magazine

Issue 1864- August- 06/08/2021

Rania Bedda: From a “Dreamer” ”

46 to an “Award Winning Writer

First US Sanctions Imposed on

26 Turkish-backed Syrian Militia

22 The Terror Resurgence

Three American Academicians Reflect

34 on the New Normal at the Office

Salah Jaheen’s Cartoons

46 on Exhibit

54 7 Strategies to Prevent Cancer 5

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56 Red Sea Security, 250 Years Ago

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Protest against Iran’s incoming president Ebrahim Raisi A woman attends a protest against Iran’s incoming epa09390427 president Ebrahim Raisi in front of the Chancellery in Berlin, Protesters of the National Council of .2021 August 03 ,Germany Resistance of Iran and the German-Iranian Society gathered in Berlin to demonstrate against Iran’s incoming president )EPA Photos(

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First anniversary of Beirut Port explosion Relatives of the Beirut port blast victims arrive for a remembrance on ,2021 ,4 ceremony at the port of Lebanon’s capital on August the first anniversary of the blast that ravaged the port and the city. called upon Lebanon to establish 1559 UNSC resolution 2004 The its sovereignty over all of its territory and upon foreign forces to to mark a year 4 withdraw. Hundreds of Lebanese marched on August since a cataclysmic explosion ravaged Beirut )EPA Photos(

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Tunisia’s Challenge to Keep the Boat Afloat Saied’s Political Shocker Aims to Relieve People’s Suffering

By Dalia Ziada Tunisia; the geographically small, historically ancient, and demographically young and vibrant North African country, which is located at one of the most beautiful spots at the southern

Mediterranean, is always full of wonders when it comes to exploring its internal political dynamics and the extreme transitions defining them. The severe deviances of the socio-political system in Tunisia usually drowns observers in a flood of hard-to-answer questions about the legitimacy of

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their motives, the feasibility of their outcomes, and the potential of the state to speedily and appropriately recover from their side effects.

In the past decade alone, Tunisia has gone through several extreme political transitions; three of which stands out as the most decisive turning points, in Tunisia’s modern history. They are: (1) the popular revolution that brought down Ben Ali’s authoritarian regime and inspired the waves of Arab Spring revolutions all over the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, in 2011/2010; (2) the step-down of the Islamist-led government, in response to massive popular protests, in 2013; and (3) the sudden death of President Beji Caid Essebsi, amidst an escalating crisis of corruption and economic depression, in 2019.

Tunisia›s President Kais Saied, center, leads a security meeting with members of the army and police forces in Tunis, Tunisia, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (Photo by Hedi Azouz/AP)

Astonishingly, the Tunisian state managed to survive all of these major political transitions without affecting the comprehensiveness of the state or people’s insistence on pursuing the ambitious process of democratization. At the moment, one of the perplexing questions surrounding Tunisia is about the ability of the already-exhausted state to survive the current political turmoil, resulted by the sweeping storm of pivotal decisions taken, in late July, by the President of state, Kais Saied, against the two parallel authorities of his own regime – the Parliament and the government.

In a surprise move, on the night of July 25th, President Saied, launched a ruthless war against the government and the parliament of his own regime. Saied, who worked all his life as professor of constitutional law, used the powers given to him

by Article 80 of the Tunisian Constitution to grab all state civilian and military powers in his own hands. Saied justified the shocking procedure by the need to control the risks aroused by the massive angry protests that erupted all over Tunisia on that day against the failures of the regime in running state affairs and recovering the depressed economy.

Since then, Saied fired the Prime Minister, and at least half of the ministerial cabinet, including the ministers of defense, interior, justice, and finance. He also announced and the suspension of all businesses and government activities, expect

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Whether and when Tunisia can overcome this political earthquake is a difficult question to try to answer while the proceedings of the turmoil are still unfolding, and the biased reporting is dominating the media. security, health, and educational facilities.

Whether and when Tunisia can overcome this political earthquake is a difficult question to try to answer while the proceedings of the turmoil are still unfolding, and the biased reporting is dominating the media. On one side, Islamist-biased propagandists are deceitfully labeling Saied as a putschist and are firing alarms about the failure of the so-called democracy in Tunisia that may eventually encourage terrorist intervention. On the other side, anti-Islamist commentators are wrongly insisting on highlighting the battle between Saied and the Parliament as an ideological fight between secularists and Islamists. Yet, the reality of the events on the grounds tells that neither side accurately managed to present the essence of the ongoing show in Tunisia.

To appropriately figure out the situation in Tunisia, three key issues need to be examined. The first has to do with the claim that Tunisia’s democracy is at risk. This implies another important question on whether Tunisia is, at all, a democracy. The second is about whether Saied’s decisions, taken in his capacity as an elected president of the state and in conformity with the constitution, are intended to harm the state which he is leading, and his existence in power, and personal safety, depend on its wellness and sustainability. The third point to consider is about the claim of this being a dogmatic or an ideology-motivated fight between secularists and Islamists over power, rather than being a political war against corruption and for political and economic reform.

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WHY IS SAIED GOING WILD? Understanding what motivated the Tunisian President, Kais Saied, to launch this ruthless war against the government and the parliament of his own regime, is key to envisioning whether Tunisia is going to survive this major shock. The massive angry protests that erupted, all over Tunisia, on the Republic Day Anniversary, July 25th, and pushed Saied to react, were not the first of such a big size and for the same cause. Tunisian citizens

Tunisian citizens have been rallying in the streets, since March, calling for holding the political elite accountable for corruption that magnified their sufferings, especially after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

have been rallying in the streets, since March, calling for holding the political elite accountable for corruption that magnified their sufferings from poverty and disease, especially after the spread of the COVID19- pandemic.

According to governmental statistics, unemployment rates jumped from %14 to %17.4, at the last quarter of 2020, as a result of an economic contraction that hit a record rate of %8.2, in September 2020. According to a survey conducted by the World Bank, in cooperation with the governmental National Institute of Statistics, in 2020, poverty rate in Tunisia reached %15.2.

At least, %30 of the surveyed families, stated that they fear running out of food, as a result of the COVID19- pandemic which added to their miseries of unemployment and deteriorating economy.

Added to the existing misery is the rising rates of COVID19- cases, exceeding two-thousand new cases per day in mid-July, that forced neighbor countries to close their borders with or suspend flights to Tunisia.

The current system of governance, the three presidencies, is one of the key reasons behind state failure in getting out of this economic rut. Out of

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In this file photo taken on July 26, 2021 Tunisian military forces guard the area around the parliament building in the capital Tunis, following protests in reaction to a move by the president last night to suspend the north African country›s parliament and dismiss the Prime Minister.

(Photo AFP)

Tunisian President Kais Saied (R) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud at the Palace of Carthage in Tunis on 30 July 2021.

(Photo by Abdulrahman Abdulsalam/Saudi Press Agency/dpa)

fear of falling back into the authoritarianism of the deep state, the post-revolution constitution in Tunisia tailored a system of governance that is neither presidential nor parliamentarian. Rather, it is a new system based on balancing the decisionmaking process between three authorities – or “presidencies” as the Tunisians call them. They are: the President of the State, the Prime Minister (the president of the government), and the Speaker of Parliament (the president of the legislative authority).

The current system of governance, the three presidencies, is one of the key reasons behind state failure in getting out of this economic rut.

In theory, the “three presidencies” regime may look like an innovative democratic system that includes all and excludes none. But, in practice, it has proven to be a sounding fail. For three years, since Kais Saied got elected, Tunisia could not achieve any tangible progress under the three presidents, whose agendas and visions are not only inconsistent, but also contradicting. The conflict between the three governing authorities in Tunisia reached a climax point in mid-March, in a way that paralyzed political decision-making, wobbled the faltering economy, and consequently stirred nation-wide protests calling for reform.

Arabic tongue, who comes from a non-political non-partisan background, decided to stand on the peoples’ side in their fight against the corrupt political elite. Motivated by his responsibility towards more than eleven million citizens, and his decades-long experience as a professor of constitutional law, Saied decided to put the three presidencies regime on hold, for a while, so he can deal with issues of top priority to the Tunisian people, including ending poverty and fighting against the widely-spreading pandemic. This, in a nutshell, is the reality of what is happening, nowadays, in Tunisia.

Kais Saied, the quiet president with an eloquent

In a video statement, published by the Presidential

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Bureau, on Sunday, the 1st of August, President Kais Saied asserted that he is not trying to establish an authoritarianism. «There is no withdrawal from respecting rights and freedoms, and there is no room for infringement or assault on them,» confirmed Saied. He clearly noted that he willingly chose to stand by the people to “preserve the unity of the state and protect it from the corruption that is decaying its joints.” Saied concluded his message by saying: «Insha’Allah, we will win! It is a war, but without bullets or blood. It is a war based on the law. A war for justice and freedom. We will keep our oath and our responsibility, all the way.”

IT IS NOT A COUP ON ISLAMISTS! As soon as the Tunisian President recited his historical decision to freeze the Parliament, on July 25th, the pro-Islamist propagandists, on social and traditional media platforms, came out immediately claiming that Saied’s decisions are “a coup d’état” against the Islamists’ rule. Famous international figures, like the Yemeni Noble Laureate, Tawakkol Karman, and the British Member of Parliament and former President of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted about the issue. “The events in Tunisia have all the hallmarks of a coup. That is an assault on the democratic gains acquired during the past decade. All solidarity with the defenders of democratic rights and freedoms, and full support for the restoration of the elected parliament and for

The fight between Islamists and secularists is not the core motivator of the current transition in Tunisia. This ideological dispute is a fight of the elite politicians, not of the people who suffered hell on their hands.

an end to oppression;” Corbyn tweeted in Arabic, on August 1st.

Ironically, the promotors of such a flawed claim, tried to compare what is currently happening in Tunisia to what happened in Egypt in June 2013, when the military had to respond to popular protests to remove the Muslim Brotherhood regime from power. Let alone how ridiculous this comparison is, but even a primary school pupil can understand that you cannot accuse an elected state president of committing a coup because he made some decisions about his own regime, within the framework of the authorities given to him in the constitution. Downsizing the whole Tunisian tragedy to an ideological dispute between Kais

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Supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied chant slogans denouncing Assembly (parliament) speaker and Islamist Ennahda party leader Rached Ghannouchi in front of the Parliament which was cordoned-off in the capital Tunis on July 26, 2021, following a move by the President to suspend the country›s parliament and dismiss the Prime Minister. (Photo AFP)

Saied and the Islamists of Ennahda Party, is misleading and deceitful. They are intentionally disregarding the pleas of the Tunisian people to end their economic sufferings through a political reform. Saied’s fight is not against Islamists, but for political and economic reform. Saied’s decision to freeze the Islamist-dominated parliament must be seen within the bigger picture of the paralyzing system of governance in Tunisia, and through a political, not ideological, lens.

The fight between Islamists and secularists is not the core motivator of the current transition in Tunisia. This ideological dispute is a fight of the elite politicians, not the fight of the people who suffered hell on their hands. Those politicians

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failed to serve the interests of the people who elected them. Both Tunisian Islamist and secularist parties abused democracy to fulfill their own narrow political interests, on the expense of the distressed people. Now, the public masses decided to hold them accountable and the President of the State, who comes from a non-political non-partisan background, decided to stand on the people’s side in this fight.

TUNISIA’S DEMOCRACY CANNOT GET WORSE! In the early years following the Arab Spring revolutions that brought down Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia and Mubarak’s regime in Egypt, western

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scholars referred to Egypt and Tunisia as the only two successful survivors of the Arab Spring. Despite the many demographic and social difference between Egypt and Tunisia, they kept comparing the two countries to each other. Most of them were optimistic about the process of democratization in the two countries, judging by seeing Islamists, from the Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt, and Ennahda Movement in Tunisia, rising to the top of power through elections.

The same scholars, today, are firing alarms that Tunisia’s democracy is at great risk as Islamists are being pushed out of the political scene by Kais Saied and his supporters from the secular parties. Some pro-Islamist propagandists on social and traditional media went as far as calling Saied a putschist. In either case, those analysts are mistaken, or at least too emotional and too quick, for making judgements about the current gloomy situation in Tunisia.

Their superficial judgement blinded them from seeing that Islamists abused democracy, which they do not believe in, to win political power. After they took power, they exhibited the same corrupt practices that their predecessors in the authoritarian regimes committed. It took the Egyptians only one year to realize this fact and get rid of them through a popular revolution, supported by the military, in June 2013.

However, the Tunisians are still struggling with the corrupt Islamist politicians up till this day.

The so-called democracy in Tunisia, represented by elections that is held on regular basis and an ideal constitution that is inapplicable in real life, failed to make citizens’ lives better. On the contrary, this democracy was brutally abused by the political elite – secularists and Islamists alike – in a way that maximized people’s economic and social sufferings rather than relieving them. Therefore, the world does not need to fret a much about the future of the Tunisian democracy, after Saied’s move, because democracy in Tunisia cannot get worse than what it is right now.

After the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, in 2013, the same scholars tended to exaggerate in labeling Tunisia as the only “successful democracy in the Arab world,” allegedly because it is the only Arab Spring country that could accommodate Islamists in power.

Guaranteeing the state’s fast survival and recovery is the most important, right now.

That is not only limited to political recovery. It must also include setting a solid program for ending corruption and starting an economic reform.

HOW TO KEEP THE TUNISIAN BOAT AFLOAT? Coup or not a coup; that is not the question. The problem of Tunisia is much bigger and much deeper than having Islamists in power or the widening disagreement between the joints of the ruling three presidencies regime. Guaranteeing the Tunisian state fast survival and recovery is the most important, right now. That is not only limited to political recovery or putting the country on the right track of democratization. It must also include setting a solid program for ending corruption and starting an economic reform process. In a direct communication with the Tunisian President Kais Said, in the past weeks, several Arab leaders – that Saied declined to name – offered to help Tunisia recover from its economic depression.

However, this requires first helping Kais Saied navigate through the current turmoil and put the political wheels at work, once again. It is highly unlikely that he will be able to do that before the

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end of the thirty days of freezing the Parliament, i.e. by August 24th. Yet, this should happen as soon as possible to avoid the eruption of domestic violence or the intervention of terrorist organizations, similar to what has happened in other Arab Spring countries. Some of the terrorist organizations in Libya, located right at Tunisia’s eastern border, are recruiting extremist Tunisian youth among them.

In the newsletter of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists, published on Thursday, the 30th of July, the terrorist organization wrote an entire page about Tunisia, wherein they claimed that the “cursed Islamists of Tunisia” are now paying the price for committing the sin of “leaving the path of Sharia and Jihad, while choosing the path of democracy and peace.” ISIS, also, promised to benefit from the current turmoil in Tunisia to extend their mission, in the region.

Therefore, it is a top priority now, for Tunisia, its neighbors in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the international community, to

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Saied’s decision to freeze the Islamist-dominated parliament must be seen within the bigger picture of the paralyzing system of governance in Tunisia, and through a political, not ideological, lens. clear their ears from the propaganda promoted by the two conflicting sides of the political elite in Tunisia, and help the state recover and stand on its political feet, on a tough economic ground, as fast as possible.

Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian author and Director of the Liberal Democracy Institute. Her work covers military affairs, political Islamism, and geopolitics in the Middle East and North Africa. Tweets at @ daliaziada.

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The Terror Resurgence

Controlling Jihadist Groups Through Counter-Extremism

By Hagar Elnahas – London Terrorism, be it in South Asia, the Middle East, or West Africa, is regrettably enjoying a resurgence.

The US decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan has, as anticipated, only emboldened the Taliban, who are exploiting the withdrawal to advance on critical cities and seize vast swathes

of Afghan territory, terrorizing and murdering civilians in the process.

The US has had a military presence in Afghanistan for twenty years with very little to show for it. The Taliban are stronger than ever, Afghan citizens, especially women, are as disempowered as they were two decades ago, and to

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add insult to injury, al Qaeda are still operating in Afghanistan. Indeed, in order to fight off the US-backed, already-in-retreat Afghan military, the Taliban are predictably turning to al Qaeda for support. The Pentagon has issued a warning that within two years of the US withdrawal, other terrorist groups, namely al Qaeda and Daesh (ISIS), are likely to regenerate in Afghanistan.

This would enable them to expand their networks and ideological reach, and to launch attacks from within new territory. Afghanistan’s neighbors are already frightened at the prospect of the escalating terror threat seeping into their countries.

The reality of contemporary terrorism is that it is a phenomenon that can no longer be contained in a single country or region, certainly not in the long-term. Given the opportunity, terrorists opt to expand their operations. Cross-border terrorism, amplified by technology and cyber warfare, is the name of the game.

An Afghan security personnel gestures as he stands guard at the site a day after a car bomb explosion in Kabul on August 4, 2021. (Photo

by WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP)

Last month, ISIS, a terrorist group allegedly ‘defeated’ in 2019, declared it was responsible for a suicide bombing in a market in Baghdad that left thirty Iraqi civilians dead and dozens wounded. In the last year, there’s been a dramatic resurgence of terrorism in the Middle East. Global economic devastation, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, has meant that the governments of Iraq and Syria, whose economies were already in tatters, were forced to devote whatever resources remained at their disposal towards mitigating the ensuing economic, health, political crises. The wider international community, grappling with the pandemic, also had to deprioritize its counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East. Dormant terrorist groups such as ISIS saw the global distraction as an opportunity to re-emerge.

The wider international community, grappling with the pandemic, also had to deprioritize its counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East. Dormant terrorist groups such as ISIS saw the global distraction as an opportunity to re-emerge.

Chad, and Cameroon, the growing terror threat is fueling the global refugee crisis as people flee the violence and instability, often flocking to neighboring, equally poor states, who are struggling to care for their own populations, let alone refugees.

In truth, groups like ISIS were never really defeated and won’t be defeated in the near future. When ISIS lost its remaining territory in Iraq and Syria in 2019, the group’s senior leaders reassured their followers that, in time, they would regroup and re-establish their caliphate. The temporary loss of territory, though certainly a setback, is a minor one to an organization that relies on ideology rather than any geographical base. That is the root of the problem.

Regardless of the group in question, so long as the Islamist ideology they propagate resonates with certain Muslims, so long as it has appeal, the terrorism threat won’t be eliminated. It is precisely why policymakers seeking to strengthen national and international security should arguably devote more effort into counter-extremHowever, the region that is perhaps most af- ism initiatives rather than counter-terrorism. flicted with terrorist violence, and that is argu- Radicalization occurs in the mind long before ably getting the least amount of media coverage, it translates into violence. It is often the case is West Africa, where various ISIS and al Qaeda that those who are radicalized never physically affiliates such as Boko Haram, Jama’a Nusrat ul- commit any violent acts themselves. NonetheIslam wa al-Muslimin in the Sahel and Islamic less, their tacit approval of the violence carried State in the Greater Sahara are gaining power. In out by a tiny minority of terrorists, is vital to the Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and Nigeria, Niger, terrorists’ success.

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THE REMNANTS OF ISIS

their ‘defeat’. Manned by the Syrian Democratic Forces - YPG and other Kurdish forces that efSo, the question is, how is it that ISIS retained a fectively fought ISIS but were subsequently abanpresence in Syria and Iraq, despite the deaths of doned by the US – the refugee camps remained many of their fighters, the death of their caliph, breeding grounds for radicalization, from which the loss of their territory, and the disintegration of female followers could indoctrinate their children their physical caliphate? One reason is that their and impose their extremist interpretation of Islamideology thrived in Syrian refugee camps where- ic law. There are numerous reports of women in in ISIS women and children were held following these camps attacking Kurdish guards, chastising, torturing, and even murdering women and children who sought to escape or deviated from their form of Islam. That many of these female followers remained fiercely loyal to ISIS serves as a reminder that the role of women in abetting terrorism is underexplored and dismissed. These women are vital to the survival of ISIS ideology and in ensuring that it lives on in the next generation of extremists.

The growing terror threat is fueling the global refugee crisis as people flee the violence and instability, often flocking to neighboring, equally poor states, who are struggling to care for their own populations, let alone refugees.

IDEOLOGY The ideology that all these groups have in common, is often referred to as Islamism, jihadism, or political Islam. At its core, it is a political ideology centered around the imposition of a warped and violent interpretation of the Islamic faith on state and society. It glorifies martyrdom, the creation of a border-

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People walk among shelters at the Kurdishrun al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (ISIS) group fighters, in Syria’s northeastern Hasakeh governorate on August 2021 ,2. (Photo

by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

A resident of Tabqa city touring the streets on a motorcycle waves an Islamist flag in celebration after Islamic State militants took over Tabqa air base, in nearby Raqqa city, Syria August ,24 2014. (Photo by Stringer / REUTERS)

less Islamic state, and the punishment of those who oppose their version of Islam as heretics. Though no two groups are exactly the same, as each one is influenced by its cultural, ethnic, and geographic context, at their core is the same ideology. One of the most alarming aspects of this ideology is that it seeks the erosion of national borders and undermines the nation-state. This is precisely what transpired in Iraq and Syria, two states that had their sovereignty violated to such extremities that they no longer resemble states.

It is imperative to point out that most Muslims deplore this distortion of their religion and the acts of violence that are perpetrated in the name of their god. Yet part of the problem stems from what I see is a sort of cultural resignation. In too many Muslim nations, a culture, forged over decades if not centuries, has cemented itself in our world, one that has made us complacent, unambitious, averse to progress, and content with ignorance. It is true that there is no singular Muslim culture and it is reductive to state otherwise. But the reality is there are certain issues plaguing the Muslim world that transcend our ethnic, cultural, and geographic diversity.

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It is imperative to point out that most Muslims deplore this distortion of their religion and the acts of violence that are perpetrated in the name of their god.

It is this cultural resignation that Islamists feed off of. The kind that harkens back to the Islamic world’s glorious past without striving to improve its dismal present. The kind that discourages Muslims from looking inward, from reflecting on their own piety and how they might better themselves, but instead encourages them to look outward, to condemn others and dictate how they should live and, more importantly, how they should be Muslim. It is this mentality that stifles intellectual discourse on faith and modernity and has allowed a corrosive ideology to fester in our countries and communities and shape our image to the rest of the world.

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First US Sanctions Imposed on Turkish-backed Syrian Militia “We Anticipate Similar Sanctions from EU” – Syrian VDC Director to Majalla

By Jiwan Soz – Qamishli It took the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), which is a Syrian armed group that opposes President Bashar Assad’s regime but supports the Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan, more than two days to reject the US Treasury decision to designate the group’s most prominent formation as a terrorist organization that is subject to

sanctions.

The Syrian National Army that receives military and logistic assistance from Turkey described as “unfair” the US decision issued late July to name its “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” a terrorist group, while the decision was hailed by the Syrian Democratic Council, which represents the political arm of the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that is backed by Washington.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a briefing at the State Department, Monday, August 2021 ,2, in Washington. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP)

On July 28, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on eight individuals and ten entities in Syria, in a series of measures aimed at combatting terrorism which are the first sanctions imposed since the arrival of US President Joe Biden to the White House.

The sanctions included the group “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” and both of its leaders Abu Hatem Shaqra, whose real name is Ahmed Ihsan Fayyad Al-Hayes, and Raed Jassim AlHayes, nicknamed Abu Jaafar Shaqra.

“Sanctions imposed recently by Washington on the militias of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army are a great step towards justice,” said the activist and media person Mustafa Abdi, who is the director of the Violation Documentation Center in North Syria (VDC), a non-profit organization concerned with monitoring violations committed by the Turkish army and Turkish-backed Syrian militias against citizens of Syrian areas under the army and militias’ control.

Abdi told Majalla that “the sanctions pave the way for the submission of these militias’ leaders, whether they are military men or politicians, to prosecution for the crimes they committed over 10 years under various names, such as the National Council, Coalition, Free Army, National Army, etc.”

He also added, “We are awaiting similar sanctions from the European Union against these militias.”

He pointed out that “these sanctions against the Turkishbacked group are the first of their kind to be imposed by Washington which used to ignore war crimes committed by them.”

“The statement issued by the US Treasury explicitly referred to crimes committed by these militias against Kurds,” said Abdi. “It also mentioned that former ISIS leaders and fighters have joined these militias.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press statement, “The United States is taking action to promote accountability for entities and individuals that have perpetuated the suffering of the Syrian people. The United States is sanctioning eight Syrian prisons, five Assad regime officials in the institutions that run those facilities, two militia groups, and two militia leaders. These actions underscore the U.S. commitment to promote respect for human rights and accountability for abuse against Syrians.”

He also added that “(t)he United States is also imposing sanctions on armed Syrian opposition group Ahrar alSharqiya, for being responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abduction and torture, as well as on two of its leaders.”

The statement added, “Ahrar al-Sharqiya is reportedly involved in looting private property from civilians and barring displaced Syrians from returning to their homes. The group has been implicated in the unlawful killing of Hevrin Khalaf, a Syrian Kurdish politician, in October 2019. Ahrar al-Sharqiya has also integrated numerous former ISIS

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Abdi told Majalla, “the sanctions pave the way for the submission of these militias’ leaders, whether they are military men or politicians, to prosecution for the crimes they committed over 10 years under various names” members into its ranks.”

Turkey formed the militia of Ahrar al-Sharqiya in 2016, in preparation for the post-ISIS era, when ISIS control over Syrian cities was fading. Ahrar al-Sharqiya emerged during armed clashes between Arab tribes in northern Syria and ISIS elements, as Ankara seized the opportunity and supported the first party. Currently, the militia represents Ankara’s military arm inside Syrian territories along with the Sultan Murad Division.

In line with the Turkish hardline stance against the Syrian Democratic Forces, Ahrar al-Sharqiya has repeatedly declared its animosity towards the SDF which was formed of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and others in 2015.

A militia element previously admitted that his group executed the Syrian Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf by shooting, after she was tortured along with her companions and driver during the latest broad Turkish assault against SDF-controlled lands in Northern Syria in October 2019. The unit was also accused of killing relief workers, nurses, doctors and ambulance driver by shooting them dead too.

Ahrar al-Sharqiya came to control the decision-making and leadership of various pro-Ankara militias, for fear of any potential changes against the Turkish interests in Syria. It used internal fighting among majority of Turkish-backed groups, by aligning with one of the warring parties.

The same militia also, along with other Ankara-backed militias, assumed the recruitment of Syria mercenaries for outside missions such as in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Moreover, it may send a number of its elements to Afghanistan to protect its capital’s airport if Ankara could persuade Washington of protecting Kabul International Airport.

Jiwan Soz is a researcher and journalist who focuses on Turkish affairs and minorities in the Middle East. He is also a member of Syndicat National des Journalistes (National Syndicate of Journalists [SNJ]).

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Scandal Over American NSA Bugging EU Allies Danish-U.S. Nexus Angers European Leaders

By Jassim Mohamad – Bonn The National Security Agency (NSA) is the main US agency for global monitoring, collection, decoding, translation and analysis of foreign intelligence data. The NSA’s parent organization is the US Department of Defense. Allegedly, based

on the information released by former contractor Edward Snowden, the agency bugs electronic systems, protects the U.S. government communications and information systems, and collects and stores phone records of millions of American and international citizens. Snowden’s data suggested that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and her predecessor Gerhard Schröder, were

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targets of NSA surveillance.

A federal court has ruled that the US intelligence’s surveillance program exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden was unlawful, and possibly unconstitutional. A US federal appeals court in 2019 ruled that the controversial National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden was illegal. The ruling stopped short of calling the program unconstitutional. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said that the program, under which the NSA collected and analyzed bulk data provided by telecommunications companies, was in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and could have been unconstitutional.

EDWARD SNOWDEN

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, arrives at a European Leaders (EU) summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, June 25, 2021. (Photo by: Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Edward Snowden, the US whistleblower who is living in exile after leaking NSA files in 2013, says he and his wife are applying for Russian citizenship. The former US security contractor said that he and his wife wanted to apply for Russian citizenship without giving up their US citizenship. He said it was to avoid becoming potentially separated from their son in the future if borders were to be closed as they have been during the corona virus pandemic. “After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That’s why, in this era of pandemic and closed borders, we’re applying for dual US-Russian citizenship,” he said in a tweet.

Embarrassing leaks that show the US National Security Agency (NSA) spied on high-ranking European Union leaders for years have opened up old wounds of distrust between close military and diplomatic allies. to their glittering new offices, NSA staff had already acquired the building’s floor plans.

The drawings completed by a New York real estate company show precisely to scale how the offices are laid out. Intelligence agents made enlarged copies of the areas where the data servers are located. At the NSA, the European mission near the East River was referred to by the codename “Apalachee”.

BUGGING THE EU

The espionage attack on the EU is not only a surprise for most European diplomats, who until now assumed that they maintained friendly ties to the US government. It is also remarkable because the NSA has rolled out the full repertoire of intelligence-gathering tools -- and has apparently been taking this approach for many years now. According to an operational overview from September 2010 that is rated “secret,” not only have the Former President Obama promised that NSA Americans infiltrated the EU mission to the surveillance activities were aimed exclu- UN in New York, but also the EU embassy sively at preventing terrorist attacks. But se- in Washington, giving the building in the cret documents from the intelligence agency heart of the American capital the code name show that the Americans spy on Europe, the “Magothy.”

UN and other countries. For the National According to this secret document, the NSA Security Agency (NSA), America’s power- has targeted the European missions in three ful intelligence organization, the move was, ways: The embassies in Washington and New above all, a technical challenge. A new office York are bugged, at the embassy in New means freshly painted walls, untouched wir- York the hard disks have also been copied, in ing and newly installed computer networks -- Washington the agents have also tapped into in other words, loads of work for the agents. the internal computer cable network. The While the Europeans were still getting used embassies are linked via a so-called virtual private network (VPN).

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Revelations about the extent of the American National Security Agency’s (NSA’s) global communications surveillance have raised considerable media and political attention. The fact that the NSA not only bugs the phones of drug kingpins and reads the emails of al-Qaeda members, but also targets so-called “friendly” states, such as Germany, HOW AMERICA SPIES ON EUROPE Brazil and France, has had a significant impact on the current discussion. Der Spiegel’s “Systematic wiretapping of close allies is allegations that even the mobile of the Gerunacceptable,” came a recent comment man chancellor, Angela Merkel was not safe from Danish Defense Minister Trine Bram- from American spying efforts were widely sen. And yet, it appears this is exactly what seen as scandalous. As Robert Roßmann in Denmark has been doing. Bramsen was re- the Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote: “(a) greater sponding to reporting that revealed the Dan- affront by a friendly state is hardly conceivish Defense Intelligence Service (Forsvarets able”. [6] Efterretningstjeneste, or FE) had cooperated with the US National Security Agency Embarrassing leaks that show the US Na(NSA) to enable spying on several European tional Security Agency (NSA) spied on partners and close allies. Considering the high-ranking European Union leaders for major reputational costs that would surely years have opened up old wounds of distrust have been evident from the outset, why did between close military and diplomatic allies.

Denmark agree to this partnership? Why What has worried EU politicians even more would it allow the NSA to use Danish data is that Denmark’s military intelligence sercables to spy on senior officials in France, vice - the FE - cooperated with the NSA in Germany, Norway and Sweden, including a sophisticated eavesdropping scheme that targeted German Chancellor Angela MerGerman chancellor Angela Merkel? kel among others. The revelations came in a pan-European media investigation led by Danish public broadcaster, Danmarks Radio, which said the NSA used Denmark’s internet cables to retrieve calls and text messages of high-ranking officials from Germany, Sweden, Norway and France between 2012 and 2014.

“In case there was loss of access to one site, could immediately regain it by riding the VPN to the other side and punching a whole (sic!) out,” the NSA technicians said during an internal presentation. “We have done this several times when we got locked out of Magothy.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said in July 2021, that they expected an explanation regarding the revelations that the Danish secret service had aided the US in spying on European leaders.

European leaders might be angry that Denmark helped the US to spy on them. They shouldn’t be surprised. Denmark’s European allies are “shocked, shocked!” to discover that the little Nordic country had helped the United States spy on Germany, France and other European allies between 2012 and 2014. Quelle horreur! France’s Europe minister, Clément Beaune, declared the rev-

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Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden poses for a photo during an interview in an undisclosed location in December 2013 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo

by Barton Gellman/ Getty Images)

elations that Copenhagen allowed the U.S. National Security Agency to use Danish eavesdropping systems to listen in on conversations by top European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Franz-Walter Steinmeier, as “extremely serious.”

Steinbrück spoke to the German members of the research team upon finding out about the spying operations against him. “Politically, I consider this a scandal,” he said. While he accepted that western states require functioning intelligence services, the fact that Danish authorities had been spying on their partners showed “that they are rather doing things on their own.” Neither Merkel nor Steinmeier had “any knowledge” of the spying operations carried out by leading Danish government officials. A spokesperson said that the chancellor had been informed of the revelations.

Leaders in Europe have reacted to the revelations that Danish authorities cooperated with the NSA’s spying operations - which

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Talking about Europe or specifically the European Union, there is no doubt that there is no espionage in the fields of defense and security, as much as it focuses on of “industry” and scientific Invention, and perhaps Europe has witnessed hot intelligence activities to obtain what is going in laboratories. included tapping Angela Merkel’s mobile phone. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said in July 2021, that they expected an explanation regarding the revelations that the Danish secret service had aided the US in spying on European leaders. An investigation carried out by a group of European

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news outlets and broadcasters discovered that Danish intelligence had helped the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on top politicians in Germany, France and other countries between 2012 and 2014 when Joe Biden was serving as vice president. Macron condemned the actions by Danish authorities following a meeting with Merkel, with the German chancellor agreeing that answers from Washington and Copenhagen were required.

COOPERATION BETWEEN THE NSA AND GERMAN INTELLIGENCE Since the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, when thousands of people were killed, the war on terrorism has been moved to new dimension around the world. Laws have been tightened, and Western intelligence services have intensified their cooperation. This also applies to cooperation between the US National Security Agency and German intelligence, and it seems that this cooperation did not take into account many of the applicable laws. This can be inferred from documents published

by Edward Snowden in 2013.

On May 4, 2015, the” Frontal 21 Program”

What has worried EU politicians even more is that Denmark’s military intelligence service - the FE - cooperated with the NSA in a sophisticated eavesdropping scheme that targeted German Chancellor Angela Merkel among others.

announced that it had seen a secret document of the German government confirmed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been spying on European and German targets at least until August 2013. According to the data, on 26th August, 2013, the German intelligence agency (BND) found that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had spied on recent email addresses of European politicians, ministries of European Union member states, EU institutions and representative headquarters of German companies. The document stated that US espionage practices conflicted with German interests.

German media reports revealed that the US National Security Agency tried to spy on government facilities in Austria by cooperating with the German foreign intelligence service. The German newspaper “Bild am Sonntag” reported that German intelligence, worked for the US Agency interest, searched

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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks as he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel give a news statement on June ,18 2021 in Berlin, Germany.

(Photo by Axel Schmidt/ Reuters/Pool)

Espionage operations will continue due to the weakness of Europe’s cyber capabilities, and space espionage, as it stands helpless in front of NSA. It seems that Europe cannot get out of the US umbrella “NSA” for decades. internal intelligence missions. But spying between allies is undoubtedly inconsistent with the covenants and instruments signed between allies or friendly countries.

Talking about Europe or specifically the European Union, there is no doubt that there is no espionage in the fields of defense and security, as much as it focuses on of “industry” and scientific Invention, and perhaps Europe has witnessed hot intelligence activities to obtain what is going in laboratories.

by Internet words such as “gov” and “diplo” and others related to government offices, through the monitoring station of the German intelligence in, Bavaria.

German media reports had revealed earlier that German intelligence had helped the US National Security Agency in spying on the French government and the European Commission in Brussels for years. The same spying station was used to spy on high-ranking officials of the French Foreign Ministry and Presidential palace, as well as the European Commission.

CONCLUSION It is well known that espionage is a “legitimate right” that any states have the right to gather information for national security purposes, including what is focused on knowing external threats to national security and perhaps internal threats within the national

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This means that espionage operations will continue and cannot be stopped, but if we talk about the United States spying on European countries in particular, this is due to the weakness of Europe’s cyber capabilities, and space espionage, as it stands helpless in front of NSA, and this is what makes Europe under the control of “NSA” in particular. It seems that Europe cannot get out of the US umbrella “NSA” for decades. What Europe needs is to upgrade its national security, in the field of non-traditional strategic security, including Internet engines, space espionage and cyber security.

Jassim Mohamad is a researcher who focuses on international security & counterterrorism; his work covers Europe, Middle East (Iraq, Syria, Libya, Iran and Yemen), and African Sahel. He is the Head of the European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies ECCI.

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Three American Academicians Reflect on the New Normal at the Office Returning Back to Office Life -- Burnout and No-Touch Policies

By Majalla - Washington As President Joe Biden missed his self-declared deadline to have 70 percent of the Americans vaccinated by the Fourth of July and the Independence Day celebrations, and as he started a new campaign to reach that percentage or more by September, the month that usually marks the end of summer, many Americans are getting ready to go back to office.

Actually, some already started returning to their offices after an absence of more than a year for most of them.

Last month, “The Washington Post” newspaper called on the Biden administration to push for more vaccinations to face the recent rise in Coronavirus, saying that vaccination seemed the sure way for returning to normal. The newspaper added that “190 million doses of the Pfizer shot and 138 million of the Moderna vaccine have been

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administered here, and more abroad. By all appearances, these vaccines work splendidly to protect against severe disease and death.”

As many debates started last year about the “abnormal” that seemed to have become “normal,” a new debate has started about going back to the “normal,” particularly about going back to offices.

These are opinions, by three American academicians, which are part of the new debate, gleaned from their tweets, websites and media interviews: 1. “Archeology in My Office?” by Ellery Frahm, professor of archeology at Yale University, and author of, among other researches, “Obsidian at Umm Qseir (in Syria).”

2. “More Office Burnout”, by Amelia Nagoski, professor at Western New England University, and author of, among other books, “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.”

3. “Office Hugging,” by Tiffany Field, a professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine, director of its Touch Institute and author of, among other books, “The Touch.”

The elbow bump is an informal greeting where two people touch elbows. Interest in this greeting was renewed during the avian flu scare of 2006, the 2009 swine flu outbreak, the Ebola outbreak of 2014, and the 2019-20 COVID-19 pandemic when health officials supported its use to reduce the spread of germs. (Photo by )Noah on Unsplash

“Occupational burnout results from chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterized by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.”

in my introductory courses of archaeology: ‘If campus was just abandoned tomorrow, what would be left behind?’ Answers I expect from students: tables, chairs, coat-hangers, desktop computers. And the Coronavirus signs that urged people to keep six feet apart …”

AMELIA NAGOSKI: “MORE OFFICE BURNOUT” “As weary Americans emerge from a harrowing global ELLERY FRAHM: “ARCHEOLOGY IN pandemic, burnout is a common affliction. People are MY OFFICE?” overwhelmed and exhausted and still feeling like they “As an archaeologist who unearths artifacts spanning ought to be doing more. I think it’s almost everybody half a million years of human history, all around the and everywhere … globe, I recently unearthed a perplexing ancient artifact What is ‘burnout’? Occupational burnout results from close to home, at my office. It was a Post-it note from last chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterMarch, recovered from the debris of my office at Yale ized by feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of University, to which I recently returned …

Written on it was a phone number, but without a name; negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced I could call the number and ask who the person was and professional efficacy …

The world has turned wellness into yet another goal peowhy I had his number – but that would be odd.

I was one of many who were abruptly sent home last ple should strive for. year and never summoned back until now. Like my writ- Emotions are tunnels. Exhaustion is when you get stuck ing of the mysterious phone number, other people found in an emotion, and your body is stuck in the middle of a strange things: Notes for projects abandoned long ago; stress cycle …

Burnout is also among men, but mostly among women, expired food snacks and unwashed coffee mugs …

I was reminded of Pompeii, the Italian city that froze in of America. What’s expected of women and what it’s time in 79 A.D., when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted really like to be a woman in today’s world are two very and buried the city in volcanic ash. Archeologists found different things—and women exhaust themselves trying that the residents who fled or perished left, among other to close the gap between them …

The everyday questions included: What can you do to things, their breads in the ovens Probably not unlike those in the age of Coronavirus, complete the biological stress cycle, and return your who, upon returning to their offices, are now discover- body to a state of relaxation? How to manage the moniing tangible evidence of daily life before soft pants and tor in your brain that regulates the emotion of frustration?

And how the Bikini Industrial Complex makes it diffiZoom meetings became ascendant …

I remembered a thought experiment that often comes up cult for women to love their bodies—and how to defend yourself against it? …

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a quizzical eyebrow at hugs in the workplace. I think that even before Covid, hugging was already going out …

Even before Coronavirus seclusion and distancing, I think social media has been really detrimental to touch.

Being on your phone is distancing people physically TIFFANY FIELD: “OFFICE HUGGING” from each other. It used to be in airports, you’d see peo“There are reasons so many humans feel comforted by ple hugging and napping on each other. Now they’re just hugging. Like a massage, it involves stimulation and not touching. pressure receptors, and when that happens, the whole Few years ago, as part of my research, I went to differnervous system slows down and stress hormone is re- ent airports in Florida to watch people interacting, and duced … studying the subject for more than four decades, I could But, certain kinds of people tend to dislike being touched scientifically record that people were touching each or embraced: some children and adults with autism, for other less, even when saying good-bye at airports … example, as well as many survivors of sexual assault. The science of touch came of age in the mid-1990s, when The #MeToo movement prompted lots of people to raise two scientists traveled to Romania to examine the sensory deprivation of children in understaffed orphanages.

The touch-deprived children had strikingly lower cortisol and growth development levels for their age group …

From the time we are in the womb through our elderly years, touch plays a primary role in our development and physical and mental well-being. New studies on touch continue to show the importance of physical contact in early development, communication, personal relationships, and fighting disease.

Although the therapeutic benefits have become increasingly clear, thanks to no-touch policies in schools and the isolating effects of cell phones and computers, Americans are touching each other less …

More less now with Coronavirus’ distancing and seclusion …”

Add to that the two sides of the Corona-effect: the burnout of staying home for more than a year, and the burnout now you are back in your office …”

“Although the therapeutic benefits of touching have become increasingly clear, thanks to notouch policies in schools and the isolating effects of cell phones and computers, Americans are touching each other less.”

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People at work before the new normal caused by spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash)

A Weekly Political News Magazine

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Issue 1864- August- 06/08/2021

Greta Thunberg: The Climate Campaigner

www.majalla.com

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Bahraini Trail-blazing Female Journalist Hopes to Establish Int’l Media Body Combating Terrorism Ahdeya Ahmed Speaks to Majalla on Achievements of Bahraini Women

By Menna A. Farouk Renowned Bahraini journalist Ahdeya Ahmed is hoping to establish an international media body that crystallizes a unified media discourse to combat terrorism and extremism.

Ahmed, who is the first Bahraini woman to hold the position of Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Bahraini Journalists Association, said that the proposed body would help to fight extremist ideology in the region and across the world as well as establish stability and peace in the Middle East.

“I believe that within four or five years of establishing this body, we would see great achievements in terms of fighting extremists and consolidating peace and stability in troubled areas,” she told Majalla in an exclusive interview via Zoom.

Ahmed has a long, established journalism career as she worked as an editor for the Gulf Daily News in 1991, and for the Daily Tribune in 1997, and was among the founding editorial staff of the Tribune newspaper published in Bahrain.

Ahmed also held the position of spokesperson for the General Secretariat of the Cabinet in Bahrain and worked as a political analyst and media advisor in the same organization.

She reported for CNN, Arab News and Saudi Gazette newspapers, in addition to working as an international news advisor at the Ministry of Information between 1993 and 2017.

ARAB WOMEN MAKING PROGRESS Besides being a veteran journalist and media professional, Ahmed is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Arab Women’s Authority in Bahrain.

She also has a membership in the Gender Council of the International Federation of Journalists since 2017 and is the first female Bahraini journalist to be TV presenter of political talk shows in English since 1993.

“I am very proud to be part of these organizations that support and empower women politically, socially and economically,” Ahmed said.

She added that through the Arab Women’s Authority she has been working on offering help to women who are affected with breast cancer because she believes that “there can never be a political or social or economic future for any country without having women in good health”.

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“I believe that within four or five years of establishing this (international media) body, we would see great achievements in terms of fighting extremists and consolidating peace and stability in troubled areas.” – Ahdyea Ahmed.

Ahmed also said that “Undoubtedly, the political leadership in both countries are showing growing interest in boosting bilateral relations”.

Ahdeya Ahmed, the Bahraini journalist and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Bahraini Journalists Association.

“We have also been working on empowering women politically and supporting women in volunteering work,” Ahmed said.

On the conditions of Bahraini women, Ahmed said that she is very satisfied with the progress made by Bahraini women over the past decades in taking up positions that were dominated only by men.

“In 2006, we only had one female parliamentarian. Now, the number of women entering not only the parliament but other walks of life has increased tremendously. We see women as ministers, under-secretaries, ambassadors, bankers, etc,” she added.

Ahmed served as the official spokeswoman for the parliamentary elections in Bahrain in 2006.

“There is nothing called perfect, but conditions of women in Bahrain are close to perfect. The media also tends to speak about the challenges in the Arab world and how women are suffering.

But this is not true. Women in the Arab world are making great progress,” Ahmed said.

SAUDI-BAHRAINI RELATIONS GROWING STRONGER On the Saudi-Bahraini relations, Ahmed said that relations between the two Arab countries are deep-rooted and historical and are now growing stronger.

“Saudi Arabia has many supporting stances towards Bahrain and the Bahraini leadership, government and people can never forget those stances,” she added.

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“This confirms the depth of the relations and development in the fields of cooperation between the two countries and constitutes a great incentive to improve bilateral relations and the multiplicity of its fields in the future for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples,” she added.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT The Bahraini journalist also spoke about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the “promising steps” taken by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to solve the conflict and re-establish peace in the region.

“Bahrain and the UAE have long been exerting all-out efforts to settle the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. And the recent steps with regards to normalization are great efforts to solve the conflict,” she added.

Ahmed said that there are some countries that are pretending to be standing by the Palestinian people and defending their cause, but their intentions are purely political.

“The Palestinian cause has been used as a tool by some countries like Iran for political gains but it has never been looked at as a humanitarian cause that needs to be solved for the sake of the Palestinian people who are suffering,” she added.

Bahrain and Israel signed an agreement to normalize diplomatic and other relations. The agreement was announced by former US President Donald Trump on September 11, 2020 and followed on from a joint statement, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords, by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020.

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Rural Tourism Attracts More People to the Saudi Countryside

Plans Set to Encourage Tourists to Discover Aspects of Local Saudi Culture

By Motasem Al Felou - Jeddah “I took my daughters to the Strawberry Farm in Taif, West of Saudi Arabia. The farm guard gave them a small basket to pick the ripe strawberries. Not only did my daughters

enjoy the experience but they loved the rural life,” Khalid, a father of two daughters, told Majalla, as he described how to find pure joy in the countryside, leaving the noise and heavy traffic behind and looking for original experiences.

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Khalid is one of those domestic tourists who promotes rural tourism and looks for new ways to discover the different aspects of the Saudi countryside. From the mountains of Taif, Saudi Arabia’s summer capital, which is famous for its captivating landscape as well as its pomegranate and grape crops, to the mountainous governorate of Jazan, an agricultural area on the southwest corner of the Kingdom recognized for its verdant coffee, mangos and orange trees, to the waterrich Al Qassim Region, which is located at the heart of the Kingdom and described as Saudi Arabia’s food basket. Moving to the north, Al Jouf Region is well-known for the biggest olive tree farms in the Arabia Peninsula. Al Ahsa, the largest governorate in the Eastern Province, is the largest date-palm oasis in the world with more than three million trees.

But what is rural tourism and why are more Saudis and expats turning to the countryside havens? Let’s explore Saudi rural tourism and how technology is helping tourists plan their trips to the Saudi countryside.

AWAY FROM CITIES A man relaxing on a hummock in a date-palm farm in Al Ahsa, in the Eastern Region of KSA. (Photo: Saudi Press Agency)

Yasser, 33, is a lover of both trekking and camping. Every month, he picks a destination to practice his favorite hobbies. Al Shafa, a mountainous village situated in the Al Sarawt mountain range and 20 km away from the city of Taif, was Yasser’s choice last July.

“I have a small tent that can accommodate my wife and me. We went trekking from sunrise with our guide, and we finished half an hour before the sunset. We were in the company of a small group of trekkers with whom we became best friends,” said Yasser.

“Before the outbreak of Covid-19, I used to go trekking in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.

After imposing travel restrictions, I started to look for places where I can satisfy my passion locally. Thank God, the Kingdom has many great places for trekking in Taif and Abha, where the terrain is mountainous. Previously, I didn’t know the Saudi countryside

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Rural tourism includes agritourism and cultural events that celebrate the history of rural communities, together with sports activities that are held in agricultural and urban areas. is this beautiful and rich,” he added.

Rural tourism is defined as the tourism that takes place in the countryside. It includes agritourism and cultural events that celebrate the history of rural communities, together with sports activities that are held in agricultural and urban areas.

RURAL TOURISM and TECHNOLOY A few weeks ago, street ads appeared in the main Saudi cities with teasers that read “DO NOT GO TO TAIF, DO NOT GO TO ABHA, DO NOT GO TO JAZAN, etc.” After a few days, the revealer was uncovered with banners that read: “DO NOT JUST GO TO JAZAN, GO THERE and LIVE LIKE THE PEOPLE OF JAZAN.” The whole campaign was dedicated to promote an accommodation app that is specialized in renting farms, motels and camps in rural areas, suburbs, and chalets.

“One of the goals of the campaign is to boost rural tourism by giving local tourists a variety of accommodation options in the countryside,” said Hisham Abdo, one of the creative team that worked on the ad.

“We encourage landlords to list their properties that are available for rental, and guide them to raise the hospitality standards in their farms, camps or farms, and take rural tourism to a higher level,” he explained.

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Coffee farms in Jazan, an agricultural area on the southwest corner of KSA. (Photo: SPA)

According to recent statistics, 99% of the population in the Kingdom has access to the Internet, meaning that people in the countryside can actively use the Internet. It is worth mentioning that even international accommodation apps feature motels and residential units in the Saudi countryside, making it easier for tourists to explore new areas without having to worry about accommodations or F&B. The government has spent a billion

Each region in the Kingdom has its own local culture and arts. Rural tourism can help introduce people to a diversity of architectural designs, calligraphy styles, and other aspects of the traditional Saudi cultures that are hard to find in cities where modernity prevails.

dollars to support the infrastructure of the Saudi countryside in the last two decades, making it a better place for inhabitants and tourists.

ECONOMIC HORIZONS The Kingdom Vision 2030, a Saudi ambitious strategic framework designed to reduce dependence on oil, promote sustainable development, diversify the national economy, and upgrade the standard of living, has a special program for rural areas’ sustainable development. The program helps farmers technically and financially to improve the overall infrastructure as well as to create jobs and boost agriculture, especially cash crops such as coffee. Rural tourism has been found to increase business, income and employment in rural areas. It has many potential benefits including repopulation, social improvement, and the promotion of local crafts.

Each region in the Kingdom has its own local culture and arts. Rural tourism can help introduce people to a diversity of architectural designs, calligraphy styles, and other aspects of the traditional Saudi cultures that are hard to find in cities where modernity prevails.

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Two men enjoying snacks in a date-palm farm in Al Madina Al Munawwarh. (Photo: SPA)

Agricultural terraces in Asir Southern Region in KSA )Photo: SPA(

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Rania Bedda: From a “Dreamer” to an “Award Winning Writer”

The Winner of the Sharjah Prize for Children’s Books 2021 for Shyamla Speaks to Majalla

By Sarah Gamal “Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel.

They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can.” - Joe Lazauskas Who does not like stories? Stories are a world full of imagination and meanings. Through the story, we can express feelings and thoughts that enter the mind smoothly, without violence and coercion, to live in the hearts for years, and are repeated generation after generation.

The art of writing children’s stories is a very special talent, and it requires imagination and mastery of writing so that the writer with their pen can build a whole world of fictional characters and connect them in an attractive framework that fills the mind and conscience of children and fascinates them. Children’s stories may be short, and they may appear deceptively simple, but they are one of the most difficult forms to master.

Rania Bedda is an Egyptian writer specializing in children’s literature. She started writing stories for children in colloquial Arabic (Egyptian) and published them on her Facebook page, Hadotat Rania “Rania’s Story”. She, also, launched a YouTube channel with the same name. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she launched “Stay at home and listen to stories” with the collaboration of illustrators and voice-over artists to enrich the episodes with suspense.

Rania published 3 stories in colloquial Egyptian dialect; Dobby the Rabbit, about agreements and how to abide by them; Sky and Ricco, about emotions and anger manage-

ment; Mazangi about dividing a big goal into small steps.

Rania was one of the most prominent contributors to the “Madrasa” initiative to convert Arabic language lessons into animation episodes. Nine of her episodes are already available on the platform. She also wrote 25 stories for the memory game “Find Me”, published by Anamel.

SHYAMLA: A NOVEL FOR YOUNG ADULTS Rania won Sharjah Prize for Children’s Books 2021 for her novel “Shyamla” for adolescents (in Arabic) for ages 13 to 17 published by the Egyptian publishing house, Nahdet Misr. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, President of the Sharjah Authority, honored her during the winners’ ceremony of the “Sharjah Children’s Book Award” at the Expo Center Sharjah, during the activities of the 12th edition of the “Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival”. The novel was also released at Cairo Book Fair 2021.

Shyamla, (meaning the brown-skinned girl), is about a 15-year-old girl, who lost her mother as a child, and has been suffering from the pain of loss for years. She is always attached to a Jasmine Necklace. She takes a trip to Jaipur (The Pink City) with her school and then meets the elephant Suraj (his name means full moon), a skeptical man-hater, but the scent of jasmine attracts him to Shyamla.

Step by step he begins to trust her and they communicate with each other in their own way. Her friendship with Suraj makes her happy and outgoing with her colleagues, and consequently, her true personality begins to appear.

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Rania Bedda published 3 stories in colloquial Egyptian dialect; Dobby the Rabbit, about agreements and how to abide by them; Sky and Ricco, about emotions and anger management; Mazangi about dividing a big goal into small steps. was rewarded by God”, she said of her feelings after she received a surprising email last May announcing that she would receive a major prize for her first novel, “Shyamla”.

“My energy has been recharged again and I got rid of exhaustion with this happy news.”

ENCOURAGING LITTLE READERS

Rania Bedda during her participation in Cairo Book Fair 2021 (Supplied)

As events develop, we will know that Shyamla and Suraj are similar in many aspects, as they were brought together by the same feelings of loss, sadness, love of drawing, life, and colors.

The writer Rania Bedda opened her heart to Majalla and talks about many aspects of children’s literature and the ideal methods for raising our children through the world of culture and literature, as well as her personal dreams and wishes.

AWARD-WINNING WRITER First, she revealed the secret behind her specialization in children’s literature and stories. “It was a coincidence, but specifically, the achievements of mothers are always motivated by their children, so the motive for me was to improve the relationship with my children, especially my eldest son, at the beginning of adolescence,” she said.

She was fully convinced that “storytelling” was the best way to deliver messages to children instead of lectures. At that time, her passion for telling “stories” came into her mind; it was the spark, and from here began her journey.

“It was like a dream come true - I felt very happy as if I

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Replying to a question about the activity of reading in the present young generation compared to previous generations, Bedda said that “the reading hobby still exists so far, but its popularity differed from previous decades. In the past, there was no entertainment except reading and other simple things, but at present there are many means of entertainment and learning, so reading is no longer the only outlet for entertainment with the invasion of technology.”

However, she noted that “The family plays a prominent role in linking the child to reading from a young age, e.g. telling or reading bedtime stories, in addition to, linking the book to happy memories, choosing joyful stories, and presenting them as gifts. The child from the age of 3 to 5 prefers animal stories, and from 7 to 9 the child is passionate about adventures, and after ten, boys tend towards exploratory stories and girls tend towards social stories.”

As for schools, she agreed that they also play an important role by setting up a special library for children to connect them to reading, and at an advanced age some schools are doing a project for a specific novel, and if the child likes the novel type, he or she will read the rest of its chapters and this has already happened with her children.

POSITIVE PARENTING AND VALUES Rania Bedda shared with us her own tips for parenting which are totally positive, as she advised parents “to get rid of the constant blame and criticism or directing by creating

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crises and quarrels; to listen to our children and contribute with advice and insight.”

Bedda believes that “our crisis is that we consider our children our property and not normal human beings, they are not machines that we move them as we like.”

Through her writings, Rania Bedda is keen to instill certain values in children.

“Children in the past years relied on external, not internal, motives in doing anything; depending always on their parents or older ones. I hope their motivation comes from within and from solving their problems, so I always present the protagonist as being responsible for solving his/ her problems.”

She also added, “We also have a problem in expressing our feelings, young and old. I seek to develop this courage, and

for the child to cling to his dreams and his belief in himself and his abilities.”

PANDEMIC CHALLENGES FOR KIDS It goes without saying that the excessive use of technology due to the life changes over COVID-19 restrictions has affected the little ones’ lives as much as it did for adults.

This impact is arguably negative, however, Bedda could see a silver lining, especially throughout her experience with her children.

“Technology has no longer become for them merely for entertainment, but to perform several things related to education, knowledge, and aspiration. It also saves a lot of

Describing herself as a writer, Bedda said when writing for children, she restores the spirit of the child inside her so that she can write in their language and vocabulary to be able to reach them well.

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, President of the Sharjah Authority, honored Rania Bedda during the winners’ ceremony of the “Sharjah Children’s Book Award” at the Expo Center Sharjah

Rania Bedda after winning Sharjah Prize for Children’s Books 2021 for her Novel “Shyamla” (Supplied)

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Illustration of the main character in the story of Shyamla (Supplied)

wasted time to learn these things earlier,” she pointed out.

Nevertheless, she thinks that children who totally depend on their teachers in the process of learning felt frustrated during this period, especially those of young age who suffer from slow comprehension.

‘SHYAMLA’ REFLECTS RANIA Although Shymla is a fictional character, the author believed that she is just like her when she described her feelings while she was talking to her mother. “I was the one who was talking, not Shyamla.”

Describing herself as a writer, Bedda said when writing for children, she restores the spirit of the child inside her so that she can write in their language and vocabulary to be able to reach them well. “I always bring up the spirit of the child, not the mother, because the mother always wants to educate and give lectures, but the child wants to have fun.”

On the other hand, Rania, the mother, considers herself the mother of all children whom she wishes to reach out to through her novels and stories. She hopes to leave a print in their hearts forever, just as “Abla Fadila” did with past generations who were obsessed with her.

On a personal level, she hopes to provide the best education and guidance for her children, so that they can express themselves and their dreams correctly, and not be the dominant mother.

A final list of advice the mother writer presented to other hardworking mothers was, “Be easy on yourself, as you

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“The family plays a prominent role in linking the child to reading from a young age, e.g. telling or reading bedtime stories, in addition to, linking the book to happy memories, choosing joyful stories, and presenting them as gifts.” are already doing everything you can. Enjoy living each stage of your children’s development; from infancy to children to teenagers up to the stage of marriage. Stay away from pressure, and enjoy raising your children, and always accept their mistakes, one day they will quit it as long as we guide them in the right way.”

“I hope to publish two new novels that I have already written, and to present a program on the radio, and follow the approach of Abla Fadila,” Bedda told Majalla about her future hopes.

She also hopes that the novel “Shyamla” be adapted to be an animation film like Disney movies.

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Salah Jaheen’s Cartoons on Exhibit

The Museum of Caricature Celebrates Egypt’s Renowned Cartoonists in a Series of Exhibitions

By Amira Noshokaty Last week, a rare collection from the cartoons of renowned Egyptian artist Salah Jaheen (1930-1986) was on display for the public.

Under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the combined efforts of the Egyptian Caricature Association, Caricature Museum in Fayoum and the Egyptian Cultural Development Fund have put together this unique exhibition under the title Fi Al Fadia w Al Maliana (Over Anything and Everything) which is the name of a cartoon series that Jaheen drew decades ago.

and musing “Did you see the swimsuit of the woman who is not even here?”

“This exhibition comes as the beginning of a series of exhibitions of Egypt’s renowned cartoonists and their works, and we chose to begin with Salah Jaheen,” explained Mohamed Abla, Egyptian artist and founder of Caricature Museum in Fayoum. Abla, who spent around 20 years in collecting original cartoons of renowned artists, has managed to create a true panorama that depicts a world parallel to where the Arab nation once lived.

At the premises of Beit El-Souhemi, built in 1648 A.D. in the heart of Islamic Cairo, the walls are adorned with witty sarcastic cartoons that document decades of the Arab Nation as well as the Egyptian one. Illustrations varied between political and social topics. There was one cartoon discussing the Lebanese war to which he drew the world’s attention and pointed it in the direction of Israel saying: “Civil war between Muslims and Christians, leftists and rightist, between the tall and the short, as long as all Arabs are fighting with one another.”

Another outstanding cartoon dealt with Egypt’s most favorite summer topic — women’s bathing suits and their right to swim in the sea. This cartoon wittily depicts two men looking at an empty space on the beach

A cartoon by Salah Jaheen displayed in the exhibition Fi Al Fadia w Al Maliana (Over Anything and Everything) held in Beit El-Souhemi, in old Cairo last week. It depicts two men looking at an empty space on the beach and musing, “Did you see the swimsuit of the woman who is not even here?” (Photo by Amira Noshokaty)

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Renowned artist Salah Jaheen is a multitalented Egyptian philosopher/cartoonist and a pillar of vernacular Egyptian poetry. At an early age, he enriched the Egypt and the Arab world with his poems.

Illustration of Salah Jaheen by artist Essam Azouz.

(Wikimedia commons)

Renowned artist Salah Jaheen is a multitalented Egyptian philosopher/cartoonist and a pillar of vernacular Egyptian poetry. At an early age, he enriched the Egypt and the Arab world with his poems. He was in his twenties when he finished the famous Robaiat (Quartets) which are four line poems revealing a philosophical insight. Jaheen’s lyrics were sung by Egyptian stars such as Abdel Halim Hafez. As a screenwriter, who can forget films that became icons of Egyptian classic cinema starring the divas Souad Hosney and Hussien Fahmy. Khali Balak Men Zuzu (Take Care of Zuzu) ran almost a year non-stop in Egyptian cinemas.

As for the cartoons, Jaheen has three main phases in his cartoon career, Rose Al-Youssef, Sabah Al-Kheir magazines, and Al-Ahram newspaper. “The exhibition includes cartoons that reflect such stages. It is easy to observe that in Sabah Al-Kheir he focused on creating new concepts and characters with the idea of Qahwat Al Nashat (The Coffee House of Energetic People) which displays government employees always sitting there sleepy instead of being at their offices. He also created the Abu Al-Mafhomia (Mr. Know-it-all) to mock the social taboos,” explained Abla.

Abla added that soon a bigger exhibition will be held at the premises of Prince Taz Palace, where items re-

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flecting the lifetime works of Jaheen in his numerous artistic realms will be on display.

Mohamed Abla, aside from being a renowned Egyptian painter, is also a cartoon collector. For around 20 years, he has collected original cartoon works of Egyptian cartoonists and has managed to share these gems with the public since 2011, when he founded Egypt’s first Caricature Museum in Tunis Village, Fayoum governorate.

Cartoon as an art started out in Europe in the middle ages, but flourished in the 19th century.

In the 19th century, it was the “Punch or the London Charivari” weekly magazine that first introduced and popularized cartoon as a humorous modern art of illustration between the 1840s and 1850s.

However, the art of cartoon was known in ancient Egypt. Satirical Ostraca is an ancient Egyptian art of satire through paintings. They were found in Deir AlMadina, Luxor. The art that reveals wit and a great sense of humor depicted funny situations such as a cat fearing a mouse, and many others. Such art remains a vivid element of intangible heritage in Egypt as younger generations are now producing their own comic magazines. Magazines like Al-Qahera, Metro, and Shobeik Lobeik are quite popular among young Egyptians as they are re-introduced to their cities and modern times from a very comic perspective.

This rise in the awareness and interest of the younger generations about cartoons and their impact as a rich artistic medium and tool for self-expression has increased the need of the younger generation to look back at the pioneers of Cartoon and reconnect.

“The Museum of Caricature started producing a series of short video documentaries on renowned Egyptian cartoonists. The first was commemorating late cartoonist Hakem,” Ablaa assured us.

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Greta Thunberg: The Climate Campaigner

By Majalla Illustration by Ali Mandalawi This summer is witnessing many fires and floods that strike many countries around the globe, and the intense heatwave, which scientists describe as “the most observed heatwave on the planet”, has killed a lot of people all around the world.

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist who is also universally known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation, commented on the current climate changes in an Instagram Post by saying; “Wildfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves and other (un)natural disasters rage all over the world. Many now ask “What will it take for people in power to act?” Well, it will take many things, but above all, it will take massive pressure from media and massive pressure from the public”.

The year 2021 witnessed many issues, opinions, and events raised regarding climate change issues and its long-term impact on human life on Earth, and thus the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg had comments on all of this.

Firstly, the young Swedish activist launched an appeal to change food habits in terms of production and consumption, in light of the crises and threats facing the world. In a video posted on social media on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, Thunberg said that the crises the world is going through in terms of climate, environment and health “are all interconnected.”

Greta Thunberg, in particular, touched on diseases transmitted from animals to humans, including “Covid-19, Zika and Ebola”, which she said were

caused mainly by agricultural practices.

“Our way of farming and dealing with nature, by clearing forests and destroying natural habitats, created the ideal conditions for the transmission of diseases between animals and from them to us,” Thunberg added.

The Swedish environmental activist also mocked the leaders of the “Group of Seven”, stressing that they did not make concrete efforts on the climate issue. Thunberg tweeted, through her official account on the “Twitter”: “The climate and ecological crisis is rapidly escalating. G7 spends fantasy amounts on fossil fuels as CO2 emissions are forecast for the 2nd biggest annual rise ever. This calls for steakand-lobster-BBQ-celebration while jet planes perform aerobatics in the sky above the G7 resort!”

Among her efforts for the environment, the Greta Thunberg Foundation will pay 100,000 euros to the COVAX system in order to fight the “vaccine inequality tragedy” against the epidemic, which the Swedish environmental activist has denounced.

Thunberg, who has become an icon in the fight for climate, asserted, “The means are available to us to correct the massive imbalance that exists today in the world in the fight against Covid-19. Just as with climate change, we must help the most vulnerable first.”

She added that she was sure that COVAX, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which should ensure equitable distribution in 92 poor countries, is the appropriate response.

Greta Thunberg, a name frequently mentioned in international media, for a Swedish girl, no more than 16 years of age, entered the world of environmental

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defense from its widest doors by chance, to become a symbol of activists in the field.

Born on January 3, 2003, to an opera singer mother and a film actor father, doctors diagnosed her health condition with a group of incurable diseases such as Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and selective mutation, so that the girl received more attention from her parents.

In May 2018, with the help of her parents, the exceptional girl won a writing competition on the topic of climate. The competition was organized by the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, which at the time suggested that the students express their concerns about the current climate change, which enabled her to meet the activist Bo Toran, an environmental advocate and member of the Swedish association Fossil Free Dalsland, which was established in 2013.

In 2019, Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic on a yacht to attend a UN climate conference in New York. Delivering what is probably her most famous speech, she angrily told world leaders they were not doing enough. “You all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,” she said.

Thunberg was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in December 2019. Her growing fame caught the attention of world leaders, not all of them supportive.

Donald Trump, who was US president at the time, tweeted that she should “work on her anger management problem” and go to “a good old-fashioned movie with a friend”. Thunberg then changed her Twitter bio to: “A teenager working on her anger management problem.”

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7Strategies to Prevent Cancer Lifestyle Changes Could Prevent More Than 40% of Malignancies

By Kelly Bilodeau Even if you have a family history of cancer, you›re not powerless against the disease. Roughly %40 of cancers are preventable through lifestyle changes, says Dr. JoAnn Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women›s Health at Harvard Medical School.

“Heredity is usually not destiny,» she says.

In fact, there are several approaches that can decrease your cancer risk over the course of your lifetime. Some of them are easy, such as getting recommended health screenings. Others may be a little more challenging--for example, maintaining a healthy body weight, squeezing in regular workouts, or changing your diet. But even making small inroads on the strategies below can help protect your health over the long term.

1. IMPROVE YOUR DIET

Reduce your risk for a variety of cancers by eating a diet that is largely plant-based, low in red and processed meats, and low in added sugars, says Dr. Manson. Two examples are the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, she says. Both emphasize healthy unsaturated fats, whole grains, fruits and veggies, and nuts and beans, and both are low in processed foods.

2. WATCH WHAT YOU DRINK

«Another aspect of diet that people often don›t pay much attention to is minimizing alcohol intake,» says Dr. Manson.

Research has linked alcohol consumption to numerous cancers-particularly in heavy users. But even those who have less than a drink or two daily aren›t in the clear.

«Recent reports suggest that even modest or moderate alcohol intake is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including esophageal cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer,» says Dr. Manson. If you enjoy a daily drink, it may be tough to give up. But cutting back on your intake is definitely something to consider.

«A drink once or twice a month isn›t likely to affect your cancer risk, but more than a couple of drinks per week could,» says Dr. Manson.

Is there an invisible cancer risk in your home?

A lung cancer threat may be lurking in your home. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that enters homes from the soil and rocks beneath. Chronic radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, next to cigarette smoking. High radon levels (defined as 4 picocuries per liter or higher) are found in one in every 15 homes, according to the American Cancer Society. You can buy a simple test kit at your local hardware store that can tell you if your home is one of them. If testing reveals elevated radon levels, consult an expert who can help you fix the problem by sealing cracks that allow radon to enter or improve ventilation to keeps gas levels low.

3. GET RECOMMENDED CANCER SCREENINGS

While some tests, such as mammograms, are designed to find cancers early when they are most treatable, some screening tests can actually prevent cancer altogether. For example, a colonoscopy can find precancerous polyps and remove them before they do any harm. The same is true of the Pap and HPV (human papillomavirus) tests, which can detect abnormalities before they become cancers in the cervix and vagina.

Also consider getting a one-time hepatitis C screening, which the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends for all adults ages 18 to 79. Untreated, this viral infection can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. A 2012 review in Gastroenterology noted that successful treatment of hepatitis C can reduce your risk of liver cancer by as much as %75.

4. MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT

Obesity is linked to a dozen or more malignancies, from postmenopausal breast cancer to ovarian, endometrial, and kidney cancer. Obesity increases risk through several pathways.

It›s associated with insulin resistance, a condition where your cells don›t respond well to insulin (the hormone that helps your body turn glucose into energy). This malfunction causes your blood sugar and insulin levels to rise, which can promote tumor growth. Obesity also causes chronic inflammation in the body and raises the circulating levels of estrogen and other sex hormones; these changes make certain cancers more likely to occur.

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There are several approaches that can decrease your cancer risk over the course of your lifetime. Some are easy, but others may be a little more challenging – as maintaining a healthy body weight, squeezing in regular workouts, or changing your diet. liver disease and liver cancer. Some people who contract hepatitis B will get sick for a few weeks and then recover.

But for others, the infection is persistent, creating longterm health risks. Health care workers are at particular risk of infection.

If you have teens or young adults in your life, they should also consider the HPV vaccine, which protects against several cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, including cervical, vaginal, anal, penile, and vulvar cancers, as well as others that affect the head and neck.

(Photo credit: Comstock/ Getty Image)

5. EXERCISE REGULARLY

Regular physical activity can reduce cancer risk through several mechanisms, according to Dr. Manson. First, it helps with weight control. Exercise can also moderate levels of sex hormones and inflammation, which may drive certain malignancies. Finally, physical activity is important for stress management. Hormones produced by the body›s stress response may increase your vulnerability to cancer.

Aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.

6. GET ADEQUATE SLEEP

Insufficient or poor-quality sleep is associated with obesity and diabetes. Both conditions, in turn, raise your risk for cancer. In addition to this indirect link, some research has found that poor sleep may independently boost cancer risk, says Dr. Manson. Strive for seven or eight hours of goodquality sleep a night. Getting regular exercise can help you sleep more soundly.

7. GET VACCINATED AGAINST CANCER

A few vaccines can help protect you from cancer. One is the shot for hepatitis B, a viral liver infection that can cause

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8. AVOID ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

When possible, cut down on your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. Some that can raise your cancer risk may be lurking in plastics and in beauty products. Several chemicals in plastics, including bisphenol A and phthalates, are worrisome because there is some evidence that longterm exposure is harmful. Decrease risk by avoiding heating foods in plastic containers in the microwave and avoiding food that is packaged in plastic if another option is available.

Shop carefully for beauty treatments by reading labels to avoid problematic chemicals. Organizations such as the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (www.ewg. org) offer guidance on which chemicals to avoid. Also, pare down the number of products you use daily to reduce unneeded exposure.

However, keep in mind that while environmental risks may add up over time, the actual cancer risk from these items is minimal. «Don›t become preoccupied over what is likely a very small risk compared with the risk of having a really unhealthy diet and being sedentary,» says Dr. Manson.

This article was originally published by Harvard Women›s Health Watch.

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Red Sea Security, 250 Years Ago How Colonialism Impacted Conflicts and Rivalry in the Region

By Mohammad Ali Salih - Washington A month before the publication of this book, its British author, Nicholas Stephenson Smith, wrote about it in the American “Foreign Policy” periodical which is published by Graham Holding Company, former owner of “The Washington Post” newspaper.

“How the Red Sea Became a Trap” was the headline, and the author related recent events in the northern Red Sea to events that took place in the southern Red Sea about 250 years ago.

And he argued that Western colonialism was to be blamed for most of these events, not only for past invasions and occupations, but also for the continuous rivalry among the present-day Western -- and non-Western-- powers in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.

The author mentioned the recent case of the “Ever Given,” the super-cargo ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal, and how, after a threemonth-long wrangling over the cost of salvage and damages between Egypt and the ship owner, the problem was peacefully solved.

About 20 years ago, the Israeli-Iranian decadesold conflict reached the Red Sea when Israel captured the Iranian ship “Karine A” not far from the Suez Canal and confiscated weapons that were going to the Palestinians and the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Last July, Israel declared that it attacked an Iranian ship in the southern Red Sea during Israeli-American naval exercises.

The book’s author argued that before the Western invasions and occupations, the southern Red Sea region, although ruled by hereditary families, was less violent and more stable.

The author wrote that “The Red Sea’s coastal states, notably Somalia and Yemen, were some of the earliest adopters of Islam. This shared history and faith fostered a view of the Red Sea as a melting pot—a meeting place, not a gladiatorial theater in which rival powers jockeyed for preeminence.”

The author added that “Islamic legal doctrines such as the idea of aman, or ‘security’, created de jure maritime free-trade zones around ports where Red Sea governments protected all foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”

Then came Western colonialism.

Book: “Colonial Chaos in the Southern Red Sea: A History of Violence” Author: Nicholas Stephenson Smith Publisher: Cambridge University Press Paper Pages: 256 Price: Kindle $80, Hardcover $100.

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With the recently increasing debate about the need of former colonial powers to apologize to former colonies, the author purposely mentioned the approximately 200$ million that the owners of the gigantic “Ever Given” paid to Egypt.

Book Cover

In 1862, Robert Playfair, deputy ruler of the British colony of Aden, was searching for a lost British navy ship. When he found the ship stranded without its crew, he became convinced that the ship had been attacked by pirates from the Horn of Africa He went ashore to meet Uthman Mahmud, the sultan of Majerteen, in present-day Puntland, in northeastern Somalia. Playfair was confrontational and gave the sultan two impossible choices: arrest and sentence to death the pirates who had attacked the British ship, or face his capital’s destruction by British gunboats looming on the horizon.

Reluctantly, the sultan rounded-up “culprits” and beheaded them in a grisly ceremony on a beach in front of British officials.

Playfair’s heavy-handed treatment of Uthman damaged the sultan’s domestic credibility, and shortly, after Uthman’s humiliation, a provincial governor seceded from the sultanate which had “a stable history of almost two centuries.”

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Not long after this conflict with Britain, other European powers, like Portugal, France, Italy and Germany started competing over the strategically located Horn of Africa and the southern Red Sea. For about 250 years and prior to Somali independence in 1960, the Western powers› competition led to the creation, of four Somalias: British, French, Italian and an Ethiopian-controlled region.

By the beginning of the 21st century, Somalia was still at the mercy of foreign powers, in addition to decades-old civil wars and conflicts with neighboring countries. Across Bab AlMandeb, the southern entrance to the Red Sea, Yemen also has suffered from the interference of foreign powers, civil wars and conflicts with neighboring countries.

Other Horn of Africa countries, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan, have been having their share of civil wars, foreign interventions and conflicts with neighboring and near-by countries.

Currently, Djibouti (formerly French Somalia) hosts military garrisons of U.S., Chinese, French, Italian, Gulf and Japanese troops, as well as several international military task forces.

According to the author, “The Djiboutian government presents the situation as a success story of peaceful globalization: Rival world powers neighbor one another cheek by jowl, and still the country remains peaceful.”

The author added that “beneath the surface calm, a strong undercurrent of conflict persists. The

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U.S. and Chinese bases are barely 5 miles apart and incidents have included Chinese personnel shining lasers into the eyes of American military pilots.”

The author seems more critical of the Western colonial powers than of the natives of these countries. Not to minimize the negative political, economic and social results of colonialism, other authors and books have been debating the responsibilities of both the colonizer and the colonized, as civil wars, border conflicts and power struggles continued and might continue for a long time to come.

The book author argued that Western colonialism was to be blamed for recent events in the northern Red Sea to events that took place in the southern Red Sea about 250 years ago.

The present security of the Red Sea might probably be better secured by the nearby Red Sea countries than by far away powers, so as to untie the “Gordian Knot” (intractable problems) that the author wrote about.

But the author insisted that “Colonialism is the aggravating background noise in all these conflicts, a Gordian knot in which the region is trapped.”

The author added that “In the last few years, there has been renewed historical focus on colonization’s impact, as well as efforts to decolonize international relations.”

With the recently increasing debate about the need of former colonial powers to apologize – and probably pay billions of dollars in reparations – to former colonies, the author purposely mentioned the approximately 200$ million that the owners of the gigantic “Ever Given” paid to Egypt. The implication was that foreign powers› mistakes in the region, past and present, needed to be financially compensated.

After all, “From piracy to the ‘Ever Given,’ colonialism left hard scars” is the title of the author’s report in the American “Foreign Policy”.

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The container ship Ever Given, operated by container transportation and shipping company Evergreen Marine, arrives at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk. The huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal is preparing to dock in the UK for the first time since causing disruption to global shipping Photo by Aaron Chown/( PA Wire/dpa (