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Baksheesh, noun, (in parts of Asia) a small sum of money given as alms, a tip, a bribe. ORIGIN based on Persian ba k sis, from ba k sidan, “give.”

     Want to hear something about the new Afghanistan? First, you have to know a little about the old Afghanistan, and the word is, “baksheesh.” And first, baksheesh must be considered in all of its meanings: “alms, a tip, a bribe.”

Alms: Afghanistan ranks among the poorest countries on earth. According to the CIA World Factbook, 53% of Afghans are below the poverty line, there is 40% unemployment, and in 2007, per capita GDP was $1,490, USD. But the Western traveler needs few of these factoids to intuitively sense the ugly truth they represent. On crowded streets in Kabul, beggars, many of which are women garbed head-to-toe in faded and filthy blue burkhas, crowd the “rich” Westerner, extending gnarled, sometimes scabbed hands, pleading for baksheesh. Old men in rags bearing semi-conscious children on their backs, or amputees from wars past, and men unable to rise from the street also ask for alms. Appearance alone suggests that there are few fraudsters among these indigent. The price of a salved conscience is cheap: 10 or 20 Afghanis earns words translated as “thank you” or “Allah bless you.” Gratitude can be had for between 20 and 40 cents, USD. This is one meaning of baksheesh.
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Haim Ramon, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, speaks about the goal of radical Islam saying that it is in the best interest of radical Islam to perpetuate the conflict between Israel and Palestine. (0:40)

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Former CIA Director James Woolsey calls out the Wahabi family in Saudi Arabia and the post 1979 Shiite muslim movement as being the two most dangerous totalitarian regimes in the Middle East. (1:25)

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Haim Ramon, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, says that the main division in the Middle East does not have to do with religion or ethnicity, it has become a war with moderate ideals on one side and radical Islam on the other. (0:59)

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Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Itamar Rabinovich talks about Iran and how they pose the greatest threat to Israel and the Arab-Israeli peace process. (0:59)

 

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CATO Institute expert Dr. Ted Galen Carpenter explains that a mishandled United States’ relationship with an emerging Chinese powerhouse could cost us a hefty price for decades to come. (0:42)

 

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Deputy Prime Minister of Israel Haim Ramon spoke at the 20th annual Soref Symposium. He spoke on the challenges facing Israel currently and some of its recent conflicts. He said that in the past the major challenge facing Israel has been the Israel Palestine conflict. Ramon however, said that currently the most important conflict is between moderate ideals and radical Islam in the Middle East.

He spoke on Syria and said that in order to understand Syria one must judge their actions and not their words. He said at times Syria has been supportive of peace with Israel but they still continue to support radical Islam. Ramon went on to say that the Doha Agreement was a victory for Syria because it strengthened Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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The United Nations Security Council will go to five nations in Africa, including Sudan and Somalia, over the next week. The press was briefed today about the pending trip by Ambassador Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso; Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert of France; Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa; and Ambassador John Sawers of the United Kingdom.

In Somalia, the Security Council will meet with the current government - including the President and Prime Minister, opposition parties, diplomatic community, and “civil society.” Ambassador Kumalo indicated that “all the major players will be there,” and that this is a “great opportunity for the Somalis.”

Regarding the Sudan leg of the trip, the panel indicated that the Security Council will visit Khartoum in the North, as well as Juba and President Salva Kiir in the South. The Sudan leg will focus heavily on Darfur, as well as the progress made by the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Mr. Sawyers stated that it is “clear that UNAMID is building up it’s capability,” but that “there is more to be done.”

Dr. Ted Galen Carpenter and Justin Logan, CATO Institute experts on U.S. / Chinese relations, today spoke at a briefing entitled “China’s Rise: Is Conflict Unavoidable?” The briefing examined the different political and economic ramifications a Chinese superpower would bring about across the world.

Carpenter, home after a recent trip to Beijing, said that the relationship our nation has with China is the most important foreign policy relationship we have. He stressed the difficult nature “reunifying” a politically divided China brought with it, and noted that bringing the Chinese together might not even come about should they continue to sustain their economic success. (more…)