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POPSAnalysis: Why Everyone Is Saying No To Obama The only thing Obama did manage to get Bibi and Abbas to say yes to is a photo-op at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in NY. Mazel tov. So why is everyone saying no to Obama? It's the economy, stupid. Everyone has worked it out by now: The great secret is out. America's economy has made Obama a weak president, and he will likely remain weak throughout his first term. He has about two years to pull the American economy out of its free-fall before he begins his reelection campaign. If he can do it, and that's a big if, chances are good that he'll get reelected, and in his second term he can try to pull some geopolitical strings. But for the next three years, expect to see a world that says no to Obama. No meaningful and dramatic diplomatic initiative can come out of the White House in the next three years, as long as Obama remains weak. And that's a real pity, because there are some serious and imminent issues that need to be addressed.
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POPSAnalysis: Why everyone is saying no to Obama the Israelis said no by refusing to agree to a settlement freeze, or even a settlement moratorium until and unless the Arabs ante up their normalization gestures. Which brings us back to the original Saudi no. The only thing Obama did manage to get Bibi and Abbas to say yes to is a photo-op at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in NY. Mazel tov.
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POPSU.S. Drive For Middle East Peace Gathers Pace 
"That is our objective, and it is to that which we have committed ourselves fully." Mitchell earlier was in Damascus, where he took another step toward bringing Syria in from the cold. Speaking after talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Mitchell said restarting peace talks between Syria and Israel is a "near-term goal." In Washington, a White House spokesman said the Obama administration is moving to relieve the pressure of U.S. economic sanctions on Syria. Pressure On Iran Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates had talks with Jordan's King Abdullah about the perceived threat of Iran's alleged nuclear-arms program. Iran is emerging as one of the biggest obstacles to a Mideast settlement, in that Israel says there is no point reaching a peace deal with the Palestinians until the question of a nuclear Iran is resolved. After talks with the king, Gates warned Iran that Washington would seek tough new sanctions unless Tehran responded to its invitation to a dialog
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POPSWow! Russians Snubbed Obama-- Refused to Shake His Hand! (Video) . . . . . Obama Snubbed In Saudi Arabia June 03, 2009 . . . . . Obama , paid his first visit in the Middle East this week to Saudi Arabia. This video of him on the "Welcome Line" with King Abdullah, shows that few there acknowledge him. Barack clearly extends his hands several times, yet no one except the forth sic ] person accepts his hand. They only extend their hand for King Abdullah. BTW, how come no one is bowing to the King? Didn't the liberals claim that was standard practice? View YouTube video (0:43) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t439ruGCqRw&NR=1
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POPSThe Gaza Experiment Has Failed Neither side, Dr. Pipes recently wrote, wishes for Israeli control to continue. And a Palestinian state has thus far been a "toxic brew of anarchy, ideological extremism, Jihadism and warlordism led to complete Palestinian failure." Given, "the two populations' mutual antipathy, the prospect of a combined Israel-Palestine is as absurd as it seems." Jordan's King Abdullah warns there will be a war in the Middle East by the end of next year if an Arab Palestinian state is not created this year. He noted in a Times of London interview, that "a third of the world does not recognize Israel." "Obama," he said, "is committed to the two-state solution now. He feels the urgency of the need to move today." After repeated rejections of peace plans during the Carter and Bush administrations, the Israelis turned over Gaza to its Israeli-Arab residents to self-rule. Gaza is no longer occupied today except, arguably, by Iran and al Qaeda.
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POPS Nuke Talks With Paris ‘Go Well’ Russia has also expressed interest in helping the Kingdom develop a civilian nuclear energy program. The Gulf Cooperation Council said in 2007 it was studying a joint nuclear energy program and had been in touch with the UN atomic energy watchdog about cooperating over such a scheme. At the Riyadh news conference, Lagarde said France has renewed its pledge to cooperate in the oil sector and in any effort to help improve the global economic situation. Paris has also sought participation in the multibillion dollar Saudi railway project by offering its expertise in the high-speed train project linking the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. During her talks with King Abdullah, Lagarde handed him a message from Sarkozy.
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POPSSaudis Also Dismayed by Obama's Seeming Tolerance of Nuclear Iran
However, according to DEBKAfile's Middle East sources, Abdullah took the US president sternly to task over his emerging policy on Iran, Syria and Iraq, accusing him to giving the Islamic Republic free rein for its nuclear, expansionist and terrorism-sponsoring Middle East policies. The Financial Times was the first Western mainstream publication to pick up on the new pro-Iran policy trend dominating Obama's Washington: "US officials are considering whether to accept Iran's pursuit of uranium enrichment… discussing whether the US will eventually have to accept Iran's insistence on carrying out the process." The newspaper quoted Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council as warning: "The US may still have zero as its opening position , while recognizing it may not be where things stand at the end of a potential agreement." DEBKAfile's military sources fear that Tehran has been given a free run to perfect its ability to . . . . .
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POPS It Was A Posture Malfunction The White House is denying that the president bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at a G-20 meeting in London, a scene that drew criticism on the right and praise from some Arab outlets. “It wasn’t a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he’s taller than King Abdullah,” said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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POPSNajib sworn in as PM It's official - Najib has been sworn in as Malaysia's 6th Prime Minister, and it's first "annointed" one (as some political commentators have stated).
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POPSArab states mulling safe haven for Sudan president al-Bashir Bashir is the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) candidate for the upcoming presidential elections that are due to be held this year. Khartoum and a number of regional organizations including the African Union (AU) are racing against time to secure a suspension of the ICC move before an arrest warrant. However, it now appears unlikely that the UNSC would back a deferral given threats by the US & France to use their veto power to block such a move.
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POPS Iran Urges Assassinations Worldwide In the editorial, Shariatmadari recounted a story from a 13 year old teenager who had gone to the front lines during the Iran-Iraq war with the permission of the mullahs’ current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, and was later killed. Shariatmadari compared him and other teenagers who were sent to mine fields by the regime, to “Ghassem,” a young man who fought alongside the revered Shiite Imam Hussein in 680 and died. Today, this war is in Gaza. As the Imam used to say, with the revitalization of true Islam of Prophet Muhammad, the Great Satan roared and issued a call to all the other big and small devils. … Now that the war in Gaza is the point of conflict for all of Islam against all infidels, why should the act of confronting the Zionists only be limited to the borders of occupied Palestine? Are the people of Gaza not representing the entire Muslim world in their fight with the Zionists?
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POPSMichael Jackson Expected to Appear at London High Court Monday to Testify The Bahraini prince accusing Michael Jackson of reneging on a multi-million-dollar contract took the stand in London's High Court today to be cross-examined by the King of Pop's legal team, whose client is expected to testify Monday. Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, 33, answered questions about his relationship and business dealings with Jackson, 50, on day three of the hearing, which could last up to 12 days.
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POPS United Nations American Agenda Getting to work during the Obama administration. By Anne Bayefsky President Obama will have what his friends will call an unprecedented opportunity to tie American foreign policy to the U.N. ship of state, lance it down, and sail off into the sunset, never to be separated again. The predicament of the Saudi wife would be an apt comparison. The U.N. apparatus has mapped out the priorities for President Obama’s early days in office (taking it for granted he’ll be hightailing it out of Iraq) Run for election to the U.N. Human Rights Council as a vote of confidence in the U.N. “human rights” apparatus and the ability to change it from the inside. Decide to participate in the Durban II “anti-racism” conference in April 2009, and send along a high-level emissary such as the Secretary of State. Revitalize the Middle East Quartet, which drives the Arab-Israeli conflict through a multilateral prism with the U.N. as a full and equal partner.
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