My Life In Kenya: A Musungu Memoir -- Part 1

“Musungu” is the Bantu word for a white person. It comes from a longer word meaning someone who travels around.<br /><br />First Surprises and Learnings.<br /><br />Thanks to the moral encouragement and financial support of Fr. Lloyd Rupp and the hospitality of Melvin Stringer (St. Tim’s/ Kenya Keep) who squired us around the country and the fellowship and grace of the Rt. Rev. Joseph Kanuku, 2nd Bishop of Machakos, we have experienced an eye-opener of an African sojourn.<br /><br /> After an arduous flight – Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Amsterdam to Nairobi – and a drive from Nairobi to Machakos, we met Bishop Kanuku and his wife Josephine. That is when the surprises began.<br /><br />Relations with Islam. <br /><br />The first surprise was the relationship between Anglicans and Muslims in Kenya. Interfaith hostility is at the heart of violence and discord along the 10th Parallel to the North – running through Nigeria in West Africa and dividing Northern and Southern Sudan in the East. (See Griswold, The 10th Parallel) Things I had heard here and there led me to believe similar tensions beset Kenya.<br /><br />So we were quite surprised to learn that Josephine Kanuku (the Bishop’s wife) teaches Christian Education as a faculty member at the Islamic School in Machakos. It turns out Bishop Kanuku and the local Imam are good friends. During times of drought, the Anglicans have come to the aid of Muslims. When I sent money for crop seed during a drought, the Anglicans shared the seed with the Muslims. Bishop Kanuku and the Imam talk about the “fundamentalist” Muslims and Christians who are each other’s enemies, each disavowing the hostility of either brand of religious intolerance. The Anglicans and most Muslims are friends. Since building bridges across the religious divide is essential to peace and prosperity in Africa (and in much of the world), I was just delighted to find that our Anglican Communion partners are at work for harmony and understanding. Well done Diocese of Machakos.<br /><br />Status of Women. <br /><br />I came away from Lambeth Conference (2008) with the impression that women are not doing well in Africa. I still know that is often true. The struggle for equality has not yet been completed in Kenya as it has not been completed here. But I was quite surprised to find how much Kenyan women have achieved both inside and outside the Church.<br /><br />Understanding the place of women in Kenyan society has to begin with Wangari Muta Mary Jo Maathai who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace.” A member of the Kikuyu tribe, Mrs. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement and linked women’s rights to environmental sustainability. <br /><br />It took me awhile to figure out why Bishop Kanuku is obsessed with planting trees. He goes about doing it himself all the time. And when he meets with his clergy, he wants to know “how many trees have you planted?” The answer had better be in the thousands! I cannot count how many trees he showed me that he had planted with his own hands. He and I each planted a tree at the second school we visited. It turns out planting trees was Maathai’s signature symbolic political act as weaving cloth was Gandhi’s. So as not to sugar coat the truth, Maathai’s efforts were vehemently resisted by the single party government of Jomo Kenyata and even her own family. But her courage has opened doors to Kenyan women in politics and the economy.<br /><br />The Diocese of Machakos has been ordaining women since 1998. We met a good number of women clergy and other women in the ordination process. At meals and other times in the home and church, women often lead the prayers. Women are active participants and sometimes leaders in Bible Study. Many a school or community service project traces its beginnings to The Mothers Union.<br /><br />As important as the status of women in the Church may be, what matters more is what the Church is doing about the status of women in society. Problem one: female genital mutilation and forced marriage. In traditional Kenyan culture, girls of 12 or 13 are “circumcised” and married off to older men. The government now opposes this practice, but people still do it. I saw no evidence of Child Protective Services stepping in to protect these girls. But the church funded schools do. They operate “Rescue Houses” on the school campuses where the girls receive sanctuary. It was my privilege to dedicate the cornerstone of the ACK (Anglican Church of Kenya) Kyandote Bulwa Girls’ Hostel in a remote mountain area – where there are no foster placements, group homes, or other government facilities to protect girls from FGM and forced marriage or other abuse – but the Diocese of Machakos is building a home where they will be safe, nourished, and educated. We met rescue girls sponsored by Kenya Keep and saw several rescue houses on school campuses. Yes, we have decided to sponsor a rescue girl ourselves. It cost $250 per year and can be easily arranged through Kenya Keep in Henderson.<br /><br />Problem two: economic independence. Those engaged in economic development as part of the Millenium Development Goals have learned through experience that the key is equipping women to operate small businesses to support their families. In Kenya, 80% of the population subsists on less than $1 per day (that is in actual buying power). So this is where the rubber meets the road for MDGs. The gender factor exacerbates poverty everywhere, but it is most obvious with the Masai tribe. The Masai are the cowboys of Kenya – only they are on foot, not horseback. They are nomadic herders of sheep, goats, and cattle. But changes in agriculture and the climate have compelled Masai families to settle. The problem is that the family settles, but the dad doesn’t. Men tend to marry, father children, then just wander off on a walk-about that could be a year or a lifetime – and they do not mail back a child support check. Equipping women to earn a living for themselves and their children is essential to alleviating poverty. More on this later. For now, let me just say, the Church is in that struggle up to its elbows.<br /><br />More than anything else we did in Kenya, we visited schools. I spoke to lots of children, but the lights really turned on when Linda spoke to them. The girls were transfixed by the sight of a woman who is a lawyer, a professor, and an author. It was amazing to see how excited they were by her example. The church women were pretty taken with her as well. One young transitional deacon couldn’t get a word in edgewise in the clergy conversations – the Church is doing better than I expected, but it does have a way to go. I tried to open up space for her to speak, but it was Linda who really brought out her smile and her voice.<br /><br />Security and Stability. <br />Our trip to Kenya had been planned for last November but was delayed by a terrorist threat. So a number of folks were worried about us going now. I don’t mean to say there was nothing to worry about. The day we arrived, there was a fatal grenade incident in Nairobi. And the crime rate in the slums is bad; hence, the local habit of referring to the capital as “Nairobbery.” But on the whole, I felt safer in Kenya than in any developing nation I have visited. Kenya is the anchor of political stability in East Africa. That is why it got so much press and caused so much international concern when there were riots and ethnic violence after the contested elections in 2008. That is not the norm in Kenya. There is corruption and the politics are not what the people would hope. The rich few live behind barbed wire crowned fences protecting them from the poor. But Kenya is not a violent place. There are neighborhoods in Nairobi that it is better not to go. But outside those neighborhoods, there is not much risk from criminals – and more importantly, not much risk from the police or military who are sometimes the more serious danger in some developing nations.<br /><br />The threat in Kenya is not homegrown. It is a spill-over from the failed government in Somalia. Just as there are Somali pirates on the seas, there are gangs that adopt a political pretext for what is really just lawless hooliganism. Operating out of Somalia, they cause problems in Kenya and other neighboring countries as well. The military of several East African states is at work fighting the gang known as Al Shebab. The people in Kenya hope to see a stable government in Somalia so that the whole region can experience security.

My Life In Kenya: A Musungu Memoir -- Part 1

“Musungu” is the Bantu word for a white person. It comes from a longer word meaning someone who travels around.First Surprises and Learnings.Thanks to the moral encouragement and financial support of Fr. Lloyd Rupp and the hospitality of Melvin Strin…

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SYRIAN MISSILES WILL PRE-EMPT ANY MILITARY INTERVENTION

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvDWAFBrdbZskVRzsLT7ScPQOzwwEh-8ACKNTY1MTsCbr-T3k_xUgoUK0uSJdCoVtoDgNrupf8qxdqBdfZlhtt_4WBwE7GoRpAhtR67cllIQa7LvT1oSKidzv-L3Z5jW_YNWRYak6qPwl/s1600/hoffman88090543resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvDWAFBrdbZskVRzsLT7ScPQOzwwEh-8ACKNTY1MTsCbr-T3k_xUgoUK0uSJdCoVtoDgNrupf8qxdqBdfZlhtt_4WBwE7GoRpAhtR67cllIQa7LvT1oSKidzv-L3Z5jW_YNWRYak6qPwl/s400/hoffman88090543resized.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">ASSAD TO ANAN: SYRIAN MISSILES WILL PRE-EMPT ANY MILITARY INTERVENTION </span></b></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">via DEBKA<i>file</i> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TALKING ABOUT WAR</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">   </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The MIDDLE EAST has unknowingly been living for ten days under threat of a regional war, which debkafile’s military sources disclose was delivered by SYRIAN president BASHAR ASSAD to UN-ARAB LEAGUE peace envoy KOFI ANNAN when they first met Saturday, March 10. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SYRIA THREATENS TO UNLEASH MISSILES AGAINST ANY COUNTRY PREPARING FOR MILITARY INTERVENTION IN SYRIA</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvli6tmJKk478k9JHlcE0iigk5MHduVXABL7274uYsnMXFzmRx-ilbxMolLlGBXhkBauqWnMY5J6tTLK875npnOuvbydxtUA1m4STWrzQGEASdiiw7HlRBqGt04tInU2TEJOnbGq1iV8mC/s1600/mid-annan&assad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvli6tmJKk478k9JHlcE0iigk5MHduVXABL7274uYsnMXFzmRx-ilbxMolLlGBXhkBauqWnMY5J6tTLK875npnOuvbydxtUA1m4STWrzQGEASdiiw7HlRBqGt04tInU2TEJOnbGq1iV8mC/s400/mid-annan&assad.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ASSAD warned him in no uncertain terms that SYRIA was ready to unleash its missiles against any country preparing for military intervention in SYRIA before they moved.<br />While not mentioning them by name, the SYRIAN ruler was referring to BRITAIN, FRANCE, NORWAY, HOLLAND AND ITALY whose navies and air forces were last week drawn up ready for action in positions in the EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN and bases in the MIDDLE EAST, including the Royal Air Force AKROTIRI facility in CYPRUS.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A Western military source reported to debkafile Monday night, March 19 that those EUROPEAN FORCES were standing ready to cordon off certain SYRIAN regions and cities as “security zones” off limits to SYRIAN units including its air force.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Cruising opposite the SYRIAN coast are the USS ENTERPRISE and the FRENCH CHARLES DE GAULLE, both aircraft carriers. They are part of the combat disposition the WEST has arrayed against IRAN and from their MEDITERRANEAN posts would take part in a military confrontation erupting in the PERSIAN GULF.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SWIFT BLOCKAGE FOR IRAN</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIxC4P5x4TOtRT1bFHxhEzI7XxnhTyUoLQEd1UP9WqsxfQ0iomrlo_Gw63yP8IByjK6TUqGjZ8mXZ-NDjdD0Tmq3r3S-eia87miUEjnyqHig88uGQ5yDmZJ8-GEsQYP6qomQls2s34XN8/s1600/swift_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIxC4P5x4TOtRT1bFHxhEzI7XxnhTyUoLQEd1UP9WqsxfQ0iomrlo_Gw63yP8IByjK6TUqGjZ8mXZ-NDjdD0Tmq3r3S-eia87miUEjnyqHig88uGQ5yDmZJ8-GEsQYP6qomQls2s34XN8/s400/swift_logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Recently IRAN threatened to block the STRAIT OF HORMUZ in response for being cut off from </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SWIFT, (</span></b><i><b>Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication</b></i><span class="st"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">supplying secure messaging services and interface software to wholesale financial entities)</span></b></span><span class="st"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">which caused a serious blow to its financial sector and which IRAN considers almost an act of war.</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="st" style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></span><span class="st"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SYRIA WILL NOT HESITATE TO ATTACK TURKEY</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">In his conversation with ANNAN, TURKEY was the only foe ASSAD named specifically as his first target for a pre-emptive missile assault. He stressed he would have no qualms about attacking TURKEY.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKISH Prime Minister TAYYEP ERDOGAN is due to set out next week on a visit to SEOUL where he will rendezvous with US President BARACK OBAMA, possibly on March 28,  for policy alignment on the IRANIAN nuclear threat and the year-old SYRIAN crisis. Our Washington sources report that OBAMA has set aside six hours for his conversation with ERDOGAN.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKEY: MEDIATOR OR WARMONGER  </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">From the SOUTH KOREAN capital, the TURKISH leader is scheduled to fly straight to TEHRAN. The primary MIDDLE EAST issues, a nuclear IRAN and the SYRIAN impasse are therefore destined to reach a critical point in the coming days.<br />This may partly explain the announcement from, RUSSIAN BLACK SEA headquarters at SEVASTOPOL Monday that two RUSSIAN naval vessels had put into the SYRIAN port of TARTUS. The vessels’ mission and names were not disclosed, excepting that one carried a unit of “anti-terrorist marines” and the other was a military tanker which joined a RUSSIAN naval reconnaissance and surveillance ship already tied up in TARTUS.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>SYRIA COULD LAUNCH MISSILES WITH BIOCHEMICAL WARHEADS </b></span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWAe08FiQ-ot96i9JMj6zxosHn3uLX7_sIpM3u2H-6J0uTxOR_Q0EvqOq_dlJaUzzacsAsVlBXex3w3IBf-Z2Y0u0TI8s-T0492M_EXDjvSjyB9g7oSnDCdTeTNIjQFBrDcJ8wllSLbMG/s1600/pg39.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWAe08FiQ-ot96i9JMj6zxosHn3uLX7_sIpM3u2H-6J0uTxOR_Q0EvqOq_dlJaUzzacsAsVlBXex3w3IBf-Z2Y0u0TI8s-T0492M_EXDjvSjyB9g7oSnDCdTeTNIjQFBrDcJ8wllSLbMG/s1600/pg39.gif" width="361" /></a></span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">As mentioned on 08 March 2012 in this blog , prior to KOFI ANNAN’S visit to SYRIA on the 10 March 2012, is the fact that SYRIA does possesses not only advanced missiles systems but also  a lethal arsenal of chemical and biological warheads. Thus the prospect of Syria actually launching such biochemical warheads, if pushed further into the corner, becomes increasingly likely. </span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Use of biochemical weapons obviously bear certain risks for the country  launching such warheads, but since ASSAD has nothing to lose he and his military echelons will most likely see no repercussion if launching them, be it chemical and biological contamination on their own territory due to unfavorable wind conditions, or from counter NATO missile attacks. From Assad’s point of view it is collateral damage. Interesting in this development is that ASSAD apparently did not mention ISRAEL as his prime missile target but TURKEY. </span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/strait-of-hormuz-and-syria.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/strait-of-hormuz-and-syria.html</a></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/given-fact-syria-does-possess-chemical.html"><b><i>http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/given-fact-syria-does-possess-chemical.html</i></b></a></span></div><div style="color: black;"><br /></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TURKEY, ISRAEL, CYPRUS, SYRIA: COMPLEX REGIONAL PLAYERS </b></span></div><div style="color: black;"><br /></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In view of the looming standoff between either SYRIA and the WEST or IRAN, CYPRUS once again will play a key role for NATO forces which will use AKROTIRI ROYAL AIR FORCE Base as a forward logistic and operational base for its missions in the MIDDLE EAST and PERSIAN GULF region as well as a “host” for ISRAEL’S strategic needs and as a mediator between the ARAB world and WESTERN entities. As mentioned in a previous article on this blog, BRITAIN maintains two SOVEREIGN BASES in CYPRUS as part of the islands independence deal. </span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">(See:<a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-sea.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/eastern-mediterranean-sea.html</a>) </span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">What adds to the complex situation in the EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN is that CYPRUS-ISRAELI relations are influenced by developments in the region. It is of interest, therefore, to take them into account. The gradual strategic withdrawal of the UNITED STATES from the region (IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN in 2014), combined with what is happening in the ARAB world, after the changes brought about by the ARAB SPRING, is offering the two main players of the region, TURKEY and ISRAEL, more independence in their actions. TURKEY, seeking to strengthen her influence in the MIDDLE EAST and the ARAB world sided with the WEST and the ARAB LEAGUE against SYRIA’S President ASSAD, thus provoking the reaction of IRAN, whose only ally in the region is SYRIA. ISRAEL on the other hand, feeling that 2012 is a crucial year for its security, if IRAN acquires nuclear weapons, is seriously considering attacking IRAN’S nuclear sites. Whatever occurs in the region, be it armed interventions or energy related topics it will certainly have an impact on the EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN and the MIDDLE EAST, including CYPRUS, TURKEY and ISRAEL. (See:<a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/energy-games-in-eastern-mediterranean.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/energy-games-in-eastern-mediterranean.html</a>)</span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Within this framework, the improvement of relations between TURKEY and ISRAEL, proposed by some,(See: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/geo-strategic-dynamics-in-eastern.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/geo-strategic-dynamics-in-eastern.html</a> and <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/hostile-takeover.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/hostile-takeover.html</a>read chapter: “US outwits the EU”) is a distant possibility, especially if we take into account ISRAEL’S mistrust of TURKEY and her ambitions, as well as the instability which prevails in the region. If it happens, however, it will match the traditional friendly relations CYPRUS has with the ARAB world, which do not bother ISRAEL. What matters is that at this moment ISRAEL needs strategic depth and CYPRUS can offer it. What strengthens the relations between CYPRUS and ISRAEL is the fact that both countries have common security and energy interests which can develop into a mutually beneficial partnership of outmost importance and magnitude. </span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Parts of above article have been adopted from Dr Andrestinos Papadopoulos article “Netanyahus landmark visit to Cyprus”, published in the Cyprus Mail </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See also http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/see-no-evil-hear-no-evil.html</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In view of Israel’s concerns expressed in the article below one has to raise the question over and over again as-to why Israel suddenly changed its decade long doctrine on Syria in favor of supporting the toppling of the Syrian regime? </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See: </span></b><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/syrias-destiny-sealed.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/syrias-destiny-sealed.html</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">  </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>SYRIA "CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL" WEAPONS CONCERN ISRAEL </b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Via Montreal Gazette Agence France-Presse</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: black; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceHyzwOGob8zXJbvr9TeiQblHaY0Us_tLykHlk6tMhTzrHEAoNH5ydHf8kXP3xPkROYUASviVJlMH6HNJaXp8-uZsoTESITe4SPBVeCYLQMwuh8tllDhTWogMspx_wGeX9NlncH0EdtSv/s1600/patriot-missiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceHyzwOGob8zXJbvr9TeiQblHaY0Us_tLykHlk6tMhTzrHEAoNH5ydHf8kXP3xPkROYUASviVJlMH6HNJaXp8-uZsoTESITe4SPBVeCYLQMwuh8tllDhTWogMspx_wGeX9NlncH0EdtSv/s400/patriot-missiles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ISRAEL has serious concerns about what will happen to "huge stockpiles" of chemical and biological weapons in SYRIA when the ASSAD regime collapses, a senior military official said on Tuesday.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Major-General Amir Eshel, head of the ISRAELI military's planning division, said the working assumption was the regime of President BASHAR AL-ASSAD would eventually fall.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"The question is when, not if. And the big question is what's going to come the day after," he said.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"The immediate concern is the huge stockpiles of chemicals, biologicals (weapons), strategic capabilities that are still going into Syria, mainly from EASTERN EUROPE," Eshel said.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"That's a major concern because I don't know who is going to own those the day after. Up till now, what has been transferred to HEZBOLLAH? What will be transferred to HEZBOLLAH? What will be divided between those factions inside SYRIA? What is that going to create?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"We are talking about huge stockpiles," he said.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The regime has spearheaded a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists seeking to overthrow ASSAD, who has vowed to remain in power, raising the spectre of civil war between SYRIA'S many religious sects if he steps down.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Eshel said the threat of civil war was a real possibility if ASSAD clung to power.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"If ASSAD will adopt this Yemenite model and leave, it might prevent a civil war," he said, referring to an agreement that saw Yemen's former president ALI ABDULLAH SALEH agree in November to leave power.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"But if he won't leave of his own will, we might get into civil war," he said. "If there will be a civil war, it might be a disaster."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Eshel also warned that SYRIA faces bankruptcy, which could create new instability.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"I think the major challenge the SYRIANS will face in a few months, is bankruptcy. The reserves will be zero, and this is going to create, I think, internal turmoil. We can expect refugees in many countries."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On January 10, Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz told MPs that the military was preparing for the possibility of an influx of SYRIAN refugees, particularly on the occupied GOLAN HEIGHTS.</span></span></div>

SYRIAN MISSILES WILL PRE-EMPT ANY MILITARY INTERVENTION

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