Heitor De Paola

Europes Russia Factor

We know who the losers are in the eurozones financial crisis: Greece and the other countries of the periphery. We also know that Germany is emerging the crisis as the leader of Europe, more important than the Brussels-based European Union. Even if Berlin has to make concessions, the German capital is the focal point for decisions more than any other place. And thats an indication of power. Yet, the media has not told us about the specter lurking in the background that may, at least in the short term, try to be the overall geopolitical beneficiary of the crisis in Europe: Russia. STRATFOR

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TRÍPLICE FRONTEIRA

HIZBOLLAH IN SOUTH AMERICAS TRI-BORDER: THE GENESIS

In October 1987 Paraguayan residents were surprised to read in La Tarde, Asuncion’s afternoon newspaper, that plans were afoot to open a huge section of the Paraguayan Chaco to 500 Muslim families. Paraguayans with some knowledge of the isolated Chaco, and the difficulty the settlers would encounter there, felt certain that the proposed Nueva Andalucia settlement in Boqueron Department had to be a bogus operation. It was the sort of land scam that had been customary during the more than three-decade reign of dictator Adolfo Stroessner. This time, however, the report elicited more than the usual share of criticism. AmericanCenterforDemocracy

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DEMOCRACIA EGÍPCIA?

Voting in Egypt as Holy War
Its Only Value, to Empower Sharia

Yusuf al-Qaradawi: One of many Muslims who see democracy as a gateway to Sharia.

Despite the fact that some in the West portray Islam and democracy as being perfectly compatible, evidence continues to emerge that, for many countries in the Middle East, democracy and elections are various means to one end: the establishment of a decidedly undemocratic form of law—Islamic, or Sharia Law. Thus, Egyptian cleric Dr. Talat Zahran proclaimed that it is "obligatory to cheat at elections, a beautiful thing," his logic being that voting is a tool, an instrument, the only value of which is to empower Sharia. Likewise, Hazim Shuman, a cleric who has his own TV program, issued a fatwa likening the voting for Islamist candidates as a "jihad," adding that paradise awaits whoever is "martyred" during the electoral campaign. RaymondIbrahim

Muslim Brotherhood bribing voters as Egypt chooses new leader

Egypt’s presidential election, the countrys first after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, have been described as “free and fair.” But along with optimistic reports, some witnesses say candidates are blackmailing and bribing poor Egyptians with food. People in the Nile Delta are being offered bribes of a few dollars and meal to vote for Amr Moussa and other candidates, RT’s correspondent Paula Slier reported Cairo. The Muslim Brotherhood has reportedly been handing out pamphlets and blaring messages car speakers telling people to vote for them, or risk not going to heaven, she added. RT.com

MIDDLE EAST

Although everyone is no doubt beginning to eagerly think about the Egyptian runoff election on June 16-17 and whether the military will really hand over the government to the winner on June 30, the most important item by far in today’s Digest is the translation of a April 21, 2011, lecture by Khairat al-Shater entitled “Features of Nahda: Gains of the Revolution and the Horizons for Developing." Thanks to colleague J. Millard Burr for forwarding it. ECONWarfare

Egypts Election and the Civil-Military Balance of Power

Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh (R) at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 27

Egypts presidential election will be held May 23-24. After several weeks of campaigning, candidate disqualifications, changes in the lineup of competitors and an attempt to suspend the election, two front-runners have emerged in the race. Former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa is the best hope for the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), while Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh has emerged as the Islamist candidate with the best chance at victory. STRATFOR

Egypt’s Presidential Election is a Defeat (Perhaps Only Temporary) For the Islamists

Muhammad Mursi (Muslim Brotherhood), 25.3 percent
Ahmad Shafiq (ex-general, ex-prime minister), 24.9 percent
Hamdin Sabbahi (radical left), 21.5 percent
Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh (“moderate Islamist), 19 percent
Amr Moussa (radical nationalist), less than 10 percent
While the Brotherhood claims victory, the election was actually a defeat—at least temporary and possibly less important than it seems—for the Brotherhood and Islamism. Here’s why. The Islamist Camp: Note that only about 44 percent of voters backed an Islamist candidate, compared to 75 percent in the parliamentary election, while only about 25 percent voted for the Muslim Brotherhood compared to about 47 percent in the parliamentary vote. Why? PJMedia

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ISRAEL

PM: “Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart”

Jerusalem will remain the united capital of the Jewish people, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday at the ceremony on Ammunition Hill marking 45 years since the city’s unification. Netanyahu recounted recent visits to centuries-old synagogues in Prague and Amsterdam, pointing out that they, like synagogues around the world, face Jerusalem, symbolizing the Jewish people’s past and its home for the future. “We will protect Jerusalem, because Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart,” the prime minister said. “On this hill, 45 years ago, the united heart of our people began to beat again, with full power. Our heart will never be divided again.” Israpundit

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A DESIMPORTÂNCIA DA OTAN

The Growing Irrelevance of NATO

The most interesting thing about the NATO summit, apart the demonstrations in Chicago, was the clear tension between NATO and Russia and its allies. For example, no Central Asian leaders attended the summit, and the leaders of Armenia and Belarus were notably absent. Although not part of NATO, these countrys leaders were invited and chose not to come. Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev had been in the United States the day before the summit started, but instead of attending the meeting he returned to Russia. On the other side, it was announced that NATO air patrols in Baltic airspace would be made permanent. STRATFOR

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IBEROAMÉRICA

Una pregunta pone en pánico al kirchnerismo

¿Saben quién es Eduardo Anguita? Es un ex militante de la izquierda revolucionaria que estuvo preso diez años, diez meses y dos días en el "Pabellón de la Muerte" que armó Ramón Camps en una cárcel de La Plata. Su madre fue secuestrada y desaparecida, y Eduardo tuvo que rehacer completamente su vida, estudió Comunicación Social, abrió un hogar para niños desamparados y escribió, junto con Martín Caparrós, una obra maestra del periodismo narrativo: La Voluntad, tres tomos sobre la historia de la generación de los 70. LaNación

Capriles ofrece un millón de empleos para los jóvenes

El candidato de la unidad, Henrique Capriles Radonski, aseguró que con el Plan del Primer Empleo generaría a lo largo de sus 6 años de gobierno un total de un millón de empleos, solo para los que ingresan por primera vez al mercado laboral. La gran oferta de El Plan del Primer Empleo contempla subsidio para becas trabajo, subsidio a la empresa privada para contratación de jóvenes, capacitación técnica y universitaria, seguridad jurídica y personal para la inversión de empresas que generen puestos de trabajo. ElUniversal

Patricio Aylwin: Pinochet no obstaculizó las políticas durante mi Gobierno

El ex Presidente Patricio Aylwin destacó que el fallecido ex general Augusto Pinochet no obstaculizó las políticas que impulsó durante su gobierno, precisando que mantenía una relación formalmente respetuosa."Sabía hacerse el simpático cuando quería. Era socarrón y diablito, jugaba para su propio lado. Pero Pinochet no fue un hombre que obstaculizara las políticas del Gobierno que yo encabecé", afirmó el ex mandatario democristiano en una entrevista que concedió al diario español El País. ElMercurio

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U S A

A close look at Mitts Mormonism

Now that Barack Obama has come out in favor of same-sex marriage, media reports have been quick to contrast the presidents position with that of "conservative" challenger Mitt Romney, who portrays himself as a strong supporter of traditional marriage. But Mitts history regarding marriage has a huge gap between the rhetoric and the reality — a gap the Romney campaign refuses to acknowledge, and the media refuse to publicize, although going into the general election, thats likely to change. The facts about Mitts hand in the institution of same-sex marriage in America cannot forever be swept under the newsroom carpet. RenewAmerica

House to examine plan for United Nations to regulate the Internet

House lawmakers will consider an international proposal next week to give the United Nations more control over the Internet. The proposal is backed by China, Russia, Brazil, India and other UN members, and would give the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) more control over the governance of the Internet. It’s an unpopular idea with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Congress, and officials with the Obama administration have also criticized it. TheHill

HAWAII FIVE-O: SHERIFF JOE SENDS DETECTIVES TO HONOLULU
Cold Case Posse seeks to crack mystery of Obamas birth 50 years ago

In a major development in his probe of Barack Obama’s eligibility for Arizona’s 2012 presidential ballot, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has dispatched his lead Cold Case Posse investigator and a deputy detective to Hawaii. The mission to Obama’s purported birthplace comes as the Hawaii Department of Health continues to resist efforts by Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett to verify that the Honolulu agency has a valid birth certificate on file for Obama. WorldNetDaily

Uh Oh: As Iran Nears Nuke Capabilities, Panetta Says U.S. is Ready to Stop Them

To no ones surprise, international talks had no effect on Irans nuclear productions. In fact, the effort only confirmed that Iran has even more uranium that previously though, and could produce five atomic bombs with its supply. During talks in Baghdad this week, six world powers failed to convince Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment program. They will meet again in Moscow next month to try to defuse a decade-old standoff that has raised fears of a new war in the Middle East that could disrupt oil supplies. Townhall