Jasmine

Risks of a Libyan No-Fly Zone

17.03.2011

RANIER FSADNI penned a brilliant article in today’s Times of Malta analysing the risks of a Libyan No-Fly Zone. He has kindly agreed for J’accuse to reproduce this article here as a Zolabyte: As I write (Tuesday morning), Muammar Gaddafi is advancing east towards a showdown with Benghazi. Pressure is growing on the United Nations’ [...]


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Appeasement

14.03.2011

At 8pm on the 27th September 1938, Neville Chamberlain, UK Prime Minister broadcast to the nation: “How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing”. The “people of whom we know nothing” [...]


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Speaking of Heroes

08.03.2011

BBC news is reporting that Malta may be objecting to an EU decision to extend sanctions on Libya. As fighting in rebel held territories worsens with heavier attacks by Gaddafi’s forces Malta seems to be shuffling its feet when it notices that the sanctions might hurt its own pocket: A European Union decision on whether [...]


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A testing time for Heroes

03.03.2011

La Stampa reports another wave of immigrants landing in Lampedusa. By ten o’clock last night four boats had arrived in less than 6 hours carrying 218 persons. The Libyan border with Tunisia is one massive refugee camp while the south to north migration seems to not have been deterred by the troubles in North Africa. [...]


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The Devil You Know

01.03.2011

Joseph Muscat must be chewing his liver by now. The Libyan Crisis has propelled our Prime Minister back up in the popularity stakes thanks to the wonderful transformation of our island into the Florence Nightingale of the Mediterranean. After the early hesitant pussy-footing Prime Minister Gonzi took a stand in line with the UN, the [...]


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Unbelievable

26.02.2011

They gathered today in Valletta for a peaceful demonstration of solidarity with Libya and the Libyans. They gathered to send a clear message to Muammar – Free Libya! There were Libyans and there were Maltese. There were politicians and there were journalists and opinion columnists and bloggers. And there were also members of Malta’s Moviment [...]


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Duress

25.02.2011

Much has being made of the unbelievable reports by some Maltese reporting from Tripoli. First there was Chris Fenech’s jaw-dropping interview with the Times and now there’s a Mario Micallef on l-Orizzont claiming that the situation in Tripoli is completely normal. I know Chris Fenech well enough to think that the man has a very [...]


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The Libyan Opportunity – 4

24.02.2011

Once we’re on an “I’m going to say it if nobody bothers” roll let’s talk about Air Malta. First of all a hand on heart expression of gratitude and admiration to the crews who manned the Air Malta flights into Tripoli to get passengers out of the revolution torn country. There’s no sarcasm, really, we [...]


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The Libyan Opportunity – 3

24.02.2011

A little blip in the series. I just got an idea. Not a revolutionary one but one that may help.  Ghaddafi’s government (we have to start distinguishing between Ghaddafi and the Libyans just as we did with the Nazis and the Germans at least so as to get to the simple minded among us) can [...]


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The Libyan Opportunity – 2

24.02.2011

A few years ago when there was  military coup in Thailand I called an uncle of mine who has business interests in the country. I asked him if he was worried that all the years of investment and relocation (from Spain – too much bureaucracy in Spain) would all go up in smoke – a [...]


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