Middle Eastern Two-fer

No, not falafel and hummus, though that made for a fine, fine lunch today. Rather, two informative pieces from TomPaine.com on terrorism in Iraq and Egypt.

First, have you ever heard of Aiham Al Sammarae? No? You should learn his name. He knows more about the Iraqi resistance than most, and he's might even be able to bring some of them to the negotiating table. He might be the best way out of Iraq. If only the U.S. cared...

Second, this weekend's heinous crimes in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, are probably more like the 9/11 attacks than the 7/7 (London) bombings or the strife in Iraq:

Sharm el-Sheik is not just a sparkling Red Sea tourist resort. It is the icon of everything Egypt wants to be in the region and the world. Sharm el-Sheik is where Egypt routinely hosts Arab-Arab and Arab-Israeli summits, global anti-terror summits with American presidents and other Western leaders, and other emergency gatherings of very important people. It is the showcase of Egyptian modernity, foreign investment, tourism expansion, foreign currency earnings, sound planning, and, above all, strict security ensured by the state and its hundreds of thousands of armed soldiers and police... Yet the terrorists Saturday still challenged the Egyptian state in its crown jewel, and bombed it almost at will. Someone should please tell the great leaders of the mighty Arabs and the Free World that the moral depravity and criminality of this terror deed is fully matched by its political audacity and symbolism; to condemn the crime without grasping its political implications, and underlying causes, would be the height of amateurism by any political leader.