Somewhat less experimental than it was at the end of 2002, this blog still draws its inspiration from the participants of SHWI (soc.history.what-if Usenet newsgroup) who had introduced me to this new phenomenon. The blog is still in search of its definite shape, style and general theme of posts. However, if someone insists on short definitions, I must admit that the shortest way to define it is something to do with its location – Split, Croatia.
[Blog Directories]
Blogstreet
Truth Laid Bear Blogosphere Ecosystem
Technorati
Index of Political Blogs
[Media Links]
Google News
Drudge Report
Wonkette
Truth Laid Bear Blogosphere Daily News
[Croatian Links]
Index.HR (Croatian)
Media Index (Croatian)
24 sata (Croatian)
Slobodna Dalmacija (Croatian)
Novi list (Croatian)
Večernji list (Croatian)
Vjesnik (Croatian)
Radio 101 (Croatian)
Feral Tribune (Croatian)
Iskonove Vijesti (Croatian)
HRT News (English)
Popcorn (Croatian)
[Miscellaneous Links]
Online Film Critics Society
World War II in Yugoslavia
[Personal Links]
Draxblog (NEW)
Draxblog Movie Reviews
My Movie Reviews (Internet Movie Database)
OFCS Profile
Draxblog 2 (Croatian)
[Contact]
E-mail
Good or bad, he was an institution to his people. Most of Palestinians never knew any leader other than him and his departure is going to create emptiness very much like the one caused by the death of the closest family member. I sympathise with them because people in this part of the world experienced the same kind of shock with somewhat less controversial figure quarter of century ago.
3 Comments:
Were you as stunned as I was at the amount of money (widely reported as somewhere between $5 billion and $10 billion dollars), Arafat had personal control over? What could that astounding amount of money done to help the Palestinians, rather than helping to shore up his personal power trip? It's a shame and an aspect of his life that will surely paint a darker picture of his life's journey than it already is.
No, I wasn't stunned. In this part of the world we have plenty of examples of "nation fatherhood" being a lucrative career.
I don't care if Arafat was a multibillionaire. I do care if he gained some of his wealth illegally. In the Middle East Quarterly, Issam Abu Issa, former chairman of the Palestine International Bank, has this to say:
"Over the course of fifteen meetings, I became better acquainted with Arafat and grew increasingly concerned with his leadership style. Arafat and top PA officials did not respect the rule of law; many were corrupt. Arafat believed neither in separation of powers nor in checks and balances. His animosity toward accountability thwarted efforts to establish a responsible leadership. By 1996, Palestinians in the PA were saying they had traded one occupation for two, the one by Israel and the one by Arafat and his cronies.
"Rather than use donor funds for their intended purposes, Arafat regularly diverted money to his own accounts. It is amazing that some U.S. officials still see the Palestinian Authority as a partner even after U.S. congressional records revealed authenticated PLO papers signed by Arafat in which he instructed his staff to divert donors' money to projects benefiting himself, his family, and his associates."
http://www.meforum.org/article/645
Post a Comment
<< Home