Just heard Parag Khanna speak at my school today at the LBJ Presidential library on geopolitics and Egypt. Check out his recent Feb. 4th interview on the Egyptian revolution and on TED Talks about the fundamental problem about borders, why he is for decentralization, and conceptualizing a potential borderless world.

It's good to know I share my alma mater with one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” who Wired refers to as a "smooth-talking wonderwonk."

Uprisings Hit the Arab World, but What Follows? - Newsweek

As a fellow activist, blogger, loyal Newsweek subscriber, and Master's student of Global Policy and Middle Eastern Studies, I have been passing along photos, videos, articles, and footage from some recent Solidarity Events I've participated in and planned in Austin, TX to virtual leader, ElShaheed.


Newsweek: It's not 'Rage Against the Regime,' though that catchy headline does rhyme with popular band, Rage Against the Machine, which I must admit rocks live. Instead, it's a majority of people's nonviolent rise up through PEACEFUL assembly for revolution -- for Egyptian freedom from Mubarak's oppressive and violent regime. It's all for Egyptian dignity.
Uprisings Hit the Arab World, but What Follows? - Newsweek

It is important to get the word out that there is a LARGE supportive network throughout the world, especially in Texas -- which has a 'conservative' reputation and influence on U.S. policies.

The Obama administration must reconsider its current relationships with Egypt, Israel, and the region at-large and hopefully seize this opportunity to turn away from past policies. An Open Letter to the President calls on Obama "to undertake a comprehensive review of US foreign policy on the major grievances voiced by the democratic opposition in Egypt and all other societies of the region." View ongoing signatures and/or sign here.

Some links to photos (from my iPhone so not best quality):

Feb. 5 demo & march in front of TX Capitol in solidarity with the people of Egypt & Tunisia
or try here

We even got some local FOX news coverage

Feb. 3 Open Panel discussion @ The University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs, co-sponsors included Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Jan. 29 solidarity demo in front of TX Capitol

UT-Austin's Daily Texan press coverage of our event.

Photos from Cairo, #Egypt

More interesting links & food for thought:

My contributing coverage from the week of Jan. 25

Finally, my friends and former colleagues from Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and from the Middle Eastern Studies scholarly blogosphere community put together Jadaliyya.com and this is only one of many interesting must-read pieces.

UPDATE and QUESTION: Maybe the reported Muslim Brotherhood's participation in the interim would not be so bad while the rest of the opposition gets themselves organized for speedy elections...???

The Muslim Brotherhood is not a radical clerically based group anymore. It reformed itself in the 1960s, condemns the use of violence, and participates in elections, for example.

Food for thought: My Georgetown University Professor of Arab Politics, Samer Shehata, shares his expertise on the perceived and so-called 'radical islamist' Muslim Brotherhood on NPR, on The Colbert Report and on Democracy Now!

Another friend and former Georgetown colleague, Shadi Hamid, wrote this for Slate

Check out this strange Facebook video:

OBAMANATION!

FINALLY, AMERICA, WE HAVE AN INSPIRATIONAL, INTELLIGENT, ELOQUENT, SINCERE, IDEALISTIC, PASSIONATE, NON-WASPY LEADER!  Obama is revolutionary and we can only hope that he and his team will practice what they preach and I am offering my services and expertise to assist them all in our future endeavors :o)

I can't help but sob joyfully while listening to our President-Elect's acceptance speech.  Last night, as I celebrated this momentous victory by playing music, singing, dancing, and loving on 18th Street in DC around the corner from historic U Street-Cardozo, I realized and felt solidarity like I never have before.  I also felt how wonderful and memorable it is to witness the first black President-Elect in the US.  In his speech, Barack says simply, "I am forever grateful for what you have sacrificed to get this done... this victory belongs to YOU."  Unlike our last joke of a president whom I recall chanting to, "NOT MY PRESIDENT," at Dubbiya's counter-inauguration, Barack Obama is genuinely appreciative for all of us volunteers' hard work and overall democratic support that has manifested into a reality composed of the people, by the people, and certainly for the people. Thus, power to the people is where we are at, everybody!  

Today, the entire world is watching us and has HOPE that we are [disclaimer: the following adjectives may offend you or someone you know. If so, please CHANGE for the better of humanity :-p] not a nation of bigoted, ignorant, obese chumps. No. Our diverse, driven, and socially-conscious generations shined through, transcended barriers and have taken the cake. POSITIVE CHANGES are within our reach. THANK YOU everyone.  I love you and wish us all peace on Earth.

Campaign comedians...

Below are a few featured videos among some of my campaign season favorites.

Tina Fey proves, once again, to be a genius in disguise:


Obama does some standup on Letterman:

Learn to Love to Live

We are in this together.
We are no better
than another.

We are all part of one, of "ommm…”
We thrive in brotherhoods, sisterhoods, humanhoods.
Despite these wars and all of our differences
We are
Coexisting.

The key word here is: existing…

We exist and seek to remain in this state
Without states interfering with
This human debate.

Let us realize the drive
We as humans have to survive
And coexist within our Universe.

Whether cursed or not
Life has been sentenced to take place here.

Universal messages in all of our languages translate why
We must strive
To live in peace.

“Salaam,” the Arabic word for peace has the same Arabic root as does Islam.

“Shalom,” is the Hebrew greeting and farewell and also means peace.

Ever wonder why the word peace is pronounced the same as piece?

Put the pieces together…
Voilà! “Everything is everything.”

Without peace there would be no pieces to life
No love, no loyalty, no leisure, no location for us in this world.

Learn about each other.

Listen to one another,
Then a common ground
Will be found.

True peaceful coexistence can sustain.

Learn to Love to Live.

Hearts and Minds

How can we win the hearts and minds
of those who lie
About those who die from living under oppression?
When they see invading Iraq and occupying Palestine
as skewing their impressions.
Possibly we can help them see this allegory
This truth-be-told
About our sisters and brothers.
Show them mothers
of sons and daughters
who fought for justice.
Teach the true history
Of manifest destiny
Of Europeans stealing this land from civilized societies.
Exploration dictated by
Domination with the inclination to
Occupy and colonize
Brown people who look
Uncivilized…
In their eyes.
Five hundred years
and the colonizers still shed no tears
when instilling fear
for a "political agenda."
The oil is so thick that it clouds any judgment
Of what we must do
To save each other.
We are one another.
Political agendas of democracies
Should reflect respect
And justice for all,
Not hypocrisy
That is causing this empire to fall.