Arab regimes are built on sand
There is a popular assumption – especially in the west – that because Arab regimes tend to be autocratic and authoritarian, the state in Arab countries is also strong. In fact, most Arab governments are incapable of even collecting taxes effectively. There is a paradox here, because Arab regimes have an almost insatiable urge to control. They legislate and regulate endlessly, they establish large armies and security forces, and employ vast bureaucracies – and yet their ability to exercise power and influence the behaviour of their citizens is far more limited than it looks. Regime survival is the top priority, and state power is directed towards controlling dissent forcefully and effectively. This exercise of power is often mistaken for a sign of strength when in reality it is an acknowledgment of vulnerability. As the late Nazih Ayubi noted, "The Arab state is therefore often violent because it is weak."
Pentagon Manhunt for WikiLeaks Founder
Pentagon investigators are trying to determine the whereabouts of Julian Assange, the Australian-born founder of the secretive website WikiLeaks, for fear that he may be about to publish a huge cache of classified State Department cables that, if made public, could do serious damage to national security, government officials said. The officials acknowledge that even if they found Assange, they may not be able to block publication of the cables on WikiLeaks, which is based in Sweden. Pentagon is convinced that Assange has classified State Department cables leaked by Army intelligence specialist Bradley Manning, who is now in custody in Kuwait. Given the contents of the cables, the Feds have good reason to be concerned. Manning, while posted in Iraq, apparently had special access to cables prepared by diplomats and State Department officials throughout the Middle East, regarding the workings of Arab governments and their leaders, according to an American diplomat.
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