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by Mohamed Abdi Mohamed Tuesday, October 22, 2013   I have read the recent article by Nuruddin Farah “Somalia’s Leader: Look past the Hype” and wish to respond to parts of his article.   “One can’t talk about recent news from Somalia — the deadly attack by Shabaab militants on a U.N. compound in June, the decision in August by Doctors Without Borders to pull out of the country, the massacre last month at a shopping mall in Kenya, for which Al Shabaab took responsibility — without in some way speaking about Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheik Mohamud”. RESPONSE “The presumption that the President is SOMEHOW a common factor of these three incidents is grossly unfair. The common factor of these incidents is Al Shabaab. They were the perpetrators of all three attacks in which innocent non-combatant persons were killed”. “But when I last visited Somalia, in April, my friends thought that Mr. Mohamud didn’t have the determination to lead the country, nor the ha

by NURUDDIN FARAH Saturday, October 19, 2013 ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, New York — One can’t talk about recent news from Somalia — the deadly attack by Shabab militants on a U.N. compound in June, the decision in August by Doctors Without Borders to pull out of the country, the massacre last month at a shopping mall in Kenya, for which Al Shabab took responsibility — without in some way speaking about Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheik Mohamud. Just a year into his presidency, Mr. Mohamud has become a darling of the West — his is the first Somali government officially recognized by the United States since 1991, even though it controls only a fraction of the country — and of the oil-rich Arab rulers who want security around the Horn of Africa. But when I last visited Somalia, in April, my friends thought that Mr. Mohamud didn’t have the determination to lead the country, nor the hardiness to stand up to clan elders who have contributed so much to the two-deca

by Abdi Ismail Samatar Saturday, October 12, 2013 For Months the European Union and the Somali Government have been in preparation for a conference on Somalia which was held in Brussels on September 16, 2013. Declared as “A New Deal for Somalia” the one day affair’s purpose was to accomplish two things: a) focus the attention of the international community on the ‘progress’ made in Somalia over the last year; (b) mobilize resource for the one year old Somali regime and assist it in the country’s reconstruction. The conference takes its name after the American Depression era economic plan put forth by President Roosevelt to jump start the American economy and get Americans back to work. Symbolically and rhetorically, the conference set out an ambitious plan for Somalia’s reconstruction with a great deal of pomp. So far it has been successful in receiving financial pledges to the tune of over Euros 600 million. However, these donations are significantly less than wh

Forty years after the Arab oil embargo, new technologies are dramatically reshaping the geopolitics of the Middle East. BY AMY MYERS JAFFE, ED MORSE October 18, 2013 - " FP "-   Forty years have passed since the Arab oil embargo went into effect on Oct. 16, 1973, triggering a period of incredible change and turmoil. After the United States provided support to Israel during the Yom Kippur War, a cartel of developing-world countries (via the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC) banned the sale of their oil to Israel's allies and thereby set in motion geopolitical circumstances that eventually allowed them to wrest control over global oil production and pricing from the giant international oil companies -- ushering in an era of significantly higher oil prices. The event was hailed at the time as the first major victory of "Third World" powers to bring t

How often have we come across the statement, “It is quality – not quantity – that matters”? Yet how many actually listened to it? There is a quality of listening that we must invest to fully  grasp a message. When we look around the world, we see how giant corporations are racing against one another for profits and more profits. Do you know how Japanese companies penetrated the Western markets after the Second World War? By paying microscopic attention to processes at ALL levels of their businesses. Companies are making billions by following one principle:  TQM = Total Quality Management.   Advice From Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not achieve this state of devotion, then (take it for granted that) Allah sees you.” [ Bukhari ] To us, everyday tasks and chores become repetitive, and we emphasize get