Vladimir Putin And The " Invasion? " of Crimea In The Ukraine.

By Sodium

Please notice that the word " Invasion ? " in the Title of this essay has been put between quotations and accompanied with a question mark. Please notice also, in the Title, the usage of " In The Ukraine " instead of " Of The Ukraine. " All of this has been done deliberately to convey to the readers that the writer of this essay does not believe that President Putin has military invaded a Ukrainian territory, but has occupied originally a Russian region. Reasons:

(1)  The region that the Russian troops have occupied lately is called Crimea was not really part of the Ukraine. It really belonged to Russia until 1954.

(2)  In 1954, it was Nikita Khrushchev, The First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union then, ( the highest ranking position in the Soviet Union ), who gave Crimea to Ukraine which was itself an integral part of the Soviet Union. That is why Khrushchev's act of enormous generosity had not been challenged at that time by anybody. However, since the demise of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has chosen to be independent of the new Russia that has resulted after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine has succeeded in achieving its goal of independence. The problem has started with the new Russia when certain groups of people in Ukraine, (one political analyst has described them as a bunch of Nazis ), started pushing for closer relationship and clear propensity to join the European Union, ignoring all the historic, linguistic and cultural ties with Russia. No genuine Russian leader could put-up with that, let alone a strong leader like Putin. That is the real reason that has compelled President Putin to make his move and occupy Crimea by Russian troops. Putin's message to Ukraine's new leaders was clear: you go ahead and abandon your historic, linguistic and cultural ties with us, but there is a price for all of that you must pay in return and that price is the Russian territory called Crimea and will leave it to Crimea's Russian-speaking population to decide, through secret ballots of voting, whether or not they want to be part of Russia. So, it has passed and Crimea has returned back to its " Mother Russia." 

(3)  As one researches further the act of such a Khrushchevian generosity, one may find that Khrushchev's generosity was not based on ideology, nor was it based upon some kind of geopolitical strategy that should have been necessary in order to protect the Soviet Union's future interests, but was based on personal passion and emotion toward the Ukraine and its people because Khrushchev had " deep root " in the Ukraine. Such a deep sense of root had expressed itself by Khrushchev himself when he had chosen to spend his retirement, meaning the rest of his life, in the city of Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, after he was purged from the highest ranking office in the entire Soviet Union.  Of all the great and vast land of " Mother Russia, " he had chosen a city in the Ukraine to spend his final days and years until he died in 1971. This is truly an attestation to the fact that his act of generosity to give Crimea to the Ukraine was solely based on his emotions and passion and nothing else.

(4)  President Putin's younger years were spent working as an intelligence officer in the KGB. Such intelligence officers are generally known to be professionally detached from personal emotions towards anything else except total and complete dedication in serving their great "Mother Russia." Hence, one may conclude that what Vladimir Putin is trying to do is simply making amend to what was done by the element of passion and emotion of Nikita Khrushchev.

(5)  Since some groups of people succeeded in claiming nearly a whole country as theirs, because they clamed that their ancient ancestors lived there, once upon a time, and amazingly more than 2000 years ago, WHY not the Russians have also the right to claim Crimea that was theirs in 1954. That is only 60 years ago. The difference between 2000 years and 60 years is huge indeed. This what actually happened in Palestine in which the real indigenous population which was made mainly of Palestinians were violently forced out of their homes, farms, villages, cities and country, at the point of GUNS. Without the political intrigues of certain Western powers, the Zionists and their destructive project could not have succeeded in Palestine. What has happened to the Palestinian people is the shining proof of the HYPOCRISY of the major Western Powers.

If the West continues to claim what Putin has amended is an invasion, it is strongly suggested that the West start looking in the mirror long and hard to see itself as it should be seen, without make-up for beautification or propaganda. Some samples of what some Western powers had done wrongly to some countries in the world and especially in the Middle East:

(I)  Sykes-Picot Accord which was secretly signed, during the First World War, by Mr. Sykes, a British diplomat and Mr. Picot, a French diplomat. Through such an accord, the whole Arab world was divided into more than 20 identities and each identity has its own passport control and its own tariff and customs control. By British and French military occupations, they ruled their colonies by way of " Divide and Rule. " At least, Putin has asked for consensus to be determined by secret ballots through direct voting by the population of Crimea. Fair-minded human beings can easily give him credit for his own fair-mindedness.

(II)  Balfour Declaration: Please just Goggle the two words " Balfour Declaration " and the Internet will provide you with what Britain had done wrongly in Palestine because of this declaration. Or, if you prefer, you can read an essay titled, " Thoughts On Edward Said and T. E. Lawrence " published on this Website on March 19, 2010. The essay has also included an outline, however brief, about the secret accord, ( which is no longer secret ), known as " Sykes-Picot Accord " that is being mentioned above in this essay. See above..

(III)  Kuwait was an integral part of Iraq before the discovery of petroleum in it. In fact, Iraq used to send foods and supplies, by way of camel caravans, to the impoverished Kuwait which would have encountered starvation without the Iraqi genuine help and care. After the discovery of oil in it, a British military officer curved Kuwait as a separate identity from Iraq. No consensus whatsoever. At least, President Putin has acted in a civilized manner, as he insisted that he wanted a direct voting whether the residents of Crimea wanted to be part of Russia or not.

(IV)  France brutally ruled Algeria for many decades by stationing there 500,000 French troops and considered Algeria as an extension of France and many French people moved from France to Algeria and started claiming Algeria the way they claimed their France. The Algerians had to scarify more than one million of its youths to force France out of Algeria. That is why Algeria is described by many, nowadays, as the country with the one million martyrs. Putin has not declared a foreign country to be an extension of Russian, as France had declared Algeria as an integral part of France. He has only taken back what rightly belongs to his own country, " Mother Russia. "

(V)  The destruction of the infrastructure of Iraq in 2003 by the West, led by the United States of America and then followed by land invasion and occupation of Iraq may well be recorded in history books as the most horrible foreign policy blunder that has been committed by the United States of America The sad result of all of this was the fact that Iran had become the real power in Iraq through mainly an American troops occupation. One may not see more complex and foolishness than what happened in Iraq since it was destroyed as a functioning human society. In addition to the immorality of this war, Kofi Anan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations had publicly declared then that the War in Iraq was ILLEGAL Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, is claiming what legally was an integral part of his country, called lovingly by all Russian nationalists:" Mother Russia. " .

(VI)  What the West has done in Afghanistan are well known and no need for elaborations. Putin has not used pilotless airplanes, known as, DRONES, to kill indiscriminately innocent people on the ground, whether they were terrorists or not, under the pretext of the endless war on terrorism, as the West had/has done in Afghanistan.

Final Words:
=============
Some observers say that Putin will eventually fail in all what he is trying to do in Crimea. The writer of this essay believes that Putin will be the ultimate winner, in the finality of it all. Reasons:

(A)  Russia has recovered from its economic and financial crisis that had hit so badly in the 1990's. It is in much stronger economic position that allows it to put up with all the sanction's debris the West is capable of bombarding against it. Thanks partly to its huge natural sources such as gas, petroleum and gold.

(B)  All sanctions against Russia have no chance of being adopted by the United Nations' Security Council for the obvious veto power both Russia and China possess. Of course, the West will not go that rout.

(C)  Because Russia, in its entire dealing with the West, has never really been accepted by the West as a partner, it will always look beyond the West for its independence in finding its own geopolitical alliances that serves its global strategy. Its entire rich history says so.

(D)  Countries like China, India , Brazil, Iran and Egypt and some other Latin American countries, even some Eastern European countries may not follow what the West want to do with regards to sanction. Each of these countries has its own problems and its own trade interest to protect. Most likely, Putin will strengthen Russia's relations, in all fields of interest, as much as possible, with those countries, as well as with several countries in Africa. In short, many countries of the world will ignore whatever sanctions the West throws against Russia and its leaders.

Based on taking all of the foregoing into considerations, it seems to the writer of this essay that Putin will end-up the winner, as the Ukrainian drama reaches its ultimate climax, since he really possesses the highest cards in this game of political poker-perhaps, a "straight flush " of the highest kind.

The Ukraine Crisis and Body Language of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.

By Sodium

Through watching the global news on the Internet, I have been accustomed to seeing Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany so admirably engaging in her diplomatic efforts whatever was of interest to her country and its trading partners. Because of this fact, I was struck by watching her calm face so un-interested in, or even totally detached to, what the newly appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine was telling her, as both of them were walking side by side, rather slowly, toward a conference to be held by the members of the European Union in which Germany belonged. In fact, her calm face, as it appeared to me, had a touch of " glassy boredom ", by what she had heard from the tall and slim and bald-headed and talking NEW Ukrainian Prime Minister. In short, the spirit of engagement and interest that I had sensed in Chancellor Merkel, in so many global diplomatic events, was simply not there, as she walked, side by side, with the Ukrainian Prime Minister.

At one point, during their walk, she raised her head upward to examine, with her calm face, without saying a single word, the face of the talking Ukrainian, ( he was much taller than her ), as to diplomatically saying to him: " I just wonder how much truthfulness has really existed in what you have just finished telling me ! "

They both eventually had arrived to the place where the conference was supposed to be held. At this point, and right at the entrance of the conference hall, did she smile broadly, as she was received by an official of the host country in which the conference was held. After the apparently pleasant handshake with the host of the conference, she disappeared inside into the conference hall.

As the conference was over, the news came out that members of the European Union could not form one single position with regards to Russia's military occupation of the semi-island called Crimea which was supposed to be part of Ukraine. Some members, especially the Baltic countries, ( Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia ), wanted the European Union to take tough measures against Russia, while some other members did not want to go that far. Germany and United Kingdom, ( Britain ), were among those members who did not want to inflame an already inflammable situation with Russia. It seems to me that both, Britain and Germany have a lot to lose, if tough measures against Russia materialized. Based upon this reality, no wonder I saw, on the Internet and after the conference was over, Chancellor Angela Merkel shared a small table, in a friendly setting, with David Cameron, Prime Minister of United Kingdom, ( Britain ). However, their faces looked like not exactly pleased by the outcome of the conference because, perhaps, they had been considered by the bellicose members of the European Union as couple of outcasts, even perhaps coward, of which I believed they were not either, but wisely political and diplomatic REALISTS.

Finally, I must admit that I look forward to see, on the Internet, in the near future, the engaging and caring Angela Merkel I have been accustomed to watching and learning from, especially from her positive and constructive gestures, in the world of political leadership and diplomacy.

END.

        

Sh'iah-Sunnah Split: Understanding How it has Developed.

By Sodium

The following book is a must read by anyone who is interested in understanding how the Shi'ah-Sunnah-Split has occurred and developed to what it is today:

After The Prophet
By
Lesley Hazelton.

If you are fond of the writings of Karen Armstrong, as the writer of this essay, you will love the style of writing of  Lesley Hazelton.

I have just finished reading " After The Prophet " and I must say that I have enjoyed every minute and hour I had spent in reading it, because of the style in which the book was written. Although most of the historical events in the book have been known to me, I could not stop reading the book because I felt like reading an interesting and fascinating novel.

Lesley Hazelton has divided her outstanding book, " After The Prophet " into the following three parts:

Part One: Muhammad.
Part Two: Ali.
Part Three: Hussein.

The content of each part, of the three parts cited above, is profoundly touching in the style of writing and fascinating in the historical events that had taken place in the way Hazelton had presented them

The book has made it clear, in meticulous details, that the reason for the split has been fundamentally political since day one, as Prophet Muhammad had fallen ill and was obvious he was about to die.

The political nature of the split had to do with the fact that The Prophet did not name a successor of his to be Caliph after his death, although he thought very highly of his son-in-law, Ali bin Abi Talib. It seems to me that The Prophet had refrained from naming a successor of his to be Caliph, after his death, was to avoid a possible Fitna; and he wanted to leave it to a Shura amongst his closest companions, including Abu Bakr Al-Sidiq, Omar ibn Al-Khatab, and Uthman ibn Affan, in addion to Ali and others.

I must admit that by the time I finished reading the book I have developed a sense of compassion to what had happened to Ali and his Son, Hussein, and at the same time I had developed a sense of rejection towards Muawiya bin Abi-Sufian who stole the Caliphate to himself  by sheer political tricks after political tricks, through his wealth and operatives like Amr, the conqueror and governor of Egypt.

Muawiya bin Abi-Sufian was the founder and the First Caliph of the Umayad dynasty that ruled the Arab Empire from Damascus, Syria instead of Medina in ancient Arabia.

Final Words:
===============
The book, "After The Prophet " is now available in soft cover and its price is quite reasonable. I paid twelve American dollars ( $ 12 ), plus the cost of shipping to my home address. The total cost did not exceed fifteen U.S. dollars. I ordered it from Barnes & Noble book store. Buy it, if you can afford it and enjoy reading it. If not, try your local library and check it out and read it. If your local library does not have it, I just do not know what to tell you to help you out. Tough Luck.   

      

PART TWO: The Scientific Research Requirements and the Arabic Language.

By Sodium

Although the scientific research requirements, for any language to succeed in coping, with the scientific requirements, are well known in academia and research community through out the world, I have chosen to quote what Bradley Steffens has written about the requirements, because I have sensed genuine objectivity and admirable scientific integrity in his writing. In a well written and easy to understand article titled, " Who Was the First Scientist ? " Bradley Steffens has stated the following statements and cited the following list of requirements, as quoted below:

Quote
=========
Science is the study of the physical world, but it is not just a topic, a subject, a field of interest. It is a discipline--a system of inquiry that adhere to a specific methodology--the scientific method, In its basic form, the scientific method consists of seven steps:

1) observation;
2) a statement of a problem or question;
3) formulation of a hypothesis, or a possible answer to the problem or question;
4) testing the hypothesis with an experiment.
5) analysis of the experiment's result;
6) interpretation of the data and formulation of a conclusion;
7) publication of the findings.

One can study phenomena without adhering to the scientific method, of course. The result, however, is not science. It is pseudoscience or junk science.

Unquote
============

Bradley Steffens covers then what Aristotle, in ancient Greek civilization, had theorized about falling bodies to be challenged and proven wrong by the experiments of falling bodies which was done by Galileo Galilei of Italy. Because of that, " Galileo is considered by many to be the first scientist."  However, Steffens has also written the following statements to prove that was not the case:

" Galileo was not the first person to conduct experiments or to follow the scientific method, however, scholars had been conducting experiments for three hundred years, ever since a British-born Franciscan monk named Roger Bacon advocated experimentation in the thirteenth century. In part five of his Opus Magus Bacon challenges ancient Greek ideas about vision and includes several experiments with light that include all seven steps of the scientific method.

Part five of Opus Magus is not an original work, however. It is a summary of a much longer work entitled De aspectibus ( The Optics ). Bacon follows the organization of De aspectibus and repeats its experiments step by step, sometimes even word for word. But De aspectibus is not an original work, either. It is the translation of a book written in Arabic entitled Kitab al-Manazir ( book of Optics ). Written around 1021, Kitab al-Manazir predates Bacon's summary of it by 250 years. The author of this groundbreaking book was a Muslim scholar named Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan al-Haytham.

Born in Basra ( located in what is now Iraq ) in 965, Ibn al-Haytham--known in the West Alhazen or Alhacen wrote more than 200 books and treatises on a wide range of subjects. He was the first person to apply algebra to geometry, founding the branch known as analytical geometry.

By insisting on the use of verifiable experiments to test hypotheses, Ibin al-Haytham established a new system of inquiry--the scientific method--and earned a place in history as the first scientist."

My Views:
============
~ Since the scientific method has been performed, in the Science of Optics, a highly technical and difficult field, by Ibn al-Haytham who had written all his works in Arabic, as shown so clearly by Bradley Steffens, it would be hard to accept the claim made by some individuals that the Arabic language was/is incapable of coping with the technical modernity of the 20th and 21st centuries. The claim does not really make any sense, since the scientific method being used, in the 20th and 21st centuries for new scientific researches and discoveries, is fundamentally the same scientific method that has been used by Ibn Al-Haytham who wrote his book, " Kitab Al-Manather " meaning, " The Book of Optics " in the Arabic language from which the Franciscan monk, Roger Bacon, had based his published works in, " Opus Magus, " as shown by Bradley Steffens of present time.

~ The translation from the Arabic book, " Kitab Al-Manather " meaning, " The Book of Optics " by Ibn Al-Haytham to " Opus Magus " by Roger Bacon, is a solid proof that the Arabic language is just as capable as any other language being used in today's scientific researches. In other words, without the technical experimentations and scientific analyses described in Arabic language by Ibn Al-Haytham in " Kitab Al-Manather " Roger Bacon could not have succeeded in describing his scientific works in " Opus Magus. "

~ Taking into consideration all of the foregoing, along with what has been achieved in scientific researches in more difficult languages to learn than the Arabic language, ( Chinese and Japanese languages ), it has become clearer that the claim which says that the Arabic language cannot cope with technical modernity remains what it actually is: JUST A CLAIM.

~ Any reader who is interested in reading the whole article entitled, " Who Was the First Scientist ? " by Bradley Steffens, dated 2/23/2014, can do so by checking the following link on the Internet:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Who-Was-the-First -Scientist?&id=637076

Final Words:
==============
Bradley Steffens has recently written a book entitled, " Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist. " I intend to obtain a copy of the book to review. If I find the whole content of the book worth outlining a review of it for publication, I shall be delighted to do so and offer the review for the benefit of the readers of this website-and as usual, free of charge.
 

PART ONE: Is the Arabic Language Capable of Coping with Technical Modernity ?

By Sodium

On February 22, 2014, I had the opportunity to watch a talk show on the Internet, (www.bbcarabic.com), and the talk show is called in Arabic " Noqtit Hiwar " which means " Point for Dialogue/Discussion.

The whole dialogue or discussion was about whether or not the Arabic language had/has the capability to cope with the technical modernity of our time. Mr. Muhammad Abdelhameed, was the anchorman or moderator of the show. He received telephone calls from across the globe, but mainly from the Arab countries. Each caller had given his or her own opinion about the Arabic language capability or incapability.

Mr. Abdelhameed had done a good job, as an anchorman and moderator in keeping his comments neutral, through out the whole time allocated for the show. I truly had enjoyed watching Mr. Abdelhameed's performance and hearing the different views and opinions of the callers and the guest of the show who was Dr. Muhammad Abdelhaleem, Professor of  Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at London University. And there was another guest by the name of Ezat Abu-Alnaja, Professor of Arabic language at Ein Shams University in Egypt. Professor Abu-Alnaja communicated with anchorman/moderator Abdelhameed by telephone. Both professors were positive in their comments about the capability of the Arabic language. Although what both professors had stated was well known to me, I must admit that I was delighted by, and appreciative of, what both professors had said about the Arabic language's capability.

Since I have a great interest in the Arabic language and have a degree of capability in reading it, speaking it and writing it, I have felt that it is incumbent upon me to add my points of views to the constructive discussion that was conducted by Mr. Abdelhameed. And in attempting to contribute to the discussion in a comprehensible manner, I was compelled to divide what I had in mind to say into two parts. The first part deals with what the Arabic language has already proven what it has been capable of, in time past. The second part will mainly cover the requirements in conducting scientific researches and studies, in any language, whether that language is Arabic, English or any other language. This post covers only PART ONE:

My two cents contribution to the discussion can be summarized in the following points:

~  The deficiency is not centered in the Arabic language, as some callers had claimed, but in the mindsets of those individuals who have no idea what the Arabic language has done for the progress of humanity in all endeavors of human achievements, in time past, when Europe was living in its own Dark Ages, while the city of Baghdad had invented the Street Lights to enlighten the streets of Baghdad and enlighten the whole world with its technical knowledge and discoveries in medicine, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and above all theoretical and experimental sciences of optics.

~  The concept of " Sifr " which means the concept of " Zero. "was invented in Arabic and by Arab/Muslim mathematicians. So was the concept of  ' Logarithm. "   A world without " Zero " and " Logarithm " might have been a world of chaos and confusion, although it has remained chaotic and entropic, even after the discovery of the " Zero " and " logarithm, " but without the " Zero " and " Logarithm " it would have been even more chaotic and entropic. Just imagine the difficulties that might have been encountered by the current international banking system, if it had/has no idea that there was/is a number called " Sifr " meaning, " Zero." 

~  Today's laboratory sophisticated scientific instruments such as Infrared Spectroscopy, Ultraviolet Spectroscopy, Mass Spectroscopy, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy could not have been possible without the theoretical and laboratory experimentations in the Sciences of Optics which were invented by ibn Al-Haytham, the father of the Science of Optics and who wrote all his scientific discoveries in the Arabic language.

~  There are certain Arab universities, in the Arab world, that teach medicine, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics, thermodynamics, botany and zoology in Arabic and at the same time teach also foreign languages such as English and French. Hence, one may ask: why not the rest of the Arab universities do likewise, instead of complaining that the Arab language is incapable of coping with technical aspects of the modern age ?  Just a simple question.

~  As one reviews the Japanese research works, in Chemistry for instant, as translated into English and published in highly respected American journals , one marvels at the determinations of the Japanese to publish their scientific discoveries in their own Japanese language. A language of a country that was bombed by Atomic weapons at the end of WW II and was left in total destruction and defeat.

~  It is well known that the Chinese language is a very difficult language to learn. And yet, the Chinese scientific researches and publications are being done and written in the Chinese language, and not in foreign languages.

What has been going on in the Japanese and Chinese languages when it comes to technical and scientific researches and publications, the concerned people of the Arab world must take notes.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO.

 

Who was the Originator of the Term: " Road Map " ?

By Sodium

The two words, "Road Map " have become almost a standard term to be used in planning programs in all issues of interest, especially in domestic politics and international diplomacy, as well.

As one watches the so many political shows on the Internet, one may notice that the anchor persons of the shows as well as the expert-guets of the shows, repeat the term, "Road Map, " or in Arabic language, " Kharetat  al-altareeq, "  in their discussions. One may marvel at the frequencies of hearing the two words, " Road Map, " or " Kharetat al-tareeq, " during the life span of the show. Recently, there have been programs of " Road Map, " or " Kharetat al-tareeq " in the following countries:

~  There has been  a political " Road Map " in Tunisia.
~  There has been a political " Road Map " in Egypt.

Perhaps, there are more " Road Maps" in many other countries as well.

Just by being impressed by the frequencies of the use of the term " Road Map " in the talk shows in Tunisia and in Egypt, has prompted the writer of this essay to remember what he had read in the American mainstream media about the leak that was leaked from a meeting between President George W. Bush of the United States of America and King Abdallah II, Head of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The meeting had taken place in the White House during, Bush's administration, (2000-2008)

Being eager to see the establishment of peace in the Middle East, the King stated in that meeting that what the Middle East needed was a " Road Map " for peace. It seemed that Bush was impressed by the term, " Road Map, " since he looked at his advisors, who were present in that meeting, and repeated what the King had suggested, " A Road Map " for peace in the Middle East. And it is obvious that the body gesture of the President was like ordering his advisors to take note what the King had suggested about the " Road Map ."

As soon as the leak of the meeting hit the American main-stream-media, journalists, reporters and experts on the Middle East affairs started talking about the possible " Road Maps " for peace in the Middle East. And the term, " Road Map, " had spread out like mushrooms and eventually had reached Tunisia's and Egypt's political attempts to solve their respective problems by some kind of political " Road Maps."

Hence, according to the leak in the American mainstream media, as outlined above, it was the Jordanian King Abdullah II who had originated the hottest term, " Road Map, " known in the annals of political agenda, in the international scene, at the moment. He is also known to have originated the term " Shi'i Crescent, " in describing the alliance that has developed amongst Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hisbullah Party in Lebanon. As one inspects the geographical map of the Middle East, one may notice that the geographical locations of the countries, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon make a shape, or an image resembling a Crescent, indeed.

It seems to the writer of this essay that the current Jordanian King has a talent in originating new terms, like, " Road Map " and " Shi'i Crescent " and use them so effectively in his international diplomatic communications. Such a talent is a reminder of another talent practiced by his father, the late King Hussein, who was a master in using his body language in expressing politely his intent, or rather in expressing respectfully what he wanted to say in his international connections and diplomacy. To appreciate how effective King Hussein was in that aspect, check an essay titled " Body Language In International Diplomacy " dated August 20, 2012, published on this website.

The adage, " father like son " appears to fit nicely, here, except that the father was a master in body language, while his son and successor appears to have a talent in originating new terms to be used in domestic politics, as well as in international diplomacy. Perhaps, the genes have something to do with such a father-son-relationship which, in reality, means intelligence..

Repeating the question of the title of this post, for emphasis:

Who was the Originator of the Term, " Road Map " ?

Answer:The originator of the term, " Road Map "  was King Abdullah II, of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, during a meeting with President George W. Bush of the U.S.A., in the White House, in Washington DC.

The intent in outlining all of the foregoing is to make certain that the credit goes to the true originator or inventor of the term, and not to possible fraudulent claimants.
END.

      

The Distorted Usage of the Words, " Lobby " and "Lobbyists" in the English and Arabic Languages.

By Sodium

Now-a-days, one may frequently hear, or read, in the mainstream media, the English words, " lobby " and " lobbyists " to mean " political pressure or political pressure exertion " for " lobby " and " doers of political pressure exertion " for " lobbyists, " respectively.

In the views of the writer of this post, both of the above usages are distorted, since the ORIGINAL meaning of  a " lobby " in the English language is simply a "hall, " or a " corridor " in a building. Therefore, the question that one may raise is the following one:

Why then the meaning of the word, " lobby, " has been degenerated, or degraded, or expanded or extended, ( you make your own choice of these words ), to mean " political pressure exertion " and its derivative, "lobbyists " to mean "doers/forces of political pressure exertion " ?  In other words, where such meanings of " lobby " and " lobbyists " have come from ?

It had taken the writer of this post a considerable amount of time to find an answer to the above question and would like to share what he had find with the readers of this website:

After the American military General, Ulysses Grant, became President in 1864, ( that was after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln ), he used to set in the lobby of the Willard Hotel, in Washington DC, and receive some of the citizens who wished to meet him, in person, in order to submit their requests or complaints. And he did such an admirable act of listening to their requests or complaints, in the LOBBY of Willard Hotel, on regular basis. Hence, he was the person who "coined the term lobbyists," although the English dictionaries had no place in their listings for the word, " lobbyists. " In other words, It was President Ulysses Grant who actually introduced the word " lobbyists " to the English language.  For further information, please check the following link:

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/sites/willards.htm

Question:

What the Arabic language has to do with all of this ?

Well, as the writer of this essay reviews some of the Arab World's mainstream media, he has noticed that an increasing number of Arab journalists, reporters and forecasters have fallen into the same trap, or rather in the same trench, as their American peers who have fallen into, for sometimes by now; and it seems almost impossible to persuade them to refrain from emulating their American peers who have their own reasons for distorted usage of the word, " lobby " to mean, " act of political pressure exertion, " on members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States of America. The intent of such a distortion could have been innocent in nature, but it was/is still an act of distortion, regardless how one might have wished to be accommodating to such an intent. 

Moreover, the word " lobby " sounds so un-understandable by those Arabs who are illiterate  in the English language. So is also the case with the word, lobbyists. "  To those people, who know no English, such strange words mean nothing to them.. And there are millions upon millions of such people in the Arab World, today.

Why not calling the " ACT of Political Pressure Exertion, " what it actually is, " Al-zught Al-siyasi " and the " Doers of the Political Pressure Exertion " what they actually are also, "Quwa Al-zught Al-siyasi," instead of " Lobby " and "Lobbyists, " respectively. In doing so, a degree of respect is maintained towards those Arabs who know no English and the abuse of the Arabic language is avoided.

End