Noura al Suwaidi, the editor-in-chief of Bint al Khaleej magazine, wrote for the Emirati newspaper Al Bayan addressing the problem of unemployment among the youth of the UAE. In spite of government efforts to exploit their youthful energy and expertise in all fields of production, the problem remains that most young people choose unemployment over settling for jobs and positions that do not live up to their dreams of social distinction and high income.
"The trouble is that we have individuals who see themselves as 'superior' and believe in jumping the steps of life to get straight to the top in one single stride." This phenomenon sheds light on the serious plight that plagues this generation. "We will be the losers if we allow this kind of culture to propagate among our children." She blamed the media partly for helping to spread this distorted idea in the Emirati community, but admitted that the problem begins inside families that educate their children to show disdain for "ordinary jobs" which leads to eliminating ambition and the notions of hard work and rightful reward. Youth need a better education to ensure a better future for themselves and for their nation.
In the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas, Abdullateef al Duaij addressed Kuwait's decision to detain and then deport a group of Egyptians for attempting to rally in support of Mohamed ElBaradei, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and probable candidate for the 2011 presidential elections in Egypt. He stated that as much as Kuwaitis were required to defend and uphold the human rights of all people, their prime responsibility was to defend the system and the constitution of their own country.
"We do bolster our own rights when we defend the right of Egyptian expatriates to peaceful and legal expression," he wrote. He went on to express his discontent with the interior ministry's "arbitrary and reckless" actions against these individuals. Although the ministry tried to mend the situation by releasing some of the detainees for "humane" reasons, that isn't enough. The authorities must pay damages to the deportees for any losses they might have incurred, "for they are workers who came to Kuwait in hopes of improving their standard of living". Citing the provisions of the 1962 constitution, as written by the founding fathers of Kuwait, which highlights the dignity of all human beings whatever their origin, the writer called on the government to present an "official apology".
News of the US president Barack Obama's political demise have, after all, been exaggerated, observed Abdul Men'em Saeed in his comment piece for the London-based newspaper Al Sharq al Awsat.
While the world seemed to predict Mr Obama's failure to escort America through various crises into a more secure future, reality now begs to differ. Mr Obama came to the White House only weeks after the beginning of the economic crisis and he had to deal with the mistakes of the previous administration and try to find a remedy to US shortcomings in Iraq, Afghanistan and the rest of world. "Mr Obama was a sensation not only because he was the first African-American president, but also because he seemed to make a difference in American thinking. However, soon after his inauguration, his popularity seemed to dwindle to a point where many speculated that he wasn't fit to be commander-in-chief in the first place, especially given his fixation on the health care issue in the US. But Mr Obama was able to prove his ability to deal with difficult situations when he won the health care bid which marked a turning point in his tenure. That was soon followed by START II, which gave credibility to his promises to reduce nuclear threats. It seems that Mr Obama is back but with feet firmer on the ground this time.
In a comment piece for the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds, Mostapha Zein wrote that the Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu decided against participating in the Washington nuclear summit "at the last moment claiming that the US administration might support Arab and Muslim nations raising the Israeli nuclear issue".
Mr Netanyahu is accusing the US of campaigning against him by trying to portray him as a threat to both American and Israeli interests. In Washington's view, peace talks "will convince more Arab countries to open up to Israel and sway Syria away from Iran", the writer explained. "True, Israel sees Iran as a threat to its existence, but it does not help Washington nor itself by preferring the military solution as usual."
While the current US administration opts for international co-operation and diplomacy as a solution for the Iranian issue, Mr Netanyahu's administration seems to adopt a conflicting vision. "The ruling far-right wing still fantasises and, indeed, makes plans for wars as a way to reinforce Israel." So, as Mr Netanyahu prepares for military escalation, Washington, for the first time perhaps, is lobbying inside Israel to try and counteract him. * Digest compiled by Racha Makarem
rmakarem@thenational.ae
