The UAE Makes Arrests To Keep a Lid On Discontent

UAE: Arrests among apparent precautions to keep a lid on discontent | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times http://ht.ly/4Hk73
Thanks/shout out to Twitter's 'Bconsdr8' for relaying the story.

70% of Americans say: America is on the wrong track

Since President Obama assumed office in January 2009, confidence in the nation’s current course has ranged from a low of 22% to a high of 35% measured in early April 2009.

Seventy percent (70%) of voters now say the country is heading down the wrong track. Since January 2009, pessimism about the country's direction has ranged from 57% to 72%.

Most Republicans (88%) and voters not affiliated with either major political party (74%) believe the United States is heading down the wrong track. Among Democrats, 36% say the country is heading in the right direction, while 49% say it's heading down the wrong track.

Entire story & thank you @bconsdr8 (on Twitter) for this link: http://ht.ly/4GnUc

U.S. Having Varying Responses to Mid-East Unrest

President Barack Obama accused Assad of seeking Iranian help to use "the same brutal tactics" unleashed against demonstrators almost two years ago.

For Iran, its ties with Syria represent far more than just a rare friend in a region dominated by Arab suspicions of Tehran's aims. Syria is Iran's great enabler: a conduit for aid to powerful anti-Israel proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Should Assad's regime fall, it could rob Iran of a loyal Arab partner in a region profoundly realigned by uprisings demanding more freedom and democracy.

"Iran and Syria represent the anti-US axis in the region. In that respect, Iran wants to ensure that Syria remains an ally," said Shadi Hamid, director of research at The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. "The problem is that Iran's foreign policy has become quite inconsistent."

Iran may still have other options in the region. It has ties with Iraq's Shiite-led government, growing bonds with Turkey and is making overtures to post-revolutionary Egypt.

Entire story http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/04/23/iran-edge-ally-syria-fights-survival/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29

USS Cole Bombing: Obama Drops Charges

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