In what may be a case study on how not to handle a hostage crisis, the death toll from the Algerian government’s raid on the BP natural gas plant has risen.

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speeches on current issues that may be of interest.

In the aftermath of the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009 by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) moved to increase airport security. Passengers flying “non-stop” to the US were subject to enhanced screenings, including in some cases a full-body pat-down. But, immediately, TSA realized that this placed an “extraordinary burden” on airports and airlines and TSA moved to develop a “regime” that would subject a “reduced pool” of passengers to “enhanced screenings.”

On January 13, 2010, it was announced a list of fourteen countries of interest. The list included: Cuba, Sudan, Syria, Iran (four countries on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism) and Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. The new regime meant all passengers traveling from any of the fourteen countries would, regardless of nationality or US citizenship, be subject to increased security and possible violations of privacy.

Newly published cables from WikiLeaks shed light on reactions from leaders of countries on the list.

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to get OPEC to raise production has foundered on opposition, mostly from those on the other side of the fight for hegemony of the Middle East and the world, starting with Iran. The vote came down to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and UAE against Iran, Iraq (!), Libya, Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

The Egyptian uprising has not yet ended, and with the military banning labor strikes and workers energized by the spark of revolution not heeding this call and demonstrating for better pay and conditions, we clearly have a long way to go before that country’s affairs are settled. The role of labor in the uprising is unique and fascinating, and deserves more scrutiny. For now, however, let’s spin around the globe.

Looking at this as a pan-Arab uprising changes the calculations dramatically. From the United States’ perspective, it forces policymakers to think about how to properly deal with an entire region seeking to pull off the shackles of monarchies and authoritarian dictatorships, not one rogue protest movement in one country or another. That Arab Spring that George Bush and the neocons would come to the region simply by bombing the bejeezus out of Iraq is here because of completely different factors. It’s clear that our policymakers have no idea how to react. Thinking about this in a regional sense rather than protecting this or that ruling regime may help.

The Obama administration has shown a blatant disregard for international treaties and basic human in its second forcible deportation from Guantánamo of an Algerian national in the last six months. On January 6, the administration secretly and forcibly repatriated 48-year-old Farhi Saeed bin Mohammed to Algeria, which he reportedly fled in the 1990s, trying to escape threats from Islamic extremists. Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) condemned the secret deportation “in the strongest possible terms,” noting that “Mr. Mohammed has long been cleared of any connection with terrorism.”

The Obama administration had been cleared to effect the deportation of cleared Guantanamo prisoner Abdul Aziz Naji by no less than the Supreme Court, who rejected a lower court order blocking the action. What hasn’t been reported thus far is the role of Congress, who was mandated to have advance notice of the transfer. Meanwhile, in Algeria, Naji told the press about torture and the drugging of prisoners at Guantanamo.

Even though 35 year-old Abdul Aziz Naji said he’d rather stay at Guantanamo than be deported to his home country of Algeria, the Obama administration forcibly deported him anyway, despite Mr. Naji’s fears that “he would be targeted by violent groups who would kill him if he refused to join their battle against the country’s government.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to block the deportation in a ruling last week. Now Naji takes on the notoriety and the tragic fate to be the first involuntary transfer from Guantanamo.