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stoth1972
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 674
Location: Seattle, Washington
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 Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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Too broad of a region to say uniformally 'yes', but my experiences in the UAE and Egypt make me say, "yes, most of the time." I felt exceptionally safe in the UAE (referencing violent crime, unexpected explosions, robbery, etc.) and felt quite safe in Egypt. Things have changed in Egypt since I left, so I don't know that i would feel that same.
Overall, I don't feel any safer in Seattle, WA than I did in the Middle East. |
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crewmeal
Joined: 11 Apr 2004
Posts: 16
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| I feel a lot safer walking the streets of Aleppo, Damascus, Dubai, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Amman, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, than walking down Broad St in Birmingham on a fri sat night. Now Coventry I wouldn't be seen dead there!!! |
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Bindair Dundat
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:11 am Post subject: |
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The point being made is that an individual --a western expat, in particular-- in the ME is safe in regard to random, violent street crime, and this is clearly true.
But there are millions who do not enjoy a sense of security because they are not safe from their own governments (think Syria, Egypt, KSA), from host governments (Gulf states), from their employers... and there are those who are not safe from their husbands, brothers, and fathers. All in all, I'd say the ME is less safe than many other parts of the world. The evidence is in the life expectancy stats. Even the UAE and Qatar rank below the big bad ol' USA in terms of life expectancy. The only ME country that compares favorably with the rest of the world is Israel. |
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Abba
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 97
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:10 am Post subject: |
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| Bindair Dundat wrote: |
...........
But there are millions who do not enjoy a sense of security because they are not safe from their own governments (think Syria, Egypt, KSA), ..... |
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This has nothing to do with ordinary working people, who have nothing to do with politics ! Your argument may be true for people who are actively involved in politics as opponents to their governements.
Also, it is not true that you compare, for example, KSA with Egypt, the two are totally different, and theres a big political gap between the two countries.
| Quote: |
| ... The evidence is in the life expectancy stats. Even the UAE and Qatar rank below the big bad ol' USA in terms of life expectancy |
This has nothing to do with safety isue in the ME. If you want to know the main causes of lower life expectancy, I refer you to the UN Development PROGRAM FOR ARAB cOUNTRIES http://www.rbas.undp.org/ahdr.cfm, and you will find the real reasons which have caused the low life expectancy in the Arab world, and it has nothing to do with safety issues. [/quote]
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| The only ME country that compares favorably with the rest of the world is Israel. |
This is true politically speaking, BUT, can you tell us the real factors for this?? |
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Bindair Dundat
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Abba wrote: |
| Bindair Dundat wrote: |
...........
But there are millions who do not enjoy a sense of security because they are not safe from their own governments (think Syria, Egypt, KSA), ..... |
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This has nothing to do with ordinary working people, who have nothing to do with politics ! |
Oh, I see. Well, tell me, have you ever heard of Hama, Syria? Or Iraq?
| Abba wrote: |
| Also, it is not true that you compare, for example, KSA with Egypt, the two are totally different, and theres a big political gap between the two countries. |
I do not compare Egypt with KSA. I use them both as examples of ME countries in which the government participates in political repression. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
| Abba wrote: |
| Bindair hisownself wrote: |
| ... The evidence is in the life expectancy stats. Even the UAE and Qatar rank below the big bad ol' USA in terms of life expectancy |
This has nothing to do with safety isue in the ME. If you want to know the main causes of lower life expectancy, I refer you to the UN Development PROGRAM FOR ARAB cOUNTRIES http://www.rbas.undp.org/ahdr.cfm, and you will find the real reasons which have caused the low life expectancy in the Arab world, and it has nothing to do with safety issues. |
Why don't you just summarize them for us? After all, this is a discussion forum, not a reference library.
| Abba wrote: |
| Mistah Bindair wrote: |
| The only ME country that compares favorably with the rest of the world is Israel. |
This is true politically speaking, BUT, can you tell us the real factors for this?? |
Economic diversification, health care, utilization of a higher percentage of their population (ah'm talking about WOMEN here...), political and civil freedoms, and implementation of the research paradigm in education - but I'm not talking about politics, I'm talking about life expectancy, and it is true that life expectancy in Israel surpasses that of every other Middle Eastern country.
By the way, are you the same Abba who did "Dancin' Queen" and "Fernando"? Loved your clothes. |
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Queen of Sheba
Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 397
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| Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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...diabetes, did we forget that, its on the rise in the GCC.
| Bindair Dundat wrote: |
| The only ME country that compares favorably with the rest of the world is Israel. |
What does that have to do with the price of bread in Baghdad? |
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furiousmilksheikali
Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1660
Location: In a coffee shop, splitting a 30,000 yen tab with Sekiguchi.
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| Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
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| "Middle East" (whatever that term can be understood to mean) |
A few weeks ago on BBC's middle East Business report. There was an item about Sudan! |
So what? Are you saying that the Sudan has nothing to do with the Middle East? Sudan may not be in the Middle East but there is a little case of genocide going on there which the UN says it is trying to prevent. Yet everytime time that they do Qatar blocks a move in the Security Council.
As far as I know, Qatar is part of the Middle East (even if I do use terms that veterans of the region despise).
Saying Sudan has nothing to do with the Middle East is like saying the USA has nothing to do with Iraq. |
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Queen of Sheba
Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 397
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| Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Bindair Dundat wrote: |
| Queen of Sheba wrote: |
| Coming here doesn't make you feel any safer, and asking the same question about how safe is it will never quench this thirst to feel safe before jumping onboard. |
Actually, coming here made me feel a lot safer. I used to harbor the same fears and prejudices as every other CONUS-bound American. Coming here taught me how silly they were.
And I have now replaced them with new fears and biases. |
Ahhh, thats what I was talking about. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| All in all, I'd say the ME is less safe than many other parts of the world. The evidence is in the life expectancy stats. |
I would definately dispute the use of life expectancy statistics as 'evidence' for one country (or 'region') being safe or otherwise as far as expats are concerned (the topic of this thread). If life expectancy is low in a particular country, this has to do with such matters as poor health care or an unhealthy lifestyle (for any number of reasons). Except in extreme cases - obviously not applicable here - such stats have virtually nothing to do with the risk of foreign residents being subjected to random crime or other risks to life and limb. They may give some insight into quality of life for locals or long-term residents, but they do not provide any 'evidence' of the security situation for short-term residents.
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| Yet everytime time that they do Qatar blocks a move in the Security Council. |
Really? Can you provide links to a list of the times when 'a move in the Security Council' was blocked by non-veto weilding Qatar? |
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Abba
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 97
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Bindair Dundat wrote: |
| .. Oh, I see. Well, tell me, have you ever heard of Hama, Syria? Or Iraq? |
Do you think I am not living in this world, and do not know what happend in Hamma, Syria? Of course I know, but it has nothing to do with general security in these countries. As far as you are not involved in politics your security is OK!
| Quote: |
| .......Why don't you just summarize them for us? After all, this is a discussion forum, not a reference library. |
if you have time to post and discuss topics here, you should have time as well to consult the web site which I referred it to you. Also see the reply of Cleopatra for her brief summary.
| Quote: |
| .... Economic diversification, health care, utilization of a higher percentage of their population (ah'm talking about WOMEN here...), political and civil freedoms, and implementation of the research paradigm in education - but I'm not talking about politics, I'm talking about life expectancy, and it is true that life expectancy in Israel surpasses that of every other Middle Eastern country. |
Yes this is true! BUT what about the poor people of Palestine? don't you think that Israel has participated in the suffering of the Palestian people, by the economic embargo. by land, air, and sea. Don't you think Israel is causing the life expectancy of the Palestinian people to be short? is this moral? So, It is Hallal for them and Haram for the Palestinian people. This is what I call double standard from the USA and it's axis of ........... !!
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| .. By the way, are you the same Abba who did "Dancin' Queen" and "Fernando"? Loved your clothes. |
No, I am Abba who did " Ali Baba and the Middle Eastc", and "Tach Ma Tach" !!!! |
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Abba
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 97
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| furiousmilksheikali wrote: |
| ..Sudan may not be in the Middle East but there is a little case of genocide going on there which the UN says it is trying to prevent. |
Where were the UN and the BBC when ISRAEL committed the SECOND genocide in Quana in Lebanon, or you do not read the news??
Where were the UN for what is happening in Guantanamo and Abu-Greeb prisons??
Where were the UN for the US secret prisons in East Europe ???
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| ..Yet everytime time that they do Qatar blocks a move in the Security Council. |
Let�s do a simple statisticall analysis, How many VETOs did USA use for the support of ISRAEL againt the Palestinian ??? Do you think Qatar will compare with USA in this?? Come on wake up ! Since 1948 and the USA is using its vetos each time the Security Council discuss the issue of the Palestinian
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| � Saying Sudan has nothing to do with the Middle East is like saying the USA has nothing to do with Iraq. |
Saying Sudan has nothing to do with the Middle East is like saying the USA has NOTHING TO DO WITH ISRAEL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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