Top of the Morning: Kuwait Uprising; Arab League Ultimatum for Syria

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Does This Mean Kuwait is the Next to Go?

It seems that even relatively passive oil rich kingdoms are not immune to the winds of change sweeping the Arab world. At issue are accusations that 16 MPs in the 50-member parliament received about $350 million in bribes. None-too-pleased activists found a very dramatic way to protest. “Thousands of Kuwaitis stormed parliament on Wednesday after police and elite forces beat up protesters marching on the prime minister’s home to demand he resign, an opposition MP said. ‘Now, we have entered the house of the people,’ said Mussallam al-Barrak, who led the protest along with several other lawmakers and youth activists also calling for the dissolution of parliament over alleged corruption. The demonstrators broke open parliament’s gates and entered the main chamber, where they sang the national anthem and then left after a few minutes. The police had used batons to prevent protesters from marching to the residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, after staging a rally outside parliament.” (AFP http://bit.ly/vetptQ)  And you should check out the video, too. http://wapo.st/uqHnWj)

An Actual Ultimatum from the Arab League To Syria

The Arab League is on a roll. At meeting in Rabat on Wednesday, members confirmed an earlier decision to suspend Syria. Deeper still, they made Syria an offer it could not refuse: “‘The Syrian government has to sign the protocol sent by the Arab League and end all violence against demonstrators,’ [Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim] said, adding that it has three days. ‘Economic sanctions are certainly possible, if the Syrian government does not respond. But we are conscious that such sanctions would touch the Syrian people.’ The protocol calls for an observer mission of 30-50 members under the auspices of the Arab League to ensure that Syria is following the Arab plan, calling for the regime to halt its attacks on protesters, pull tanks and armored vehicles out of cities, release political prisoners, and allow journalists and rights groups into the country.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/utgGpX)