OT – What’s your take on Egypt and the Middle East

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[quote=5yes]I am very concerned. Something is going on that is way deeper than what we see on the news.
So what is going on exactly? Anyone else have any ideas outside of the mainstream media blathering? Does Israel want the Suez canal? Do we? Or is there something else driving this?[/quote]

FOOD. Pay particular attention to nations like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia stockpiling grain, and making ag purchases that are treble or quadruple anything they’ve done before.

You’re seeing a new kind of resource war emerge, and this has nothing to do with raw materials or oil. If you watch the Fox or CNN reportage carefully, you’ll notice mention of the cost of food skyrocketing in places like Cairo and Alexandria.

If I’m Saudi Arabia, or Indonesia, I’m paying very close attention right now. And, you can bet your ass, so is China. China has banned news of the Egyptian uprising within its borders. You cannot even search the word “Egypt” there right now.

Personally, I could give a shit if any of these assholes is friendly to the US or not. We should have learned our lesson from the Shah of Iran, or Marcos, or Somoza, or Batista. You can only pull this oppressive, totalitarian shit for so long, before you find yourself swinging from a lamp-post. If the Muslim Brotherhood thinks they can do a better job, let ’em try.

[temeculaguy]

Love it Allan!!! Like a lot of you, I don’t live there so I can’t really say who is right. I do know that this is nothing new, especially when it comes to dictatorships, it’s usually ugly in the end. I have very little understanding of what it must feel like when you don’t get a say in your government. People complain about our system, people complain about everything, but just imagine if it were different. For those of you who really hated our last president, what if you weren’t alowed a say, there was no congress or senate, no election. Then all of the sudden it’s the year 2030 and George Bush is still your president, even if 80% of the population dislikes him and his policies and there is no change that will ever happen. You can substitute Obama for Bush in that scenario if you are on the other team, party isn’t important, it’s about the inability to change and both guys would probably get more out of hand if they never had to answer to the people ever again. Our leaders aren’t perfect, not even close, but the fear of the next election keeps them from getting too weird. If all current politicians were told they have their current job for life and they get to pick their successor, we’d be lighting stuff on fire in thirty years too.

[temeculaguy]

Love it Allan!!! Like a lot of you, I don’t live there so I can’t really say who is right. I do know that this is nothing new, especially when it comes to dictatorships, it’s usually ugly in the end. I have very little understanding of what it must feel like when you don’t get a say in your government. People complain about our system, people complain about everything, but just imagine if it were different. For those of you who really hated our last president, what if you weren’t alowed a say, there was no congress or senate, no election. Then all of the sudden it’s the year 2030 and George Bush is still your president, even if 80% of the population dislikes him and his policies and there is no change that will ever happen. You can substitute Obama for Bush in that scenario if you are on the other team, party isn’t important, it’s about the inability to change and both guys would probably get more out of hand if they never had to answer to the people ever again. Our leaders aren’t perfect, not even close, but the fear of the next election keeps them from getting too weird. If all current politicians were told they have their current job for life and they get to pick their successor, we’d be lighting stuff on fire in thirty years too.

[temeculaguy]

Love it Allan!!! Like a lot of you, I don’t live there so I can’t really say who is right. I do know that this is nothing new, especially when it comes to dictatorships, it’s usually ugly in the end. I have very little understanding of what it must feel like when you don’t get a say in your government. People complain about our system, people complain about everything, but just imagine if it were different. For those of you who really hated our last president, what if you weren’t alowed a say, there was no congress or senate, no election. Then all of the sudden it’s the year 2030 and George Bush is still your president, even if 80% of the population dislikes him and his policies and there is no change that will ever happen. You can substitute Obama for Bush in that scenario if you are on the other team, party isn’t important, it’s about the inability to change and both guys would probably get more out of hand if they never had to answer to the people ever again. Our leaders aren’t perfect, not even close, but the fear of the next election keeps them from getting too weird. If all current politicians were told they have their current job for life and they get to pick their successor, we’d be lighting stuff on fire in thirty years too.

[temeculaguy]

Love it Allan!!! Like a lot of you, I don’t live there so I can’t really say who is right. I do know that this is nothing new, especially when it comes to dictatorships, it’s usually ugly in the end. I have very little understanding of what it must feel like when you don’t get a say in your government. People complain about our system, people complain about everything, but just imagine if it were different. For those of you who really hated our last president, what if you weren’t alowed a say, there was no congress or senate, no election. Then all of the sudden it’s the year 2030 and George Bush is still your president, even if 80% of the population dislikes him and his policies and there is no change that will ever happen. You can substitute Obama for Bush in that scenario if you are on the other team, party isn’t important, it’s about the inability to change and both guys would probably get more out of hand if they never had to answer to the people ever again. Our leaders aren’t perfect, not even close, but the fear of the next election keeps them from getting too weird. If all current politicians were told they have their current job for life and they get to pick their successor, we’d be lighting stuff on fire in thirty years too.

[temeculaguy]

Love it Allan!!! Like a lot of you, I don’t live there so I can’t really say who is right. I do know that this is nothing new, especially when it comes to dictatorships, it’s usually ugly in the end. I have very little understanding of what it must feel like when you don’t get a say in your government. People complain about our system, people complain about everything, but just imagine if it were different. For those of you who really hated our last president, what if you weren’t alowed a say, there was no congress or senate, no election. Then all of the sudden it’s the year 2030 and George Bush is still your president, even if 80% of the population dislikes him and his policies and there is no change that will ever happen. You can substitute Obama for Bush in that scenario if you are on the other team, party isn’t important, it’s about the inability to change and both guys would probably get more out of hand if they never had to answer to the people ever again. Our leaders aren’t perfect, not even close, but the fear of the next election keeps them from getting too weird. If all current politicians were told they have their current job for life and they get to pick their successor, we’d be lighting stuff on fire in thirty years too.

[NotCranky]

I do feel bad for the things that come with the strife in Egypt, but I am glad it is not Pakistan.

[NotCranky]

I do feel bad for the things that come with the strife in Egypt, but I am glad it is not Pakistan.

[NotCranky]

I do feel bad for the things that come with the strife in Egypt, but I am glad it is not Pakistan.

[NotCranky]

I do feel bad for the things that come with the strife in Egypt, but I am glad it is not Pakistan.

[NotCranky]

I do feel bad for the things that come with the strife in Egypt, but I am glad it is not Pakistan.

[briansd1]

[quote=Arraya]Fires are burning now on the outskirts of the US Empire, while it rots economically from the inside.

The revolutions sweeping throughout the Arab world’s accomodationist regimes from Eygpt on the west and surely the Jordanian monarchy on the east. Secret documents discrediting Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority’s collaborators and boosting Hamas. Hizbollah selecting the new Prime Minister and gaining de facto control of the Lebanese government. Moktada al Sadr, influencing events in Iraq in concert with his Iranian allies while US power is sapped by the occupation there and in Afghanistan.

These events are tied to US hegemony and therefor our economy, it’s all connected. Every single thing we tried to manage has blown up in our faces. Our ME policy as been a monumental failure from an imperial perspective.

Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people,

-Hillary Clinton Jan 25[/quote]

My take on Egypt is a little different.

The Middle East is too close to Europe and the Gulf to have have been a low cost producer. They did not have the labor cost advantages of East Asia to move beyond post-colonialism.

More freedom for the people and economic reforms and globalization that spread the benefits around to the population (rather concentrate the wealth to the top elite) could transform the Middle East into the next area of economic growth for the world.

I believe the changes we see happening are positive. The US needs to stop supporting dictatorial police states.

Look at how Turkey is performing. The Middle East could be like that.
http://www.economist.com/node/17276384

[briansd1]

[quote=Arraya]Fires are burning now on the outskirts of the US Empire, while it rots economically from the inside.

The revolutions sweeping throughout the Arab world’s accomodationist regimes from Eygpt on the west and surely the Jordanian monarchy on the east. Secret documents discrediting Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority’s collaborators and boosting Hamas. Hizbollah selecting the new Prime Minister and gaining de facto control of the Lebanese government. Moktada al Sadr, influencing events in Iraq in concert with his Iranian allies while US power is sapped by the occupation there and in Afghanistan.

These events are tied to US hegemony and therefor our economy, it’s all connected. Every single thing we tried to manage has blown up in our faces. Our ME policy as been a monumental failure from an imperial perspective.

Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people,

-Hillary Clinton Jan 25[/quote]

My take on Egypt is a little different.

The Middle East is too close to Europe and the Gulf to have have been a low cost producer. They did not have the labor cost advantages of East Asia to move beyond post-colonialism.

More freedom for the people and economic reforms and globalization that spread the benefits around to the population (rather concentrate the wealth to the top elite) could transform the Middle East into the next area of economic growth for the world.

I believe the changes we see happening are positive. The US needs to stop supporting dictatorial police states.

Look at how Turkey is performing. The Middle East could be like that.
http://www.economist.com/node/17276384

[briansd1]

[quote=Arraya]Fires are burning now on the outskirts of the US Empire, while it rots economically from the inside.

The revolutions sweeping throughout the Arab world’s accomodationist regimes from Eygpt on the west and surely the Jordanian monarchy on the east. Secret documents discrediting Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority’s collaborators and boosting Hamas. Hizbollah selecting the new Prime Minister and gaining de facto control of the Lebanese government. Moktada al Sadr, influencing events in Iraq in concert with his Iranian allies while US power is sapped by the occupation there and in Afghanistan.

These events are tied to US hegemony and therefor our economy, it’s all connected. Every single thing we tried to manage has blown up in our faces. Our ME policy as been a monumental failure from an imperial perspective.

Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people,

-Hillary Clinton Jan 25[/quote]

My take on Egypt is a little different.

The Middle East is too close to Europe and the Gulf to have have been a low cost producer. They did not have the labor cost advantages of East Asia to move beyond post-colonialism.

More freedom for the people and economic reforms and globalization that spread the benefits around to the population (rather concentrate the wealth to the top elite) could transform the Middle East into the next area of economic growth for the world.

I believe the changes we see happening are positive. The US needs to stop supporting dictatorial police states.

Look at how Turkey is performing. The Middle East could be like that.
http://www.economist.com/node/17276384

[briansd1]

[quote=Arraya]Fires are burning now on the outskirts of the US Empire, while it rots economically from the inside.

The revolutions sweeping throughout the Arab world’s accomodationist regimes from Eygpt on the west and surely the Jordanian monarchy on the east. Secret documents discrediting Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority’s collaborators and boosting Hamas. Hizbollah selecting the new Prime Minister and gaining de facto control of the Lebanese government. Moktada al Sadr, influencing events in Iraq in concert with his Iranian allies while US power is sapped by the occupation there and in Afghanistan.

These events are tied to US hegemony and therefor our economy, it’s all connected. Every single thing we tried to manage has blown up in our faces. Our ME policy as been a monumental failure from an imperial perspective.

Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people,

-Hillary Clinton Jan 25[/quote]

My take on Egypt is a little different.

The Middle East is too close to Europe and the Gulf to have have been a low cost producer. They did not have the labor cost advantages of East Asia to move beyond post-colonialism.

More freedom for the people and economic reforms and globalization that spread the benefits around to the population (rather concentrate the wealth to the top elite) could transform the Middle East into the next area of economic growth for the world.

I believe the changes we see happening are positive. The US needs to stop supporting dictatorial police states.

Look at how Turkey is performing. The Middle East could be like that.
http://www.economist.com/node/17276384

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