Menu

Home › Forums › Other › OT – What’s your take on Egypt and the Middle East

Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 96 total)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  • Author
    Posts
  • February 8, 2011 at 2:48 PM #664933
    briansd1
    Guest

    [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

    February 8, 2011 at 10:23 PM #663929
    GH
    Participant

    One cannot help but think of all the Russian supported countries falling before the collapse of Russia. I suspect the collapse of the US is closer than we would like to think. Our debt as a nation is some 60 trillion dollars and there is simply no way that obligation can be met.

    Islam is a huge and rapidly growing force on the planet right now. This saddens me as I see Islam (not Muslim) religion looks a lot like Christianity from the year 700 right before the dark ages. As the US goes so goes the world…

    February 8, 2011 at 10:23 PM #663991
    GH
    Participant

    One cannot help but think of all the Russian supported countries falling before the collapse of Russia. I suspect the collapse of the US is closer than we would like to think. Our debt as a nation is some 60 trillion dollars and there is simply no way that obligation can be met.

    Islam is a huge and rapidly growing force on the planet right now. This saddens me as I see Islam (not Muslim) religion looks a lot like Christianity from the year 700 right before the dark ages. As the US goes so goes the world…

    February 8, 2011 at 10:23 PM #664598
    GH
    Participant

    One cannot help but think of all the Russian supported countries falling before the collapse of Russia. I suspect the collapse of the US is closer than we would like to think. Our debt as a nation is some 60 trillion dollars and there is simply no way that obligation can be met.

    Islam is a huge and rapidly growing force on the planet right now. This saddens me as I see Islam (not Muslim) religion looks a lot like Christianity from the year 700 right before the dark ages. As the US goes so goes the world…

    February 8, 2011 at 10:23 PM #664736
    GH
    Participant

    One cannot help but think of all the Russian supported countries falling before the collapse of Russia. I suspect the collapse of the US is closer than we would like to think. Our debt as a nation is some 60 trillion dollars and there is simply no way that obligation can be met.

    Islam is a huge and rapidly growing force on the planet right now. This saddens me as I see Islam (not Muslim) religion looks a lot like Christianity from the year 700 right before the dark ages. As the US goes so goes the world…

    February 8, 2011 at 10:23 PM #665071
    GH
    Participant

    One cannot help but think of all the Russian supported countries falling before the collapse of Russia. I suspect the collapse of the US is closer than we would like to think. Our debt as a nation is some 60 trillion dollars and there is simply no way that obligation can be met.

    Islam is a huge and rapidly growing force on the planet right now. This saddens me as I see Islam (not Muslim) religion looks a lot like Christianity from the year 700 right before the dark ages. As the US goes so goes the world…

    February 9, 2011 at 10:01 AM #663969
    afx114
    Participant

    Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:01 AM #664031
    afx114
    Participant

    Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:01 AM #664638
    afx114
    Participant

    Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:01 AM #664776
    afx114
    Participant

    Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:01 AM #665111
    afx114
    Participant

    Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:59 AM #663999
    Allan from Fallbrook
    Participant

    [quote=afx114]Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.[/quote]

    Afx: Nor did the protests in Tunisia. The level of knee-jerk ignorance continues to baffle me, as do the assertions that “Islam” has this world-wide homogeneity and heterogeneity. It doesn’t.

    Its also bizarre to see the conflation of the “Rise of Islam” and the “Fall of America”. Islam’s “growing power” is nowhere in evidence during the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. To the contrary, the various sects and types of Islam are showing varying degrees of strength and weakness in dealing with widespread, popular protest.

    I think those that attempt strong-arm authoritarianism (think Saudi Arabia) are doomed to failure, while those that remain close to the people and their will (think Hamas) will succeed.

    I don’t, however, see Osama bin Laden riding down Constitution Avenue on a white steed anytime soon.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:59 AM #664061
    Allan from Fallbrook
    Participant

    [quote=afx114]Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.[/quote]

    Afx: Nor did the protests in Tunisia. The level of knee-jerk ignorance continues to baffle me, as do the assertions that “Islam” has this world-wide homogeneity and heterogeneity. It doesn’t.

    Its also bizarre to see the conflation of the “Rise of Islam” and the “Fall of America”. Islam’s “growing power” is nowhere in evidence during the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. To the contrary, the various sects and types of Islam are showing varying degrees of strength and weakness in dealing with widespread, popular protest.

    I think those that attempt strong-arm authoritarianism (think Saudi Arabia) are doomed to failure, while those that remain close to the people and their will (think Hamas) will succeed.

    I don’t, however, see Osama bin Laden riding down Constitution Avenue on a white steed anytime soon.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:59 AM #664668
    Allan from Fallbrook
    Participant

    [quote=afx114]Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.[/quote]

    Afx: Nor did the protests in Tunisia. The level of knee-jerk ignorance continues to baffle me, as do the assertions that “Islam” has this world-wide homogeneity and heterogeneity. It doesn’t.

    Its also bizarre to see the conflation of the “Rise of Islam” and the “Fall of America”. Islam’s “growing power” is nowhere in evidence during the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. To the contrary, the various sects and types of Islam are showing varying degrees of strength and weakness in dealing with widespread, popular protest.

    I think those that attempt strong-arm authoritarianism (think Saudi Arabia) are doomed to failure, while those that remain close to the people and their will (think Hamas) will succeed.

    I don’t, however, see Osama bin Laden riding down Constitution Avenue on a white steed anytime soon.

    February 9, 2011 at 10:59 AM #664806
    Allan from Fallbrook
    Participant

    [quote=afx114]Except that the protests in Egypt have little to nothing to do with Islam.[/quote]

    Afx: Nor did the protests in Tunisia. The level of knee-jerk ignorance continues to baffle me, as do the assertions that “Islam” has this world-wide homogeneity and heterogeneity. It doesn’t.

    Its also bizarre to see the conflation of the “Rise of Islam” and the “Fall of America”. Islam’s “growing power” is nowhere in evidence during the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. To the contrary, the various sects and types of Islam are showing varying degrees of strength and weakness in dealing with widespread, popular protest.

    I think those that attempt strong-arm authoritarianism (think Saudi Arabia) are doomed to failure, while those that remain close to the people and their will (think Hamas) will succeed.

    I don’t, however, see Osama bin Laden riding down Constitution Avenue on a white steed anytime soon.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 96 total)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.