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

[Allan from Fallbrook]

[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.

[briansd1]

The unrest in Egypt has to do with economics and governance rather than religion.

Here’s a interesting commentary by David Frum:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/02/pm-frum-the-economics-of-political-unrest/

The problems with Egypt and other dictatorial states is that corrupt leading families with political connections have “stolen” privatized monopolies such as cell phone carriers, utilities, food and auto distributorships, etc..

Economic reforms, privatization and globalization did not trickle down to the people. And now people are showing their discontent.

The unrest were triggered by the poor economy but the real issue is governance. The people are sick of the corruption at the top.

The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.

[briansd1]

The unrest in Egypt has to do with economics and governance rather than religion.

Here’s a interesting commentary by David Frum:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/02/pm-frum-the-economics-of-political-unrest/

The problems with Egypt and other dictatorial states is that corrupt leading families with political connections have “stolen” privatized monopolies such as cell phone carriers, utilities, food and auto distributorships, etc..

Economic reforms, privatization and globalization did not trickle down to the people. And now people are showing their discontent.

The unrest were triggered by the poor economy but the real issue is governance. The people are sick of the corruption at the top.

The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.

[briansd1]

The unrest in Egypt has to do with economics and governance rather than religion.

Here’s a interesting commentary by David Frum:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/02/pm-frum-the-economics-of-political-unrest/

The problems with Egypt and other dictatorial states is that corrupt leading families with political connections have “stolen” privatized monopolies such as cell phone carriers, utilities, food and auto distributorships, etc..

Economic reforms, privatization and globalization did not trickle down to the people. And now people are showing their discontent.

The unrest were triggered by the poor economy but the real issue is governance. The people are sick of the corruption at the top.

The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.

[briansd1]

The unrest in Egypt has to do with economics and governance rather than religion.

Here’s a interesting commentary by David Frum:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/02/pm-frum-the-economics-of-political-unrest/

The problems with Egypt and other dictatorial states is that corrupt leading families with political connections have “stolen” privatized monopolies such as cell phone carriers, utilities, food and auto distributorships, etc..

Economic reforms, privatization and globalization did not trickle down to the people. And now people are showing their discontent.

The unrest were triggered by the poor economy but the real issue is governance. The people are sick of the corruption at the top.

The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.

[briansd1]

The unrest in Egypt has to do with economics and governance rather than religion.

Here’s a interesting commentary by David Frum:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/02/pm-frum-the-economics-of-political-unrest/

The problems with Egypt and other dictatorial states is that corrupt leading families with political connections have “stolen” privatized monopolies such as cell phone carriers, utilities, food and auto distributorships, etc..

Economic reforms, privatization and globalization did not trickle down to the people. And now people are showing their discontent.

The unrest were triggered by the poor economy but the real issue is governance. The people are sick of the corruption at the top.

The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.

[permabear]

[quote=briansd1]The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.[/quote]

And with a little luck, it sounds like the Egyptian military will be using US-supplied tanks to overthrow their government (that we backed).

Just like the other dictators our government/CIA has installed over the past 20 years, that have turned on us time and time again.

Hopefully the Egyptian people will be successful in recapturing their country.

[permabear]

[quote=briansd1]The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.[/quote]

And with a little luck, it sounds like the Egyptian military will be using US-supplied tanks to overthrow their government (that we backed).

Just like the other dictators our government/CIA has installed over the past 20 years, that have turned on us time and time again.

Hopefully the Egyptian people will be successful in recapturing their country.

[permabear]

[quote=briansd1]The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.[/quote]

And with a little luck, it sounds like the Egyptian military will be using US-supplied tanks to overthrow their government (that we backed).

Just like the other dictators our government/CIA has installed over the past 20 years, that have turned on us time and time again.

Hopefully the Egyptian people will be successful in recapturing their country.

[permabear]

[quote=briansd1]The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.[/quote]

And with a little luck, it sounds like the Egyptian military will be using US-supplied tanks to overthrow their government (that we backed).

Just like the other dictators our government/CIA has installed over the past 20 years, that have turned on us time and time again.

Hopefully the Egyptian people will be successful in recapturing their country.

[permabear]

[quote=briansd1]The problem with America’s image in the Middle East is that we have been backing the dictators for dedades. Each year, Egypt receives $1 billion of American military assistance, money which is cycled back to American military contractors.[/quote]

And with a little luck, it sounds like the Egyptian military will be using US-supplied tanks to overthrow their government (that we backed).

Just like the other dictators our government/CIA has installed over the past 20 years, that have turned on us time and time again.

Hopefully the Egyptian people will be successful in recapturing their country.

[briansd1]

With Qadafi about to fall, it seems like our Iraq invasion was very foolhardy.

We spent $1 trillion on the war (what’s the real amount? I don’t keep track anymore).

Had we given it some time and contained Saddam, the Iraqi people would have overthrown the dictator themselves; and thousands would not have died in vain.

[briansd1]

With Qadafi about to fall, it seems like our Iraq invasion was very foolhardy.

We spent $1 trillion on the war (what’s the real amount? I don’t keep track anymore).

Had we given it some time and contained Saddam, the Iraqi people would have overthrown the dictator themselves; and thousands would not have died in vain.

[briansd1]

With Qadafi about to fall, it seems like our Iraq invasion was very foolhardy.

We spent $1 trillion on the war (what’s the real amount? I don’t keep track anymore).

Had we given it some time and contained Saddam, the Iraqi people would have overthrown the dictator themselves; and thousands would not have died in vain.

[briansd1]

With Qadafi about to fall, it seems like our Iraq invasion was very foolhardy.

We spent $1 trillion on the war (what’s the real amount? I don’t keep track anymore).

Had we given it some time and contained Saddam, the Iraqi people would have overthrown the dictator themselves; and thousands would not have died in vain.

[Author]

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