" ...the United States and its allies have taken the position that despotism is acceptable in the Middle East, as long as the despots in question provide useful services. "
[From "No more free passes for Egypt and other Arab autocracies" By Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, February 4, 2011]
" You will recall that even Saddam Hussein was once in the 'useful tyrant' category, partly because of Iraq's huge oil reserves and partly because he had been considerate enough to launch a war against Iran. Only after invading Kuwait and threatening Saudi Arabia did he move to the top of the U.S. enemies list; the despotic royal families that rule the oil-rich kingdoms and sheikdoms lining the Persian Gulf are more useful than Hussein ever was. "
[From " No more free passes for Egypt and other Arab autocracies " by Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, February 4, 2011]
" We're more isolated than ever before in the Arab world because of our Interventionism. "
[Pat Buchanan on Morning Joe, MSNBC, February 4, 2011]
" The overriding objective is a period of stability during which secularists and other democratic elements of civil society can organize themselves for the coming elections and prevail. ElBaradei is a menace. Mubarak will be gone one way or the other. The key is the military. The United States should say very little in public and do everything behind the scenes to help the military midwife---and then guarantee---what is still something of a long shot: Egyptian democracy. "
[From " Toward a soft landing in Egypt ", by By Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, Friday, February 4, 2011]
[From "No more free passes for Egypt and other Arab autocracies" By Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, February 4, 2011]
" You will recall that even Saddam Hussein was once in the 'useful tyrant' category, partly because of Iraq's huge oil reserves and partly because he had been considerate enough to launch a war against Iran. Only after invading Kuwait and threatening Saudi Arabia did he move to the top of the U.S. enemies list; the despotic royal families that rule the oil-rich kingdoms and sheikdoms lining the Persian Gulf are more useful than Hussein ever was. "
[From " No more free passes for Egypt and other Arab autocracies " by Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, February 4, 2011]
" We're more isolated than ever before in the Arab world because of our Interventionism. "
[Pat Buchanan on Morning Joe, MSNBC, February 4, 2011]
" The overriding objective is a period of stability during which secularists and other democratic elements of civil society can organize themselves for the coming elections and prevail. ElBaradei is a menace. Mubarak will be gone one way or the other. The key is the military. The United States should say very little in public and do everything behind the scenes to help the military midwife---and then guarantee---what is still something of a long shot: Egyptian democracy. "
[From " Toward a soft landing in Egypt ", by By Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, Friday, February 4, 2011]
Below are the first and last paragraphs of Juan Cole’s excellent synopsis/analysis of the situation in Egypt, and discusses the “ties” between the U.S., Israel, and Egypt.
“As long as the president and the Congress are willing to lie down and serve as doormats for America’s supposed allies in the Middle East– out of a conviction of the usefulness of their clients and the inexpensiveness of putting them on retainer– there will be anti-Americanism and security threats that force us to subject ourselves to humiliating patdowns and scans at the airport and an erosion of our civil liberties every day. We are only one step away of being treated, with “protest zones” and “Patriot Acts” just as badly as the peaceful Egyptian protesters have been.”
“It should be remembered that Egypt’s elite of multi-millionaires has benefited enormously from its set of corrupt bargains with the US and Israel and from the maintenance of a martial law regime that deflects labor demands and pesky human rights critiques. It is no wonder that to defend his billions and those of his cronies, Hosni Mubarak was perfectly willing to order thousands of his security thugs into the Tahrir Square to beat up and expel the demonstrators, leaving 7 dead and over 800 wounded, 200 of them just on Thursday morning.”
From Mubarak Defies a Humiliated America, Emulating Netanyahu by Juan Cole/Posted on 02/03/2011 by Juan
[http://www.juancole.com: Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion]
***
"I am dying, Egypt, dying."Antony and Cleopatra (IV, xv, 41)
Somoza!
Horse fly!
The Butcher of Baghdad!
War cry!
The Peacock Throne!
Bye bye!
The Pharaoh's Throne!
Stand by!
Muslims!
Mummies!
Communists!
Terrorists!
Dictators!
Friends turn into Foes as
Fast as Rains become Snows!
Dictators will be allies
Even though they are bad guys!
IT'S THE OIL STUPID!
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