The Islamist ascendancy: What the Arab Spring has wrought
-Charles Krauthammer
Post-revolutionary Libya appears to have elected a relatively moderate pro-Western government. Good news, but tentative because Libya is less a country than an oil well with a long beach and myriad tribes. Popular allegiance to a central national authority is weak. Yet even if the government of Mahmoud Jibril is able to rein in the militias and establish a functioning democracy, it will be the Arab Spring exception.
Tunisia and Morocco, the most Westernized of all Arab countries, elected Islamist governments. Moderate, to be sure, but Islamist still. Egypt, the largest and most influential, has experienced an Islamist sweep. The Muslim Brotherhood didn’t just win the presidency. It won nearly half the seats in parliament, while more openly radical Islamists won 25 percent. Combined, they command more than 70 percent of parliament — enough to control the writing of a constitution (which is why the generals hastily dissolved parliament).
As for Syria, if and when Bashar al-Assad falls, the Brotherhood will almost certainly inherit power. Jordan could well be next. And the Brotherhood’s Palestinian wing (Hamas) already controls Gaza.
What does this mean? That the Arab Spring is a misnomer. This is an Islamist ascendancy, likely to dominate Arab politics for a generation.
Genuinely democratic rule may yet come to Arab lands. Radical Islam is the answer to nothing, as demonstrated by the repression, social backwardness and civil strife of Taliban Afghanistan, Islamist Sudan and clerical Iran.
The only thing we can be sure of today, however, is that Arab nationalism is dead and Islamism is its successor. This is what the Arab Spring has wrought. The beginning of wisdom is facing that difficult reality.
[Jewish World Review]
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4 comments:
Thing do not always go the way outsiders would like. Perhaps the Arab Spring will need to be followed by the Arab Spring Cleaning--the second wave that will get rid of all extremists but I fear that may take a while.
I like that: "The Arab Spring Cleaning!"
The twin fogs of political correctness & ignorance must be dispersed before western society better understands the menace of islam. Even a brief review of islamic theology & history quickly exposes the deadly roots of this evil ideology.
Mohamhead was a 7th century murdering warlord who rose to power on a river of blood surrounded by thugs and gangsters using intimidation, violence, deception and trickery to expand their criminal empire while mercilessly suppressing and killing their opponents and enriching themselves on stolen booty.
The evil koran is a collection of sayings and speeches by this diabolical madman claiming divine guidance from some mythical sky-god which has inspired generations of crazed fanatics to abhorrent behavior resulting in historys worst ever crimes against humanity starting 1400 years ago and still continuing even today.
Islam is just another fascist totalitarian ideology used by power hungry fanatics on yet another quest for worldwide domination and includes all the usual human rights abuses & suppression of freedoms.
and some snappy graphics, great for emailing...
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1479/dangermoko.jpg
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/9963/dangerislam.jpg
Dear "Ecks Why"
You raise issues that bring us into interesting territory: Can Islam, like the violent Church which proceeded it, take a non-political, non-jihadist format?
I come down firmly with Dr. Daniel Pipes [MidEast Scholar] who says that 'radical Islam is the problem; moderate Islam is the answer.'
In retrospect, it's hard to believe that the Catholic Church, once the leader in state violence, has transformed into what it is today. We must support genuine moderate Muslims. You'll find a few featured on my blog.
Bruce
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