Original post on MARCH 5 2011 @ Yahoo blog
It was coming...those of us who have followed the Mid East/Muslim world...lived there for many years…been part of the culture…are not surprised at all. In fact, what surprises is that it took so long in this age of instant messaging/communication.
My hunch as to the timing of the Sidi Bouzid Revolt, aka the Jasmine Revolution (the spark that lit the fuse), will stay undisclosed for now. No need to have more incoming fire than necessary. The signs were there: the glaring disparities between the haves and the have nots.
The jaded, “Westernized,” elite, who had adopted the worst (and not the best) of what the West truly does have to offer. This corrupt elite and “leadership” were certainly not much in the way of role models, although they had ample opportunity to lead the way and curb their insatiable, not to mention publicly glaring, greed. I would venture that had Zane al Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia reined in his vulgarly ostentatious wife, Leila and her nouveau riche family members, and had the bureaucrats in Sidi Bouazid showed some humanity to the plight of that poor soul, Tariq (aka Muhammad) Bouazizi rather than the ugly side of Arab culture of public humiliation and sadistic cruelty, the genie might still be in the bottle for another day.
The jaded, “Westernized,” elite, who had adopted the worst (and not the best) of what the West truly does have to offer. This corrupt elite and “leadership” were certainly not much in the way of role models, although they had ample opportunity to lead the way and curb their insatiable, not to mention publicly glaring, greed. I would venture that had Zane al Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia reined in his vulgarly ostentatious wife, Leila and her nouveau riche family members, and had the bureaucrats in Sidi Bouazid showed some humanity to the plight of that poor soul, Tariq (aka Muhammad) Bouazizi rather than the ugly side of Arab culture of public humiliation and sadistic cruelty, the genie might still be in the bottle for another day.
But this day of reckoning was coming…the populaces of this region have access to TV, can see who drives the fancy Porche and Mercedes on the streets of Damasq, Riyadh and Cairo, while they struggle to pay their bus fares and wrestle for a seat (if lucky) on the bus. You have ideal conditions for social uprising with a youth bulge and high unemployment, and festering perceptions of young men with no access to work or women (i.e. can’t afford to marry).
Overpopulation in this part of the world (especially in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan with finite resources) is the tinderbox. The problem is there are too many to feed and provide for…yet the mullahs urge their faithful to procreate and be fruitful. Yup, so they can have more gullible, illiterate, desperate and hungry souls to recruit from.
This is certainly the case with the Cairo based Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al Muslimin) that was never exterminated by the roots in its early days. Now it has its tentacles spread far and wide…a global threat partially disguised, fooling some as it stealthily pushes its long term agenda.
The Saudis now must realize the colossal mistake King Faisal made in the 60s (“the enemy of my enemy" script that is always shortsighted and backfires) when he welcomed the Misri Ikhwan into his Kingdom thinking they could be co-opted/tamed. To be then turned loose on those pesky Arab Nationalists/Marxists/Baathists. Even shipping them off to Peshawar for the “jihad” with a one way ticket did not solve the problem that only metastasized. Most came back confident, battle hardened (so their yarn goes) to cause mischief back home (Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), in the Balkansand elsewhere. Who’s co-opting who now??
And, then there is post-79 Iran…On that note, I’ll end my session for now.
Overpopulation in this part of the world (especially in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan with finite resources) is the tinderbox. The problem is there are too many to feed and provide for…yet the mullahs urge their faithful to procreate and be fruitful. Yup, so they can have more gullible, illiterate, desperate and hungry souls to recruit from.
This is certainly the case with the Cairo based Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al Muslimin) that was never exterminated by the roots in its early days. Now it has its tentacles spread far and wide…a global threat partially disguised, fooling some as it stealthily pushes its long term agenda.
The Saudis now must realize the colossal mistake King Faisal made in the 60s (“the enemy of my enemy" script that is always shortsighted and backfires) when he welcomed the Misri Ikhwan into his Kingdom thinking they could be co-opted/tamed. To be then turned loose on those pesky Arab Nationalists/Marxists/Baathists. Even shipping them off to Peshawar for the “jihad” with a one way ticket did not solve the problem that only metastasized. Most came back confident, battle hardened (so their yarn goes) to cause mischief back home (Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), in the Balkansand elsewhere. Who’s co-opting who now??
And, then there is post-79 Iran…On that note, I’ll end my session for now.
