Here In One Sentence is What Obama Doesn't Understand About the Middle East
Posted By Barry Rubin On May 29, 2011 @ 9:48 pm In Uncategorized | 3 Comments <> By Barry Rubin Here's the sentence: The changes in the region are producing more extremism, not more moderation. That applies to attitudes toward America and Israel as well as on internal social issues. Rachi Ghanouchi, head of Tunisia's Islamist movement-a man long portrayed as a moderate in the West-just publicly came out and called for Israel's destruction. And what does Voice of America tell <http://www.voanews.com/english/news/religion/Rachid-Ghanouchi--Does-Not-Sup port-an-Islamic-State-for-Tunisia-115094219.html> us and the Arabs? That Ghanouchi is a moderate who doesn't want an Islamist state! Your tax dollars at work. What does CBS News tell <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/19/ap/world/main20033963.shtml> us? That the Islamist party denounced the killing of a priest. Obviously very tolerant people. Of course, the Tunisian Islamists are far weaker than those in Egypt. Still, the West is deluding itself in thinking they are moderate. Yet let's listen-thanks to MEMRI <http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5305.htm> -at what the VOA and CBS producers counterpart in the Arab world is saying. In an article written for a Qatari and a Jordanian newspaper, entitled "Israel Is Surely Temporary," Samir al-Hijjawi says "It's time for Israel to go. It's time for the end of the great lie. It's time [for Israel] to go because the regimes protecting [it]. are toppling one by one." He added that the recent protests on Israel's borders prove the Palestinians and Arabs will never relinquish all of Palestine because it is sacred Muslim territory. I'll bet that every producer and pretty much every staff member of al-Jazira-the station Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recommended as accurate-agrees. Get it? For Obama, the "Arab Spring" means moderation and democracy. To most Arabs and Muslims, it represents a resurgence of Islamism and nationalism, the prelude for getting rid of Israel and U.S. influence in the region. I'd be bothered less if Obama acknowledges that but claimed that his proteges would win. The fact that he has zero percent understanding of the threat is the prelude to disaster. The fact that almost all Western newspapers and television news operations think the same way as Obama makes the situation even worse. _____ Article printed from Rubin Reports: http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin URL to article: http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/05/29/here-in-one-sentence-is-what-o bama-doesnt-understand-about-the-middle-east/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
