Robert Naiman wrote: > You say you don't think that I am asking the right question. But > surely you would agree that what one thinks is "the right question" > (presumably, there is more than one "right question") depends on what > one thinks is worth caring about. > > For example, I care about ending the economic blockade of Gaza. The > continuation of the current policy is a matter of life and death for > civilians in Gaza - a fact documented by Israeli human rights groups.
This isn't what you were talking about before. Instead your focus was on "free and fair" elections vs. the military hand-picking the president. That's what I was responding to. My point was that the elections, free and fair or not, aren't very important. I doubt that the structure of power within Egyptian society will change significantly. That structure determines the actual policy results of the election, especially in the long run. In any event, I did mention the possibility of an anti-Israel tilt, which might include ending the blockade. (By the way, that tilt would be a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.) The key thing is that such a tilt would come from the popular pressure on the state (_whether or not_ elections are "free and fair" or military-manipulated), counteracting the massive pressure that the US and Israel. If there is a strong constituency within the Egyptian military for ending that blockade, then it could happen even without popular pressure. But again, the Egyptian military is highly dependent on US aid. If other militaries all around the world are any guide, they want their toys. I get the impression that you don't think I care about the details (such as the blockade). That impression is wrong. It's hard to combine a relatively abstract analysis with concrete details without going on too long. My contribution was _already_ too long. -- Jim Devine / "Living a life of quiet desperation -- but always with style!" _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
