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Olde Tyme Religion
Prof. Bernard Lewis:Don't push for democracy in MidEast
2011-04-04
Interesting interview with the dean of the Orientalists. Including several palpable hits against the New York Time's tradition of determined ignorance, parochial naivete and gullibility. In this broad-ranging interview, Professor Lewis also talks about the impact of female repression, how to handle Iran, and the problem of Turkey and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.
"I think that the tyrannies are doomed," Mr. Lewis says as we sit by the windows in his library, teeming with thousands of books in the dozen or so languages he's mastered. "The real question is what will come instead."

For Americans who have watched protesters in Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Bahrain and now Syria stand up against their regimes, it has been difficult not to be intoxicated by this revolutionary moment. Mr. Lewis is "delighted" by the popular movements and believes that the U.S. should do all it can to bolster them. But he cautions strongly against insisting on Western-style elections in Muslim lands.

Elections, he argues, should be the culmination—not the beginning—of a gradual political process. Thus "to lay the stress all the time on elections, parliamentary Western-style elections, is a dangerous delusion."

In Middle Eastern history "consultation is the magic word. It occurs again and again in classical Islamic texts. It goes back to the time of the Prophet himself," says Mr. Lewis.
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#10  yeap, we are busy burning the Arabs Oil, while our oil, natural gas and coal sit safely under our feet. Kinda like a bank account. Yep the Arab stuff is expensive, but we can afford it. Someday they will be back on the camels and off to the desert to raise goats. Then we will depete someone else - Brazil comes to mind - these places are for all real intents and purposes colonies. We allow them to have independant governments but all they can sell to the west is their natural resources.

We sit on the largest energy reserves in the world and we get along quit well with our neighbors to the north who also has a butt load of energy resourses.

Let the rest of them sell it off - and then say what happened we used to be rich. The english decended nations,will survive.
Posted by: retired LEO   2011-04-04 23:55  

#9  Jerry Pournelle's version:
I have no brief for Qadhafi, or for Bashar of Syria, or for Mubarak of Egypt. I will say I have not heard stories of 14 year old girls being lashed to death in public during their watch in their regimes, but that is not a great deal to be said to their credit. Or is it? In some parts of the world it is assumed that 14 year old rape victims will not be beaten to death in public, but there are places where that is demanded by the law, and is it bad form to point out that this is barbarism.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2011-04-04 16:07  

#8  Essence: Muslim 'democracy' = Jihad!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2011-04-04 15:21  

#7  China's a massive bubble. I give them less time than the Islamists.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2011-04-04 13:22  

#6  I'd say the Islamists have less than 100 years

They do?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2011-04-04 09:13  

#5  I'd say the Islamists have less than 100 years to achieve their ambitions before the Chinese get fed up with them and wipe them off the map.
Posted by: Butch Elmaviting1567   2011-04-04 08:06  

#4  such a genius.
Posted by: newc   2011-04-04 05:00  

#3  CHINESE MILITARY FORUM POSTER > opined that Islamists have less than 100 years [< Year 2080-2100?]to achieve their ambitions or dreams before the World gets off its dependence on ME Oil, + Muslim Govts-States devol towards insignificance.

* SAME > CHINA TO SEND TWO REGIMENTS OF J-10's TO HELP ENFORCE UN NFZ OVER LIBYA???

* SAME > FIRST THE MIDDLE EAST THEN THE WORLD | GLOBALIST BLITZKRIEG SIGNALS LARGEST GEOPOL RE-ORDERING SINCE WW2
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-04-04 01:36  

#2  "to lay the stress all the time on elections, parliamentary Western-style elections, is a dangerous delusion."

Delusion, or a good excuse to bug out and leave the mess to the natives? Ask the countries that de-colonized, like Portugal.
Posted by: Pappy   2011-04-04 00:52  

#1  Well whazz about for SOUTH AMERICA?

To wit,

* TOPIX > ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS CURRENTLY OPERATING IN [tri-Nation]"TRIPLE FRONTIER" AREA: BRAZILIAN MAGAZINE SAYS.

Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah + Other.

* SAME > REPORT: HAMAS + HEZBOLLAH OPERATIVES IN BRAZIL [hiding] PLANNING ATTACKS ABROAD.

PAN-AMERICAN JIHAD???

['Cuzin CARMEN ELECTRA + PAULA "TRIPS TO BRAZIL" ABDUL here].
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-04-04 00:42  

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