Barry Rubin: Egypt: A Muslim Brotherhood President Does Not Prove That We Are All ‘Chimps’
If we assess honestly what has happened, it would require us to conclude that the aggressiveness of revolutionary Islamism and the weakness of the U.S. response to this challenge have been the principal problems in the Middle East and must be addressed seriously or things will get steadily worse, more violent, and more oppressive. Yet if we are all equally “chimps,” one can ignore all of the lessons of the last eighteen months and, thus, continue to make more terrible errors in the months to come.
But what should we make specifically of this most recent event, the certification of al-Mursi’s victory? Certainly, it is another step forward for the Brotherhood toward capturing the most important Arab country. A confident Hamas (which has now officially joined the Muslim Brotherhood’s international network) has launched a war against Israel by firing dozens of cross-border rockets from the Gaza Strip and other means which the “international community” and democratic West are ignoring, to set one more terrible precedent in the war—one-sided as far as they’re concerned—with revolutionary Islamism.
Even now the “chimps” refuse to acknowledge the extremism of the Brotherhood, the most significant anti-American, antisemitic group in the entire world today. They ignore the fully documented fact that al-Mursi campaigned on a basis of hatred for America, fundamentally transforming Egypt into a Sharia state, going to war with Israel, and spreading revolution throughout the region. At this very moment, for example, the U.S. government is supporting a Brotherhood-led puppet group as the leadership of the Syrian uprising and arming its forces.
Yet within Egypt itself the outcome is not clear at all. There are as many options as there are rumors in Cairo. Remember that there is no Egyptian constitution, no parliament, and no timetable for electing a new parliament. The powers of the president are not defined.
So al-Mursi is going to govern the country or, which seems more likely, the rulers will continue to be the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and al-Mursi will be a figurehead. It seems likely that this situation will prevail for at least one year. Will the military make some deal with al-Mursi and the Brotherhood which trades limited power for accepting limits on their power? Here’s an article by Eric Trager, who has also consistently been right on Egypt, writing about how hard-line al-Mursi is personally and the likelihood he will follow the instructions of the Brotherhood’s jihadist supreme guide, al-Badi, in his decision-making.
Will, as seems less likely, the Brotherhood embark on a campaign of armed resistance or, more probably, just continue demonstrations in Tahrir Square in Cairo? Here we can see the difference between all of the nonsense spoken in 2011 and reality. If the army wants a “revolution,” there will be a “revolution”; if the army wants to resist, then it will remain in power. It is important to note, however, that the Salafist groups will not take this lying down. There will be a lot of violence.
Finally, there is a question of Western policy toward Egypt. What should happen is realpolitik, survival response. The military is saving Egypt from catastrophe. That doesn’t mean its rule is wonderful, democratic, or terribly competent. The army is not going to solve Egypt’s problems, but neither is anyone else.
Yet probably what will happen is that the U.S. government will condemn on some level the military, stamp its foot ineffectively, and spout words like “turnover of power,” “transparency,” “rapid action,” and so on. In effect, of course, they are insisting that Egypt be turned into a totalitarian state, the sooner the better.
FP: I am not so sure about the ability of the army to withstand MB takeover, for reasons that Caroline Glick so accurately gave (see my post of her column from a couple of days ago).
See also AND NOW FOR THE SMALL PRINT. Nothing that I have not predicted.
JoshuaPundit: Hillary Clinton's Hidden Ties To Egypt's New Muslim Brotherhood President
In view of the aiding and abetting of the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt by the Obama Administration, it's worth looking at another close, direct tie between the White House and the new Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohammed Morsi.
This one concerns Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mrs. Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff and her closest adviser is Huma Abedin, recently in the news as the unfortunate wife of disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner.The relationship between the two women is extraordinarily close, and it is an open joke in Washington to refer to Ms. Abedin as 'Hillary's shadow'.
As I revealed previously, Huma Abedin also has very close family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.Her entire immediate family are well known in hard line Islamist circles.
…
There's a distinct possibility that Huma Abedin may be an intelligence mole, which would account for a number of things, including a lifestyle that seems far beyond her current salary.
As Secretary Clinton's close adviser, she already has access to quite a bit of classified information, as well as having the sympathetic ear of the U.S. Secretary of State and the ability to influence policy on a very personal level.
Also, as a Muslima, she has the religious flexibility to practice takiyah, or Muruna as it is more commonly known among Sunnis, deception to advance Islam.
This is speculation, but for the Muslim Brotherhood leadership, can you imagine a better placed mole than Huma Abedin?
FP: It is becoming increasingly obvious that the West, and the US in particular don’t have the slightest clue who they’re dealing with (see next)
Scott Johnson: Brothers’ Day
Mark Steyn cruelly recalls the wisdom of Obama administration Director of National Intelligence James Clapper regarding events as they were unfolding in Egypt last year. Mark writes: “[D]on’t worry, on the day Mubarak stepped down, America’s Director of National Intelligence, who presides over the most lavishly funded intelligence bureaucracy on the planet, was telling the world that the Muslim Brotherhood is ‘largely secular.’ So that’s okay.” Mark links to the video (below) of his appearance on Fox News discussing Clapper’s wit and wisdom at the time.
Mark also makes the point that “experts” can get a lot of things wrong, but rarely on the scale of the western media in February 2011, at the time of Mubarak’s resignation. Barry Rubin elaborates on this point at length in an excellent column, to which Mark Steyn supplies a coda: “We can’t do anything about the disposition of the Egyptian electorate, but we could at least stop deluding ourselves.”
And this just in: Our friends at the Times of Israel report: “Egyptian President-elect Morsi looks to strengthen ties with Iran, re-examine pact with Israel.”
FP: See what I mean? See also Debbie Schlussel: Mohammed Morsi: Add Muslim Bro’hood Egypt Prez to List of Muslim US College Attendees Who Hate Us. And
Elder of Ziyon: Egyptian beats pregnant wife to death for not voting for Morsi
From Al Arabiya:
An Egyptian plumber in Alexandria beat his pregnant wife to death upon learning that she had not voted for Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohammed Mursi, reported the Egyptian daily al-Wafd on Sunday.
According to police reports, the initial argument between the couple who was not named escalated into violence, despite her pleas. Battered and bruised, she was reported to have died at the hospital from injuries sustained.
No, they are not just like us and they won’t be because they don’t want to. On the contrary, they want us to be like them.
Turkey turns to NATO over Syrian attack
Turkish newspapers report the plane downing as a declaration of war by Syria on Turkey • U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls the attack "brazen and unacceptable" • Syrian forces kill 70 more people on Sunday.
FP: After Islamizing the Syrian opposition, Erdogan now wants to suck the West into the morass of the ME craziness to save himself the hassle. If NATO agrees, it’ll become the tool of Islamism. Hardly surprising.
Bill Katz: GERMANY REBUFFS OBAMA
We can still hear the cheering from the throngs that greeted candidate Obama in 2008 as he spoke in Berlin...an odd place for an American candidate to appear.
Apparently Obama's goal was to show American voters that he could life up his arms and influence the world because he was...Barack. Elect me and America will be restored in the world.
Not so fast, fella. What we've seen in the last three and a half years of Obama's rule is a world that increasingly ignores what this country does and what its leader says. Projecting weakness rather than strength, Obama may still be winning popularity contests among the world's teeny-boppers, but those over 12 are having their doubts.
The latest rebuff comes from Germany, site of that 2008 triumphant speech:
BERLIN (AP) -- Germany's finance minister is rejecting U.S. President Barack Obama's calls on Europe to move faster in fighting its debt crisis, telling him to get the American deficit under control instead.
Wolfgang Schaeuble told public broadcaster ZDF in an interview late Sunday that "people are always very quick at giving others advice."
He says: "Mr. Obama should first of all take care of reducing the American deficit, which is higher than in the eurozone."
Obama and other leaders fear an escalating crisis in Europe could drag down the world economy.
COMMENT: What is remarkable about that comment is its brusqueness. This finance minister is talking about the president of the United States. Just a few years ago he would have genuflected before Obama. The fact that he feels he can speak so disrespectfully is a sign of the disappointment many feel in the leadership of this president.
Indeed, we are being ignored all over the world. We are making no significant headway in any area. Notice that Iran has not granted a single concession in the current nuclear talks. North Korea ignores Obama's warnings. A president must be feared as well as respected.
FP: Two parallel declines.
Kofi Annan suggests adding Iran to Syria meeting
UN special envoy wants Tehran to help solve crisis, but needs Washington and Moscow to sign off on the move.
FP: How do these idiots ever get their high level positions?
Members of Congress trade in companies while making laws that affect those same firms
One-hundred-thirty members of Congress or their families have traded stocks collectively worth hundreds of millions of dollars in companies lobbying on bills that came before their committees, a practice that is permitted under current ethics rules, a Washington Post analysis has found.
The lawmakers bought and sold a total of between $85 million and $218 million in 323 companies registered to lobby on legislation that appeared before them, according to an examination of all 45,000 individual congressional stock transactions contained in computerized financial disclosure data from 2007 to 2010.
Almost one in every eight trades -- 5,531 -- intersected with legislation. The 130 lawmakers traded stocks or bonds in companies as bills passed through their committees or while Congress was still considering the legislation. The party affiliation of the lawmakers was almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, 68 to 62.
FP: Part and parcel of societal decline.
RECOMMENDED READS
Victor Davis Hanson: Is the Country Unraveling
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