Getting Priorities Wrong in Egypt and Syria: Three Media Case Studies
There is no point in supporting an opposition that’s going to procure a government dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists! That’s the issue: the United States should do everything possible to help moderates — both defected officers and liberal politicians — gain the upper hand. It should work closely with the Kurds and press hard to make sure that Christians are protected and that the opposition (or at least parts of the opposition responsible) will be punished if it commits massacres.
Is that so hard to see?
But guess what? Senator Marco Rubio also never mentions the Islamism issue in his article on how the United States should intervene in Syria. He had better get an advisor who knows something about the Middle East fast, or he may end up as another John McCain on the Middle East.
Second, Vali Nasr has some good points in a New York Times op-ed, but I perceive two very big flaws. One of them is a warning:
If the Syrian conflict explodes outward, everyone will lose: it will spill into neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. Lebanon and Iraq in particular are vulnerable; they, too, have sectarian and communal rivalries tied to the Sunni-Alawite struggle for power next door.
Really? The issue is not that the conflict is going to spill over but that it is part of a Sunni-Shia battle that will be a major feature of the region in the coming decades. Lebanon and Iraq are merely other fronts in this battle, and whatever happens in Syria isn’t going to start some new problem in those countries.
The question is merely who wins in Syria. A Sunni victory in Syria would empower a moderate-led Sunni community in Lebanon against Hizballah. As for Iraq, another Sunni power will make that government unhappy, but isn’t going to intensify already-existing sectarian tensions there. And Kurdish autonomy in Syria isn’t going to set off a Kurdish-Turkish war in Turkey, either.
But it is dangerous to pretend that a solution in Syria will make the Sunni-Shia battle go away. The most likely change is a post-Assad regime that would strengthen the Sunni side in the regional picture. That’s good if you feel Iran is the main threat but bad if you worry about growing Sunni Islamism.
Dear mister Rubin,
I wish you good luck on your operation and on your recovery. I hope to hear (or rather, read) from you soon.
Dear Dr. Rubin,
Your situation scares me. I sincerely hope that all goes well and as easily as it can. In you are comfortable, please keep us updated on your recovery. Having read you here and on your blog for several years, I feel a connection and I don’t want to lose it.
Best,
Keith
Barry, I don’t for the life of me know why you didn’t just come out and say the Los Angeles Times article was nothing more than a propaganda piece.
I wonder if the writer got some help from Hussein ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ Obama ?
And they we have the ongoing,very close and cozy relationship between Washington and Saudi Arabia where they always get a pass and those pesky Israeli’s are always restrained and abused for defending themselves from the bloodthirsty lunatics who surround them.
Saudi cleric accuses Jewish people of genocide, drinking human blood
http://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-cleric-accuses-jewish-people-of-genocide-drinking-human-blood/
I took the liberty of correcting the Saudi clerics twisted rant
‘The role and rule of Islam is to wreak destruction, to wage wars, and to practice deception and extortion, and we’re doing a pretty darn good job od this around the globe but especially in Syria now.’
‘Look at how we have destroyed Somalia and how we keep blowing up fellow Muslims in Iraq,Pakistan and Afghanistan especially as they pray in our Mosques. We lie for our god the father of lies and blame the Joos,and this works well for us in destroying everything living’,Salman al-Odeh said.
The untold story — in the media at least — is the Russian determination to keep the battle going. The reason is that the natural gas pipeline from Iran/Iraq goes to the Mediteranean through Syria. Russia wants the monopoly on European natural gas supply. As long as Syria is in turmoil, Russia makes $$$$, and had Europe over a barrel (so to speak). Just wait until the cold of winter! All the handwringing about violence is for pretty little news anchors to weep about.
Mr Rubin — r[fuah schlaimah
All you can expect from most of the Western media networks is ignorance. The West is on its death march, what more need be said?
“There is no point in supporting an opposition that’s going to procure a government dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists”
It is not hard to see, it’s just wrong. Only stable democracies are permanent. Let the people of Syria decide. Then they will have to live or die by their decision. Forcing a decision on them is both wrong and might be impossible.
Egypt’s decision to empower the MB will lead to blood in the streets. That is because the MB is a bunch of zealots. History shows zealots cannot run a nation. By grasping power the MB destroys itself. It either loses it religious edge or it falls to the mobs. Either way the USA is better off waiting. If we intervene at all, it should be killing the despots if they use military weapons on the citizens exercising their human right to demonstrate.
While riots can be great fun, given enough time, the people will figure out that voting works almost as well as rioting and is much easier to clean up after.
Of course Israel wants the USA to do their dirty work. They will need to join NATO first.
Interesting analysis, but never mind that … you are a helluva a guy to be staring such a personal medical situation in the face and still wind up and take one more swing at the useful idiots to fight the good fight. If I may say so, you do Orwell proud. When you make it back to Philly I’d be honored to buy you a beer.
As always – another interesting analysis from Prof Rubin – a fighter and a mensch. You do a lot to help us understand this complex, volatile region.
We are all with you and hoping to read more soon.
Obama/Cameron/Sarkozy’s evil REGIMES made this possible including by ARMING this Islamic Nazi Muslim Brotherhood – thus betraying such great legacy of WW2 by American soldiers and leaders and of the great Churchill (who recognized the evilness of Islam)! I hope these evil REGIMES will be convicted for War Crimes/War against Humanity one day in the Hague since the Saudi/Qatar royals-sponsored Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is intent on Nazi-like supremacist, racist, sexist and violent (both psychological/physical) Arabic-Islamic world domination, sexual slavery (especially of women/girls in evil Saudi-Arabic veils), Genocide, rape and torture of Jews, Christians, non-Arabs and liberal Muslims, Arabicizing every non-Arab Muslims (or even non-Muslims in conquered lands), and massive ROBBERY of oil/mineral/land. And that all kinds of evil Jihadist terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, Taleban, Hamas, Salafist, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, Somalia’s al-Shabaab, Mindanao Abu Sayyaf and many more, are all actually created/sponsored by the Saudi-Qatar royals/MB. Osama bin Laden might be just a small fish in this big dirty and most dangerous game played by Obama and his beloved Saudi king and the MB! Such as that these MB-led Jihadists have conquered non-Arab African & Mid-East Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Mali & Tunisia and soon to be Syria!
“[t]o get a better read on opposition forces and to encourage those less inclined toward sectarianism.”
Unfortunately, it seems that those forces that are “less inclined toward sectarianism” are politically inconsequential minorities that will be (I presume) harshly/or/subtly suppressed by the MB, salafists and other nefarious creatures. Still, liberals should be supported!!! They are the ONLY REAL allies the US/West has in the middle east. All others, as far as I can tell, seem to be either opportunists that use the (justified) fear of salafists to extort funds from the US/EU or religious fanatics bent on instituting a global caliphate.
Excellent post, as always.