I'm really surprised this topic hasn't appeared yet. Tunisia has dumped its government, Egypt appears to be on the brink of doing it, Jordan's King Abdullah II has dismissed his government in a pre-emptive strike.....are we seeing a mid-east version of 1989? On the surface it seems to be an economic/democracy driven movement with Muslim undertones. Question is, is it a secular event or perhaps a strategy change by more radical Islamic elements that will make the transformation more "palatable" to the western world? Also, what could this mean for US policy? We are the backers of democracy, but sometimes what other people's democratic changes bring about becomes directly hostile to us. Could this signal the end of US policies in the region that support governments willing to align with us despite being viewed as autocratic? Many questions-but from where I sit this could be a very historical moment; whether it is good or bad (for us) is yet to be determined. Lastly, if this does signal a sweeping change, and we see many of these states turn "democratic" what effect will this have on the oil business? You could argue that populist movements in the oil producing states could radically alter the marketplace as the rank and file determine to gain economic emancipation on the back of the petroleum industry. This could get interesting. opcorn:
My opinion, it's Egypt, if they want to overthrow their government, so be it. Regardless of what Mubarak's relationship is with the United States, it's Egypt. Alot of the reason they are revolting is because of food prices, especially the price of wheat which has gone up drastically. And who can you thank for that?? You guessed it, the Republicans and defenders of deregulation. Speculation has caused prices to increase dramatically, lining the pockets of wall street while the rest of the world has to deal with the increasing prices on everything.
I think it's more than just Egypt. That just happens to be where the big news is happening today. I think the events in Tunisia simply brought it to a head, and people in Egypt and now other ME countries see that popular uprising can bring about a change and so they're giving it a shot. If Mubarak falls, I think you could very likely see a chain reaction. And BTW, this isn't a Republican-Bush created crisis. This situation goes all they way back to the partitioning of the Middle East by France and Britain following WWI. Trying to pin it on GWB (or the US for that matter) is simplistic and reacting to the symptoms rather than the cause. Granted, the US and its policies in the last 40 years are part of the equation, but not the sole cause.
Never said Bush, I said that speculation of commodities which came about by republican deregulation is partly to blame. The people are pissed because they are hungry, and the prices of wheat, which is Egypt imports more than any other country has gone up dramatically. That is just Egypt I was talking about though. I think the thing that is scaring people is the fact that the muslim brotherhood or some other sect of extremists will take over. Certainly a possibility.
That's one of my big questions. If viewed on the surface, this is a political/economic driven event. Whether the outcome is favorable to the US or not, I think it is always good to see people striving to better their situation. However, if more radical elements are using the unrest to provoke a regime change that will create a power vacuum and allow them to install a fundamentalist-style government in Egypt, that would be a huge problem for everyone. Israel better get their planes fueled up if that happens.
it isnt about speculation, it is about big farm protectionism, the very kind of thing favored by both parties. if anything george bush lamented our policy, saying publicly that he would prefer all our international food for places like egypt to be money instead of wheat, which destabilizes local farmers. clinton came out and made a statement agreeing with him, calling his opposition to this policy one of the biggest failing of his (clinton's) policy.
speculation has nothing to do with anything. ou are trying desperately to make this a partisan issue.
More like 1979. Third-world revolutions are never non-violent. As far as Jordan . . . they have had 72 governments since WWII. Every time there is domestic unrest the king sacks the government and creates a new one. The uprising was secular and driven by liberty and economic reasons. The longer it drags out the more political it will become, so far it is not religious, but religious political groups will be in the new mix. We have to deal with whatever government is in place. If the people overthrow their governments, we must deal with whoever replaces the current government. They pretty much discovered during the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 that oil is not a weapon. Their economies are tied up in trade with the West and China/Japan and they can't endanger it by simply raising the price of oil.
speculation has driven prices up on food, how is that not part of it? And I'm not trying to do anything, just stating the obvious. Agricultural food prices have risen anywhere from 40 to 80% since 2008. Speculators are driving food prices through the roof, and poorer countries are the ones that will suffer. This is a people issue, and yes I stand by my beliefs that Republicans who side with big business and deregulation have contributed this more than anyone. By the way, this is a political forum. Just thought you might like to know that.
