Comments on: UPDATED: Oy Vey Egypt (Evolution?)

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:14:00 +0000

Let’s have a little historical perspective. Ever since the time of the Pharaohs, Egypt has been an extremely collectivist piece of land. This didn’t change under the Persian, Hellenistic (Ptolemaic) or Roman empires. While the Romans did provide free trade in most other provinces, they considered Egypt the personal property of the Emperor, and it was basically one large Soviet-style collective grain farm.

This continued under the Byzantines and tribal Arabs until Islam with its notorious Sharia economics (one of the reasons I believe Islam to be impervious to reform), making very fertile ground for the 20th and 21st century ‘Arab Socialism’ of Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak.

Whatever woes the Arab world has, they’re deeply linked to the collectivist nature of Islamic economics. You can’t have a free society without free markets. How can we expect women’s liberation in Islam when almost all women are economically dependent on men?

By: Michael Marks

Michael Marks — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:56:12 +0000

Well I guess we’ve got about 14 more centuries of evolution for many of our “friends” of the Arab Spring.

By: Eric Zucker

Eric Zucker — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:33:39 +0000

It’s lamentably unreasonable to expect a tolerant and liberal society to emerge in Egypt anytime soon. While goodwill for our fellow man makes us hopeful, the likely outcome is less liberty and a new violent dictatorial regime.

The tree of liberty needs fertile soil.

The Revolution of 1776 succeeded in advancing liberty because the colonists embraced individualism and personal responsibility. They rebelled because they didn’t enjoy the same “rights of Englishmen” as their common descendants in England.

Egypt is stifled by a chronic collectivist culture. Individualism and personal responsibility are displaced by license and fear of the mob and authorities. The repeated attack and rape of reporter Lara Logan in Tahrir Square provides an illustration. Too many members of that mob weren’t constrained by a sense of personal responsibility and the authorities were nowhere in sight.

Sir Edmond Burke said, “It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.”

By: Scherie

Scherie — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:53:41 +0000

This is one American who understood what was going on in Egypt. This “Arab Spring” nonsense was obscene. And the fact that the media is so ignorant of history; to suggest that this would usher in freedom shows supreme evasion.

Iran can’t believe their luck! Obama has opened a pandora’s box by destabilizing the region and not understanding the consequences.

By: james huggins

james huggins — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:43:10 +0000

Islamism is a phase the Arab world has been going through since the 7th century or thereabouts. I don’t think they are going to outgrow it anytime soon. As far as the American media and all the other “smart” people inside the beltway are concerned one only has to look at the completely stupid conclusions they continue to draw on events. This is the same bunch that thought Obama was a centrist and many still do. I’m reminded of a quote from George Wallace to some network talking head back in the early 1960’s. He said “You network experts called Castro the saviour of Latin America when every cab driver in Alabama knew he was a communist”. The so called experts are blinded by their own brilliance and self importance while regular people tend to look at the actual evidence. To be fooled by Islamic ascendancy is to suffer from a blind eye to the obvious.

[See post update.]

By: My RON-PAUL i

My RON-PAUL i — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:36:06 +0000

Here is our state department discussing the Moslem brotherhood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_29IeEeZqo

By: George Pal

George Pal — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:01:36 +0000

There’s no need for fatalism. Remember, where there are Arab mobs there’s sure to be a spring; where there are Salafists there’s sure to be a reformation; where there’s the Brotherhood there are sure to be moderates; and in Ms. Logan’s case, when you’re pricked by a thorn there’s sure to be a rose.

By: Michael Marks

Michael Marks — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:29:42 +0000

I can’t say I’m surprised by the election results. I just hope the Arab spring doesn’t turn into an Israeli hell…

By: Abelard Lindsey

Abelard Lindsey — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:53:17 +0000

I think Islamism is a phase that the Arab world has to pass through in the same manner that much of East and Southeast Asia had to pass through communism starting in the 1950’s. I view this as an inevitable historical process. Any attempt by the west to prevent it (by supporting “pro-west” dictators such as Mubarak) will only delay and make the process worse.