Wars and Rumors of Wars Part I of ??? (February 2011)

in #mideast7 years ago

https://karasoth.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/wars-and-rumors-of-wars/

Some times you need to go with Melodrama when it fits the mood of the events you are talking about.

So this post is going to be about taking a very high up analysis of the current situation we are seeing in the
world and my perspective on it.

I am going to break this Particular upper level analysis into relevant groups

But I would like to start with some words from Albert Pike, Masonic thinker and (sadly) Confederate General
he quoted Solon when asked if he gave the Athenian people the best laws. Solon’s response “The Best they are capable of receiving.”
These words of Solon are what I fear we have to face in the coming turmoil in the middle east if these events come out as a
“Best case scenario.” These people will receive the best democratic institutions and laws they are able.

In the case of a Worst case scenario then I am writing these words to exist as part of the dialogue of history that I hope will be read by some one.

This was not unexpected

The US played a role in setting the stage for this revolt:

Globe and Mail Telegraph America.Gov

Even as they were officially supporting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, American officials were secretly helping dissidents interested in using social media to overthrow his regime, a secret dispatch from the U.S. embassy in Cairo has revealed.

The cable, dated December 30, 2008 and recently released on the Wikileaks website, also describes a plot to oust Mr. Mubarak in 2011, which it dismisses as “unrealistic.” 

I want to turn the briefing over for a bit to Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and then Jared Cohen, who’s from our Policy Planning Staff, to talk a little bit about a really exciting and innovative program that the State Department is working on with various partners out in the private sector. It’s called the Alliance of Youth Movement. It’s a meeting that’s going to be held in New York City from December 3rd to the 5th, and it’s working with youth to help combat extremism and to use new trends in social networking, as well as the technical aspects of social networking, to help various groups come together to combat extremism. And it’s really part of – this is, I would say, part of an overall effort here at the State Department to really better use technology, better use various applications of those technology, including social networking and social media to better communicate with the rest of the world and to do our job. You’re well aware of what we’re doing in terms of the briefing room here, Briefing 2.0, Facebook, our blog, and a lot of other efforts that we’ll talk about after this. I won’t bore you with all those right now. 

Obama was briefed and warnings existed

Talking Points Memo

Haaretz

We warned of instability but not exactly where it would come from [and in what form],” she said. “That happened at the end of last year.”

The committee was considering O’Sullivan’s nomination, and O’Sullivan was responding to a question from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) about what the president knew about the expected unrest in Egypt and when he knew it.

Wyden was not satisfied by O’Sullivan’s answer and said he wanted more specifics about exactly when Obama was informed about how serious the situation was in Egypt.

But O’Sullivan said she was not directly involved in providing exact information about presidential briefings and her duties involve “a more general understanding of what was going on.” 

“We have warned of instability,” she said. “We didn’t know what the triggering mechanism would be for that. And that happened at the end of the last year.”

Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been criticized for being slow to grasp the scale of the upheaval in Egypt. 

Obama Cut funds in his first budget to the programs that helped sponsor the youth movement that now it turns out was the nucleus of the “Revolution”

So, what does this all mean?

  • Our Government sponsored the civil society movements that pushed for change in Yemen, Egypt, and other places.
  • Our Government seems to have no connections or influence with the group ( or is not using it)
  • Our Government seems to have either forgotten or not aware of the influence of these groups on potential brewing stability
  • Our Government seems to have helped to promote instability in allies (albeit allies with an unpleasant system of government.)
  • Our Government seemed only interested in the Instability in Egypt when it was to late (several scholars had been promoting these concerns in 2010)

So our Government seems unaware of whats going on, or unaware of the consequence of its own actions
And they have been promoting instability in allied countries.

Next I will talk some about the Demographic issues factoring into the mess

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