Egypt

[Haggis@wk]

Corruption And Islamism In Egypt.

“Egypt under Mubarak was a tightly-controlled kleptocracy, and Egypt since Mubarak has been an uncontrolled kleptocracy, in which public officials steal whatever isn’t tied down. Shiploads of rice, diesel fuel, and other tradables are leaving Egyptian ports for hard-currency markets, while the country–which imports half its caloric consumption–runs out of money. Mubarak’s elite has helicopters revving on their roofs. It’s no surprise Islamists swept this week’s parliamentary elections. Whom do we expect Egyptians to vote for? . . . Stripped of a thin Western veneer, what remains of Egypt is one of the world’s most backward societies, despite the veneer of sophistication that beguiled reporters who parachuted into Cairo for the Tahrir Square theatrics in February. Nearly a third of Egyptians marry cousins (because they count on their clan to protect them). And 45% are illiterate, while 90% of adult women suffered genital mutilation.”

[Haggis@wk]

L’Institut d’Égypte: In Memoriam

What is it about Muslims and history? As this listing suggests, too many of them hate not only what is non-Islamic but even their own heritage

(2) The former minister of state for antiquities affairs, Zahi Hawass, campaigned for the return of the country’s treasures. I vote against that. Better they be safe where they are than exposed to the fury of modern-day Egyptians, especially given that Egypt’s mufti recently ruled against the private display of statues, a possible first step toward a state-sanctioned destruction of Egyptian antiquities.

Whereas Afghanistan and Somali were already third world countries before their decline into Islamic extremism, Egypt and Turkey are modern countries. How much longer will it take for them to reach the same level of despair?

[Giant Communist Robot]

It looks like anything non-Islamic is fair game. This isn't going to end well.

[dai bread]

If you teach people their history, either collectively, as a society, in schools or privately as in geneology, you teach them who they are and where they came from. They then develop a sense of their place in their society and/or family and their self-esteem rises. Then they are hard, if not impossible, to control.

[Giant Communist Robot]

If you teach people their history

These people have been taught their "Islamic history".

[Haggis@wk]

“Maldives Bows to Protests, Bans Spas.” Like Egypt, which depends on tourism for its foreign exchange and which imports most of its calories, but whose Salafists want to obliterate the Pyramids for “idolatry,” I suspect the Maldives will come to regret this.

[Haggis@wk]

U.S. State Department…. But, but they promised!!!

The Muslim Brotherhood gave the United States assurances regarding the maintaining of Egypt's peace deal with Israel, a top U.S. official said on Thursday, despite recent comments by party leaders claiming that the 1979 treaty did not bind Cairo's new regime.

Earlier this week, the Muslim Brotherhood, the overwhelming victor in the first round of elections for the Egyptian Parliament, announced that would not recognize Israel and intends to bring the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty to a referendum.

This passes for "smart politics" in the Obama State Department....sheesh!

[dai bread]

For goodness sake, Americans, zip up your wallets. You'll end up financing yet another enemy.

[Haggis@wk]

For goodness sake, Americans, zip up your wallets. You'll end up financing yet another enemy.

Really, next to Israel, Egypt is the largest receipient of American foreign aid.....I wonder if that will happen again this year.

[Haggis@wk]

US holds highest-level talks yet with Brotherhood

What could go wrong??

Query: If Egypt rejects the Egypt-Israel peace deal (which seems imminenetly possible) do we continue to give Egypt all that money?

Prediction, we’ll be out of Afghanistan by November….not sure what the significance of that date might be.
.

[jamiebk]

out of Afghanistan by November….not sure what the significance of that date might be.
.

1. Lots of US military lives saved
2. Lots of money saved
3. We stop bankrolling corrupt and immoral tribes

[dai bread]

out of Afghanistan by November….not sure what the significance of that date might be.
.

1. Lots of US military lives saved
2. Lots of money saved
3. We stop bankrolling corrupt and immoral tribes

Amen.

[Haggis@wk]

1. Lots of US military lives saved
2. Lots of money saved
3. We stop bankrolling corrupt and immoral tribes

We went into Afghanistan because 911 was conceived, planned and controlled from there. Liberals and Conservatives alike called it “a good war” when, in your opinion, did it ceased to be that? Or should we have never gone in?

No "gotchas" I'm simply curious

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I never thought Afghanistan was anything but poison. Nobody should go there. Consider the results every single time anybody at all has attempted to deal with Afghanistan. Bloody-minded tribal internecine warfare any time they have no external targets, savage vendettists, and general nastiness seem the only mode of operations they understand. Only the most draconian invader stands a chance, without the Mongols' hills of skulls the Afghanis pay no attention.

We should send in dragons.

[jamiebk]

1. Lots of US military lives saved
2. Lots of money saved
3. We stop bankrolling corrupt and immoral tribes

We went into Afghanistan because 911 was conceived, planned and controlled from there. Liberals and Conservatives alike called it “a good war” when, in your opinion, did it ceased to be that? Or should we have never gone in?

No "gotchas" I'm simply curious

There may have been purpose at first...frankly we should have gone to Afghanistan INSTEAD of a worthless war in Iraq. However, the situation has changed and we best pull out. It is a quagmire that will suck us dry

[Giant Communist Robot]

We went into Afghanistan because 911 was conceived, planned and controlled from there

I think it was "conceived" in the Philippines. Some planning was also done in Malaysia.

From Wiki

According to the intelligence authorities[citation needed] in the United States and the Philippines, the September 11 attacks originated with Operation Bojinka (a plan that was not executed), which was conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (K.S.M) and his nephew, Ramzi Yousef.

and

Several Al-Qaeda members are said to have attended a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from January 5 to January 8, 2000, that regarded the planning of the USS Cole bombing (which took place on October 12, 2000), and the forthcoming September 11, 2001 attacks. Hambali, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Nawaf al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdhar, and Tawfiq bin Attash attended the meeting. The men were also photographed when they came out of the meeting.

[Giant Communist Robot]

INSTEAD of a worthless war in Iraq

One problem with the Iraqi war is that they had been acting as the buffer to the Iranian Shiites. Much easier for them to spread their brand of Islam throughout the Middle East now.

[Haggis@wk]

One problem with the Iraqi war is that they had been acting as the buffer to the Iranian Shiites. Much easier for them to spread their brand of Islam throughout the Middle East now.

I agree, Iran was killing G.I.s for years in Iraqi and neither of the last two presidents was willing to take direct action against Iran. I'm afraid that we have just given Iraq to Iran