[ShepherdsDog]

Yup....Egypt's Arab Spring is dead and done. The groundhog came out of his burrow and was beheaded for being an infidel. We can only hope that the generals refuse to relinquish control and suspend elections.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011 ... sults.html

$1:

Islamists led by the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Salafists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give the religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally.

$1:

Inspired by the Saudi-style Wahhabi school of thought, Salafists have long shunned the concept of democracy, saying it allows man's law to override God's. But they formed parties and entered politics after Mubarak's ouster to position themselves to make sure Shariah law is an integral part of Egypt's new constitution.

Salafi groups speak confidently about their ambition to turn Egypt into a state where personal freedoms, including freedom of speech, women's dress and art are constrained by Islamic Shariah codes.

"In the land of Islam, I can't let people decide what is permissible or what is prohibited. It's God who gives the answers as to what is right and what is wrong," Hamad said. "If God tells me you can drink whatever you want except for alcohol, you don't leave the million things permitted and ask about the prohibited."

[GreenTiger]

Yes, it is bad when The Muslim Brotherhood is looked at as a group of moderates.

It looks like they just replaced one group of tyrants for another group of tyrants, except that the new groups will now claim the Hand of God when they start killing and torturing people.

I like the Groundhog of Arab Spring metaphor, yes he was beheaded for being an infidel.

[Freakinoldguy]

I wonder how Israel feels about having these people as their new neighbors and I wonder how long till Libya goes the same way.

On behalf of the sane people of the world I'd like to personally thank the idiots who proclaimed these revolutions good things that would bring peace, prosperity and tolerance to the countries involved.

And Shep,you're right. We'd better hope that the Military maintains power because if they don't a war with Israel is almost a given.

[martin14]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

I wonder how Israel feels about having these people as their new neighbors and I wonder how long till Libya goes the same way.

And Tunisia.

And Syria.


I agree FOG, all those twats braying about what a good thing this was.....


Let's hope the military keeps a tight grip.

[ShepherdsDog]

What i think is interesting is that the 'tyrants' they overthrew, helped create some of the most secular, egalitarian, educated and prosperous societies in the Arab world. Women were able to participate in all aspects of society and their rights were protected. They also had large, affluent middle classes.

Now we're faced with the imminent prospect of a gaggle of new Islamic theocracies springing up across North Africa and the ME. If we thought we had trouble dealing with the Muslim world before, I'm afraid 'Baby, you ain't seen nothing yet'. Now add to this, a nuclear Pakistan friendly to the Taliban and a potentially nuclear Iran and we see the world once again polarizing into armed camps. rather than a prolonged Cold war, we'll see Nutball mullahs with their fingers on the trigger waiting to call down the wrath of God on the unbelievers. They would actually see themselves as arbiters of divine judgment on mankind. They would see the nuking of Israel as the required step to bring about the Day of Judgment.

The world got a lot scarier. Most who see these elections as positive steps have only experienced Arab culture at the local falafel stand at their local foodcourt.

[Psudo]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

We'd better hope that the Military maintains power because if they don't a war with Israel is almost a given.

If they attack Israel without their military, I'm thinking the problem will solve itself.

[EyeBrock]

All the eminent democracy types from the various ‘think-tanks’ seem to expect that once these tin-pot dictatorships fall, a benign western-like democracy will spring up in it’s place. Women will enjoy equality, gays will stopped being killed and girls will cease to be chattel.
They obviously haven’t stepped out of Canada except to visit the proletariat paradise of Cuba on an all-inclusive.
Democracy in these Arab backwaters means that the local Imams get to steer their flocks to the most Islamic candidate on the polling card. The social development levels of democracy and a free judiciary (or lack of) in these countries is akin to that of pre-renaissance Europe.

The Arab Spring has just given us in the West a load of new countries to be wary of and a great reservoir of potential grief.

Al Qaeda must be jolly happy with these ‘developments’.

[ShepherdsDog]

The cult of the strong man is an integral of arab culture.

[CommanderSock]

The people's choice.

Those countries won't bother the west at all, if anything, they may recluse more, but if its their choice, so be it.

I see Israel's water supply being cut off though. But that's not our problem. Israel might have to learn to be self sufficient.

Israel today is South Africa of the 70s, when it's neighbor countries began to slowly cut them off (by not selling them essentials) and isolate them.

[EyeBrock]

Not exactly.

SA was a right-wing dictatorship that bordered corrupt one party dictatorships.

Israel is a democracy surrounded by one party dictatorships or theocracies that are belligerent towards it at best and want to eradicate it at worst and have felt that way since 1947.

[CommanderSock]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Not exactly.

SA was a right-wing dictatorship that bordered corrupt one party dictatorships.

Israel is a democracy surrounded by one party dictatorships or theocracies that are belligerent towards it at best and want to eradicate it at worst and have felt that way since 1947.

They won't pick a fight with Israel.

They may do the whole embargo thing.

Cutting off gas, water, and food supplies, but that can be shipped from abroad anyhow.

Right now Israel gets its gas and water from Egypt, that will obviously change if the Palestinian scenario remains.

But they Arabs won't pick an outright fight. War is expensive.

[Proculation]

That's what happens when you give democracy to animals.

[andyt]

Proculation Proculation:

That's what happens when you give democracy to animals.

Aw fuck, here you go again. Really, they're all animals? And who gave them democracy - they took it for themselves and are making a choice. We have to deal with it, and as long as Israel continues it's expansionist policies it doesn't have much of a leg to stand on.

[Proculation]

andyt andyt:

Proculation Proculation:

That's what happens when you give democracy to animals.

Aw fuck, here you go again. Really, they're all animals? And who gave them democracy - they took it for themselves and are making a choice. We have to deal with it, and as long as Israel continues it's expansionist policies it doesn't have much of a leg to stand on.

If they, the animals, stay and behave well in their borders, no problem. But if they fuck with Israel or others civilized people, just carpet bomb them. No invasion, just annihilation.

[CommanderSock]

Proculation Proculation:

andyt andyt:

Proculation Proculation:

That's what happens when you give democracy to animals.

Aw fuck, here you go again. Really, they're all animals? And who gave them democracy - they took it for themselves and are making a choice. We have to deal with it, and as long as Israel continues it's expansionist policies it doesn't have much of a leg to stand on.

If they, the animals, stay and behave well in their borders, no problem. But if they fuck with Israel or others civilized people, just carpet bomb them. No invasion, just annihilation.

The animals supply Egypt drinking water.

Maybe the animals will turn off the taps.

In today's globalized world, you can fight wars with attrition and economics, bombs and tanks are just not good for business.