Time to say count our blessings.
Well, here is a practical guide to survival during the holidays from Saturday's NY TImes. Amusing but some how hits the mark?
NOVEMBER 15, 2011, 7:04 PM
How Do I Not Lose My Marbles Stuck in the Car With My Father-in-Law?
By JEFF GORDINIER
Q.
Thanksgiving this year means my wife and I will have to pick up her father, a clueless sociopathic serial womanizer who basically talks about himself in a 24-minute clip that repeats endlessly. How do I not lose my marbles stuck in the car with this self-absorbed maniac?
A.
For decades there’s been a joke in Buddhist circles: A guy comes back from a retreat and tells his friend that he’s achieved enlightenment. To which his friend replies, “Wait until you have to spend the weekend with your parents.”
Thanksgiving, of course, is not only about food. It’s about sharing that food with people who grate on you and push buttons. Buddhists talk about the way we get trapped in the suffering of repeated cycles of existence. Sound familiar?
During the holidays, “we fall back into our ruts,” said Lama Surya Das, a 60-year-old Buddhist teacher and author. “People make holiday resolutions: ‘Oh, I’m not going to get mad at Uncle So-and-So, or at my mother or father.’ And how long does that last?”
His tips for breaking out of those crazy-making ruts are based on decades of teaching — and common sense. Sit next to people who annoy you the least. Avoid conversations about religion and politics. Drink in moderation. “Alcohol disinhibits, so people get a little more sloppy and less mindful and say things they wouldn’t,” he said. Try to empathize with family members who drive you bonkers.
“I try to see the Buddha in them,” he said. “See the light, the divinity in them. Even in the difficult ones.”
And if all else fails, tell yourself what the Buddha figured out: it’s all an illusion.
“I quote from the diamond wisdom sutra: This is just like a dream, like a fantasy, like a sitcom,” Lama Surya said. “And then I can laugh much more. You’ve got to keep a sense of humor about these things, and not expect the struggle to end.”
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Please Read This!
Four years ago when I began this blog, I offered some insight into the goals of radical Islam. I recommended a book by Bruce Bowers called " While Europe Slept"
Radical Islam is not a religion; but an aggressive violent movement dedicated to the establishment of Sharia law with a take no prisoners approach. There is no compromise, no co-existence, and certainly no acceptance of the rights of women and men that the world has been striving toward for 5000 years of recorded history.
When Mubarak was ousted and the Arab Spring began, I wrote a blog to alert you to the fact that the Brotherhood was in the mix, had changed its tactics and was starting out to become part of society and the political process.
Why? Because to do other wise would have brought the rest of the world to its feet in response.
The tactic, as Bower pointed out five years ago, was to conquer by assimilation!
Friends please watch this youtube video and be aware of the real danger to our country(ies).
Please le me know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN6CHtGGo4g
Radical Islam is not a religion; but an aggressive violent movement dedicated to the establishment of Sharia law with a take no prisoners approach. There is no compromise, no co-existence, and certainly no acceptance of the rights of women and men that the world has been striving toward for 5000 years of recorded history.
When Mubarak was ousted and the Arab Spring began, I wrote a blog to alert you to the fact that the Brotherhood was in the mix, had changed its tactics and was starting out to become part of society and the political process.
Why? Because to do other wise would have brought the rest of the world to its feet in response.
The tactic, as Bower pointed out five years ago, was to conquer by assimilation!
Friends please watch this youtube video and be aware of the real danger to our country(ies).
Please le me know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN6CHtGGo4g
Thursday, November 3, 2011
A SERIOUS QUESTION?
If you are a Republican or a Tea Party member what do you think of the candidates in the last week? Would love to hear from you. Can it be that Sarah will start to look really good shortly? Even Rudy?
As for the Democrats, you need not answer. I KNOW WHAT YOU THINK....YOU HAVE BEEN SENDING ME MATERIAL ALL WEEK THAT I SHALL PUBLISH SHORTLY.
Of course if you can not resist, send your comments along
As for the Democrats, you need not answer. I KNOW WHAT YOU THINK....YOU HAVE BEEN SENDING ME MATERIAL ALL WEEK THAT I SHALL PUBLISH SHORTLY.
Of course if you can not resist, send your comments along
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
I received several thoughtful responses to the blog published this week regarding the Israeli/Palestinian impasse.
The following is from a friend and colleague who is an Israeli by birth and lives there currently. English is his second or third language so I have edited some for clarity.
Dear Ted,
Thank you for forwarding your wonderful blog, also to my attention.
I couldn’t post my comment on the blog, however, will be grateful if you can do so.
Generally speaking – I do agree with the comment of your friend.
As another friend of you, please let me share with you and your follower, also with my view point –
1. As a moral people, we(Israelis) also are not innocent from mistakes. Over the last decades we are suffering from governments that are reluctant to govern. Thus, we should be rather “précised”( I think he means tolerant) with our attitude and actions.
2. We must consider the “Arab Spring” where dictatorship collapsed and an interim era begins. No one can predict what shall be in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and, even in Jordan (collection of tribes where the Palestinian are the majority…..). My guess is many years to come with chaos with the risk the extremists shall take control. Hence, the Youngsters that dreamed for a sort of open societies might forget about it.
3. Recently, Turkey had realized that they have a great chance to reestablish the ‘Othman Empire’. That’s how come the hug of the Arab countries (especially Egypt). Where are the European Countries on that matter? –
4. Reminder – there are about 6 Million Turkish in Germany, only…
5. Europe – demonstrating its “Double-Standard” policy. Looks at the Brits where the “multi-Coulture” seems to fail… Scandinavia – where the Muslims immigrants abuse the welfare-state .....France – where the North Africans are spoiling the language….
6. USA – it became (again) that the existing Administration has no “Foreign Policy”….. Above all, the first and immediate to be harmed are the Interests of America.
7. As a Jew I’m not willing to control other people rights to live in peace and freedom. My only question is – whether we have a “partner” for our wishes.
Shana Tova to you All,
The following is from a friend and colleague who is an Israeli by birth and lives there currently. English is his second or third language so I have edited some for clarity.
Dear Ted,
Thank you for forwarding your wonderful blog, also to my attention.
I couldn’t post my comment on the blog, however, will be grateful if you can do so.
Generally speaking – I do agree with the comment of your friend.
As another friend of you, please let me share with you and your follower, also with my view point –
1. As a moral people, we(Israelis) also are not innocent from mistakes. Over the last decades we are suffering from governments that are reluctant to govern. Thus, we should be rather “précised”( I think he means tolerant) with our attitude and actions.
2. We must consider the “Arab Spring” where dictatorship collapsed and an interim era begins. No one can predict what shall be in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and, even in Jordan (collection of tribes where the Palestinian are the majority…..). My guess is many years to come with chaos with the risk the extremists shall take control. Hence, the Youngsters that dreamed for a sort of open societies might forget about it.
3. Recently, Turkey had realized that they have a great chance to reestablish the ‘Othman Empire’. That’s how come the hug of the Arab countries (especially Egypt). Where are the European Countries on that matter? –
4. Reminder – there are about 6 Million Turkish in Germany, only…
5. Europe – demonstrating its “Double-Standard” policy. Looks at the Brits where the “multi-Coulture” seems to fail… Scandinavia – where the Muslims immigrants abuse the welfare-state .....France – where the North Africans are spoiling the language….
6. USA – it became (again) that the existing Administration has no “Foreign Policy”….. Above all, the first and immediate to be harmed are the Interests of America.
7. As a Jew I’m not willing to control other people rights to live in peace and freedom. My only question is – whether we have a “partner” for our wishes.
Shana Tova to you All,
Monday, September 19, 2011
Israel & the Palestinians: What is the truth?
In the Sunday September 20, 2011 NY Times Review section, Tom Friedman's column describes Israel and its leaders, especially PM Netanyahu, as self serving obstacles to Middle East peace and purveyors of occupation.
I asked a qualified friend who is a student of not only history but current events and whom I know to be fair and balanced to comment. Please read what he has to say. When the Times and Friedman gang up on you, can the boots be far behind?
Comment:
I am intensely depressed about the hostility of the world to the existence of Israel. I like Tom Friedman and agree with him on most of his observations except for his position on Israel. Here he joins with other liberals who blame the Netanyanhu government for the failure of the peace process which was was also a failure during the extremely liberal past administrations of Rabin and Ehud Barak and others. The reason this conflict will never end is because the Palestinians and their Arab brothers are dedicated to the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. The more extremist muslim entities, like Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, have made known they are dedicated to the eradication of the entire Jewish population which they have declared publicly and which the liberal community chooses to ignore.
So the Palestinians claim, which has been supported by the liberal, anti-semitic Europeans (and don't tell me the Brits, French and Scandinavians are not) have distilled the cause of the ongoing conflict down to the construction of settlements in "occupied" territory belonging to the Palestinians. They choose to forget that Israel pulled out of Lebanon and pulled their settlements out of Gaza and probably would pull out of most areas of the West Bank and has agreed to trade territory in Israel occupied by Arabs for territory around Jerusalem occupied by Jews. They take no notice that Abbas refused to negotiate even when Netanyanhu agreed to a 10 month freeze on new projects (which were erroneously labeled as settlements), The area around Jerusalem where these projects are being built had been designated by Israel for development 30 or more years ago and is presently the home of perhaps 400,000 or more Jews. Israel never agreed to return to the 1967 borders, nor did the the UN agreement state that it had to. The borders were supposed be negotiated. After all, the wars fought against overwhelming Arab states from 1948 until now, they are entitled to this.
Nor does the world, or Tom Friedman note that Abbas has made peace with Hamas which is an internationally recognized terrorist organization dedicated to the annihilation of the Jewish state. How indeed could Israel live in peace with a Palestinian state comprised of a large population who seek its destruction. Nor does the world note that the peace made with Egypt is now at risk of fallling apart because the Arab dictators who made the peace (for which they were handsomely rewarded by the U.S. and the opening of the Suez Canal) are now dead and the Arab masses are calling for the blood of Jews. Nor does the world take note of the immense threat to Israel posed by Iran who is intent on building nuclear weapons and rockets with the intent of realizing its declared objective of wiping the Jewish state off the map or of their proxies Hezbollah now armed with 40,000 rockets supplied by Iran and Hamas which is continuing to launch thousands of rockets on Israel each year.
Now let's clarify this Muslim hatred of Israel. It is based on anti-semitism, not just anti Zionism. It is ingrained in the Koran and the teachings of Mohammed who massacred entire Jewish tribes because they refused to accept his Islamic invention. Nor does the world take notice that 20% of Israel's population is Arab who much prefer to live in Israel than in Palestinian territory even though they continue to hate the Jews who who provide them with the freedom of a democracy, the right to vote, welfare payments, access to universities and employment even though they contribue very little to the state. Israelis and involved Jews, like me, know that the Arabs (and other Muslims) promote the most vicious anti-semitism including wide spread use of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the use of Nazi cartoons and literature through their mass media sources of TV, news and the relentless anti-semitic diatribes of their mullahs and sheiks every week in their mosques. How the hell are the Israelis supposed to believe the Palestinians are serious about making peace when they are teaching their children to hate Jews and venerating suicide bomber martyrs who were successful in killing innocent Israeli civilians.
I do not understand why Israel would agree to participate in any peace conferences before the Palestinians agree to accept the existence of two states, one Arab Palestinian and one Jewish Israeli. I do not believe any Arab would agree to this. The Palestinians believe they will return to their land in Israel and they are willing to fight and wait and live like rats and teach their children to hate and to commit suicide for as long as it takes to achieve the expulsion of the Jews from the land of Islam. Read the Koran. Read the history of Mohammed. It is no coincidence that the violence of the entire world is mostly caused by Muslims. It is no coincidence that they are the most backward of populations except for Africans and aboriginal tribal peoples. The world takes little note of this in its view of the Israel-Palestinian conflct. Are we really supposed to believe that the Egyptians who are killing their Copts and the Syrians who are killing their Sunnis and the Bahrainis who are killing their Shiites and the Iragis who are killing each other and the Pakistanis who are killing all Muslims who are not Pashtun and on and on, are really distressed about the Palestinians. Over 1,000,000 Arabs live in Israel. How many Jews live in Arab lands? How many Christians live in Arab lands? How many Christians are being persecuted in Muslim lands? The liberal western world which truly believes in Tolerance, has no problem accepting the massive Intolerance of the Muslim nations who refuse to tolerate any religion other than Islam.
You cannot imagine how I, as a Jew, who lived during the rabid anti-semitism of the pre-WWll diatribes of Father Coughlin, Henry Ford and Lindbergh and who has relatives who died in the worst crime in history committed by Germans assisted by France, Holland, Scandinavia, Romania, Switzerland (who bought the gold from the teeth of Jewish victims) and almost all of the other nations of Europe, who has read of the 2000 year history of persecution of Jews by the Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox Christian churches feels now that the world seems to, once again, be aligning against the 6 million Jews living in the tiny state of Israel and ignoring that they live in such grave danger posed by the relentless hatred of 450 million Muslim neighbors, who agree on only one thing, the annihilation of the Jewish state in their midst.
I asked a qualified friend who is a student of not only history but current events and whom I know to be fair and balanced to comment. Please read what he has to say. When the Times and Friedman gang up on you, can the boots be far behind?
Comment:
I am intensely depressed about the hostility of the world to the existence of Israel. I like Tom Friedman and agree with him on most of his observations except for his position on Israel. Here he joins with other liberals who blame the Netanyanhu government for the failure of the peace process which was was also a failure during the extremely liberal past administrations of Rabin and Ehud Barak and others. The reason this conflict will never end is because the Palestinians and their Arab brothers are dedicated to the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. The more extremist muslim entities, like Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, have made known they are dedicated to the eradication of the entire Jewish population which they have declared publicly and which the liberal community chooses to ignore.
So the Palestinians claim, which has been supported by the liberal, anti-semitic Europeans (and don't tell me the Brits, French and Scandinavians are not) have distilled the cause of the ongoing conflict down to the construction of settlements in "occupied" territory belonging to the Palestinians. They choose to forget that Israel pulled out of Lebanon and pulled their settlements out of Gaza and probably would pull out of most areas of the West Bank and has agreed to trade territory in Israel occupied by Arabs for territory around Jerusalem occupied by Jews. They take no notice that Abbas refused to negotiate even when Netanyanhu agreed to a 10 month freeze on new projects (which were erroneously labeled as settlements), The area around Jerusalem where these projects are being built had been designated by Israel for development 30 or more years ago and is presently the home of perhaps 400,000 or more Jews. Israel never agreed to return to the 1967 borders, nor did the the UN agreement state that it had to. The borders were supposed be negotiated. After all, the wars fought against overwhelming Arab states from 1948 until now, they are entitled to this.
Nor does the world, or Tom Friedman note that Abbas has made peace with Hamas which is an internationally recognized terrorist organization dedicated to the annihilation of the Jewish state. How indeed could Israel live in peace with a Palestinian state comprised of a large population who seek its destruction. Nor does the world note that the peace made with Egypt is now at risk of fallling apart because the Arab dictators who made the peace (for which they were handsomely rewarded by the U.S. and the opening of the Suez Canal) are now dead and the Arab masses are calling for the blood of Jews. Nor does the world take note of the immense threat to Israel posed by Iran who is intent on building nuclear weapons and rockets with the intent of realizing its declared objective of wiping the Jewish state off the map or of their proxies Hezbollah now armed with 40,000 rockets supplied by Iran and Hamas which is continuing to launch thousands of rockets on Israel each year.
Now let's clarify this Muslim hatred of Israel. It is based on anti-semitism, not just anti Zionism. It is ingrained in the Koran and the teachings of Mohammed who massacred entire Jewish tribes because they refused to accept his Islamic invention. Nor does the world take notice that 20% of Israel's population is Arab who much prefer to live in Israel than in Palestinian territory even though they continue to hate the Jews who who provide them with the freedom of a democracy, the right to vote, welfare payments, access to universities and employment even though they contribue very little to the state. Israelis and involved Jews, like me, know that the Arabs (and other Muslims) promote the most vicious anti-semitism including wide spread use of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the use of Nazi cartoons and literature through their mass media sources of TV, news and the relentless anti-semitic diatribes of their mullahs and sheiks every week in their mosques. How the hell are the Israelis supposed to believe the Palestinians are serious about making peace when they are teaching their children to hate Jews and venerating suicide bomber martyrs who were successful in killing innocent Israeli civilians.
I do not understand why Israel would agree to participate in any peace conferences before the Palestinians agree to accept the existence of two states, one Arab Palestinian and one Jewish Israeli. I do not believe any Arab would agree to this. The Palestinians believe they will return to their land in Israel and they are willing to fight and wait and live like rats and teach their children to hate and to commit suicide for as long as it takes to achieve the expulsion of the Jews from the land of Islam. Read the Koran. Read the history of Mohammed. It is no coincidence that the violence of the entire world is mostly caused by Muslims. It is no coincidence that they are the most backward of populations except for Africans and aboriginal tribal peoples. The world takes little note of this in its view of the Israel-Palestinian conflct. Are we really supposed to believe that the Egyptians who are killing their Copts and the Syrians who are killing their Sunnis and the Bahrainis who are killing their Shiites and the Iragis who are killing each other and the Pakistanis who are killing all Muslims who are not Pashtun and on and on, are really distressed about the Palestinians. Over 1,000,000 Arabs live in Israel. How many Jews live in Arab lands? How many Christians live in Arab lands? How many Christians are being persecuted in Muslim lands? The liberal western world which truly believes in Tolerance, has no problem accepting the massive Intolerance of the Muslim nations who refuse to tolerate any religion other than Islam.
You cannot imagine how I, as a Jew, who lived during the rabid anti-semitism of the pre-WWll diatribes of Father Coughlin, Henry Ford and Lindbergh and who has relatives who died in the worst crime in history committed by Germans assisted by France, Holland, Scandinavia, Romania, Switzerland (who bought the gold from the teeth of Jewish victims) and almost all of the other nations of Europe, who has read of the 2000 year history of persecution of Jews by the Catholic, Lutheran and Orthodox Christian churches feels now that the world seems to, once again, be aligning against the 6 million Jews living in the tiny state of Israel and ignoring that they live in such grave danger posed by the relentless hatred of 450 million Muslim neighbors, who agree on only one thing, the annihilation of the Jewish state in their midst.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
And so the results are in.....
I have been silent these many months on matters politic. Why? I wished to provide space and time for all of our good intentions and wishes to take hold, give our elected leaders a chance to change direction. I wanted to think well of our president, congress, our fellow citizens and certainly our direction.
I am sad to say that I think the Era of Hope, hope we can believe in is over. I ask that you please read the article by Drew Westen in today's NYTimes, Sunday Review section. He nails it and it is not a pretty sight. I am not advocating that we turn against our president; but I am suggesting that we may have misjudged him and he is not up to it.
Now what ?
Please paste this link into your browser's address bar to read the article. Please comment back so I know I am not wasting my time and thanks
Ted
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-obamas-passion.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
I am sad to say that I think the Era of Hope, hope we can believe in is over. I ask that you please read the article by Drew Westen in today's NYTimes, Sunday Review section. He nails it and it is not a pretty sight. I am not advocating that we turn against our president; but I am suggesting that we may have misjudged him and he is not up to it.
Now what ?
Please paste this link into your browser's address bar to read the article. Please comment back so I know I am not wasting my time and thanks
Ted
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-obamas-passion.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Monday, March 7, 2011
If You Think your Life is Tough?
Hello Family and Friends,
A life long friend sent me a link to his niece's blog. Please take a moment to read it. Then, whisper a prayer for this courageous woman and her young family. And stay tuned because many of us are going to figure out how this young family gets through this catastrophe financially.
http://familybondingtime.blogspot.com/
A life long friend sent me a link to his niece's blog. Please take a moment to read it. Then, whisper a prayer for this courageous woman and her young family. And stay tuned because many of us are going to figure out how this young family gets through this catastrophe financially.
http://familybondingtime.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Well, as is frequently the case, the truth comes out.
The Guardian has published a story and a video that is scary. Scary to think how the world's intelligence agencies can be so easily duped or cynically misuse information for their own agenda
Click below or paste into your browser to read the article and see the video.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/defector-admits-wmd-lies-iraq-war
The Guardian has published a story and a video that is scary. Scary to think how the world's intelligence agencies can be so easily duped or cynically misuse information for their own agenda
Click below or paste into your browser to read the article and see the video.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/defector-admits-wmd-lies-iraq-war
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Onion on Emanuel and Mubarak
Just for fun I offer the Onion's report of Rahm Emanuel's quest for the mayorship of the venerable city of Chicago..Hysterical!!
Closer to truth than we would like, I am sure
And then on to the US negotiation of Mubarak's severance package.
Illinois Supreme Court Deems Rahm Emanuel Sleazy Enough To Run For Mayor Of Chicago
FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | ISSUE 47•05 CHICAGO—In a unanimous decision handed down on Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was sleazy enough to be included on Chicago's mayoral ballot. "It is the opinion of this court that Mr. Emanuel is coarse, vulgar, and power-hungry to such a degree that he should be eligible to hold this city's highest office," Illinois Justice Robert R. Thomas wrote in his majority opinion, adding that Emanuel also met a key stipulation requiring that any mayor of Chicago be a bully willing to do whatever is necessary to push his agenda through the city council. "Further, Mr. Emanuel is a sleazebag and a sleazeball, both of which are criteria he fulfilled prior to filing his papers with the local election board." The decision overturned an appellate court's ruling that Emanuel was only sleazy enough to be the governor of Illinois, and that he lacked the slithery, snake-like attributes necessary to oversee the morally bankrupt cesspool of Chicago politics.
And then the Onion moved on to Egypt, Mubarak and US
U.S. Negotiating Mubarak's Severance Package
FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | ISSUE 47•05 CAIRO—In an effort to provide monetary compensation to the Egyptian president for three decades of faithful service, U.S. officials opened negotiations with Hosni Mubarak Tuesday, offering him a severance package worth $20 million upon termination of his employment. "We are all thankful for the hard work and long hours President Mubarak put in over the years, and hope our discussions continue smoothly," said senior U.S. negotiator Frank Wisner, who admitted that the final settlement would have to be considerable, as Mubarak's contract with the U.S. was being terminated 15 years early. "Unfortunately, he no longer reflects our needs in the region at this time, but we would like to end our relationship on the right foot. He deserves to retire in comfort." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also reportedly offered to write Mubarak a letter of recommendation in case he wishes to apply for any dictatorship jobs with U.S. allies in the future.
Closer to truth than we would like, I am sure
And then on to the US negotiation of Mubarak's severance package.
Illinois Supreme Court Deems Rahm Emanuel Sleazy Enough To Run For Mayor Of Chicago
FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | ISSUE 47•05 CHICAGO—In a unanimous decision handed down on Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was sleazy enough to be included on Chicago's mayoral ballot. "It is the opinion of this court that Mr. Emanuel is coarse, vulgar, and power-hungry to such a degree that he should be eligible to hold this city's highest office," Illinois Justice Robert R. Thomas wrote in his majority opinion, adding that Emanuel also met a key stipulation requiring that any mayor of Chicago be a bully willing to do whatever is necessary to push his agenda through the city council. "Further, Mr. Emanuel is a sleazebag and a sleazeball, both of which are criteria he fulfilled prior to filing his papers with the local election board." The decision overturned an appellate court's ruling that Emanuel was only sleazy enough to be the governor of Illinois, and that he lacked the slithery, snake-like attributes necessary to oversee the morally bankrupt cesspool of Chicago politics.
And then the Onion moved on to Egypt, Mubarak and US
U.S. Negotiating Mubarak's Severance Package
FEBRUARY 2, 2011 | ISSUE 47•05 CAIRO—In an effort to provide monetary compensation to the Egyptian president for three decades of faithful service, U.S. officials opened negotiations with Hosni Mubarak Tuesday, offering him a severance package worth $20 million upon termination of his employment. "We are all thankful for the hard work and long hours President Mubarak put in over the years, and hope our discussions continue smoothly," said senior U.S. negotiator Frank Wisner, who admitted that the final settlement would have to be considerable, as Mubarak's contract with the U.S. was being terminated 15 years early. "Unfortunately, he no longer reflects our needs in the region at this time, but we would like to end our relationship on the right foot. He deserves to retire in comfort." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also reportedly offered to write Mubarak a letter of recommendation in case he wishes to apply for any dictatorship jobs with U.S. allies in the future.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
You Think Democracy is on the March in Egypt?
Think again!
Yesterday's Wall Street Journal published an excellent symposium using the writings of four truly experienced middle east observers and participants. Please read to gain an understanding of what is happening not only in Egypt; but the ripple effect in the region.
Liberals Had Better Get Organized
By Francis Fukuyama
Recent events first in Tunisia and now in Egypt demonstrate that there is no Arab cultural exception to the broad desire for freedom around the world.
The act of self-immolation that set off these dramatic events was that of a Tunisian vegetable seller who had his cart repeatedly confiscated by the government and then was slapped and insulted by a policewoman when he went to complain. People want political rights because they want their governments to treat them with dignity, a wish that obviously reverberates throughout the Arab world.
The revolt does not seem to be driven by the poor, the marginalized or the religious, but by the middle-class—technologically savvy Tunisians and Egyptians who don't have opportunities for meaningful work or political participation. They want to join the rest of the world and not cut themselves off from it.
But why is the Arab world coming so late to a democracy party that Latin Americans, Eastern Europeans, Asians and Africans first started attending 20 years ago? Part of the answer is the deliberate strategy that authoritarian leaders like Hosni Mubarak have pursued—of gutting liberal opposition and permitting the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood to operate just enough to scare the United States and other Western backers.
This strategy worked on a series of American administrations that paid lip service to the need for democracy but were never willing to push their ally, for fear of empowering the Islamist opposition. Those chickens are now coming home to roost.
If Mr. Mubarak indeed leaves office and there is a clean break with his regime—meaning that longtime aides like Omar Suleiman, now the vice president, leave power too—then Egyptians' central task will be the unglamorous one of institution-building.
Democracy does not magically spring to life once the dictator is gone, or even after the first free and fair election has taken place. The color revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgystan, as well as the U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, invariably disappointed their hopeful early backers by not producing effective democratic governance.
Facebook and Twitter are great at mobilizing flash mobs to bring down tyrants, but they are less useful in building political parties, forming coalitions, negotiating political programs or making officials honest.
At present, the best-organized forces in Egypt are the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptians who want a free and democratic future had better get busy organizing themselves if those groups are not to inherit the future.
Mr. Fukuyama, a senior fellow at Stanford, is author of "The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution" (forthcoming from Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
The Army Will Play a Crucial Role
By Ryan Crocker
However events play out on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria, there is no question that the Mubarak era is over. Egypt faces as fundamental a shift today as it did in 1952.
The Obama administration has rightly emphasized two words: "orderly transition." There must be transition—the old order cannot hold. But it must be orderly.
The crowds in Egypt's streets do not constitute a party or a coalition. There is no clear agenda beyond Mubarak's ouster and no established leader. Mohamed ElBaradei is far more respected and known outside of Egypt than he is within. For all of his distinction, he is no Vaclav Havel.
The Egyptian army will play a critical role, now and as a new political order emerges. U.S. defense leaders are in direct contact with Egyptian counterparts. The army has shown remarkable restraint, but each day that passes without the initiation of a viable political process increases the risk of violence that could destroy any prospects for a successful political strategy.
What might that strategy look like?
Mr. Mubarak has announced that he will not be a candidate in the September elections. He should now offer credible assurances that these elections will be fair, monitored by an independent election commission and international observers.
Second, he should initiate a broad political and economic reform dialogue involving all of Egypt's major political figures—including Mr. ElBaradei, the dissident Ayman Nour, the leaders of parties including the Muslim Brotherhood, and emerging figures in civil society. The results of that dialogue, which are likely to include constitutional changes, could be submitted to a public referendum or to a newly elected parliament.
Hopefully such steps would mean an end to the street demonstrations. Not only do those demonstrations contain the seeds of unchecked violence, but they are devastating to an already weak economy. Tourism will take months if not years to recover, and investor confidence is badly shaken if not shattered.
View Full Image
AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators in Cairo Feb. 1.
This will require hard choices by all parties, especially Mr. Mubarak. If his immediate departure is a sine qua non to end the street protests, he should be prepared to hand power to his new vice president and prime minister during the transition period, with the knowledge that this would represent the best chance to maintain what he has worked for these past 31 years—a stable Egypt.
Our adversaries, Iran and al Qaeda, will certainly attempt to take advantage of any prolonged disorder in Egypt. We should remember that al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is an Egyptian who left the country during the government's successful repression of Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the 1990s.
As was clear then, Islamic Jihad and the Muslim Brotherhood are enemies, not partners. The Brotherhood can be accommodated in the political system. But al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad would like nothing better than to regain a foothold in Egypt, the largest Arab country, and destroy that system. That must not happen.
Mr. Crocker, the dean of Texas A&M's George Bush School of Government and Public Service, was U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2004 to 2007 and U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009.
The Muslim Brotherhood Lacks a Khomeini Figure
By Maajid Nawaz
Having spent four years in an Egyptian prison for Islamist activism—where I shared a cell with some of the leaders of the current uprising—I view these events as far more than just an academic or policy interest. I abandoned Islamism years ago, but for me this is personal.
First, let's clarify the nature of this uprising: It is a spontaneous people's revolt. It was not planned by any political party or orchestrated by any ideologically aligned movement. Rather, it was instigated by the tired, angry urban young, and fast grew to become an all-Egyptian affair. The best revolutions are made of the very ingredients that cooked up this Egyptian storm: spontaneity, inclusiveness and persistence.
Egypt's old guard has long presented the world with a potent choice: Accept our police state or extremists will take over. Rooted in the old politics of colonialism, this dichotomy effectively deterred democracy in the Arab world. What the ongoing uprising shows is that this dichotomy is no longer valid. Real change is now possible, and the old analysis that it can come only through empowering Islamists has been shattered.
The new Egypt—led by but not restricted to the youth—has little time for the octogenarians of old, who include not only Hosni Mubarak but also Mohamed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and my former cellmate. Within the Brotherhood, Mr. Badie has recently been challenged by a reformist faction now led by the younger Abdul Monim Aboul Fatouh (another former cellmate of mine).
The leaderless nature of Egypt's street uprising raises the question of who will fill the vacuum after victory. Concerns about an Islamist takeover are valid. But that scenario is unlikely.
The Brotherhood realizes that this uprising wasn't theirs to begin with, and that the new Egypt—more patriotic, pluralistic and inclusive—would likely reject a Brotherhood attempt at usurpation. Unlike Amr Moussa (the head of the Arab League), Mohamed ElBaradei (the former international bureaucrat), and Ayman Nour (the liberal party leader and another former cellmate of mine), no one in the Brotherhood possesses the stature to unite the nation behind them. There is no Khomeini-like Islamist figure to hijack this revolution.
In a post-Mubarak Egypt, the Brotherhood would likely increase its presence in parliament, but no Brotherhood figure is likely to win the presidency or a key cabinet post. As the Brotherhood becomes an increasingly legitimate force, though, policy makers in Egypt and beyond should pressure it to abandon its remaining extremist positions, such as its insistence that only a Muslim male may lead the nation.
Mr. Nawaz is co-founder of the counterextremism think tank Quilliam and founder of the Khudi movement, which works to promote a democratic culture in Pakistan.
Egypt Doesn't Have a Democratic Culture
By Amr Bargisi
As of this writing, the contest between President Hosni Mubarak and hundreds of thousands of protesters remains a standoff. No one can predict what Egypt will look like in a few days—let alone the next few months and years. But from my vantage point in Cairo, I believe that the result will be one of two evils.
First, the 1789 case—a win for the revolutionaries, as the massive anger that sparked the uprising is channeled into a Jacobin regime that hunts down its enemies mercilessly. It is a grave mistake to assume that the rage of the masses will be placated by the ousting of the tyrant.
Last night, one demonstrator told two friends of mine in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square that the next step will be to knock on the doors of suburban villas and ask the owners: Where did you get the money to afford these?
The second possibility is a reactionary scenario. If the ruling elite wins—meaning Mr. Mubarak's cronies, if not Mr. Mubarak himself—the country will be ruled by a contract between the state and the frightened middle classes to make sure no similar uprising ever happens again. This is an angle that has been totally missing from Western media coverage, as far as I can tell without Internet access.
There is another force in the streets of Cairo besides the demonstrators. Equal, if not in numbers then certainly in influence, are the thousands of young men standing all night in front of their houses and stores to protect them from looting.
Perhaps they share the anger of their peers in Tahrir Square, but their fear is much stronger than their rage. On Friday night, after the police disappeared, these young men got a taste of what could come: Hundreds of thugs roamed the streets, looting and burning. Then there are the inmates, reportedly several thousand, who have fled prison and are apparently still on the loose.
I believe the reactionary scenario is more likely. But regardless of my own opinion, what is clear is that Egypt lacks the sort of political culture that can sustain a liberal democratic regime. The superficiality of the opposition's demands is matched only by the absurdity of the regime's discourse. Without knowledge of the likes of Locke and Burke, Hamilton and Jefferson, my country is doomed to either unbridled radicalism or continued repression.
Mr. Bargisi, a former Bartley fellow at the Journal, is a senior partner with the Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth. Due to lack of Internet service, he dictated his comments by phone.
Yesterday's Wall Street Journal published an excellent symposium using the writings of four truly experienced middle east observers and participants. Please read to gain an understanding of what is happening not only in Egypt; but the ripple effect in the region.
Liberals Had Better Get Organized
By Francis Fukuyama
Recent events first in Tunisia and now in Egypt demonstrate that there is no Arab cultural exception to the broad desire for freedom around the world.
The act of self-immolation that set off these dramatic events was that of a Tunisian vegetable seller who had his cart repeatedly confiscated by the government and then was slapped and insulted by a policewoman when he went to complain. People want political rights because they want their governments to treat them with dignity, a wish that obviously reverberates throughout the Arab world.
The revolt does not seem to be driven by the poor, the marginalized or the religious, but by the middle-class—technologically savvy Tunisians and Egyptians who don't have opportunities for meaningful work or political participation. They want to join the rest of the world and not cut themselves off from it.
But why is the Arab world coming so late to a democracy party that Latin Americans, Eastern Europeans, Asians and Africans first started attending 20 years ago? Part of the answer is the deliberate strategy that authoritarian leaders like Hosni Mubarak have pursued—of gutting liberal opposition and permitting the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood to operate just enough to scare the United States and other Western backers.
This strategy worked on a series of American administrations that paid lip service to the need for democracy but were never willing to push their ally, for fear of empowering the Islamist opposition. Those chickens are now coming home to roost.
If Mr. Mubarak indeed leaves office and there is a clean break with his regime—meaning that longtime aides like Omar Suleiman, now the vice president, leave power too—then Egyptians' central task will be the unglamorous one of institution-building.
Democracy does not magically spring to life once the dictator is gone, or even after the first free and fair election has taken place. The color revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgystan, as well as the U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, invariably disappointed their hopeful early backers by not producing effective democratic governance.
Facebook and Twitter are great at mobilizing flash mobs to bring down tyrants, but they are less useful in building political parties, forming coalitions, negotiating political programs or making officials honest.
At present, the best-organized forces in Egypt are the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptians who want a free and democratic future had better get busy organizing themselves if those groups are not to inherit the future.
Mr. Fukuyama, a senior fellow at Stanford, is author of "The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution" (forthcoming from Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
The Army Will Play a Crucial Role
By Ryan Crocker
However events play out on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria, there is no question that the Mubarak era is over. Egypt faces as fundamental a shift today as it did in 1952.
The Obama administration has rightly emphasized two words: "orderly transition." There must be transition—the old order cannot hold. But it must be orderly.
The crowds in Egypt's streets do not constitute a party or a coalition. There is no clear agenda beyond Mubarak's ouster and no established leader. Mohamed ElBaradei is far more respected and known outside of Egypt than he is within. For all of his distinction, he is no Vaclav Havel.
The Egyptian army will play a critical role, now and as a new political order emerges. U.S. defense leaders are in direct contact with Egyptian counterparts. The army has shown remarkable restraint, but each day that passes without the initiation of a viable political process increases the risk of violence that could destroy any prospects for a successful political strategy.
What might that strategy look like?
Mr. Mubarak has announced that he will not be a candidate in the September elections. He should now offer credible assurances that these elections will be fair, monitored by an independent election commission and international observers.
Second, he should initiate a broad political and economic reform dialogue involving all of Egypt's major political figures—including Mr. ElBaradei, the dissident Ayman Nour, the leaders of parties including the Muslim Brotherhood, and emerging figures in civil society. The results of that dialogue, which are likely to include constitutional changes, could be submitted to a public referendum or to a newly elected parliament.
Hopefully such steps would mean an end to the street demonstrations. Not only do those demonstrations contain the seeds of unchecked violence, but they are devastating to an already weak economy. Tourism will take months if not years to recover, and investor confidence is badly shaken if not shattered.
View Full Image
AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators in Cairo Feb. 1.
This will require hard choices by all parties, especially Mr. Mubarak. If his immediate departure is a sine qua non to end the street protests, he should be prepared to hand power to his new vice president and prime minister during the transition period, with the knowledge that this would represent the best chance to maintain what he has worked for these past 31 years—a stable Egypt.
Our adversaries, Iran and al Qaeda, will certainly attempt to take advantage of any prolonged disorder in Egypt. We should remember that al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is an Egyptian who left the country during the government's successful repression of Egyptian Islamic Jihad in the 1990s.
As was clear then, Islamic Jihad and the Muslim Brotherhood are enemies, not partners. The Brotherhood can be accommodated in the political system. But al Qaeda and Islamic Jihad would like nothing better than to regain a foothold in Egypt, the largest Arab country, and destroy that system. That must not happen.
Mr. Crocker, the dean of Texas A&M's George Bush School of Government and Public Service, was U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2004 to 2007 and U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009.
The Muslim Brotherhood Lacks a Khomeini Figure
By Maajid Nawaz
Having spent four years in an Egyptian prison for Islamist activism—where I shared a cell with some of the leaders of the current uprising—I view these events as far more than just an academic or policy interest. I abandoned Islamism years ago, but for me this is personal.
First, let's clarify the nature of this uprising: It is a spontaneous people's revolt. It was not planned by any political party or orchestrated by any ideologically aligned movement. Rather, it was instigated by the tired, angry urban young, and fast grew to become an all-Egyptian affair. The best revolutions are made of the very ingredients that cooked up this Egyptian storm: spontaneity, inclusiveness and persistence.
Egypt's old guard has long presented the world with a potent choice: Accept our police state or extremists will take over. Rooted in the old politics of colonialism, this dichotomy effectively deterred democracy in the Arab world. What the ongoing uprising shows is that this dichotomy is no longer valid. Real change is now possible, and the old analysis that it can come only through empowering Islamists has been shattered.
The new Egypt—led by but not restricted to the youth—has little time for the octogenarians of old, who include not only Hosni Mubarak but also Mohamed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and my former cellmate. Within the Brotherhood, Mr. Badie has recently been challenged by a reformist faction now led by the younger Abdul Monim Aboul Fatouh (another former cellmate of mine).
The leaderless nature of Egypt's street uprising raises the question of who will fill the vacuum after victory. Concerns about an Islamist takeover are valid. But that scenario is unlikely.
The Brotherhood realizes that this uprising wasn't theirs to begin with, and that the new Egypt—more patriotic, pluralistic and inclusive—would likely reject a Brotherhood attempt at usurpation. Unlike Amr Moussa (the head of the Arab League), Mohamed ElBaradei (the former international bureaucrat), and Ayman Nour (the liberal party leader and another former cellmate of mine), no one in the Brotherhood possesses the stature to unite the nation behind them. There is no Khomeini-like Islamist figure to hijack this revolution.
In a post-Mubarak Egypt, the Brotherhood would likely increase its presence in parliament, but no Brotherhood figure is likely to win the presidency or a key cabinet post. As the Brotherhood becomes an increasingly legitimate force, though, policy makers in Egypt and beyond should pressure it to abandon its remaining extremist positions, such as its insistence that only a Muslim male may lead the nation.
Mr. Nawaz is co-founder of the counterextremism think tank Quilliam and founder of the Khudi movement, which works to promote a democratic culture in Pakistan.
Egypt Doesn't Have a Democratic Culture
By Amr Bargisi
As of this writing, the contest between President Hosni Mubarak and hundreds of thousands of protesters remains a standoff. No one can predict what Egypt will look like in a few days—let alone the next few months and years. But from my vantage point in Cairo, I believe that the result will be one of two evils.
First, the 1789 case—a win for the revolutionaries, as the massive anger that sparked the uprising is channeled into a Jacobin regime that hunts down its enemies mercilessly. It is a grave mistake to assume that the rage of the masses will be placated by the ousting of the tyrant.
Last night, one demonstrator told two friends of mine in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square that the next step will be to knock on the doors of suburban villas and ask the owners: Where did you get the money to afford these?
The second possibility is a reactionary scenario. If the ruling elite wins—meaning Mr. Mubarak's cronies, if not Mr. Mubarak himself—the country will be ruled by a contract between the state and the frightened middle classes to make sure no similar uprising ever happens again. This is an angle that has been totally missing from Western media coverage, as far as I can tell without Internet access.
There is another force in the streets of Cairo besides the demonstrators. Equal, if not in numbers then certainly in influence, are the thousands of young men standing all night in front of their houses and stores to protect them from looting.
Perhaps they share the anger of their peers in Tahrir Square, but their fear is much stronger than their rage. On Friday night, after the police disappeared, these young men got a taste of what could come: Hundreds of thugs roamed the streets, looting and burning. Then there are the inmates, reportedly several thousand, who have fled prison and are apparently still on the loose.
I believe the reactionary scenario is more likely. But regardless of my own opinion, what is clear is that Egypt lacks the sort of political culture that can sustain a liberal democratic regime. The superficiality of the opposition's demands is matched only by the absurdity of the regime's discourse. Without knowledge of the likes of Locke and Burke, Hamilton and Jefferson, my country is doomed to either unbridled radicalism or continued repression.
Mr. Bargisi, a former Bartley fellow at the Journal, is a senior partner with the Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth. Due to lack of Internet service, he dictated his comments by phone.
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