It’s Starting to Feel Like 1979

While Obama is off doing who knows what in Africa right now, the Middle East seems poised on a knife edge.  Between civil war in Syria, a prospective coup in Egypt that could lead to civil war, and serious unrest in Turkey (that could lead to civil war), we could wake up in three or six months to find the region in complete chaos or worse–maybe American hostages will complete the decay of the moment.  What a relief to know that Obama has telephoned Morsi in Egypt!  I am sure the problem is solved now.

It is quite too late for the United States to do much in an effective way in any of these places.  This is why you need someone who pays attention and acts early on these matters, before the situation gets beyond any hope of help.  To paraphrase that famous phrase about the Long Parliament, we have dithered too long for any good we might be able to do now.  My old AEI colleague Michael Rubin says we’d be better off letting Egypt go:

Rather than subsidize the Muslim Brotherhood, the United States should stand back and let them fail. American taxpayer money is not an entitlement and should never subsidize hateful or anti-American regimes. The harder they fall, the better. Let the Muslim Brotherhood be discredited in the eyes not only of Egyptians, but all Arabs and Turks and, indeed, the world. Perhaps then the region can begin its long climb to recovery. And more liberal movements can finally get the domestic attention in the Middle East they deserve.

Courtesy of Doug Ross’s blog, here are some photos that you won’t see in the American media, which can’t seem to decide how to cover Egypt since they haven’t got their talking points from Obama.  You’ll see a pretty clear theme here:

 

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