Thursday, November 01, 2007

The end of the "-isms" in Middle Eastern Politics

How altruistic of him, "He said the GCC had developed the plan to prevent a nuclear arms race developing in the Gulf". Why just the other day, Mubarak also announced his intentions to build more nuclear reactors in Egypt, citing energy concerns for his country. What could have caused this sudden concern for the welfare of state and nation amongst these rulers? Does anybody believe that either Egypt or Saudi Arabia are doing anything but the will of the United States? It seems America has decided that if it can't have the Middle East, nobody will. I do not condemn the United States for doing what is in it's interests, but I do condemn many of our rulers from Morrocco to Oman for their incompetence and lack of vision.

The case of Egypt in particular pains me, especially when I compare it's role in the Arab world before Nasser's death and afterwards, with the betrayal of Anwar al Sadat. As one Arab documentary maker once said, "Sadat did indeed follow in the same line as Nasser, but with an eraser". Mubarak is firmly in the tradition of Sadat and not with Nasser. I don't like Nasser or the nationalism which he fostered and that damaged the region, but I have to hand it to him that he was indeed an Arab leader of outstanding calibre and one we could be proud of regardless of his many failings. To quote from the late Ismail Sabri Abdallah, “He’s really a Shakespearean character: when he was powerful, he was not intellectually mature, but when he matured after 1967, he was no longer powerful.” Can we say the same for any of our current Arab leaders? A grudging respect even if we don't admire them? No, it seems not even that is possible unfortunately.


I recognise that politics is a filthy game, that corruption, oppression and even murder come hand in hand with maintaining power. Yet even with this looser (and more controversial) standard, we find that none currently hold up under any scrutiny. None seem to know when to make a promise and when to break it, when it is necessary to shed blood and when to hold back your hounds. As Machiavelli would put it, a prince would need Fortuna and Virtus. Nasser in my opinion had Virtus by the bucketloads, but his Fortuna was non-existent since he was the ruler of Egypt, an impoverished country with no natural resources. Instead the best our generation can look back to is a cruel Saddam Hussein, brave indeed, and gutsy, but as one commentator called him "Half Donald Duck, Half Don Corleone", which is not what we need.

Today we find no Virtus but abundant Fortuna in an Arab world that is better connected, prouder of it's Arab and Islamic identity and better educated and motivated. We are not addicted to defeat, only sleeping. We are beyond modernism, beyond post modernism and peer to peer democratic grass roots movements. We have run out of "-isms" and the fools that peddle them to us like wonder pills that cure all. The world sometimes see people who inspire and motivate where once there are people just like us. There is similarity between people such as Che Guevara, Khomeini and many others like them. They animate and breathe life to a machine which continues running long after they themselves are dead, they need no fuel for this engine, no oil. No "-ism" can provide this, no post modern nation building exercise in "citizenry" no liberal or secularising experiment or "Arabism" can drive people the way these men have. To take the same people and transform them into something nobler, something with belief, that is true leadership and vision. Virtus and Fortuna.

8 comments:

G.Gar said...

"since he was the ruler of Egypt, an impoverished country with no natural resources"

Egypt an impioverished nation, indeed funny!!!

world bank report no 761 issued in 1976, stated that development in Egypt during th sixties was examplatory for third world nations! We had an economic growth rate from 1956 to 1967 of 6% compared to 2.5% of china! and that was mirculous by the standards of the time.

Egypt was going to surpass china according economic analysts of the time. Something had to be done about it. And that was dragging her out of her borders before she is mature enough. SYRIA AND YEMN WERE THE POINTS WHERE OUR ENEMIES HARPOONED US

Egyptians indeginously developed Cairo300 a supersonic aircraft that was equivalent to the Mirrage, a version of th air craft is found in th Berlin aviation musium.
Egyptian pound in the fifties was equal to sterlainpound in buying power! that was in 1966

Henry Kessinger in th diaries mentioned that, Egyptian industrial development in the sixties which wa directed to serve military purposes was going o make break throughs in space and aviation technologies.

Egyptians of Mohamed Ali crushed the Turks and put their heads in mud.Egypt in no time over took Europe. They all- Russia, England- France, Prusia UNITED and destroyed our rennaisance in 1840. What is worse th Arabs who we liberated from the Turkish stupidity joined th ottomans against us!!!!!!

Egypt modernisd Arabic language and instigated the first progressive wave in Arab world after 1000 years of Persian and Turkish backward dominance


even now when Egypt is at its worst we have a GDP per captica more or less close to the big resourceful oil country like Iran. And in terms of technological maturity we are 20 TWENTY YEARS AHEA OF iRAN.

It is enough to mention that the North kOREAN MISSILES SHOCUS POKUS WITH WHICH IRANIS ARE FOOLING NAIVE PEOPLE IS TOTALLY BASED ON Egyptian technologies tranfered to North Korea so as to escape American pressure and to get around th Russian harrasment in 1975.

What is Ironic that despite of our hardships and the American containment. We have the most lethal conventional and non convenntional arsenal in the middle east. Israelians know very well. CHECK Javee centre, TEL AVIC CENTRRE OF STRATEGIC STUDIES.

Alas our economy cant endure a war with Israel- The American aircrafts carrier in the middle east.Although our most profiecent Nato standards army can very well o the job

We will never commit the same mistakes gain. We wont go out untill we have grown up.


Given that Egypt with no resources, it endured 6 SIX WARS IN 25 YEARS!!!!IN 1956 EGYPT WAS TOTALLY WRECKED, YET WE ROSE UP AGAIN. DESPITE OF OUR HARDSHIPS WE SPENT THE GOLD COVER OF OUR POUND TO CONVERT YEMN INTO A COUNTRY LIKE THE REST OF COUNTRIES, GIVEN THAT IT WAS RULED BY SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE M CONTEMPORARY IRANI REGIME

think that tells about the difference in quality of human being between Egyptians and th rest of the scum in the middle east ( ARBS NOT INCLUDD IN THE SCUM CATEGORY, EXCEPT TRAITORS).


Egypt is very coherent structured body that has a natural tendency towords civilisation due to the dynamcis embeded in the internal fabric of Egypt.

However, Eversince the PHAROAHS EGYPT'S DESTINY IS LINKED TO TH PHAROAH. A characteristic of all highluy sophisticated civilisations like china which is much lesser than Egypt in almost all aspects.

Unfortunately, the majority of Egyptians now hit their heads with old shoes and say" we were the masters of the east" look what th Arab causes have brought to us. I dont agree though, because I see very clearly the common enemy- and the fact that Arab region is noe region whith common enmies- IRAN AND ISRAEL

G.Gar said...

I forgot to mention, the bombs dropped on civil targets inside Egypt during the victorious war of attrition from 1969 to 1970 which forced Israel to deman sieze fire for the first time in its history were equal to heroshima in terms of fire power

Lirun said...

what a ravenous rant

Damascene George said...

Amre, I'm not gonna go into the details of Egypt's economics cause I know nothing about it.
But when you say:
"Egypt is very coherent structured body that has a natural tendency towords civilisation due to the dynamcis embeded in the internal fabric of Egypt."
That's pretty a cliché that every damn other country out there uses. I continuously hear both Syrian nationals and Arab nationals using this argument when talking about Syria / The Arab world respectively.

G.Gar said...

Definetly I dont disagree with you. Egypt and Syria are parts of the Arab world which is the source of 75% of whatever makes up human existance. Syrinas, Iraqis ,Egyptians, Yemenses, Penniula Arabs formulated Christianity, Islam, Judaism, consience, state. They have been the centre of innovation and civisation throughout the entire history of humanity, except during the era of the Greco-Roman Persian colonialism, later on the Arabs fulfilled their destiny and braught together the Arab world where the elemnts in common among Arab enteties surpass those among the diffrent chinese provinces or Indian states.unfortunately, Arabs lost power again to turkish mongols and persians; Thus they fell behind their rivals in the west.

I wish I could see a day when I could say that my nationality is Arab while my province is Egypt. However, It is not wise nor is it pragamatic to say so at the present. the best I could look forward to at the present is minimal level of cordination, and a united solid front against all foreigners

Damascene George said...

"Definetly I dont disagree with you. Egypt and Syria are parts of the Arab world which is the source of 75% of whatever makes up human existance.".
Amre every single word in this sentence is the opposite of my ideas ;-) so you do disagree with me.
But I'm enjoying this anyways!

Maysaloon said...

Welcome Damascene George. I too am enjoying this exchange :)

G.Gar said...

Demacebne George, I would appreciate it if you elaborated on your views regarding the definition of Arab world and why you disagree with me