Arab dictators in trouble?

[Larry Gude]

Analysis: A warning to Arab dictators

He said that the Tunisian people deserved to be thanked twice – “for proving that the Arab street is not dead as many had expected and is capable of waging an intifada and making sacrifices for change, and for exposing the Arab regimes that claimed to care about human rights and the values of justice and democracy.”

Nah. The US will bail 'em out.

Writing in the same paper, commentator Hussein Majdoubi said that in light of the collapse of the Tunisian regime, the future of the Arab dictatorships was now in question. He added that the rulers of Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Egypt could be next in line. He also expressed disappointment that the West was continuing to support Arab dictators, while ignoring the plight of the Arab masses.

Thought provoking little article.

 

[aps45819]

don't the arab masses hate us?

 

[CrashTest]

Shouldn't we take care of the plight of our own masses?

 

[Larry Gude]

don't the arab masses hate us?

Yes. Of course they do. I mean, we talk freedom and liberty out of one side of our mouth and support dictators out the other. For generations.

Does anyone not get this?

 

[ImnoMensa]

Yes. Of course they do. I mean, we talk freedom and liberty out of one side of our mouth and support dictators out the other. For generations.

Does anyone not get this?

Gee: We took out one dictator (Saddam Hussein) and look at all the crap we got for that. Tried to give them freedom and liberty and all we did was get Christians killed. Not sure any of them deserve freedom and liberty, but I am sure that one thing they do not deserve is American foreign aid in any form.

 

[bcp]

Let me try to explain this to you all.
I read a forum that is for the most part filled with people from all over, U.S, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany etc...

On one hand the complain about the U.S taking advantage of other countries with NAFTA, we are destroying south america with it.
They complain that we have our military in everyones business all the time.
They have the nerve to complain about our negative attitude toward the illegals.

However, if there is any talk about changing these things, all hell breaks loose.
The world looks at the U.S as free land to move to, as though the land, the money and the citizens are property to be used as others see fit.
The general idea is that we need to shut up, and just do as we are told, if they need money? we give it, if they need military back up, we give it.
Their country needs a financial boost? we buy their happy meal toys, or we buy their oil.
For this, they owe us nothing because we Americans are nothing more to them than an ATM.

 

[Matthew]

Yes. Of course they do. I mean, we talk freedom and liberty out of one side of our mouth and support dictators out the other. For generations.

Does anyone not get this?

Larry, we have always supported dictators as long as they either"claimed to espouse anti communist nee Anti Sovietism "or because they had something we wanted, like oil.
We even support those who oppress their own (Pinochet) or dispose popular elected leaders because their country is in a very strategic position (Mossedagh)
I have seen with my own eyes, the results of our trying to pass ourselves as purveyors of the "democratic ideals" in support of regimes that think the "peasants" are a resource to be exploited by their own, and inadvertantly, us

What is lost on us is that one dictator begets another one because slogans like land reform are just that..slogans. Look at Mugabe in Zimbabwe. He took a fertile breadbasket and turned it into a famine zone.

Sooner or later, we will learn that supporting dictators, whether left wing or right wing, is detrimental to our national health.

An excellent place to start is with our own. IN the WH, Senate and House of Representatives.