Comments on: Why Arab governments keep quiet about Iran

By: modernity

modernity — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:31:08 +0000

yeah, everyone’s worrying about Ahmadinejad, including people on SU blog and else where who think he is some “anti-imperialist” megastar, not just a racist front man for sections of the Iranian theocracy.

By: Charlie Pottins

Charlie Pottins — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:08:23 +0000

I remember a Palestinian speaker, an advisor to Arafat at the time, saying at an international conference that no Middle Eastern government wanted to see a Palestinian state, really, because it would be the first democratic state in the Middle East.

Leaving aside how the Palestinian aspiration was thwarted and derailed, I think there’s no mystery in Arab government’s silence on Iran. If Ahmadinejad wins he can continue playing bad cop to the West, and meanwhile sharing the policing of Iraq, but if they want Iran’s influence brought down they would trust to the US and Israel to do something.

If Musavi were to win they might hope for an easier way.

But if the people on the streets and the strikers get their way that is definitely bad news. These things are catching. Egypt has worse poverty and unemployment than Iran, as well a shameful record of collaborating with the blockade of Gaza. It has some very determined and militant workers.

Saudi Arabia is much more repressive than the Iranian regime, both on workers and on women’s rights, and though the Saudis might be glad to see their Shi’ite rivals humbled, they don’t the spectacle of mass social unrest on their doorstep. Once you start this democratising lark where would it end?

Meanwhile the Israeli government too is worried that without Ahmadinejad it will lose a bogeyman, and lose its persuasive influence in Washington. Being all dressed up for a war with nowhere to go, it will still face the Palestinians.

As for our friend who wants to tell us what Middle Eastern Muslims might tell “the Left”, why doesn’t he try telling that to Middle Eastern leftists? Or better still just fucking emigrate.

By: DBC Reed

DBC Reed — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:45:15 +0000

Les Abbey above is right about getting back to basics: leftist parties should be talking about providing jobs ,big infrastructure,everywhere.Over here the left is as obsessed with house prices as the Tories “We’ll never get elected with falling house prices!” But most houses are only worth about four or five times people’s annual combined wages.People make the major money out of their jobs.

Socialism is a materialist philosophy which centres on jobs,not identity politics .In the middle east it is too easy for religious fundamentalists to point at the West and say: Their societies are broken and fractured with long-term unemployment,schools where children disrespect their elders and split-up families.

By: jack r

jack r — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:17:16 +0000

a bad example to the sundry dictatorships in the region that the State Department doles out cash and guns to perhaps…

By: socialrepublican

socialrepublican — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:31:17 +0000

further

José Napoleón Duarte

Efraín Ríos Montt

Battalion 316

Resistencia Nicaragüense

By: Red Deathy

Red Deathy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:22:17 +0000

Reaganite,

Iran-Contra.

Nuff said.

By: Letters From A Tory

Letters From A Tory — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:55:19 +0000

“Contagious” is indeed the right word in the circumstances. Other Arab nations are not exactly championing democracy with their noteworthy silence, as they clearly don’t want their own populations to think that they should have a say in who runs the country!

By: Les Abbey

Les Abbey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:47:14 +0000

Socialists have to return to basics and fight against religion getting involved in politics. Whether it’s Muslim in Iran, Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Judaism in Israel, Blair Faith Foundation in the UK or Southern Baptists in the US we need to keep religion and government separate.

By: Reaganite Republican

Reaganite Republican — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:50:39 +0000

Well, he can bow, kiss his ring, and call him “Supreme Leader” all he wants… but these blood-soaked tyrants are laughing at Obambi. It doesn’t matter what Obama says to the Mullahs now… they lost all respect for him when he started sending them adoring fan mail. They know this smiley plastic mannequin isn’t going to do anything.

Ronald Reagan’s support of Poland’s Solidarity in the dark days of the Soviet-ordered crackdown is the model here… not the preposterous straw-man argument of “what are you going to do, invade?” disingenuously presented by the do-nothing, Obama-pologist left.

And isn’t this what George W Bush told you was going to happen in the Middle East in the wake of Iraq’s liberation?

Maybe that’s why Barack Obama has so little apparent interest in finishing the job in Iran… no matter how much it benefits the US and free world.

That, and the fact that he’s already piled all his chips on legitimizing this vile regime- and a democratic revolution at this point would be downright embarrassing for him.

http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/

By: Sue R

Sue R — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:08:50 +0000

Interestingly, our own local Muslims have not had a lot to say either. Neither have I read their views on the crisis in Pakistan: infact there has been a deafening silence. Wonder why?