Revolution? Nigeria Is Ripe & Ready You Can Say That Again!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Democracy does not begin and end on election day. Democracy is not periodic-episodic actions. Democracy and elections have consequences. Democracy in Nigeria must not mean motions without movement.
Democracy must have bearing upon and must have positive impact on public policies. Due Process and The Rule of Law are key elements which forms the essential core democracies. Democratic process must promote and advance, due process and the rule of law
Nigeria in the 51st year post political independence operates a parlous national economy, in which steady electricity is still a promise, a dream and a fantasy. Nigeria after 50 years of flag independence from Britain is still in fits and starts. Nigeria is still a nation in which the majority cannot enjoy clean water supply. Too many Nigerians still die from avoidable, preventable and curable diseases, including malaria
Nigeria remains a nation in which public officials, private sector operators and sundry members of the richest one percent, must travel abroad for basic medical care, even as Nigerian hospitals and health-care systems are under-staffed, under equipped and under-funded. Resources are misallocated and mismanaged
Nigeria, after 50 of cessation of colonial rule by Britain, Nigeria remains unwilling to ensure the safety and security of persons and properties within our borders Democracy in Nigeria should confer meaningful benefits or rewards to our citizens. Political apathy arises when a plurality of citizens believe that they have been taken for granted and that improvements would not come, regardless of citizens’ efforts and actions
Nigeria’s judiciary, which ought to be the last hope of the average citizen is mired in scandals. The Nigerian Judiciary, the third most important arm of our democratic government, is currently bedeviled by allegations and counter accusations of perversions of justice. These allegations are being traded by and between the highest echelons of the Nigerian Judiciary.
It is now an open secret that Justice Isa Ayo Salami, the President of Nigeria Court of Appeals have pointedly accused Justice Aloysicious Katsina Alu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, of inappropriate, unethical and illegal contact with the former, with a view to affecting the outcome of a gubernatorial or governorship petition from Sokoto state which was pending before Justice Salami’s Court of Appeals
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alu and Justice Salami have since then engaged in public spat, including a law suit filed and then withdrawn, as well as a series of administrative queries emanating from and originated by, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and directed at the President of the Court of Appeal. All these run counter and are inconsistent with the standard of utmost integrity, good faith, trust and decorum, for which the legal profession is known, particularly at such apex levels of the CJN and PCA respectively.
Smack in the middle of this house, Nigeria, so divided against herself, or put alternatively, Nigeria, our home is metaphorically, figuratively and literally on fire, while the presidential candidates and their political parties prefer to engage in window-dressing, and electioneering farce, in which the candidates and their various political parties appear to have zoned various offices to themselves and their political parties. And as a consequence, there are no Issues Driven Debates.
There no electioneering campaigns in the true sense of the term. The candidates, the aspirants, the flag bearers and their various political parties are merely talking over the heads of the Nigerian electorate, the Nigerian public and press. The political actors remain splendidly uninterested in debate of public policies and sundry national challenges, whereby various candidates and their political parties may stake their position on national issues ranging from the economy, national science and technology policy and innovation, including the fate of our national currency which have been over devalued since 1986
It is public knowledge and even trite, to restate the obvious regarding the neglected and decrepit state of our health-care system which is exemplified by the fact that our former president, the late Umaru YarAdua was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia for 93 days for medical treatment. Why did this monumental embarrassment occur? The laughable idea that our president, the symbol of our nation, national security and all, have to seek surgery and dialysis outside Nigeria? Many a Nigerian politician, private sector operator and or public figure, now as matter of course, resort to seeking medical treatment or care outside the shores of Nigeria as Chief Odumegu Ojukwu is currently doing in Britain
Oba of Benin admonished the Federal Government of Nigeria as reported by Nigerian newspapers on Saturday February 26, 2011. The Oba was angered and expressed his displeasure of the abandonment, neglect and unwarranted delays to a major highway, expressway which links Lagos to Benin, South -South and South East. The Oba who was visited by the Works Minister of State, expressed public displeasure at failure by the federal government regarding the Lagos-Benin-Ore highway. This major roadway and artery, has since become a national burden and a drain. A burden on all travelers for commerce or pleasure. The ineffectiveness, the inefficiency and ineptitude regarding Lagos-Benin-Ore highway, certainly cannot be a demonstration of problem -solving acumen on the part of the current central government.
Nigerians know that Nigeria is no longer under a totalitarian and despotic military dictatorship or tyranny
Nigerians at home and abroad are keenly aware that peaceful transfer of civilian to civilian political power have transpired in Nigeria relatively peacefully during the preceding several years, particularly, since 2007. The world knows therefore, that Nigeria is not identical to or with the one man dictatorships in Tunisia or Egypt or Libya which have existed for decades, two, three and four decades respectively. Even so, the point must be made that true democracy is a yet to take roots in Nigeria. Due Process and The Rule of Law are yet to be second-nature to political and private sector operator. Democratic structures are taking roots, but we cannot as yet, with a straight face, say that there is true and institutionalized democracy in Nigeria. We do have democracy, which remains extremely imperfect, and a work in progress.
There is high rate of unemployment in Nigeria, including high rate of unemployment among the college educated segment of our population, including some with advanced university degrees! There is heightening state of insecurity, including kidnapping and sundry antisocial behaviors traceable and correlative with the Nigerian national economy comatose state for far too long now.
Nigeria continue to fund the education and agriculture sectors most inadequately. There are glaring and repeated cases of misallocation and mismanagement of national resources. A majority of Nigerian citizens continue to wallow in abject poverty and in most squalid of human conditions. Why should Nigerians endure terrible suffering, hardship and desperation in the face Nigeria’s abundance in human and material resources? And yet, the current political class are unable to articulate public policy position, policies and programs which they will bring about to address and redress our national issues, national concerns and sundry national challenges?
This is after all an election season, why then are the presidential candidates not marketing themselves, canvassing or begging convincingly for votes and asking the electorate in forthright requests for support from voters? Why are the absence or paucity of manifestos and ideology and Issued Driven Debates
Why are the opposition political parties not variously comparing and contrasting themselves, individually and separately, with the current political party which controls the central or federal government, issue by issue, policy by policy and letting the press and public, the electorate know their public policy stance in comparison with the current federal government? Such contradistinctions, by the various candidates and their political parties, well articulated, will provide the predicate for a free and fair, credible elections outcome, free of rancor, irregularities or frauds which usually elicit violent resistance from political opponents.
It is sadly the case, that the current crop of Nigeria’s political leadership, are not deploying essential machinery and tools of democracy through meaningful interactions with the press, public and particularly the Nigerian electorate. There currently no vibrant and vigorous electioneering campaigns which are motivated by Nigerian National Issues. The various political parties and their numerous candidates are merely coasting toward the general elections in April 2011. Nigerians and Nigeria are therefore, in essence, sleepwalking towards an election impasse, and election stalemate and an election deadlock. We must wake up. We must cease and desist from sleepwalking towards the precipice of disaster and fulfilling prophecies of anarchy and disintegration foretold
Retired General Muhamadu Buhari believes that the continuing abject poverty which have been endured for too long by a plurality of Nigerians and the egregious neglect by the current crop of Nigeria political elite to even pretend to address these dire circumstances could be where fertilizer meet fertile ground in what would be Nigeria’s version of political revolution, revolt and upheaval similar to what the world is witnessing, including the political situation which began in Tunisia, then rolled through Egypt and it is now lingering in Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen and probably Saudi Arabia the bastion of theocracy and impervious to economic and political changes and reforms
The Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi of the Central Bank of Nigeria, along with many others, are right in their accurate assessment of the human condition which currently permeates and pervades Nigeria. Governor Sanusi and others are right in adding and raising their voices to address dire and precarious situation in Nigeria, situations which afflict the majority of Nigerian citizens. A responsive government and or a political system would measure the public pulse respond or seek to create ameliorative responses.
The Nigerian political class in power and the opposition parties and their candidates are identical in their lack of ideology. They are identical in ways in which they are arrogantly taking the public and the electorate for granted. The candidates and their political parties have created an art form out of their notorious contempt, utter contempt for the voter. The voters are contemptuously discounted from the process!
The candidates and their various political parties seem to so presumptuously ready to discuss self-assured predictable elections outcomes without suasion of the voting public. There are plenty talks which matter-of-fact conclusive outcomes for election which are yet to be had in April. The Nigerian political class are now behaving as if they outcomes are forgone conclusions, so for them, there is no need to haggle with the voters about ideology and social contract? No need to canvass duty, obligation, responsibility? No need for call and response or push and pull of true democratic process?
Nigeria is a democracy, a pseudo and imperfect democracy perhaps. Nigeria is certainly not a military dictatorship in the modes of Egypt pre, during and post Hosni Mubarak. Nigeria is not Libya in which Moammar Kaddafi a military dictator has held sway for four decades, but, the abject poverty, the suffering and desperation in the midst of bountiful abundance and plenty; the fact of thirst in the midst of the ocean of plentiful; it is in these realms in which Nigeria is same, similar, identical and worse than Tunisia, Egypt and Libya put together.
There are steady generation and transmission of electricity in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya compared to Nigeria. There are social safety nets in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya quite unlike Nigeria. And currently, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain etc, have peremptorily, increased allowances palliatives and extended social safety nets to their citizens in efforts to placate and mollify. Nigerians have no such luck emanating from our self-absorbed, self-interested, constipated and complacent inept crass political class
Too many in the present Nigerian political class are too distant and too oblivious of the hassles, the sufferings, the hardships which have induced and inflicted extreme desperation Nigerians across the spectrum and nationwide. Nigeria is ripe and ready for a revolution. In view of loots, pillage, plunder and impunity which have occurred in past several years and the failure to tackle these public scourges, it is utter provocation in the most wanton of ways, for many, within the current Nigerian political class, to continue to arrogantly insist that Nigeria is not amenable to citizens’ revolts.
The preconditions for revolution is have been met and the conditions are actually worsening as none of the candidates and their parties are addressing citizens’ legitimate and reasonable concerns, such as safety and security, unemployment, Naira value, state of public infrastructure, national unity in diversity without relegation and marginalization of individuals and groups etc
The human condition in Nigeria is dire, terrible and desperate and the political leadership live in a fool’s paradise, with their heads buried in the sands, so much so, that they won’t even know what hit them as they are consumed by a probable revolution, an uprising, or a revolt by the long-suffering citizens of Nigeria.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Revolution, Is Impossible In Nigeria? Some Say NEVER! Says Who?
Revolution, Is Impossible In Nigeria? Some Say NEVER! Says Who?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Since the political and constitutional upheaval in Tunisia, then followed by Egypt and now Libya, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen and so on, some Nigerians have publicly commented that Nigerians can only dream of Egyptian and Tunisian style revolutions and political uprising. Some Nigerians have even gone to the unreasonable extent of actually saying such will not, and could NEVER happen in Nigeria! And we must ask, REALLY?
Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives drove the last nail into this revolution-is-impossible-in-Nigeria argument several days ago, through his address to parliamentarians from Germany who were visiting Nigeria. Speaker Bankole, whose only claim to fame, infamy, are series of scandalous dealings and revelations against him thinks Nigerians have no reasons to revolt?
One wonders what exactly gives Mr. Bankole these sorts of supreme confidence Mr. Bankole is a man, a Nigerian politician who is not known for driving a particular policy, law or ideology. He actually had the audacity and temerity to publicly proclaim that a revolution is impossible in Nigeria! Are Nigerians content and happy?
Who and what gave Dimeji Bankole such overconfidence or unmitigated arrogance? How can he and the House of Representatives and by extension the current crop of Nigerian political class which he represents, be so cocksure that Nigerians have nothing to complain about and we have no need to engage in any revolt, uprising and indeed, a revolution similar to and better than the world have seen recently in Tunisia, Egypt, Wisconsin and Belgium?
Dimeji Bankole and Nigeria’s current crop of political operators must not be allowed to take Nigerians, long suffering Nigerians for granted. He and his ilk must not be allowed to demonstrate their utter contempt and insensitivity to the plights and predicaments of millions of Nigerians.
What Nigerians Want? The Same Things, Simple Things which citizens of Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan wants!
Why are Nigerian politicians or political class denying Nigerians what Nigerians richly deserve?
What the average Nigerian want and needs are a tad simple, rather too simple! Nigerians are thirty in the middle the oceans of abundance and bountiful opportunities in Nigeria. Our political class have misallocated, mismanaged, and squandered our national resources at every opportunity after missed opportunities!
Instead of becoming tools in the hands of inept politicians who are liable to fan embers of ethnic, religious and regional violence, Nigerians across the spectrum should realize that we have abject poverty in common, we have unemployment in common, we have concerns for safety and security in common. All Nigerians in our daily lives confront a comatose economy, absence of public transportation. Nigerians continue to bear the burden of abandoned, decadent, neglected public infrastructure. Nigerians have understaffed, ill-equipped and decrepit hospital and healthcare system in common, while public officials and politicians junket to medical treatments overseas. 150 million Nigerians contend with our neglected education sector, while politicians send their children to Europe and America to be educated with public wealth stolen from Nigerians.
This is our time to engage in an uprising, a revolt and a revolution. The average Nigerian is poor and desperate regardless of ethnicity, region or religion. The economic conditions throughout Nigeria are identical and similar and it more about ineptitude, poverty of ideas within the leadership structure of Nigeria. Our number one national challenge is bankruptcy of ideas within the political and economic class in both private and public sectors. Nigerians have abject poverty and squalid conditions in common which defies fleeting and fluid differences based on ethnicity, religion, state and region of birth. We should not allow our poor selves to be manipulated for the benefits of the political class. The political class is identical nationwide, they have neglected the poor and what ought to be the Nigerian middleclass.
All Nigerians should confront our political and economic leaders instead of what we have now, in which poor, suffering, desperate people attack other poor, suffering, desperate people, attacking fellow Nigerians based on such Nigerians’ ethnic group, language group or religious affiliation or region and state of origins. Nigerians can, in this regard, learn from the Egyptians who, despite the differences, such as between Coptic Christians and the various sects of Islam and the mixes of Nubian and Arab races, the Egyptian revolution was peaceful and unified in their diversity.
The Egyptians revolution was bells and whistles, flags and nationalism well done! The Egyptians were organized and efficient, from medical treatments to picking up garbage or trash to the parade of flags! Nigerians should emulate this example, instead of being apathetic. We should not allow hunger and desperation to turn us into thugs for hire for the political class which intent on exploit our minor differences based on our ethnic, religious, state and regional diversity. We reap the benefits of our unity in diversity. We should cease and desist from letting our diversity become negative common denominators of which our inept politicians use to their own advantage and at the expense of our national purpose, cohesion and interests
It is clearly the case, that, Nigerians politicians, the fulcrum of more than sixty two registered political parties, are currently displaying constipated complacency over the abject poverty and the dire economic conditions in Nigeria which is now exemplified and symptomatic high crime rates and rising antisocial behaviors with consequent negative impact on the safety and security of lives and properties nationwide. Nigeria is now replete with increased spate of agitations, and clamor for separation between ethno, religious and cultural groups. There are even talks of secessions which could lead to increased violence, anarchy and even disintegration of Nigeria. And yet, Speaker Bankole does not see a problem or cause for revolt, uprising and revolution? Really, is this really the case?
It is true that Nigeria is not Egypt or Tunisia or Libya. It is a fact that Nigerians have not have to endure one man despot and despotic, dictatorial and tyrannical domination continuously for 30 years as was Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and over 20 years as was Ben Ali in Tunisia. But, apart from those differences, there are some other differences, some glaring, while others are subtle. Nigerians would not tolerate a one man dictatorship or despot for 30 years! Nigerians do not have such patience or tolerance!
However, even so, it is simply the case that a majority of Nigerians have live in abject and squalid economic, social and political condition for over 30 years! A prime example is value of our national currency the Naira, which was dramatically devalued in September 1986 without benefit to Nigerians and Nigeria. The Naira has remained in downward spiral with increased spate of volatility for almost 30 years!
Nigerians and Nigeria have had a messy, imperfect democracy since 1999 inauguration of the so-called new democratic dispensation and our democracy have remains nascent with baby steps in the most literal sense, even after these 11 plus years!
Nigeria is in the throes of an all important general elections after 50 years of flag independence and still, Nigerians across the spectrum and across the nation, lack basic essentials of human life, food and shelter etc Not to mention, steady electricity supply, or basic amenities such as clean water supply etc. Nigeria’s agricultural and food production sectors remain comatose. Nigeria’s health and education sectors have become decrepit as a consequence of years of abandonments and thorough neglects by our political leadership, who are bereft of creative political solutions, those who are bankrupt of ideas and yet, they are quick to announce that political upheavals, uprisings and revolutions will NEVER occur in Nigeria?
Who indeed gave such assurances, surety and guarantees to Speaker Dimeji Bankole?
Elections are upon us in Nigeria in a matter of months, and yet, issues Driven electioneering campaign steady electricity, clean water, full employment, safety and security of lives and properties and better life for all Nigerians... more opportunities to create greater wealth, health and happiness in Nigeria.
But instead, Nigerians at home and abroad continue to read and hear the self interested, self absorbed, self serving and selfish chatters and confrontations between and amongst the political class about more power and hence more life of wealth and opulence for themselves, without ever sparing a thought for the majority of Nigerians who continue to live in biting abject poverty, extreme suffering, hardship and desperation! Everyday stories and news spread of how various Nigerians politicians are turning their sons, wives, daughters and friends into selected club of political leadership as if Nigeria is now a monarchy in which public office follows familial hereditary devolutions.
Several Nigerians journalists, public intellectuals and commentators have recently stated that Nigerians can only dream of Egypt or Tunisia type uprising or revolution and I completely disagree. Nigerians have in the past revolted and engaged in revolutions which such to the compelled, sudden and premature departures of military governments and brutal dictators and Nigerians successfully did these decades before Egyptians and Tunisian could.
Nigerians accomplished these revolutions without Facebook, Twitter or other Social and Independent Media or Independent Journalism of the new Digital Revolution of this new era. Nigerians succeeded then without this new Digital Age with which to facilitate, coordinate and choreograph these Nigerian efforts at political revolutions! A Nigerian revolution compelled military dictator General Ibrahim Babangida to yield power!
It is in fact the case that a revolution in Nigeria is even more possible in the absence brutal military governments which Nigerians had to confront in the past. A revolution is more possible with the new digital age and a more open and interconnectedness in our new world made smaller in a global village made even smaller by internet!
The pronouncements by Speaker Dimeji Bankole seem to be saying of Nigerians to the world, “Let them eat cake” He comes across as blissfully ignorant of the abject human conditions with which Nigerians contend on a daily basis! We are left to wonder whether his comments arose from pure arrogance and overconfidence on his part. Does this mean that the Nigerian political class does believe that the Nigerian public is satisfied? Or is it that they are taken for granted?
What does Mr. Dimeji Bankole statements say about Nigerians? That we are docile, complicit and complacent in our own suffering, misery and dire situation? Are these facts or fictions about our situation? Are his assertions true? Are these true or false about us? Or are his statements symptomatic of constipated complacency on the part of political leadership? Speaker Bankole and Nigerian political class are apparently ignorant of the hardships in Nigeria. 150 million Nigerians should not let this slide. We should confront Speaker Bankole, the National Assembly of Nigeria and our government at all levels
The general elections are very close. The elections are in fact in couple of months. There are Nigerians who insist that our singular focus should be the fight against corruption, avarice and greediness. But we certainly can do both. Yes, we can do both! We can walk and talk, we can chew gum and cross the road... we should have multiple pronged approach... we should make our political leadership and private sector operator more accountable and transparent... there is too much suffering in the land... there is too much desperation in our homeland, it is time, yes, it is time, it is time to make our political leadership listen to the Nigerian public and the electorate... it is time for them to articulate their position on public issues and our national challenges! We should let our leaders feel the urgency of now!
The forthcoming general elections portray identical approach by politicians and their political parties. They show complete disregard and extreme contempt for fellow Nigerians. The politicians and their parties are not debating each other and focused on relevant substantial and significant national issues or challenges. Nigerians should loudly demand Issues Driven electioneering campaigns...such as steady electricity, clean water, full employment, safety and security of lives and properties and better life for all Nigerians... more opportunities to create greater wealth, health and happiness in Nigeria. Nigerians should loudly demand manifestos from the candidates and their political parties!
It is time for our Egypt MOMENT!
It is time to stop our political leadership from taking all of us for granted... It is time to stop them from talking over our heads and it is time for us to hold them to account... they constantly exhibit utter contempt for our people and we now have a new opportunity to make our feelings known!
Why should we, 150 million Nigerians allow our political leadership to be deaf and impervious to our reasonable expectations, hopes, desires and aspirations? The political class is currently absent from the negotiating table. They are not canvassing for our votes through campaigns or public debates of our national issues and challenges. The politicians are not driven by any particular ideology. They have neglected to stake their position on myriad public policies. They have neglected and refused to announce their stances on what concerns Nigerians, the electorate and generality of our public
Why are they not addressing or debating the plight of our national currency?
This is a general elections season in Nigeria, and yet, the politicians are only interested in and are focused on whom amongst themselves will be selected for various offices in our nation.... they are splendidly uninterested in our concerns... the daily existential concerns for food and shelter of our citizens
Why are they not addressing our national challenges, our national issues, our national of funk?
Nigerians are 150 million STRONG.... When are we going to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?
Why should we, 150 million Nigerians allow our political leadership to be deaf and impervious to our reasonable expectations, hopes, desires and aspirations? What assurances do we, Nigerians have that it would not be business as usual after the forthcoming elections?
There are currently no indications whatsoever that anything will change or that the human condition of Nigerians will change... as it is, it is the case that the politicians are not even debating how they may improve our conditions! It is the case that Nigerians have had cause to engage in uprising an political revolutions in the past. It is the case that peaceful demonstrations and protests which began in Tunisia in North Africa has since spread far and wide, including to such unlikely places as Belgium in Europe, as well as the state of Wisconsin, here in the United States where the citizens are in an uprising, revolt and revolution against Governor Walker for attempting to stifle unionism and collective bargaining.
Nigerians knew and practiced peoples’ power, uprising, revolts and revolutions, well before the recent spates of demands for democracy, freedoms and the rule of law in Tunisia, then the extraordinarily peaceful and diverse protests for 18 days in Egypt, which have be followed and emulated in Jordan, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, etc.
Nigerians have been through this way before the Nigerian Labor Congress, NLC, the Nigerian Bar Association or NBA, the Nigerian Medical Association or NMA, then PRONACO, NADECO and Nigerians of diverse background have unified in the past, across economic, education, religious, social-cultural class etc united to oppose Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.
Nigerians in unity and in diversity should unify again to oppose politicians who neglect our desires and aspirations. Nigerians rebelled against extreme draconian, repressive and brutal military dictatorships in the past; we surely can revolt against civilian administrations!
It is time for our Egypt MOMENT!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Since the political and constitutional upheaval in Tunisia, then followed by Egypt and now Libya, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen and so on, some Nigerians have publicly commented that Nigerians can only dream of Egyptian and Tunisian style revolutions and political uprising. Some Nigerians have even gone to the unreasonable extent of actually saying such will not, and could NEVER happen in Nigeria! And we must ask, REALLY?
Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives drove the last nail into this revolution-is-impossible-in-Nigeria argument several days ago, through his address to parliamentarians from Germany who were visiting Nigeria. Speaker Bankole, whose only claim to fame, infamy, are series of scandalous dealings and revelations against him thinks Nigerians have no reasons to revolt?
One wonders what exactly gives Mr. Bankole these sorts of supreme confidence Mr. Bankole is a man, a Nigerian politician who is not known for driving a particular policy, law or ideology. He actually had the audacity and temerity to publicly proclaim that a revolution is impossible in Nigeria! Are Nigerians content and happy?
Who and what gave Dimeji Bankole such overconfidence or unmitigated arrogance? How can he and the House of Representatives and by extension the current crop of Nigerian political class which he represents, be so cocksure that Nigerians have nothing to complain about and we have no need to engage in any revolt, uprising and indeed, a revolution similar to and better than the world have seen recently in Tunisia, Egypt, Wisconsin and Belgium?
Dimeji Bankole and Nigeria’s current crop of political operators must not be allowed to take Nigerians, long suffering Nigerians for granted. He and his ilk must not be allowed to demonstrate their utter contempt and insensitivity to the plights and predicaments of millions of Nigerians.
What Nigerians Want? The Same Things, Simple Things which citizens of Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan wants!
Why are Nigerian politicians or political class denying Nigerians what Nigerians richly deserve?
What the average Nigerian want and needs are a tad simple, rather too simple! Nigerians are thirty in the middle the oceans of abundance and bountiful opportunities in Nigeria. Our political class have misallocated, mismanaged, and squandered our national resources at every opportunity after missed opportunities!
Instead of becoming tools in the hands of inept politicians who are liable to fan embers of ethnic, religious and regional violence, Nigerians across the spectrum should realize that we have abject poverty in common, we have unemployment in common, we have concerns for safety and security in common. All Nigerians in our daily lives confront a comatose economy, absence of public transportation. Nigerians continue to bear the burden of abandoned, decadent, neglected public infrastructure. Nigerians have understaffed, ill-equipped and decrepit hospital and healthcare system in common, while public officials and politicians junket to medical treatments overseas. 150 million Nigerians contend with our neglected education sector, while politicians send their children to Europe and America to be educated with public wealth stolen from Nigerians.
This is our time to engage in an uprising, a revolt and a revolution. The average Nigerian is poor and desperate regardless of ethnicity, region or religion. The economic conditions throughout Nigeria are identical and similar and it more about ineptitude, poverty of ideas within the leadership structure of Nigeria. Our number one national challenge is bankruptcy of ideas within the political and economic class in both private and public sectors. Nigerians have abject poverty and squalid conditions in common which defies fleeting and fluid differences based on ethnicity, religion, state and region of birth. We should not allow our poor selves to be manipulated for the benefits of the political class. The political class is identical nationwide, they have neglected the poor and what ought to be the Nigerian middleclass.
All Nigerians should confront our political and economic leaders instead of what we have now, in which poor, suffering, desperate people attack other poor, suffering, desperate people, attacking fellow Nigerians based on such Nigerians’ ethnic group, language group or religious affiliation or region and state of origins. Nigerians can, in this regard, learn from the Egyptians who, despite the differences, such as between Coptic Christians and the various sects of Islam and the mixes of Nubian and Arab races, the Egyptian revolution was peaceful and unified in their diversity.
The Egyptians revolution was bells and whistles, flags and nationalism well done! The Egyptians were organized and efficient, from medical treatments to picking up garbage or trash to the parade of flags! Nigerians should emulate this example, instead of being apathetic. We should not allow hunger and desperation to turn us into thugs for hire for the political class which intent on exploit our minor differences based on our ethnic, religious, state and regional diversity. We reap the benefits of our unity in diversity. We should cease and desist from letting our diversity become negative common denominators of which our inept politicians use to their own advantage and at the expense of our national purpose, cohesion and interests
It is clearly the case, that, Nigerians politicians, the fulcrum of more than sixty two registered political parties, are currently displaying constipated complacency over the abject poverty and the dire economic conditions in Nigeria which is now exemplified and symptomatic high crime rates and rising antisocial behaviors with consequent negative impact on the safety and security of lives and properties nationwide. Nigeria is now replete with increased spate of agitations, and clamor for separation between ethno, religious and cultural groups. There are even talks of secessions which could lead to increased violence, anarchy and even disintegration of Nigeria. And yet, Speaker Bankole does not see a problem or cause for revolt, uprising and revolution? Really, is this really the case?
It is true that Nigeria is not Egypt or Tunisia or Libya. It is a fact that Nigerians have not have to endure one man despot and despotic, dictatorial and tyrannical domination continuously for 30 years as was Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and over 20 years as was Ben Ali in Tunisia. But, apart from those differences, there are some other differences, some glaring, while others are subtle. Nigerians would not tolerate a one man dictatorship or despot for 30 years! Nigerians do not have such patience or tolerance!
However, even so, it is simply the case that a majority of Nigerians have live in abject and squalid economic, social and political condition for over 30 years! A prime example is value of our national currency the Naira, which was dramatically devalued in September 1986 without benefit to Nigerians and Nigeria. The Naira has remained in downward spiral with increased spate of volatility for almost 30 years!
Nigerians and Nigeria have had a messy, imperfect democracy since 1999 inauguration of the so-called new democratic dispensation and our democracy have remains nascent with baby steps in the most literal sense, even after these 11 plus years!
Nigeria is in the throes of an all important general elections after 50 years of flag independence and still, Nigerians across the spectrum and across the nation, lack basic essentials of human life, food and shelter etc Not to mention, steady electricity supply, or basic amenities such as clean water supply etc. Nigeria’s agricultural and food production sectors remain comatose. Nigeria’s health and education sectors have become decrepit as a consequence of years of abandonments and thorough neglects by our political leadership, who are bereft of creative political solutions, those who are bankrupt of ideas and yet, they are quick to announce that political upheavals, uprisings and revolutions will NEVER occur in Nigeria?
Who indeed gave such assurances, surety and guarantees to Speaker Dimeji Bankole?
Elections are upon us in Nigeria in a matter of months, and yet, issues Driven electioneering campaign steady electricity, clean water, full employment, safety and security of lives and properties and better life for all Nigerians... more opportunities to create greater wealth, health and happiness in Nigeria.
But instead, Nigerians at home and abroad continue to read and hear the self interested, self absorbed, self serving and selfish chatters and confrontations between and amongst the political class about more power and hence more life of wealth and opulence for themselves, without ever sparing a thought for the majority of Nigerians who continue to live in biting abject poverty, extreme suffering, hardship and desperation! Everyday stories and news spread of how various Nigerians politicians are turning their sons, wives, daughters and friends into selected club of political leadership as if Nigeria is now a monarchy in which public office follows familial hereditary devolutions.
Several Nigerians journalists, public intellectuals and commentators have recently stated that Nigerians can only dream of Egypt or Tunisia type uprising or revolution and I completely disagree. Nigerians have in the past revolted and engaged in revolutions which such to the compelled, sudden and premature departures of military governments and brutal dictators and Nigerians successfully did these decades before Egyptians and Tunisian could.
Nigerians accomplished these revolutions without Facebook, Twitter or other Social and Independent Media or Independent Journalism of the new Digital Revolution of this new era. Nigerians succeeded then without this new Digital Age with which to facilitate, coordinate and choreograph these Nigerian efforts at political revolutions! A Nigerian revolution compelled military dictator General Ibrahim Babangida to yield power!
It is in fact the case that a revolution in Nigeria is even more possible in the absence brutal military governments which Nigerians had to confront in the past. A revolution is more possible with the new digital age and a more open and interconnectedness in our new world made smaller in a global village made even smaller by internet!
The pronouncements by Speaker Dimeji Bankole seem to be saying of Nigerians to the world, “Let them eat cake” He comes across as blissfully ignorant of the abject human conditions with which Nigerians contend on a daily basis! We are left to wonder whether his comments arose from pure arrogance and overconfidence on his part. Does this mean that the Nigerian political class does believe that the Nigerian public is satisfied? Or is it that they are taken for granted?
What does Mr. Dimeji Bankole statements say about Nigerians? That we are docile, complicit and complacent in our own suffering, misery and dire situation? Are these facts or fictions about our situation? Are his assertions true? Are these true or false about us? Or are his statements symptomatic of constipated complacency on the part of political leadership? Speaker Bankole and Nigerian political class are apparently ignorant of the hardships in Nigeria. 150 million Nigerians should not let this slide. We should confront Speaker Bankole, the National Assembly of Nigeria and our government at all levels
The general elections are very close. The elections are in fact in couple of months. There are Nigerians who insist that our singular focus should be the fight against corruption, avarice and greediness. But we certainly can do both. Yes, we can do both! We can walk and talk, we can chew gum and cross the road... we should have multiple pronged approach... we should make our political leadership and private sector operator more accountable and transparent... there is too much suffering in the land... there is too much desperation in our homeland, it is time, yes, it is time, it is time to make our political leadership listen to the Nigerian public and the electorate... it is time for them to articulate their position on public issues and our national challenges! We should let our leaders feel the urgency of now!
The forthcoming general elections portray identical approach by politicians and their political parties. They show complete disregard and extreme contempt for fellow Nigerians. The politicians and their parties are not debating each other and focused on relevant substantial and significant national issues or challenges. Nigerians should loudly demand Issues Driven electioneering campaigns...such as steady electricity, clean water, full employment, safety and security of lives and properties and better life for all Nigerians... more opportunities to create greater wealth, health and happiness in Nigeria. Nigerians should loudly demand manifestos from the candidates and their political parties!
It is time for our Egypt MOMENT!
It is time to stop our political leadership from taking all of us for granted... It is time to stop them from talking over our heads and it is time for us to hold them to account... they constantly exhibit utter contempt for our people and we now have a new opportunity to make our feelings known!
Why should we, 150 million Nigerians allow our political leadership to be deaf and impervious to our reasonable expectations, hopes, desires and aspirations? The political class is currently absent from the negotiating table. They are not canvassing for our votes through campaigns or public debates of our national issues and challenges. The politicians are not driven by any particular ideology. They have neglected to stake their position on myriad public policies. They have neglected and refused to announce their stances on what concerns Nigerians, the electorate and generality of our public
Why are they not addressing or debating the plight of our national currency?
This is a general elections season in Nigeria, and yet, the politicians are only interested in and are focused on whom amongst themselves will be selected for various offices in our nation.... they are splendidly uninterested in our concerns... the daily existential concerns for food and shelter of our citizens
Why are they not addressing our national challenges, our national issues, our national of funk?
Nigerians are 150 million STRONG.... When are we going to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?
Why should we, 150 million Nigerians allow our political leadership to be deaf and impervious to our reasonable expectations, hopes, desires and aspirations? What assurances do we, Nigerians have that it would not be business as usual after the forthcoming elections?
There are currently no indications whatsoever that anything will change or that the human condition of Nigerians will change... as it is, it is the case that the politicians are not even debating how they may improve our conditions! It is the case that Nigerians have had cause to engage in uprising an political revolutions in the past. It is the case that peaceful demonstrations and protests which began in Tunisia in North Africa has since spread far and wide, including to such unlikely places as Belgium in Europe, as well as the state of Wisconsin, here in the United States where the citizens are in an uprising, revolt and revolution against Governor Walker for attempting to stifle unionism and collective bargaining.
Nigerians knew and practiced peoples’ power, uprising, revolts and revolutions, well before the recent spates of demands for democracy, freedoms and the rule of law in Tunisia, then the extraordinarily peaceful and diverse protests for 18 days in Egypt, which have be followed and emulated in Jordan, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, etc.
Nigerians have been through this way before the Nigerian Labor Congress, NLC, the Nigerian Bar Association or NBA, the Nigerian Medical Association or NMA, then PRONACO, NADECO and Nigerians of diverse background have unified in the past, across economic, education, religious, social-cultural class etc united to oppose Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.
Nigerians in unity and in diversity should unify again to oppose politicians who neglect our desires and aspirations. Nigerians rebelled against extreme draconian, repressive and brutal military dictatorships in the past; we surely can revolt against civilian administrations!
It is time for our Egypt MOMENT!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Why Are Igbos Kidnapping Other Igbos for Ransom Money? By Dr. Ozodi Osuji, A Response
Why Are Igbos Kidnapping Other Igbos for Ransom Money? By Dr. Ozodi Osuji, A Response
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Rising antisocial behaviors in Nigeria? It is desperation, stupid! Economic desperation!
I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but, I will be quick to tell you that there is nothing peculiarly pathological about the antisocial behaviors which are now common in Igboland as all of Nigerian nooks and crannies. Antisocial behaviors driven by poverty and economic desperation
Were it not the fact that Dr. Oz Osuji is of the Igbo ethnic stock in Nigeria, I would have rapidly labeled him as a bigot and man of biased and prejudiced thinking. We he not such a prolific writer and public intellectual, I would have called him a self loathing Igboman. Dr. Osuji seems to think that as an Igboman that he has poetic license to write critically of Igboland and even savage Ndiigbo in the process and doing so have subjected him to the appearance of being traitorous and treacherous regarding Ndiigbo at first glance
It quite difficult to be measured after reading Dr. Osuji’s most scandalous attack piece against Ndiigbo with the title above which implies or suggests something peculiar and unique about the Igbo character which makes us predisposed to negative individualism with genetic predisposition to antisocial behaviors, when in fact the average Igbo person is his brothers’ and sisters’ keeper
Dr. Osuji is probably unaware of the self-help culture of Igboland, where families, villages, age-grades and churches and sundry community unions and associations join together to ensure the education of Igbo youth up to highest education levels. Dr. Osuji fixation on individualism in Igboland, completely neglected to mention the collectivism and communal efforts in Igboland which have perennially ensured the success of projects in Igboland, large and small.
I think that in Dr. Osuji’s article we find the invaluable caveat to medical doctors which warns thus, “first, do no harm” kidnapping and other antisocial behaviors are on the rise in Igboland as in other parts of Nigeria. In discussing or writing about these social scourges, we have to be mindful not to do harm to our people with sweeping generalizations and painting Igboland with broad brushes of negative labels, there are already enough of these on our people
Additionally, Dr. Osuji also gives credence to the advice to surgeons and lawyers. Surgeons may not perform surgeries on family members or selves because of the familial emotions invested which may impact outcomes negatively, similarly, it is often said, that a lawyer engaged in representing self, has a fool for a client, again, because of the undetached emotions as in the surgeon trying to save a family member, say, mother or child, father etc
Dr. Osuji allowed his personal disappointed as a direct and indirect victim of a kidnapping crime to moderate and emotionally impact his writing or what ought to be an objective if dispassionate commentary on a national affliction, desperation driven by abject poverty! Why, we must ask, do some of our women, known to be usually morally and culturally upright and outstanding, now resort to prostitution in abroad, sometimes with winks and nods of approvals from husbands and other family members? Why, must ask, there is so much desperation in our homeland in the midst of abundance?
Dr. Osuji permitted his immediate and personal emotion to cloud what ought to be a public discourse of the state of human condition now permeating and pervasive in our homeland, Nigeria. He seem to have put pen to paper, as soon as he received the disturbing and disappointing news of the kidnappings and ransom demand, hence his very emotive rendition as conveyed in his scatological piece attacking, in which, he an Igbo person himself, has unwittingly put Ndiigbo under unfair scrutiny and microscopic examination as having some character trait, quite unlike other Nigerians or for that matter, as if Igbos are unlike other humans, and Igbos isolated from the rest of the world in individualism as a human foible
Upon reading a recent story in The Punch Newspaper in which one Dayo Modupe recounted an encounter with Nigerian Customs Service, I commented that it was actually a pleasant surprise that Nigerians are not more violent and going postal, despite the regularity in which some Nigerians seem to want to needlessly subject fellow Nigerians to miseries. The abject human conditions in Nigeria are liable to push sane persons to the outer limits of sanity. Good people change and may engage in anti social behavior due to poverty and the desperation which have become all too common. Symptoms of the extent of desperation are common all over Nigeria, whether in so-called ethno religious violence in Jos, Maiduguri and Bauchi or the MEND demand for resource control or the restive Boko Haram or the kidnappings in Igboland, these are all testaments to our abject condition, poverty of ideas, poverty of creative political solutions and bankruptcy of leadership.
Economic depression anywhere in the world is often followed by increased spate of higher incidents of crime or crime waves, anti social behavior etc. And it is almost irrelevant whether it is America, Jamaica, Haiti or Nigeria. Anyone who pays adequate, sufficient and enough attention to cyclical economic spirals would know should know. There is, in the majority of cases, a direct correlation between high crime rates or upsurge in antisocial behavior with economic downturns or downward spirals worldwide, this is not peculiar to Igboland, Nigeria or Africa!
No Igbo person and No Nigerian should internalize any anti social behavior or the negative effects of economic depression, abject poverty, capitalist individualism as peculiar to us. Self-preservation is a human trait, which in the extreme, can be perverse and twisted. Warped and perverse human reactions to circumstances are not peculiar to Igbos or Nigerians.
Nigerians have been told to believe that Nigerians invented fraudulence, until it was discovered that Bernie Madoff is not a Nigerian, neither is Jeff Skilling or Ken Lay of Enron. Igbos and Nigerians in general should cease and desist from internalizing, pretending to own, hold patent, trademarks and copyrights to perversities! Human conditions, development and circumstances are what motivates human responses to such, positive or negative responses, as such.
Dr. Osuji, with all due respect, you should stop poo-pooing Igboland... Dr. Osuji seems to see something for which Igbos should apologize, what he termed Igbo nationalism and Igbo nationalists! What exactly is wrong with being an Igbo nationalist? Should the Igbo race not take interest in self-preservation? Is it not even more particularly so, given the checkered history to which Igbos have been subjected in Nigeria from pogroms to civil war to marginalization and relegation? Dr. unnecessarily badgered Igbos in his feeble and woefully unsuccessful attempt to discuss kidnappings in Nigeria. We should discuss the cause and effect of the current human condition in Nigeria. All Nigerians ought to do a better business of putting the collective feet of our current crop of political leadership feet to the fire. And how about making Nigeria’s current parlous economic conditions and the upsurge of incidents of high crimes, including kidnappings, ethno-religious violence and resources mismanagement on the front burner as election issues? Why blame the abject human conditions on Ndiigbo, in fact, Dr. Osuji, why dump on Ndiibo?
Could Dr. Osuji show me or point to me, what other ethnic group, language group or region of Nigeria which has through self-help built an airport as was done in Owerri? Could Dr. Osuji show me other groups in Nigeria which more than exemplifies resilience? I will show Dr. Osuji Ndiigbo as survivors and triumphal and persistent strivers, despite the civil and despite efforts at arresting developments in Igboland, and despite utter neglect by our federal government, Igboland has not fared badly, in self-resuscitation in the aftermath of the civil war... Igboland is filled with indefatigable Nigerian citizens bar none!
Dr. Osuji ignores the plights and predicaments to which Igbos and Igbland have been subjected and he should know better! Too many Nigerians across the spectrum are willingly and blissfully, including Dr. Osuji, are ignorant or suffer voluntary self-imposed amnesia regarding Igbos and Igboland. Th writer and novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says it best, when she stated that Nigerians need to discuss our national history, with particular reference to the Nigerian Civil War and lasting consequences upon all of us, Igbos and non-Igbos ... our people need healing and true reconciliations ...
I write here, to inform Dr. Osui that I am tired of folks using Ndiigbo as scapegoat and Nigeria's whipping boy! I am so outraged by Dr. Osuji's article, hence the need to write this response or rejoinder in a hurry, such hurry! Dr. Osuji, I feel a sense of national duty to disagree with him as stridently and as vehemently, as I am personally affronted by his generalizations which does not take into account the desperation driven behaviors he so succinctly describes. A Nigerian at Nigeriavillagequare, only known as Abraxas assessments which I agree with, as he pointed out that there is nothing unique in the antisocial behaviors in Igboland different from other parts of Nigeria, and in fact, the entire world given the circumstances and human condition, and human nature.
Igbos and Igboland have had it rough. There is glaring disparities and discrimination in citing of projects. And for instance, Onitsha and Aba have been big commercial hubs since I was a child, and any reasonable government should know these salient facts; If I were president of Nigeria Aba and Onitsha would have had LARGEST international airports outside of Lagos and Kano, only and solely determined by the volume of business and traffic and profit and not some other ancillaries and extraneous expediencies! But Dr. Osuji and other Nigerians know that this has not happened in Nigeria!
Dr. Osuji and others who may erroneous deceive themselves into believing that antisocial behaviors are peculiar to Igbos and Igboland, may be told that, only recently, there was news of a man, a Nigerian man, whose mother lived abroad, (in Britain)? The man arranged for his MOTHER to be robbed, she was robbed and murdered while visiting Nigeria... the man and his mother are not from Nnewi or Olololo! I condemned the guy and his friends for the heinous murder of anyone for money, particularly, his own mother, BUT, we should all inquire into what drives such desperation; Neither the man or his mother was of the Igbo race/stock... but I do understand, at least in a psychiatric sense, what drove the desperation to rob his own mother!
We should endeavor mightily, to look for CAUSE and EFFECT in evaluating our human conditions, even as I express my disapproval of Dr. Osuji’s generalizations, I will have to assume that he intended no harm to our people, nevertheless, I worry about this idea of giving Ndiigbo another, additional negative label. I worry about generalizations; sweeping generalizations with such a broad brush
Ndiigbo have been marginalized and relegated in various ways during the past 41 years... economically, politically and structurally. Anti social behaviors in Nigeria and worldwide, are not peculiar to Igbos ... It is beyond dispute that anti social behaviors increases in spate and degree during economic stresses/recessions/depressions. It is incontrovertible that the Eastern part of Nigeria has suffered unmitigated neglect from our central governments for so long.
The following is excerpted and in quotes, from WHY ARE IGBOS KIDNAPPING OTHER IGBOS FOR RANSOM MONEY? Ozodi Thomas Osuji
“This paper traces the current spate of kidnapping and other anti-social behaviors in Igbo land to what it calls warped Igbo character and pathological Igbo society; it says that Igbos have wild individualism that seeks individual achievement without caring for the larger society, leaving all to fend for themselves and the ignored youth resorting to criminal behaviors. It says that Igbo land is approaching Somalia where law and order broke down and that unless something is done and done soon that Igbo land will become Somalia, with no law and order, with chaos and pillage the order of the day and Igbo life become nasty, brutish and short” Oh my goodness!
We should not blame one segment or one demographic in the Nigeria for symptoms of decadence in Nigeria; But if we must blame Ndiigbo selectively and with particularity, how about putting the social, political and economic conditions/circumstances in Nigeria/nationwide in perspectives?
Why must we pick on Ndiigbo? There are antisocial behaviors throughout Nigeria and throughout the world. In Nigeria for instance, if we must point fingers, particularize, or generalize, How about the ever recurring violence, intractable and internecine violence in Jos, Bauuchi, Maiduguri etc? Why must we pick on Ndiigbo? How about the political violence in Edo, and South Western states of Nigeria
We should leave Igbos and Igboland alone! Why kick a guy who is down or why blame the victims of marginalization and relegation? There is nothing peculiarly Igbo in the suffering, hardships and DESPERATION in Nigeria, which motivates self-preservation and survival of the fittest instincts... if anything, we may find rationale, additional rationale in Igboland as it has been under more SEVERE stresses than the rest of Nigeria which is under economic and political stress as it is, and have been for years! We should lend our names to and we should not give credence false accusations and negative labeling of Ndiigbos or other Nigerians.
In order words, whatever is wrong with Igboland is equally wrong with other parts of Nigeria... all of us who are patriots and well wishers of Nigeria.... must fathom lasting solutions to our national challenges, malaise, and general state of national funk!
. We should be careful not to assist those who would make victims of us or help to repeat our checkered history and beleaguered state of affairs; such is not good for Ndiigbo or Nigeria or for that matter, any human collective. Generalization is for the intellectually incurious and intellectually lazy.
Igbo Kwenu! Nigeria Kwenu!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Rising antisocial behaviors in Nigeria? It is desperation, stupid! Economic desperation!
I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but, I will be quick to tell you that there is nothing peculiarly pathological about the antisocial behaviors which are now common in Igboland as all of Nigerian nooks and crannies. Antisocial behaviors driven by poverty and economic desperation
Were it not the fact that Dr. Oz Osuji is of the Igbo ethnic stock in Nigeria, I would have rapidly labeled him as a bigot and man of biased and prejudiced thinking. We he not such a prolific writer and public intellectual, I would have called him a self loathing Igboman. Dr. Osuji seems to think that as an Igboman that he has poetic license to write critically of Igboland and even savage Ndiigbo in the process and doing so have subjected him to the appearance of being traitorous and treacherous regarding Ndiigbo at first glance
It quite difficult to be measured after reading Dr. Osuji’s most scandalous attack piece against Ndiigbo with the title above which implies or suggests something peculiar and unique about the Igbo character which makes us predisposed to negative individualism with genetic predisposition to antisocial behaviors, when in fact the average Igbo person is his brothers’ and sisters’ keeper
Dr. Osuji is probably unaware of the self-help culture of Igboland, where families, villages, age-grades and churches and sundry community unions and associations join together to ensure the education of Igbo youth up to highest education levels. Dr. Osuji fixation on individualism in Igboland, completely neglected to mention the collectivism and communal efforts in Igboland which have perennially ensured the success of projects in Igboland, large and small.
I think that in Dr. Osuji’s article we find the invaluable caveat to medical doctors which warns thus, “first, do no harm” kidnapping and other antisocial behaviors are on the rise in Igboland as in other parts of Nigeria. In discussing or writing about these social scourges, we have to be mindful not to do harm to our people with sweeping generalizations and painting Igboland with broad brushes of negative labels, there are already enough of these on our people
Additionally, Dr. Osuji also gives credence to the advice to surgeons and lawyers. Surgeons may not perform surgeries on family members or selves because of the familial emotions invested which may impact outcomes negatively, similarly, it is often said, that a lawyer engaged in representing self, has a fool for a client, again, because of the undetached emotions as in the surgeon trying to save a family member, say, mother or child, father etc
Dr. Osuji allowed his personal disappointed as a direct and indirect victim of a kidnapping crime to moderate and emotionally impact his writing or what ought to be an objective if dispassionate commentary on a national affliction, desperation driven by abject poverty! Why, we must ask, do some of our women, known to be usually morally and culturally upright and outstanding, now resort to prostitution in abroad, sometimes with winks and nods of approvals from husbands and other family members? Why, must ask, there is so much desperation in our homeland in the midst of abundance?
Dr. Osuji permitted his immediate and personal emotion to cloud what ought to be a public discourse of the state of human condition now permeating and pervasive in our homeland, Nigeria. He seem to have put pen to paper, as soon as he received the disturbing and disappointing news of the kidnappings and ransom demand, hence his very emotive rendition as conveyed in his scatological piece attacking, in which, he an Igbo person himself, has unwittingly put Ndiigbo under unfair scrutiny and microscopic examination as having some character trait, quite unlike other Nigerians or for that matter, as if Igbos are unlike other humans, and Igbos isolated from the rest of the world in individualism as a human foible
Upon reading a recent story in The Punch Newspaper in which one Dayo Modupe recounted an encounter with Nigerian Customs Service, I commented that it was actually a pleasant surprise that Nigerians are not more violent and going postal, despite the regularity in which some Nigerians seem to want to needlessly subject fellow Nigerians to miseries. The abject human conditions in Nigeria are liable to push sane persons to the outer limits of sanity. Good people change and may engage in anti social behavior due to poverty and the desperation which have become all too common. Symptoms of the extent of desperation are common all over Nigeria, whether in so-called ethno religious violence in Jos, Maiduguri and Bauchi or the MEND demand for resource control or the restive Boko Haram or the kidnappings in Igboland, these are all testaments to our abject condition, poverty of ideas, poverty of creative political solutions and bankruptcy of leadership.
Economic depression anywhere in the world is often followed by increased spate of higher incidents of crime or crime waves, anti social behavior etc. And it is almost irrelevant whether it is America, Jamaica, Haiti or Nigeria. Anyone who pays adequate, sufficient and enough attention to cyclical economic spirals would know should know. There is, in the majority of cases, a direct correlation between high crime rates or upsurge in antisocial behavior with economic downturns or downward spirals worldwide, this is not peculiar to Igboland, Nigeria or Africa!
No Igbo person and No Nigerian should internalize any anti social behavior or the negative effects of economic depression, abject poverty, capitalist individualism as peculiar to us. Self-preservation is a human trait, which in the extreme, can be perverse and twisted. Warped and perverse human reactions to circumstances are not peculiar to Igbos or Nigerians.
Nigerians have been told to believe that Nigerians invented fraudulence, until it was discovered that Bernie Madoff is not a Nigerian, neither is Jeff Skilling or Ken Lay of Enron. Igbos and Nigerians in general should cease and desist from internalizing, pretending to own, hold patent, trademarks and copyrights to perversities! Human conditions, development and circumstances are what motivates human responses to such, positive or negative responses, as such.
Dr. Osuji, with all due respect, you should stop poo-pooing Igboland... Dr. Osuji seems to see something for which Igbos should apologize, what he termed Igbo nationalism and Igbo nationalists! What exactly is wrong with being an Igbo nationalist? Should the Igbo race not take interest in self-preservation? Is it not even more particularly so, given the checkered history to which Igbos have been subjected in Nigeria from pogroms to civil war to marginalization and relegation? Dr. unnecessarily badgered Igbos in his feeble and woefully unsuccessful attempt to discuss kidnappings in Nigeria. We should discuss the cause and effect of the current human condition in Nigeria. All Nigerians ought to do a better business of putting the collective feet of our current crop of political leadership feet to the fire. And how about making Nigeria’s current parlous economic conditions and the upsurge of incidents of high crimes, including kidnappings, ethno-religious violence and resources mismanagement on the front burner as election issues? Why blame the abject human conditions on Ndiigbo, in fact, Dr. Osuji, why dump on Ndiibo?
Could Dr. Osuji show me or point to me, what other ethnic group, language group or region of Nigeria which has through self-help built an airport as was done in Owerri? Could Dr. Osuji show me other groups in Nigeria which more than exemplifies resilience? I will show Dr. Osuji Ndiigbo as survivors and triumphal and persistent strivers, despite the civil and despite efforts at arresting developments in Igboland, and despite utter neglect by our federal government, Igboland has not fared badly, in self-resuscitation in the aftermath of the civil war... Igboland is filled with indefatigable Nigerian citizens bar none!
Dr. Osuji ignores the plights and predicaments to which Igbos and Igbland have been subjected and he should know better! Too many Nigerians across the spectrum are willingly and blissfully, including Dr. Osuji, are ignorant or suffer voluntary self-imposed amnesia regarding Igbos and Igboland. Th writer and novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says it best, when she stated that Nigerians need to discuss our national history, with particular reference to the Nigerian Civil War and lasting consequences upon all of us, Igbos and non-Igbos ... our people need healing and true reconciliations ...
I write here, to inform Dr. Osui that I am tired of folks using Ndiigbo as scapegoat and Nigeria's whipping boy! I am so outraged by Dr. Osuji's article, hence the need to write this response or rejoinder in a hurry, such hurry! Dr. Osuji, I feel a sense of national duty to disagree with him as stridently and as vehemently, as I am personally affronted by his generalizations which does not take into account the desperation driven behaviors he so succinctly describes. A Nigerian at Nigeriavillagequare, only known as Abraxas assessments which I agree with, as he pointed out that there is nothing unique in the antisocial behaviors in Igboland different from other parts of Nigeria, and in fact, the entire world given the circumstances and human condition, and human nature.
Igbos and Igboland have had it rough. There is glaring disparities and discrimination in citing of projects. And for instance, Onitsha and Aba have been big commercial hubs since I was a child, and any reasonable government should know these salient facts; If I were president of Nigeria Aba and Onitsha would have had LARGEST international airports outside of Lagos and Kano, only and solely determined by the volume of business and traffic and profit and not some other ancillaries and extraneous expediencies! But Dr. Osuji and other Nigerians know that this has not happened in Nigeria!
Dr. Osuji and others who may erroneous deceive themselves into believing that antisocial behaviors are peculiar to Igbos and Igboland, may be told that, only recently, there was news of a man, a Nigerian man, whose mother lived abroad, (in Britain)? The man arranged for his MOTHER to be robbed, she was robbed and murdered while visiting Nigeria... the man and his mother are not from Nnewi or Olololo! I condemned the guy and his friends for the heinous murder of anyone for money, particularly, his own mother, BUT, we should all inquire into what drives such desperation; Neither the man or his mother was of the Igbo race/stock... but I do understand, at least in a psychiatric sense, what drove the desperation to rob his own mother!
We should endeavor mightily, to look for CAUSE and EFFECT in evaluating our human conditions, even as I express my disapproval of Dr. Osuji’s generalizations, I will have to assume that he intended no harm to our people, nevertheless, I worry about this idea of giving Ndiigbo another, additional negative label. I worry about generalizations; sweeping generalizations with such a broad brush
Ndiigbo have been marginalized and relegated in various ways during the past 41 years... economically, politically and structurally. Anti social behaviors in Nigeria and worldwide, are not peculiar to Igbos ... It is beyond dispute that anti social behaviors increases in spate and degree during economic stresses/recessions/depressions. It is incontrovertible that the Eastern part of Nigeria has suffered unmitigated neglect from our central governments for so long.
The following is excerpted and in quotes, from WHY ARE IGBOS KIDNAPPING OTHER IGBOS FOR RANSOM MONEY? Ozodi Thomas Osuji
“This paper traces the current spate of kidnapping and other anti-social behaviors in Igbo land to what it calls warped Igbo character and pathological Igbo society; it says that Igbos have wild individualism that seeks individual achievement without caring for the larger society, leaving all to fend for themselves and the ignored youth resorting to criminal behaviors. It says that Igbo land is approaching Somalia where law and order broke down and that unless something is done and done soon that Igbo land will become Somalia, with no law and order, with chaos and pillage the order of the day and Igbo life become nasty, brutish and short” Oh my goodness!
We should not blame one segment or one demographic in the Nigeria for symptoms of decadence in Nigeria; But if we must blame Ndiigbo selectively and with particularity, how about putting the social, political and economic conditions/circumstances in Nigeria/nationwide in perspectives?
Why must we pick on Ndiigbo? There are antisocial behaviors throughout Nigeria and throughout the world. In Nigeria for instance, if we must point fingers, particularize, or generalize, How about the ever recurring violence, intractable and internecine violence in Jos, Bauuchi, Maiduguri etc? Why must we pick on Ndiigbo? How about the political violence in Edo, and South Western states of Nigeria
We should leave Igbos and Igboland alone! Why kick a guy who is down or why blame the victims of marginalization and relegation? There is nothing peculiarly Igbo in the suffering, hardships and DESPERATION in Nigeria, which motivates self-preservation and survival of the fittest instincts... if anything, we may find rationale, additional rationale in Igboland as it has been under more SEVERE stresses than the rest of Nigeria which is under economic and political stress as it is, and have been for years! We should lend our names to and we should not give credence false accusations and negative labeling of Ndiigbos or other Nigerians.
In order words, whatever is wrong with Igboland is equally wrong with other parts of Nigeria... all of us who are patriots and well wishers of Nigeria.... must fathom lasting solutions to our national challenges, malaise, and general state of national funk!
. We should be careful not to assist those who would make victims of us or help to repeat our checkered history and beleaguered state of affairs; such is not good for Ndiigbo or Nigeria or for that matter, any human collective. Generalization is for the intellectually incurious and intellectually lazy.
Igbo Kwenu! Nigeria Kwenu!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Hosni Mubarak's Dictatorship, Defeated & Gone; What Is Next For Egypt?
Hosni Mubarak's Dictatorship, Defeated & Gone; What Is Next For Egypt?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Hosni Mubarak, the infamous dictator, tyrant, authoritarian and absolute ruler of Egypt is gone!
It is a new day in Egypt! Egyptians as jubilate, celebrate and dances in the streets most triumphantly! The world is transfixed and exultant for the successful revolution inspired and driven by Egyptians in a peaceful protests.
The long beleaguered citizens of Egypt have triumphed, after thirty years of deployment of arbitrary power by Mubarak and his military cabal. Mubarak’s absolute grips on political power in Egypt unraveled after 18 days of popular and diverse protests which reflected the secular composite picture of the Egyptian nation. Over 80 million Egyptians today heaved a collective celebratory jubilation in relief. We are all Egyptians now, we join Egyptians as they celebrate, jubilate and savor the success of their revolution against authoritarianism.
The Egyptian military, the Egyptian army is now in charge of the affairs of Egypt. This was no official coup d'etat, instead, this was more or less a bloodless palace coup, edging aside Hosni Mubarak, who have been, in fact, the focus of this Egyptian revolution. Mubarak has been a fixture in the Egyptian political real estate and landscape for far too long. He presided in extremely brutal manner for thirty years. Mubarak inflicted extreme repressions on all political opponents. Hosni Mubarak is finally gone, defeated and forced off Egyptian political stage
Egyptians do not want a military government. The last thing and the worst thing that could culminate from this revolution, is, to have a mere shuffling of one cabal as replacement for another cabal.
A majority of Egyptians equally do not want a theocracy or religious government. There are now these multiple variables which must be confronted and addressed forthrightly by Egyptians, in the most specific and most robust manner. The world has heard Egyptians loud and clear. The world will do well to now support Egyptian people, in the most unequivocal ways, as the Egyptian nation and her institutions are re-ordained in freedoms and democracy.
It is hoped by many, that the Egyptian army and military would reach out to the civil society and advocates, promoters and supporters of democracy in Egypt as opposed to usurping political powers which was procured and secured by dint of hard work, borne of heroism and courage of the Egyptian people. It is hoped that the Egyptian military would not betray the Egyptian people. Air Marshall Hafez Mohammed has, on behalf of the Egyptian military announced that the Egyptian military does not seek to perpetuate itself as manager of Egyptian politics.
The Egyptian military, the Egyptian army in particular, should not perpetuate the old system and the old Mubarak cabal. The Egyptian military, army, must resist the temptation of seeing or perceiving itself as the beneficiary of this revolution undertaken by citizens of Egypt. The Egyptian military-army can and should only act as chaperon and transitory caretaker, for a short period of time, which will enable political and constitutional powers to be properly vested in Egyptian civilians. Let the ripples effect of the Egyptian revolution pervade and permeate Palestine, the Arab and Persian Worlds. Let there be a contagion of true democracy worldwide because of the successful revolution by the audacious, brave, courageous and bold actions of Egyptians.
The Egyptian military-army should now learn to become accountable and answerable to civilian government, civil society, they must yield to democracy and constitutionalism, and this will be their first time since 1952 and it will require intelligence, creativity, obeisance and complete deference to civilian authorities. There must be civilian control of the Egyptian military, the status quo and the cabals which enjoyed it, must give way as soon as possible.
Egyptian people during the preceding tumultuous 18 days exemplified peaceful and nonviolent ways of securing freedom, democracy and justice. Egyptians have put a lie to the rumors and recycled garbage imbued in the generalizations against Muslims and Islam as replete with people filled violence and lust for blood! The only violence during this Egyptian revolution is the violence by Mubarak’s thugs and gangs of enforcers as they exhibited their thuggish and arbitrariness, the Mubarak trademark during the preceding 30 years.
The protesters were organized, efficient and effective with sundry tasks, from garbage pick-ups to medical treatments and other services. The protesters, demonstrators and political activists across the spectrum, were civil and they interacted cordially and amicably despite the much touted and over-advertised religious and other difference, which are supposed to make Egyptians a volatile mix, particularly, in while cohabiting as they did peacefully, publicly during this preceding 18 days.
Muslim Brotherhood which is dreaded and maligned by America, Europeans and Israelis, and peace with Israel by the Egyptians should not be the most important factors or parameter to consider for the future of Egypt. It should instead be seen by all that democracy, and democratic institutions in Egypt, is in the long term, in the overall interests of all parties.
It is actually hoped, that the transition or the prospect of change from dictatorship to representative government in Egypt and all of the Arab and Persian world, would compel all parties to the forlorn and moribund Middle East Peace Process to snap out their constipated complacency and arrogant neglect of the plights and predicaments of Palestinians
Perhaps the events of the preceding 18 days will be a wake-up-call for all parties in the Middle East, not to be contemptuous and disdainful of their citizens, their public and their electorates. And perhaps, those who have been artificially buoyed and propped-up by powerful friends, will now learn to face the reality of learning to play with others and learn the fine art of mutual coexistence in a plural world filled with gorgeous mosaic of human diversity.
Egyptians have demonstrated to all-the-world, that Egypt a secular and diverse society which is able to make peaceful democratic transition, even smoothly. The dire prediction of messy, problematic and violent change, oozing terrorism is a mere figment of the imaginations of those who would malign Egyptians.
The real obstacle to peace have been those who will, arrogantly, rather foist their wishes, their ideologies and worldview on others, without care or respect for the wishes, and aspirations of others. There is now a compelling reason to face honest peace talks and negotiations, hinged on mutual respect, as opposed to usual condescending and patronizing demeaning attitudes toward would be peace partners.
It is sincerely hoped that the political transition in Egypt remains peaceful with particular focus on the paramount national interests of citizens of Egypt, which is not subsumed by the flow of Middle East oil and commerce through the geo-strategically crucially important Suez Canal.
It is further hoped that a true civilian democracy is established with alacrity. The paramount importance giving truest interpretation of the reasonable aspirations and desires of the Egyptian people for democracy, imbued with sacrosanct foundation and true democratic institutions, with due process, the rule of law and all democratic ideals are the immediate outcome of all that have transpired in Egypt during these incredible 18 days which began during the last week of January 2011.
Again, Egyptians in their diversity, Coptic Christians, Muslims, Arabs and Nubians etc have demonstrated a common purpose and triumphantly successful in defeating Hosni Mubarak, an enemy of the nation of Egypt, an autocrat, dictator and tyrant without resort to violence, and as a consequence, Egyptians, particularly, Egyptian Muslims, and the Muslim Brotherhood rejected the false label and the often repeated sweeping generalizations and garbage against Islam and Muslims as having a culture of violence and or being avowed owners of terrorism.
Hosni Mubarak is gone and the process which led to his forced departure showed all Egyptians, particularly the Muslims, as peaceful and exemplifying human aspirations for freedoms across the world, and as President Obama described it, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statement at Ghana’s political independence over fifty years ago, “there is something incredible in all humans which stirs inside all of us for freedoms”
Egyptians are not seeking to determine of outcomes for the Americans, Europeans, Israelis and the Saudis. It is therefore extremely arrogant, unconscionable and egregious for anyone but Egyptians to seek to impose particular outcomes on the people of Egypt!
Anything done with a view to undo and truncate the democratic aspirations of Egyptians will be resisted by Egyptians. Egyptians have been unchained and they certainly would not be the same again. Egyptians certainly know their way back to Tahirir Square, also known as Liberation Square, they will return to protests and demonstrations in resistance to anyone and any entity intent on subverting, undermining or stifling this revolution and hard won peoples victory. The world will support Egyptians to ensure the entrenchment fruits and dividends, of these 18 days that changed the world!
Egypt has changed, and will change even more, whether America, Europe, Israel and Saudi Arabia and others are ready or not. Hosni Mubarak, the bedrock of the Middle East policy is gone in resounding defeat. Time for honest peace negotiations is now! The wind of change and freedom has and will alter the balance of power irretrievably!
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Hosni Mubarak, the infamous dictator, tyrant, authoritarian and absolute ruler of Egypt is gone!
It is a new day in Egypt! Egyptians as jubilate, celebrate and dances in the streets most triumphantly! The world is transfixed and exultant for the successful revolution inspired and driven by Egyptians in a peaceful protests.
The long beleaguered citizens of Egypt have triumphed, after thirty years of deployment of arbitrary power by Mubarak and his military cabal. Mubarak’s absolute grips on political power in Egypt unraveled after 18 days of popular and diverse protests which reflected the secular composite picture of the Egyptian nation. Over 80 million Egyptians today heaved a collective celebratory jubilation in relief. We are all Egyptians now, we join Egyptians as they celebrate, jubilate and savor the success of their revolution against authoritarianism.
The Egyptian military, the Egyptian army is now in charge of the affairs of Egypt. This was no official coup d'etat, instead, this was more or less a bloodless palace coup, edging aside Hosni Mubarak, who have been, in fact, the focus of this Egyptian revolution. Mubarak has been a fixture in the Egyptian political real estate and landscape for far too long. He presided in extremely brutal manner for thirty years. Mubarak inflicted extreme repressions on all political opponents. Hosni Mubarak is finally gone, defeated and forced off Egyptian political stage
Egyptians do not want a military government. The last thing and the worst thing that could culminate from this revolution, is, to have a mere shuffling of one cabal as replacement for another cabal.
A majority of Egyptians equally do not want a theocracy or religious government. There are now these multiple variables which must be confronted and addressed forthrightly by Egyptians, in the most specific and most robust manner. The world has heard Egyptians loud and clear. The world will do well to now support Egyptian people, in the most unequivocal ways, as the Egyptian nation and her institutions are re-ordained in freedoms and democracy.
It is hoped by many, that the Egyptian army and military would reach out to the civil society and advocates, promoters and supporters of democracy in Egypt as opposed to usurping political powers which was procured and secured by dint of hard work, borne of heroism and courage of the Egyptian people. It is hoped that the Egyptian military would not betray the Egyptian people. Air Marshall Hafez Mohammed has, on behalf of the Egyptian military announced that the Egyptian military does not seek to perpetuate itself as manager of Egyptian politics.
The Egyptian military, the Egyptian army in particular, should not perpetuate the old system and the old Mubarak cabal. The Egyptian military, army, must resist the temptation of seeing or perceiving itself as the beneficiary of this revolution undertaken by citizens of Egypt. The Egyptian military-army can and should only act as chaperon and transitory caretaker, for a short period of time, which will enable political and constitutional powers to be properly vested in Egyptian civilians. Let the ripples effect of the Egyptian revolution pervade and permeate Palestine, the Arab and Persian Worlds. Let there be a contagion of true democracy worldwide because of the successful revolution by the audacious, brave, courageous and bold actions of Egyptians.
The Egyptian military-army should now learn to become accountable and answerable to civilian government, civil society, they must yield to democracy and constitutionalism, and this will be their first time since 1952 and it will require intelligence, creativity, obeisance and complete deference to civilian authorities. There must be civilian control of the Egyptian military, the status quo and the cabals which enjoyed it, must give way as soon as possible.
Egyptian people during the preceding tumultuous 18 days exemplified peaceful and nonviolent ways of securing freedom, democracy and justice. Egyptians have put a lie to the rumors and recycled garbage imbued in the generalizations against Muslims and Islam as replete with people filled violence and lust for blood! The only violence during this Egyptian revolution is the violence by Mubarak’s thugs and gangs of enforcers as they exhibited their thuggish and arbitrariness, the Mubarak trademark during the preceding 30 years.
The protesters were organized, efficient and effective with sundry tasks, from garbage pick-ups to medical treatments and other services. The protesters, demonstrators and political activists across the spectrum, were civil and they interacted cordially and amicably despite the much touted and over-advertised religious and other difference, which are supposed to make Egyptians a volatile mix, particularly, in while cohabiting as they did peacefully, publicly during this preceding 18 days.
Muslim Brotherhood which is dreaded and maligned by America, Europeans and Israelis, and peace with Israel by the Egyptians should not be the most important factors or parameter to consider for the future of Egypt. It should instead be seen by all that democracy, and democratic institutions in Egypt, is in the long term, in the overall interests of all parties.
It is actually hoped, that the transition or the prospect of change from dictatorship to representative government in Egypt and all of the Arab and Persian world, would compel all parties to the forlorn and moribund Middle East Peace Process to snap out their constipated complacency and arrogant neglect of the plights and predicaments of Palestinians
Perhaps the events of the preceding 18 days will be a wake-up-call for all parties in the Middle East, not to be contemptuous and disdainful of their citizens, their public and their electorates. And perhaps, those who have been artificially buoyed and propped-up by powerful friends, will now learn to face the reality of learning to play with others and learn the fine art of mutual coexistence in a plural world filled with gorgeous mosaic of human diversity.
Egyptians have demonstrated to all-the-world, that Egypt a secular and diverse society which is able to make peaceful democratic transition, even smoothly. The dire prediction of messy, problematic and violent change, oozing terrorism is a mere figment of the imaginations of those who would malign Egyptians.
The real obstacle to peace have been those who will, arrogantly, rather foist their wishes, their ideologies and worldview on others, without care or respect for the wishes, and aspirations of others. There is now a compelling reason to face honest peace talks and negotiations, hinged on mutual respect, as opposed to usual condescending and patronizing demeaning attitudes toward would be peace partners.
It is sincerely hoped that the political transition in Egypt remains peaceful with particular focus on the paramount national interests of citizens of Egypt, which is not subsumed by the flow of Middle East oil and commerce through the geo-strategically crucially important Suez Canal.
It is further hoped that a true civilian democracy is established with alacrity. The paramount importance giving truest interpretation of the reasonable aspirations and desires of the Egyptian people for democracy, imbued with sacrosanct foundation and true democratic institutions, with due process, the rule of law and all democratic ideals are the immediate outcome of all that have transpired in Egypt during these incredible 18 days which began during the last week of January 2011.
Again, Egyptians in their diversity, Coptic Christians, Muslims, Arabs and Nubians etc have demonstrated a common purpose and triumphantly successful in defeating Hosni Mubarak, an enemy of the nation of Egypt, an autocrat, dictator and tyrant without resort to violence, and as a consequence, Egyptians, particularly, Egyptian Muslims, and the Muslim Brotherhood rejected the false label and the often repeated sweeping generalizations and garbage against Islam and Muslims as having a culture of violence and or being avowed owners of terrorism.
Hosni Mubarak is gone and the process which led to his forced departure showed all Egyptians, particularly the Muslims, as peaceful and exemplifying human aspirations for freedoms across the world, and as President Obama described it, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statement at Ghana’s political independence over fifty years ago, “there is something incredible in all humans which stirs inside all of us for freedoms”
Egyptians are not seeking to determine of outcomes for the Americans, Europeans, Israelis and the Saudis. It is therefore extremely arrogant, unconscionable and egregious for anyone but Egyptians to seek to impose particular outcomes on the people of Egypt!
Anything done with a view to undo and truncate the democratic aspirations of Egyptians will be resisted by Egyptians. Egyptians have been unchained and they certainly would not be the same again. Egyptians certainly know their way back to Tahirir Square, also known as Liberation Square, they will return to protests and demonstrations in resistance to anyone and any entity intent on subverting, undermining or stifling this revolution and hard won peoples victory. The world will support Egyptians to ensure the entrenchment fruits and dividends, of these 18 days that changed the world!
Egypt has changed, and will change even more, whether America, Europe, Israel and Saudi Arabia and others are ready or not. Hosni Mubarak, the bedrock of the Middle East policy is gone in resounding defeat. Time for honest peace negotiations is now! The wind of change and freedom has and will alter the balance of power irretrievably!
Islam, Political Islam, Paranoia, Irrational & Unreasonable Fears
Islam, Political Islam, Paranoia, Irrational & Unreasonable Fears
Written by Paul I. Adujie
What do Egyptians want?
What are the aspirations of Egyptians? Could it be an outcome for Egyptians or an outcome which is preferred by the Americans, Europeans, Israel and Saudi Arabia etc?
Now that Hosni Mubarak has resigned, would the Americans, Europeans and Israelis support a military dictatorship in Egypt or a thorough democratic transition processes?! It is the case that, with the resignation of Mubarak, the real heavy lifting or fundamental change in Egypt really begins now.
General Omar Suleiman is severely tainted. He is part of the Mubarak cabal, and part of the Egyptian military industrial complex, he is part of the old guard, and literally very old at 75, while Mubarak his predecessor is 82. General Omar Suleiman is notoriously in the pockets of external forces outside Egypt as in the United States, Europe and Israel etc
General Suleiman was the point man for America’s Extraordinary Rendition, he is known to have said that he wanted Gaza to be hungry, but not starve as Egypt and Israel inflicted the continuing blockade of Gaza. WikiLeaks has a tome dossier on General Omar Suleiman’s cozy relationship with America and Israel, at the expense of citizens of Egypt and the interests of Arabs, Persia and the entire Middle East. General Suleiman is a persona non grata and a pariah within the Human Rights community globally.
Citizens of Egypt commenced a revolution a couple of weeks ago, and the revolution has succeeded, it has culminated in the eventual departure today, of the tyrant who has been a fixture in Egyptian political space for far too long!
But what do Egyptians want and why should anyone care? Why is it important at all to ask what Egyptians want?
Discussions by the Americans, Europeans and Israelis about Egyptians demonstrators-protesters against the dictatorship and tyranny which have been operated by Hosni Mubarak for over thirty years have centered on their interests and benefits.
Hosni Mubarak is the linchpin and bulwark of American, European and Israeli policies in the Middle East towards Arabs, Persians and Palestinians. This is the foundation and predicate of the instability and intractable crises in the Middle East. It is an extremely myopic and shortsighted policy which prefers personality over institutions. This is an unreasoned and illogical policy which is based on expediency and arrogance of power.
Clearly, it is the case that, the Americans, Europeans n and Israelis have no robust, vigorous and reasoned long term policies for the Middle East, Arabia and Persia. There is no Egyptian policy, there instead a fluid and quicksand policy which surrounds and revolves around Hosni Mubarak and other dictators in the Middle East
Americans, Europeans and Israelis are in trepidation of Islam and Muslims and this is what drives their foreign policy toward Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, Indonesia, Afghanistan etc. And this is why there is this pretense on their part, that Hosni Mubarak is the only Egyptian with “leadership skills” and the last person standing that can lead Egypt, even after 30 years of Mubarak’s tyranny and persisting state of emergency. The fear of Islam, Muslims and Islamic Brotherhood is what drives the spurious arguments which pretends that Egypt will become an Islamic theocracy made up of extremists with lust for the bloods of western nations and Israel
The fact on the ground in Egypt is significantly and remarkably different from how it has been portrayed by the Americans, Europeans and Israelis. There are for instance, more than 26 political parties in Egypt. It is also the case that Muslim Brotherhood are not the drivers of the current revolution, which is in fact very diverse and multicultural and multi-religious and cuts across every age groups and every income groups.
There is a persisting refusal by western nations sift the wheat from chaff … race to the top democracy, instead of a race to the bottom in which every Muslim is deemed an extremist and this have been exemplified by the truncation of democracy and constitutionalism as when HAMAS triumphed in elections in 2006, as well as when the Islamic Party in Algeria won elections in that nation several years before.
HAMAS is maligned and demeaned and labeled a terrorist organization by America, Europeans and Israelis, despite the fact that HAMAS is popular with Palestinians. And despite the fact that HAMAS have over the years provided more social services than any of the handpicked puppets who have headed the Palestinian Authority for years. HAMAS have provided health care, schools, after school programs, reconstruction and rebuilding supports after arbitrary demolitions by Israel, of Palestinian properties in West Bank, Gaza Strip etc.
America touted democracy and pushed for elections in Palestine, but, America did not like the outcome when HAMAS won the elections fair and square! Former President George W. Bush claimed famously that the invasion and occupation of Iraq would cause democracy to take root in Iraq and by extension of all the Middle East, but Americans are suddenly loathe of democracy taking roots in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia? Why are the Americans not rooting for the domino effects of Tunisia protests, and now Egypt and slippery slopes to blissful democratization in the Middle East
It is rather astounding and extremely astonishing that Americans are quick to demonize HAMAS, Hezbollah and other symbols of Political Islam, when in fact, Americans, all through history, have allowed, tolerated and accepted political leaders who are openly racists and those who open advocates of segregationists who were elected to the US Congress from Strum Thurmond to Rand Paul
Americans who Christian extremist, who advocate shooting, killing and murdering doctors and nurses, whose only offense is providing legitimate medical care in their capacities as medical care givers also known as abortions are seen as normal or almost normal
Americans who unreasonably and irrational hold on to their Second Amendment rights to own guns regardless of the fact that gun violence is responsible for the untimely and needless deaths of over 25, 000 and yet, the fear of the National Rifle Association by American politicians is the beginning of wisdom and political survival, and yet, the NRA does not produce goods and services.
Additionally, religious organizations in America are aggressively political; Christians, Jews and others are very politically influential. The Catholic Church for instance, sought to derail President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Act, and as a consequence, the Catholic Church and other Christian groups spent hundreds of millions of dollars in attempts to defeat Mr. Obama’s reform efforts. Why would religious organization want to defeat health care insurance for all, particularly for the poor? Christian demagogues predicated their asinine arguments against health care reforms on their anti abortion conservative Christian worldview.
Fear, particularly, irrational and unreasonable fears, are the foundations of worst cases hatreds and bigotries which the world have known and witnessed. The fear of what is presumed about others, the fear of real and imagined foes have been the basis of needless and pointless human suffering globally.
The fear of physical and fiscal domination, the fear of being subsumed by other cultures, languages, and ideologies, the fear of the other turning us into their otherness, are roots of all human conflicts worldwide.
The fear of Islam, especially political Islam, has motivated inspired wrongheaded public policies during the preceding ten years. Fear is central to the debates regarding the wearing of burka/veil coverings in France, Egypt and even here as well in the United States. All attempts to sugarcoat it and camouflage it as some dispassionate and objective advocacy and promotion of gender equality for Muslim women, have not deceived anyone about the irrational fears by some, upon beholding women in burkah/veils
Similarly, it is must be said that attempts by some notwithstanding, no one is deceived and oblivious to the vehemence and extreme stridency with which some resist efforts by people of Islamic faith to pursue and fulfill the meaning of life while in complete obeisance to Islamic norms and precepts.
Several years ago, democracy was put on trial by those who sought defeat and scuttle the outcomes of free and fair elections which were conducted in Algeria, in Palestinian territory of Gaza and West Bank, as well as in Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq etc
The fear of political Islam is once again, front and center, the spurious and scurrilous arguments being made against the yearning of 87 million Egyptian citizens who are seeking legitimate democratic change from several decades of dictatorship and absolute tyrannical power which have been wielded by Hosni Mubarak.
Democracy, is ideally supposed to be a form of government by of the people by the people for the people. But quite curiously, some persons in the American, European and Israeli governments have demonstrated fervent aversions to democracy of the people, by the people for the people of Egypt, Palestine, Algeria, etc
Democracy seem only perfect and acceptable within developing nations, only when the American, Israeli and their western European allies are able to install a predetermined puppet, a puppet who is an internal opportunist and who is similarly amenable to external manipulators.
The preferred view ought to be that political aspirants, political candidates and political gladiators of every nation are able to canvass for votes through public policy driven electioneering in which the candidates subject themselves to thorough and heightened scrutiny by the public, press and more importantly, the electorate of such given nation.
The stridency, the vehemence and the extreme negative vigor with which western nations have undermined democratic processes and democratic victories every time that Muslim Brotherhood, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Motada followers have been triumphant at elections, are illustrative of western hypocrisies in which the west sanctimoniously engage in preachment of democracy and hold themselves out as bastions of democracy, while simultaneously doing everything in order to subvert democracy when and if, it favors Muslim Brotherhood, HAMAS, Hezbollah etc
Westerners seem to insist that Islam and Muslims are monolithic, and that they the westerners know best what is good for Islam and Muslims? It takes an overdose of industrial strength arrogance in mindsets and policy formulations and implementations by and through which westerners and their allies seek to tell those of the Islamic faith what to do and in fact, what is good for Islam and Muslim. This is the same identical mindsets which informed slavery, colonialism and apartheid. The idea that non-Christians are primitive and savages who needed to be civilized by all knowing, all altruistic and benevolent Christian westerners!
Too many in America, Europe and Israel are engaging in bigotries, hatred and clear cases of Islamophobia, with feeble attempts at camouflaging and concealing their prejudices and biases against Islam, particularly, Political Islam!
There just too many with such stridency and vehemence against Islam and Muslims, so much so, that they deploy hyperbole in their acerbic criticisms of Islam and Muslims, take for instance, the statement to the effect, that, “Muslim Brotherhood is more dangerous than Al Qaeda because the Muslim Brotherhood have capacity to participate in democracy through elections Ayaan Hirsi Ali? Ayaan Hirsi Ali wants a divorce between Islam and Sharia, she want Muslims who are politicians to renounce Sharia, she insist that they should say yes to Islam and no to Sharia. Ayaan Hirsi Ali blames Iran for having aggressive foreign policy through pursuit of nuclear weapons! But how can she justify these generalizations against Muslims and Islam?
How tenable for instance, would she or anyone be, to demand that ultra conservative Christians, the Evangelicals and other power Political Christians renounce and divorce their Christian worldview, Christian “morality” from their political aspirations? And, if she would not make such demands of Christians and or Jews or such other politically active religious groups, why should anyone, make such demands of Islam and Muslims?
It is the case that every major religion on earth have within it, extremists, such as those who assassinated Yizak Rabin of Israel and Indira Gandhi of India and Hariri of Lebanon. Besides, the Spanish Inquisition, Pedophile priests and forced conversion to Christianity are all reminders of how impure the history of Christianity has been. Christianity has extremists and a huge historical baggage.
100 million Americans are ultra conservatives and Christian evangelicals opposed to abortion rights and many civil liberties. And depending on who is analyzing and evaluating Christian extremism, it is quite arguably dangerous!
Muslim Brotherhood social service to citizens is legendary; Muslim Brotherhood has demonstrated a keen sense and astute sense of responsibility
The world is presented with false choices, between a lifetime of Mubarak’s dictatorship and Muslim Brotherhood which will bring civilization as we know it to an end in Egypt! Two extremes, Mubarak or extremists, America have used Mubarak as she has used General Zia Ul Haq in Pakistan, Ul Haq who implemented Sharia law, and Sharia was not an issue to the Americans then, but it is now as blasphemy law in Pakistan is in the news
America, Europeans and Israelis must now get ready to compete with Muslim brotherhood and political Islam, and they should be reminded that the world is a market place for ideas and the best should prevail with superior arguments or market savvy. We should all advocate, promote and support democracy and let the best democrats rise to the top, after careful scrutiny by a given electorate and after such electorate in particular nation have thoroughly weighed all options.
The course of democracy may be slow. Democracy can be unruly, unwieldy, and democracy like due process and the rule of law can be painfully slow, hence, it is often said, that democracy is the worst form of government except the alternatives. Americans, Europeans and Israelis should therefore learn to cultivate relationships with other nations, without seeking to undermine democratic processes in other nations and without preferring dictators and tyrants who are contemptuous of their citizens, and their electorate and national democratic institutions.
Those who claim to advance promote and support democracy; there should be no preference for antidemocratic forces. Expedient policies produced historical failures of democracy in the Philippines after the dictator client Ferdinand Marcos fell.
Expedient policy and myopia drove the support for Sulharto in Indonesia, as it did for the Shah of Iran and Pinochet in Chile, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan and the list is endless. Those who provide support for dictators for short term gains, sow the seeds of terrible consequences when dictators die or when they are overthrown. Investment in democratic institutions is clearly always better than sponsorships of military and antidemocratic brigandage in nations across the world.
All reasonable persons should advocate, promote and support true democracy, government of the people, by the people and for the people. Democracy is a form of government which the people of a given nation freely choose and distilled to suit their national collective interests and purpose of particular nation.
America, Europeans and Israelis must now get ready to compete with Muslim brotherhood and political Islam, and they should be reminded that the world is a market place for ideas and the best should prevail with superior arguments or market savvy. We should all advocate, promote and support democracy and let the best democrats rise to the top, after careful scrutiny by a given electorate and after such electorate in particular nation have thoroughly weighed all options. The battle of civilizations some may call these duels, we should all contribute our arguments!
The course of democracy may be slow. Democracy can be unruly, unwieldy, and democracy like due process and the rule of law can be painfully slow, hence, it is often said, that democracy is the worst form of government except the alternatives. Americans, Europeans and Israelis should therefore learn to cultivate relationships with other nations, without seeking to undermine democratic processes in other nations and without preferring dictators and tyrants who are contemptuous of their citizens, and their electorate and national democratic institutions.
Those who claim to advance promote and support democracy; there should be no preference for antidemocratic forces. Expedient policies produced historical failures of democracy in the Philippines after the dictator client Ferdinand Marcos fell.
Expedient policy and myopia drove the support for Sulharto in Indonesia, as it did for the Shah of Iran and Pinochet in Chile, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan and the list is endless. Those who provide support for dictators for short term gains, sow the seeds of terrible consequences when dictators die or when they are overthrown. Investment in democratic institutions is clearly always better than sponsorships of military and antidemocratic brigandage in nations across the world.
All reasonable persons should advocate, promote and support true democracy, government of the people, by the people and for the people. Democracy is a form of government which the people of a given nation freely choose and distilled to suit their national collective interests and purpose of particular nation.
Written by Paul I. Adujie
What do Egyptians want?
What are the aspirations of Egyptians? Could it be an outcome for Egyptians or an outcome which is preferred by the Americans, Europeans, Israel and Saudi Arabia etc?
Now that Hosni Mubarak has resigned, would the Americans, Europeans and Israelis support a military dictatorship in Egypt or a thorough democratic transition processes?! It is the case that, with the resignation of Mubarak, the real heavy lifting or fundamental change in Egypt really begins now.
General Omar Suleiman is severely tainted. He is part of the Mubarak cabal, and part of the Egyptian military industrial complex, he is part of the old guard, and literally very old at 75, while Mubarak his predecessor is 82. General Omar Suleiman is notoriously in the pockets of external forces outside Egypt as in the United States, Europe and Israel etc
General Suleiman was the point man for America’s Extraordinary Rendition, he is known to have said that he wanted Gaza to be hungry, but not starve as Egypt and Israel inflicted the continuing blockade of Gaza. WikiLeaks has a tome dossier on General Omar Suleiman’s cozy relationship with America and Israel, at the expense of citizens of Egypt and the interests of Arabs, Persia and the entire Middle East. General Suleiman is a persona non grata and a pariah within the Human Rights community globally.
Citizens of Egypt commenced a revolution a couple of weeks ago, and the revolution has succeeded, it has culminated in the eventual departure today, of the tyrant who has been a fixture in Egyptian political space for far too long!
But what do Egyptians want and why should anyone care? Why is it important at all to ask what Egyptians want?
Discussions by the Americans, Europeans and Israelis about Egyptians demonstrators-protesters against the dictatorship and tyranny which have been operated by Hosni Mubarak for over thirty years have centered on their interests and benefits.
Hosni Mubarak is the linchpin and bulwark of American, European and Israeli policies in the Middle East towards Arabs, Persians and Palestinians. This is the foundation and predicate of the instability and intractable crises in the Middle East. It is an extremely myopic and shortsighted policy which prefers personality over institutions. This is an unreasoned and illogical policy which is based on expediency and arrogance of power.
Clearly, it is the case that, the Americans, Europeans n and Israelis have no robust, vigorous and reasoned long term policies for the Middle East, Arabia and Persia. There is no Egyptian policy, there instead a fluid and quicksand policy which surrounds and revolves around Hosni Mubarak and other dictators in the Middle East
Americans, Europeans and Israelis are in trepidation of Islam and Muslims and this is what drives their foreign policy toward Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, Indonesia, Afghanistan etc. And this is why there is this pretense on their part, that Hosni Mubarak is the only Egyptian with “leadership skills” and the last person standing that can lead Egypt, even after 30 years of Mubarak’s tyranny and persisting state of emergency. The fear of Islam, Muslims and Islamic Brotherhood is what drives the spurious arguments which pretends that Egypt will become an Islamic theocracy made up of extremists with lust for the bloods of western nations and Israel
The fact on the ground in Egypt is significantly and remarkably different from how it has been portrayed by the Americans, Europeans and Israelis. There are for instance, more than 26 political parties in Egypt. It is also the case that Muslim Brotherhood are not the drivers of the current revolution, which is in fact very diverse and multicultural and multi-religious and cuts across every age groups and every income groups.
There is a persisting refusal by western nations sift the wheat from chaff … race to the top democracy, instead of a race to the bottom in which every Muslim is deemed an extremist and this have been exemplified by the truncation of democracy and constitutionalism as when HAMAS triumphed in elections in 2006, as well as when the Islamic Party in Algeria won elections in that nation several years before.
HAMAS is maligned and demeaned and labeled a terrorist organization by America, Europeans and Israelis, despite the fact that HAMAS is popular with Palestinians. And despite the fact that HAMAS have over the years provided more social services than any of the handpicked puppets who have headed the Palestinian Authority for years. HAMAS have provided health care, schools, after school programs, reconstruction and rebuilding supports after arbitrary demolitions by Israel, of Palestinian properties in West Bank, Gaza Strip etc.
America touted democracy and pushed for elections in Palestine, but, America did not like the outcome when HAMAS won the elections fair and square! Former President George W. Bush claimed famously that the invasion and occupation of Iraq would cause democracy to take root in Iraq and by extension of all the Middle East, but Americans are suddenly loathe of democracy taking roots in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia? Why are the Americans not rooting for the domino effects of Tunisia protests, and now Egypt and slippery slopes to blissful democratization in the Middle East
It is rather astounding and extremely astonishing that Americans are quick to demonize HAMAS, Hezbollah and other symbols of Political Islam, when in fact, Americans, all through history, have allowed, tolerated and accepted political leaders who are openly racists and those who open advocates of segregationists who were elected to the US Congress from Strum Thurmond to Rand Paul
Americans who Christian extremist, who advocate shooting, killing and murdering doctors and nurses, whose only offense is providing legitimate medical care in their capacities as medical care givers also known as abortions are seen as normal or almost normal
Americans who unreasonably and irrational hold on to their Second Amendment rights to own guns regardless of the fact that gun violence is responsible for the untimely and needless deaths of over 25, 000 and yet, the fear of the National Rifle Association by American politicians is the beginning of wisdom and political survival, and yet, the NRA does not produce goods and services.
Additionally, religious organizations in America are aggressively political; Christians, Jews and others are very politically influential. The Catholic Church for instance, sought to derail President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Act, and as a consequence, the Catholic Church and other Christian groups spent hundreds of millions of dollars in attempts to defeat Mr. Obama’s reform efforts. Why would religious organization want to defeat health care insurance for all, particularly for the poor? Christian demagogues predicated their asinine arguments against health care reforms on their anti abortion conservative Christian worldview.
Fear, particularly, irrational and unreasonable fears, are the foundations of worst cases hatreds and bigotries which the world have known and witnessed. The fear of what is presumed about others, the fear of real and imagined foes have been the basis of needless and pointless human suffering globally.
The fear of physical and fiscal domination, the fear of being subsumed by other cultures, languages, and ideologies, the fear of the other turning us into their otherness, are roots of all human conflicts worldwide.
The fear of Islam, especially political Islam, has motivated inspired wrongheaded public policies during the preceding ten years. Fear is central to the debates regarding the wearing of burka/veil coverings in France, Egypt and even here as well in the United States. All attempts to sugarcoat it and camouflage it as some dispassionate and objective advocacy and promotion of gender equality for Muslim women, have not deceived anyone about the irrational fears by some, upon beholding women in burkah/veils
Similarly, it is must be said that attempts by some notwithstanding, no one is deceived and oblivious to the vehemence and extreme stridency with which some resist efforts by people of Islamic faith to pursue and fulfill the meaning of life while in complete obeisance to Islamic norms and precepts.
Several years ago, democracy was put on trial by those who sought defeat and scuttle the outcomes of free and fair elections which were conducted in Algeria, in Palestinian territory of Gaza and West Bank, as well as in Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq etc
The fear of political Islam is once again, front and center, the spurious and scurrilous arguments being made against the yearning of 87 million Egyptian citizens who are seeking legitimate democratic change from several decades of dictatorship and absolute tyrannical power which have been wielded by Hosni Mubarak.
Democracy, is ideally supposed to be a form of government by of the people by the people for the people. But quite curiously, some persons in the American, European and Israeli governments have demonstrated fervent aversions to democracy of the people, by the people for the people of Egypt, Palestine, Algeria, etc
Democracy seem only perfect and acceptable within developing nations, only when the American, Israeli and their western European allies are able to install a predetermined puppet, a puppet who is an internal opportunist and who is similarly amenable to external manipulators.
The preferred view ought to be that political aspirants, political candidates and political gladiators of every nation are able to canvass for votes through public policy driven electioneering in which the candidates subject themselves to thorough and heightened scrutiny by the public, press and more importantly, the electorate of such given nation.
The stridency, the vehemence and the extreme negative vigor with which western nations have undermined democratic processes and democratic victories every time that Muslim Brotherhood, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Motada followers have been triumphant at elections, are illustrative of western hypocrisies in which the west sanctimoniously engage in preachment of democracy and hold themselves out as bastions of democracy, while simultaneously doing everything in order to subvert democracy when and if, it favors Muslim Brotherhood, HAMAS, Hezbollah etc
Westerners seem to insist that Islam and Muslims are monolithic, and that they the westerners know best what is good for Islam and Muslims? It takes an overdose of industrial strength arrogance in mindsets and policy formulations and implementations by and through which westerners and their allies seek to tell those of the Islamic faith what to do and in fact, what is good for Islam and Muslim. This is the same identical mindsets which informed slavery, colonialism and apartheid. The idea that non-Christians are primitive and savages who needed to be civilized by all knowing, all altruistic and benevolent Christian westerners!
Too many in America, Europe and Israel are engaging in bigotries, hatred and clear cases of Islamophobia, with feeble attempts at camouflaging and concealing their prejudices and biases against Islam, particularly, Political Islam!
There just too many with such stridency and vehemence against Islam and Muslims, so much so, that they deploy hyperbole in their acerbic criticisms of Islam and Muslims, take for instance, the statement to the effect, that, “Muslim Brotherhood is more dangerous than Al Qaeda because the Muslim Brotherhood have capacity to participate in democracy through elections Ayaan Hirsi Ali? Ayaan Hirsi Ali wants a divorce between Islam and Sharia, she want Muslims who are politicians to renounce Sharia, she insist that they should say yes to Islam and no to Sharia. Ayaan Hirsi Ali blames Iran for having aggressive foreign policy through pursuit of nuclear weapons! But how can she justify these generalizations against Muslims and Islam?
How tenable for instance, would she or anyone be, to demand that ultra conservative Christians, the Evangelicals and other power Political Christians renounce and divorce their Christian worldview, Christian “morality” from their political aspirations? And, if she would not make such demands of Christians and or Jews or such other politically active religious groups, why should anyone, make such demands of Islam and Muslims?
It is the case that every major religion on earth have within it, extremists, such as those who assassinated Yizak Rabin of Israel and Indira Gandhi of India and Hariri of Lebanon. Besides, the Spanish Inquisition, Pedophile priests and forced conversion to Christianity are all reminders of how impure the history of Christianity has been. Christianity has extremists and a huge historical baggage.
100 million Americans are ultra conservatives and Christian evangelicals opposed to abortion rights and many civil liberties. And depending on who is analyzing and evaluating Christian extremism, it is quite arguably dangerous!
Muslim Brotherhood social service to citizens is legendary; Muslim Brotherhood has demonstrated a keen sense and astute sense of responsibility
The world is presented with false choices, between a lifetime of Mubarak’s dictatorship and Muslim Brotherhood which will bring civilization as we know it to an end in Egypt! Two extremes, Mubarak or extremists, America have used Mubarak as she has used General Zia Ul Haq in Pakistan, Ul Haq who implemented Sharia law, and Sharia was not an issue to the Americans then, but it is now as blasphemy law in Pakistan is in the news
America, Europeans and Israelis must now get ready to compete with Muslim brotherhood and political Islam, and they should be reminded that the world is a market place for ideas and the best should prevail with superior arguments or market savvy. We should all advocate, promote and support democracy and let the best democrats rise to the top, after careful scrutiny by a given electorate and after such electorate in particular nation have thoroughly weighed all options.
The course of democracy may be slow. Democracy can be unruly, unwieldy, and democracy like due process and the rule of law can be painfully slow, hence, it is often said, that democracy is the worst form of government except the alternatives. Americans, Europeans and Israelis should therefore learn to cultivate relationships with other nations, without seeking to undermine democratic processes in other nations and without preferring dictators and tyrants who are contemptuous of their citizens, and their electorate and national democratic institutions.
Those who claim to advance promote and support democracy; there should be no preference for antidemocratic forces. Expedient policies produced historical failures of democracy in the Philippines after the dictator client Ferdinand Marcos fell.
Expedient policy and myopia drove the support for Sulharto in Indonesia, as it did for the Shah of Iran and Pinochet in Chile, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan and the list is endless. Those who provide support for dictators for short term gains, sow the seeds of terrible consequences when dictators die or when they are overthrown. Investment in democratic institutions is clearly always better than sponsorships of military and antidemocratic brigandage in nations across the world.
All reasonable persons should advocate, promote and support true democracy, government of the people, by the people and for the people. Democracy is a form of government which the people of a given nation freely choose and distilled to suit their national collective interests and purpose of particular nation.
America, Europeans and Israelis must now get ready to compete with Muslim brotherhood and political Islam, and they should be reminded that the world is a market place for ideas and the best should prevail with superior arguments or market savvy. We should all advocate, promote and support democracy and let the best democrats rise to the top, after careful scrutiny by a given electorate and after such electorate in particular nation have thoroughly weighed all options. The battle of civilizations some may call these duels, we should all contribute our arguments!
The course of democracy may be slow. Democracy can be unruly, unwieldy, and democracy like due process and the rule of law can be painfully slow, hence, it is often said, that democracy is the worst form of government except the alternatives. Americans, Europeans and Israelis should therefore learn to cultivate relationships with other nations, without seeking to undermine democratic processes in other nations and without preferring dictators and tyrants who are contemptuous of their citizens, and their electorate and national democratic institutions.
Those who claim to advance promote and support democracy; there should be no preference for antidemocratic forces. Expedient policies produced historical failures of democracy in the Philippines after the dictator client Ferdinand Marcos fell.
Expedient policy and myopia drove the support for Sulharto in Indonesia, as it did for the Shah of Iran and Pinochet in Chile, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan and the list is endless. Those who provide support for dictators for short term gains, sow the seeds of terrible consequences when dictators die or when they are overthrown. Investment in democratic institutions is clearly always better than sponsorships of military and antidemocratic brigandage in nations across the world.
All reasonable persons should advocate, promote and support true democracy, government of the people, by the people and for the people. Democracy is a form of government which the people of a given nation freely choose and distilled to suit their national collective interests and purpose of particular nation.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Imagine If Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan Etc Were Democracies?
Imagine If Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan Etc Were Democracies?
Written by Paul I. Adujie
As a non-Arab concerned with the plight of the people of Palestine and the burgeoning non-beguiling ordeal of the people of Iraq, I am forced to wonder about certain what ifs, such as, what if Saudi Arabia was democratic? What if the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi were more interested in how to develop the kingdom in the best interests of all Saudi Arabians, other Arabs? And not in the manipulations of oil prices, to favor Mr. Bush at elections, as was revealed recently?
The predicted oil price manipulations for votes in favor of the president Bush White House has started in earnest, Saudi Arabia has started Monday May 10, 2004, to engage in oil price manipulations as expected, the kingdom with its statements, urging OPEC member producers to increase oil production, to in essence, flood the oil market with overproduction, to create a glut?
Even though, the Arabian kingdom presaged its statement, with the platitudinous aforethought, Saudi Arabia will urging oil production increase of more than a million barrel per day, 1mlbpd,“high cost of petroleum, will over heat the world economy,” so global economy is not derailed!
When was the last time the industrialized nations consulted members of OPEC before the former fixed prices for goods and services consumed by the former? Just so, the economies of these consumer nations of OPEC will not be overwrought by overpricing, inflationary trends or other balance of trade issues? Why? Producers computers, cars and other machineries, imported by OPEC nations from the industrialized world, fix prices and let “market forces” of supply and demand, determine what happens, and let the fall?
Some of these OPEC nations are also heavily indebted to these same industrialized nations, curious debt some say, and worse, these industrialized nations, are not one whit concerned with the strangulating effect on poor developing countries, among them, some OPEC members, who have had to devote an inordinate amount of their earnings to servicing many of these questionable debts, to these same industrialized world, hence, as a result, the poor developing countries are kept in perpetual bondage, economically.
What logic therefore supports, the Saudi Arabian concern for the health of the economies of the industrialized nations, all at the expense of Saudi Arabia earnings and income for oil, especially, where Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries do not enjoy discounts from the industrialized nations, for Saudi Arabia and OPEC members high cost of petroleum explorations, exploitation and production?
Petroleum production requires complex and sophisticated modern technologies, manufactured, predominantly in these industrialized nations and as already mentioned, cars and computers etc, are also expensively purchased from these industrialized nations, by Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC, when then, was the last time, Saudi Arabia/OPEC received price concessions, just so, their economies would not overheat and have a domino or snowball effect
Saudi Arabians knows, just like everyone else, that its excuse for the contemplated overproduction recommendation is not hedged on global economic health, but instead, an effort to save a personal friend, at a critical election time in the United States!
Where is the logic of demanding to OPEC engage in a one-way street traffic of oil overproduction to save the world economy, without a corresponding demand, on the industrialized nations to also extend price-breaks to OPEC and other developing nations, who pay so much for cars, productive machinery, computers, pharmaceuticals etc?
Is the world not witness to the refusals companies in the industrialized nations unwillingness to give price-breaks on their AIDS medicines, to prolong the lives of the hapless in the poor-developing world? In pursuit of corporate profits and self-interests?
Is the world not witness to the deadlocked efforts to require the industrialized nations to remove their heavy subsidies on agriculture and agricultural farm productions concerns, to enable poor-developing nations compete in a level playing field-fair market, of which the last efforts collapsed in Cancun Mexico round of World Trade?
Why should stability of world trade be the concern and burden of Saudi Arabia and OPEC members alone? It is, what it is, the Saudi royal family, the monarchs, who run their country like a personal estate, are trying to help a friend in dire need, to wit, help president Bush re-election.
There are two wrongs, illustrated by the Saudi oil price manipulations, first, it will amount to a direct interference in the internal political activities and outcomes in the United States by Saudi Arabia as dictated by the royal family, which is truly undemocratic and sad.
And secondly, the Saudi royal family are embarking on these manipulations and money sacrifice in favor of the Bush dynasty, at the expense of Saudi Arabians all, and at the expense of all the citizens of OPEC member countries, who will bear the brunt of cut in budget and social services, social dislocations, just because the Saudi princes are interested in personal favors to their friends in the White House!
Imagine then, that Saudi Arabia was a democratic country? A country where national interests dictates actions that are taken by government leaders, that would mean, that the government of Saudi Arabia, would use all at its disposal, to leverage political independence for Palestine, and prevent the bulldozing of symbols and infrastructures of the Palestinian Authority.
Saudis could have prevented the forced and continued detention of Yasser Arafat, the continued usurpation of West Bank and Gaza Strip, the torture and humiliation of Palestinians that occurs on a daily basis; Or do like the Americans, give sophisticated weapons and money to one side, the Palestinians, so that, if there must be violence, it will be on equal-footing, gun for gun.
Who protects the national and regional interests of the average Arab? It is certainly not the docile Egyptians who are happy collaborators, who sees America as their benefactor, to whom they have recently acted as contract-torturer of prisoners of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It is surely not Kuwait, another monarchy, that was rescued from extinction by the US with the first Gulf War against Iraq, It is not Iran that is just scrounging-by, since the 444 days hostage crisis which was followed by a needless war engineered between Iraq and Iran, by those who wanted to teach Iran a lesson, as payback for hostages?
Jordan has perpetually engaged in balancing acts, between pleasing America and its predominant population of Palestinian origins, Omar, Brunei, are opulently distracted with enough wealth, and both appear to be unmoved by pan Arab causes, Syria has mellowed… So who really pursues Arab national and regional causes, is there any country in the Persian Gulf or the entire Middle East, whose national interests are not determined in Washington and London etc?
Imagine that Saudi Arabia, were a true government of the people, by the people for the people?
The Saudi royals, would not short-change Arabs with their support for the American invasion and occupation of Iraq, an action that clearly betrayed the popular will of the average man on the street in the Arab world, even as the action was facilitated by Saudi Arabia, that ought to be the bulwark and protector of all Arab interests, against all other interests! Imagine how many world problems would be resolved with the democratization of Saudi Arabia?
This realizations, is probably why, the Americans and Europeans are not demanding political and economic reforms in the kingdom of Saudi and or much of the Arab world?
This article was written and first published several years ago, and well before the unfolding revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen etc and well before Saudi Arabia ordered more than $100 Billion dollars in arms and weapons, including sophisticated jet fighters etc, all, from the United States
Written by Paul I. Adujie
As a non-Arab concerned with the plight of the people of Palestine and the burgeoning non-beguiling ordeal of the people of Iraq, I am forced to wonder about certain what ifs, such as, what if Saudi Arabia was democratic? What if the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi were more interested in how to develop the kingdom in the best interests of all Saudi Arabians, other Arabs? And not in the manipulations of oil prices, to favor Mr. Bush at elections, as was revealed recently?
The predicted oil price manipulations for votes in favor of the president Bush White House has started in earnest, Saudi Arabia has started Monday May 10, 2004, to engage in oil price manipulations as expected, the kingdom with its statements, urging OPEC member producers to increase oil production, to in essence, flood the oil market with overproduction, to create a glut?
Even though, the Arabian kingdom presaged its statement, with the platitudinous aforethought, Saudi Arabia will urging oil production increase of more than a million barrel per day, 1mlbpd,“high cost of petroleum, will over heat the world economy,” so global economy is not derailed!
When was the last time the industrialized nations consulted members of OPEC before the former fixed prices for goods and services consumed by the former? Just so, the economies of these consumer nations of OPEC will not be overwrought by overpricing, inflationary trends or other balance of trade issues? Why? Producers computers, cars and other machineries, imported by OPEC nations from the industrialized world, fix prices and let “market forces” of supply and demand, determine what happens, and let the fall?
Some of these OPEC nations are also heavily indebted to these same industrialized nations, curious debt some say, and worse, these industrialized nations, are not one whit concerned with the strangulating effect on poor developing countries, among them, some OPEC members, who have had to devote an inordinate amount of their earnings to servicing many of these questionable debts, to these same industrialized world, hence, as a result, the poor developing countries are kept in perpetual bondage, economically.
What logic therefore supports, the Saudi Arabian concern for the health of the economies of the industrialized nations, all at the expense of Saudi Arabia earnings and income for oil, especially, where Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries do not enjoy discounts from the industrialized nations, for Saudi Arabia and OPEC members high cost of petroleum explorations, exploitation and production?
Petroleum production requires complex and sophisticated modern technologies, manufactured, predominantly in these industrialized nations and as already mentioned, cars and computers etc, are also expensively purchased from these industrialized nations, by Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC, when then, was the last time, Saudi Arabia/OPEC received price concessions, just so, their economies would not overheat and have a domino or snowball effect
Saudi Arabians knows, just like everyone else, that its excuse for the contemplated overproduction recommendation is not hedged on global economic health, but instead, an effort to save a personal friend, at a critical election time in the United States!
Where is the logic of demanding to OPEC engage in a one-way street traffic of oil overproduction to save the world economy, without a corresponding demand, on the industrialized nations to also extend price-breaks to OPEC and other developing nations, who pay so much for cars, productive machinery, computers, pharmaceuticals etc?
Is the world not witness to the refusals companies in the industrialized nations unwillingness to give price-breaks on their AIDS medicines, to prolong the lives of the hapless in the poor-developing world? In pursuit of corporate profits and self-interests?
Is the world not witness to the deadlocked efforts to require the industrialized nations to remove their heavy subsidies on agriculture and agricultural farm productions concerns, to enable poor-developing nations compete in a level playing field-fair market, of which the last efforts collapsed in Cancun Mexico round of World Trade?
Why should stability of world trade be the concern and burden of Saudi Arabia and OPEC members alone? It is, what it is, the Saudi royal family, the monarchs, who run their country like a personal estate, are trying to help a friend in dire need, to wit, help president Bush re-election.
There are two wrongs, illustrated by the Saudi oil price manipulations, first, it will amount to a direct interference in the internal political activities and outcomes in the United States by Saudi Arabia as dictated by the royal family, which is truly undemocratic and sad.
And secondly, the Saudi royal family are embarking on these manipulations and money sacrifice in favor of the Bush dynasty, at the expense of Saudi Arabians all, and at the expense of all the citizens of OPEC member countries, who will bear the brunt of cut in budget and social services, social dislocations, just because the Saudi princes are interested in personal favors to their friends in the White House!
Imagine then, that Saudi Arabia was a democratic country? A country where national interests dictates actions that are taken by government leaders, that would mean, that the government of Saudi Arabia, would use all at its disposal, to leverage political independence for Palestine, and prevent the bulldozing of symbols and infrastructures of the Palestinian Authority.
Saudis could have prevented the forced and continued detention of Yasser Arafat, the continued usurpation of West Bank and Gaza Strip, the torture and humiliation of Palestinians that occurs on a daily basis; Or do like the Americans, give sophisticated weapons and money to one side, the Palestinians, so that, if there must be violence, it will be on equal-footing, gun for gun.
Who protects the national and regional interests of the average Arab? It is certainly not the docile Egyptians who are happy collaborators, who sees America as their benefactor, to whom they have recently acted as contract-torturer of prisoners of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It is surely not Kuwait, another monarchy, that was rescued from extinction by the US with the first Gulf War against Iraq, It is not Iran that is just scrounging-by, since the 444 days hostage crisis which was followed by a needless war engineered between Iraq and Iran, by those who wanted to teach Iran a lesson, as payback for hostages?
Jordan has perpetually engaged in balancing acts, between pleasing America and its predominant population of Palestinian origins, Omar, Brunei, are opulently distracted with enough wealth, and both appear to be unmoved by pan Arab causes, Syria has mellowed… So who really pursues Arab national and regional causes, is there any country in the Persian Gulf or the entire Middle East, whose national interests are not determined in Washington and London etc?
Imagine that Saudi Arabia, were a true government of the people, by the people for the people?
The Saudi royals, would not short-change Arabs with their support for the American invasion and occupation of Iraq, an action that clearly betrayed the popular will of the average man on the street in the Arab world, even as the action was facilitated by Saudi Arabia, that ought to be the bulwark and protector of all Arab interests, against all other interests! Imagine how many world problems would be resolved with the democratization of Saudi Arabia?
This realizations, is probably why, the Americans and Europeans are not demanding political and economic reforms in the kingdom of Saudi and or much of the Arab world?
This article was written and first published several years ago, and well before the unfolding revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Yemen etc and well before Saudi Arabia ordered more than $100 Billion dollars in arms and weapons, including sophisticated jet fighters etc, all, from the United States
Thursday, February 3, 2011
America Is Friend, Ally of Dictators and Tyrants Worldwide
America Is Friend, Ally of Dictators and Tyrants Worldwide
Written by Paul I. Adujie
President Barack Obama it was, who once stated that Africa need strong institutions and not strong men. But now we know these statements are mere deep end platitudes, in view of the fact that America, Israel and Europe etc prefer strong man dictator, tyrant president for life authoritarian Hosni Mubarak of Egypt
President Obama now engages in ambivalence and equivocation regarding democracy and Egypt.
American, European and Israeli apologists for Hosni Mubarak’s 30 years dictatorship and absolute power insistently talk about stability, what stability? Hosni Mubarak is now said to have sponsored and paid thugs in efforts to intimidate, frustrate and truncate legitimate peaceful protests by Egyptian citizens demanding democracy and freedom, and the Egyptian Army is said to have refused and neglected to prevent these Mubarak's thugs from killing and maiming peaceful protesters.
Where are unequivocal denunciations and condemnations of these egregious Human Rights violations? Where is the outrage?
There are also these nonsensical talks about anti Mubarak protesters causing chaos, even though it is quite clear to all reasonable persons that Egypt has been in a constant and continued state of chaos for 30 years. Hosni Mubarak has an abysmal track record of making promises of reforms and he has never kept any such promises. Allowing Mubarak to stay until September 2011 is the equivalent of another blank check for Mubarak
Alienating citizens of Egypt and supporting a dictator and turn blind eye to repressive Hosni Mubarak. There are now attempts by Hosni Mubarak and his friends to use thugs to orchestrate a counter demonstration or protest in support the unraveling dictatorship in Egypt.
There is this unreasonable insistence that Mubarak kept peace and maintained peace, and that Egypt is the cornerstone of Israel Middle East policy, but how has that furthered the best national interests of Egyptians?
There are these unreasonable self-serving fears by some, a new government after Mubarak departs will cozy-up to extremists and will ignore Israel -Egypt peace agreements and that such new government would reopen and disregard blockades by Egypt and Israel against Palestine; by re-opening of Gaza Crossing, Egypt will stop assisting Israel in blocking people and goods into Gaza. And so, some in America and Israel say supporting Mubarak at all costs is a good policy!
Israel now monitors, Jordan, Syria and Yemen, America, Israel and their allies are terrified at the mere prospect of Muslim Brotherhood becoming a measurable part of Egyptian political process and these fears are completely unjustified! Mubarak is American Israel stalwart, but he in the process neglected to be stalwart for Egyptians!
Muslim Brotherhood have been demonized and maligned as extremists and violent demagogue, even despite evidence to the contrary. Muslim Brotherhood have no record or history of violence, these false labeling have been employed often by Hosni Mubarak as a camouflage and cover to shield himself as he retained an ossified authoritarian, dictatorial and tyrannical power for thirty years
Reports are that over 300 people killed in Egypt already, in 10 days of political upheaval and yet, America has shown ambivalence, equivocal, muted response to the peaceful demand for democracy, freedom and liberty by Egyptians in their millions! America, Israel and some European nations are insouciantly practicing expediency as a policy, a myopic and shortsighted policy which has incubated hatred and terrorism in the Egypt, Palestine, Arabian and Persian worlds.
America, some European nations and Israel are thoroughly implicated in the dictatorship in Egypt with diplomatic, financial and military support for 30 years. But why prop-up puppets and dictators and tyrants while proclaiming the high ideals and tenets of democracy, freedom, the rule of law and due process? What an oxymoron is that? These double standards and hypocrisies are so glaring for world to see.
America, Europe and their allies must cease and desist from supporting and protecting authoritarian and tyrannical regimes in worldwide, but more particularly so, dictators in the Middle East and Africa. An Arab American has compared Hosni Mubarak to the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989, she says, when Hosni Mubarak falls, democracy will dawn in the rest of Arab world and Middle East.
It is unreasonable, it is counter intuitive, it is illogical and it runs against the grain, for self-proclaimed democrats to support the obscene dictatorship for which Hosni Mubarak have been known.
Israel have been making very condescending comments on Egyptian crises, Israel saying it is in the interests of America, Israel and western nations of Europe to keep Hosni Mubarak where he is, in power. America, Israel and others are nervous about the revolt and possible snowball effects in the entire Middle East from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, to Jordan, to Yemen, Syria etc
A successful peoples revolution in Egypt, will reverberate and have sundry ramifications, hence, enemies of the peoples of these nations are worried that their arrogant neglect and constipated complacency over the Palestine-Israel peace process is about to be disturbed by
responsive governments in the region, borne of the people, by the people, for the people
A myopic and parochial policy is being planned by the Americans is the contingency plan is to ensure that Mubarak survives long enough, then install a pro-American successor, preferably, the hierarchy of the Egyptian Army. The idea that America and her allies are advocating, a military takeover or coup in Egypt, with winks and nods to the Egyptian military with a view to truncating democracy, will make the head of true democrats and true lovers of freedom spin!
President Barack Obama of the United States once famously said that that Africa needs strong institutions and not strong men. But in recent days, every American official commenting on the political upheaval in Egypt have stated a clear preference for an Egyptian strongman known as Hosni Mubarak, who represent for the Americans and Israelis, a symbol of stability in Egypt, the Arab World and the entire Middle East.
American officials and journalists have for several days now, been aggressively promoting Egyptian Army as respected institution with individuals inside of it as wonderful friends of the United States! Americans are aggressively promoting the Egyptian military as successor to Mubarak. The Egyptian military is now being touted as preferred substitute. It is the case that America is behind the curve and quite clearly ambivalent in connections with what is happening on ground in Egypt. An Egyptian political earthquake is unfolding
Egypt and Hosni Mubarak have been an anchor, a bulwark and an epicenter for America, Israel and the rest of western world, which desperately wish to continue to use Hosni Mubarak Egypt as a wedge against Egyptians, Arabs and Persians national and regional interests, while the American, European and Israeli interests are given primacy
During the past several days, we were just regaled with the high ideals and tenets of democracy and the strength of American idea, but is America willing to see Egyptians taste freedom, democracy and idea?
Hosni Mubarak is president for life, the symbol for one-sided peace for Israel, at the expense of Palestine, Arabs, Persians and all Middle Easterners. Americans and other westerners have during these several days of political revolt and public demonstrations and protests by the people of Egypt, stated preferences for stable, stable, stable Egypt, even in the face of economic and political stagnation.
There is this pervasive attitude in which not much is said or expressed by way of what Egyptians want, but instead, what stability and a strong Hosni Mubarak’s fall could mean for America, Israel and other westerners! But why is it that not many westerners stop to consider what Egyptians want?
It cannot be argued that there is no one else among more than 80 million Egyptians, only Hosni Mubarak can govern Egypt. First of all, he is 82 years old and he will not live forever and secondly, there are qualified, seasoned Egyptian administrators and technocrats who would manage Egyptian politics and resources more creatively than Hosni Mubarak have done I 30 years
Hosni Mubarak have perennially used scare tactics and blackmail with his insistence that only absolute power wielded by him, would guarantee peace and stability and maintain Egypt as a secular state. Hosni Mubarak has forever pretended, without proof, that Muslim Brotherhood is violent and it is a terrorist group, even though there are Muslim Brotherhood members of Egyptian parliament. Hosni Mubarak and his friends, supporter and allies have forever pretended that every Muslim Brotherhood is a violent Ayatollah with extreme theocratic worldview, intent on imposing a theocracy.
All this flies in the face of Egypt being a plural society with left, right, liberal, conservative, Muslims, Christian citizens. Muslim Brotherhood was established in 1928 as a mainstream revivalist movement and they are not different from evangelicals, religious rights and Christians. After all, Strum Thurmond and other segregationists were elected to the United States congress from the so-called American Bible Belt or the bible wielding American south of the Dixie line. The National Rifle Association or NRA wield great political power and clout in the USA and NRA only promotes gun and not bread, butter or books, whereas Muslim Brotherhood have parliamentarians!
Egypt is gatekeeper and enforcer for the US and Israel, and, demonstrates stability and civility says Israel, says Egypt is a representative government as with Jordan… he arrogantly asks whether Egyptians can be trusted with democracy to be managed on their own, when Hosni Mubarak leaves.
America, Israel and western Europeans have gambled and squandered resources propping up Hosni Mubarak and sundry dictatorships
General Omar Suleiman the intelligence chief who was appointed vice president by Hosni Mubarak in response to demands for democracy is known to be a pro American pro Israel Egyptian, who has supervised American outsourcing of torture also known as Extraordinary Rendition, is unfortunately being touted now as likely successor to Hosni Mubarak. A complete army takeover is also being suggested, all these, because, American and Israel military have for decades interacted with the Egyptian military in most intimate ways.
30 years probationary period for Mubarak, he can initiate reforms now, and orderly transition thereafter… and the rest of mere mortals are only entitled to 3 to 6 months probationary periods on our jobs!
We should also factor in, the cause and effect of "sit-tights" rulers and their enablers or facilitators
we ought to also ask, why it is okay, to support Hosni Mubarak for peace, stability and as gatekeepers.... after 30 years of brutalities, extreme political repressions against opponents... and after 30 years of entrenched state of emergency with unmitigated arbitrariness and yet, neither America, France/other western nations are demanding that Egypt be invaded in order to dethrone Hosni Mubarak
Yet, Nigeria, ECOWAS, African Union were being pressured by America/France to invade the Ivory Coast in order to dethrone Laurent Gbagbo in complete disregard for the political independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ivory Coast
We should be alert to these double standards and utter hypocrisies!
Give me democracy, give me freedom and ensure that these high ideals have UNIVERSAL application etc. All reasonable persons should have zero tolerance for dictatorship and detesting and disdaining dictators should not be a selective. It is quite revealing that the same nations which are currently demanding and insisting on the use of force through military invasion to unseat Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast, are the same nations who are unfortunately very accommodating and comfortable with 30 years of Hosni Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt, with 30 years state of emergency
Hosni Mubarak is a dictator, a tyrant with record of ruthless repressions and brutalities. Mubarak has repeatedly used arbitrary authoritarian powers, but, thank God, Mubarak is a friend and ally.
Mubarak has for 30 years used brutal extreme repressions against his own people, but, thank God, Mubarak is a staunch ally and friend of America and Israel and some Europeans!
Mubarak has sponsored and paid thugs to attack peaceful protesters. Mubarak has used his political party members, and his armed forces against peaceful demonstrators American journalists with NPR, ABC, CNN and NBC, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Christianne Amapour and Garcia-Navarro respectively, Human Rights workers etc are being attacked agents of Mubarak, but, all these are acceptable overhead costs of doing business and thank God, Mubarak is our friend and ally. Mubarak is the surety and guarantor of stability and peace in the Middle East
Mubarak is 82 years old and after 30 years of absolute power and 30 years of a forced state of emergency in which civil liberties have been circumvented and completely denied every Egyptian, Mubarak is still unwilling to yield to democratic demands by millions of Egyptians, but thank God, he is friend and ally of America, Israel and some European nations and that is all that matters! Mubaraka’s friends and allies, America, Israel and European nations must determine the political outcome for Egyptians!
It is a fact, that Egypt is recipient of the second largest foreign aid from the America other than Israel!
It is also a fact, that Egyptian military is heavily reliant on America and Israel for money, hardware and other resources...
We all must note the facts of origins of even the teargas being used against protesters are MADE IN USA by an American company in Tennessee. America is largest arms supplier to Egypt. But America is not similarly deeply involved with Egyptian agriculture and food production sectors. President Obama sent a diplomatic emissary to Hosni Mubarak in the middle of this continuing revolution by the people of Egypt, but the emissary never met with representative of the political opposition across the spectrum
It is clear therefore, that America has only one dog in this fight, and it is Hosni Mubarak, not the Egyptian people. There so much poverty, unemployment and desperation in Egypt, and yet, Egyptian military has more arms than 10 developing nations put together
I am surprised though, that when Israel is discussed, debated or lightly, ever so lightly admonished, there is never a mention that Israel, a nation of less than ten million people, receives the highest foreign aid from America more than all the over 50 nations of Africa combined!
Americans, Israel and some Europeans are aggressively advocating and promoting the Egyptian military as successor and best substitute to Hosni Mubarak. It is clearly the case that all these three groups of pretenders to true democracy, are behind the curve and the citizens of Egypt inspired revolution which is currently unfolding on ground in Egypt.
President Obama on February 3, 2011 held a national prayer forum in which he prayed for the people of Egypt and we are sure that from now on, this will be standard policy, to pray for democracy activists in China, in Tibet and Iran etc in place of forthright statements of support for all those who seek democracy and freedom from oppression?
The Egyptian military allowed Mubarak thugs to attack peaceful protesters unhindered. These thugs who have been identified as members of the police and the military, acting at the behest of the dictator and apparatuses, were allowed to attack, murder and maim peaceful protesters, but, thank God, Mubarak is friend and ally of western nations!
Mubarak reign of 30 year is hallmarked by broken promises of reforms and his extreme repressions against millions of Egyptians and as Mubarak’s house of cards collapses, his allies and friends are now belatedly, at the eleventh hour, insisting on merely urging Mubarak to initiate reforms as salutary effect?
In 10 days of protests against Mubarak, he has spoken twice to his nation and President Obama have merely parroted Mubarak asinine platitudes!
The Truth About Foreign Aid; Where It Really Goes & Not To Africa
http://www.google.com/search?q=the+t...ient=firefox-a
1. What is good for Egyptians and Arabians and Persians, as opposed to western nations?
2. Why the fixation on what is good for you and America?
3. Why are supposed "democrats" afraid of democracy in the Middle East/Persian/Arab World, and particularly in Egypt?
4. Why MUST democracy be acceptable to us, only when our puppet is in-charge?
The Americans are insisting on peaceful transition in Egypt, despite thirty of unfettered state of emergency, and despite thirty years of authoritarianism, dictatorship and tyranny by Hosni Mubarak, thirty year during which there were brutal repressions of every shade of political opponent to Hosni Mubarak, a man who refused to have a constitutionally mandated vice president in Egypt.
But instead, Mubarak planned to have his son, Gamal Mubarak as his successor, as if Egypt were a monarchical system of government and as if a Mubarak is the last man standing capable of governing Egypt?
These same Americans and their western allies, have been demanding and insisting a military intervention, military invasion of Ivory Coast to unseat President Laurent Gbagbo, in order to install another western puppet Alsance Gbagbo.
America should urge the African Union or Organization of Arab States to invade Egypt and overthrow Mubarak and his dictatorship after 30 years or why set such dangerous and terrible precedent in Africa’s Ivory Coast? Why should America, and its European allies protect Mubarak, an anti democratic with an extremely brutal repressive regime spanning 30 years, while hounding Laurent Gbagbo, who was duly re-elected according to the highest constitutional court of Ivory Coast?
Supporting dictatorship is bad business and bad for all those nations with pretensions to democracy. In Afghanistan, Ronald Reagan’s supported the Mujaheedeen who were named Holy Warriors by Ronald Reaganin a proxy or surrogate war against the USSR, for hemispheric and hegemonic influence and geo-strategic advantages, then, the Mujaheedeen were fortified with tons of American sophisticated weapons Mujaheedeen subsequently were abandoned by the US and they eventually morphed into the Taliban which the US had to now fight. The fear of Islam as represented by Muslim Brotherhood is the foundation of most asinine America policy towards Egypt
Hosni Mubarak foisted stagnation, desperation, hardship and suffering by citizens of Egypt should not be replaced by another dictatorship, military or civilian. Egyptians military is funded and equipped by the United States and as have been revealed during these several days of protests by Egyptians, even the teargas used by Egyptian police and other militia, are made in USA, so are other military hardware, fighter jets and Apache helicopters etc
All reasonable persons would have thought that the United States have by now learned painful lessons in the unpleasant repercussions for supporting the Shah Palavi of Iran against a democratically and constitutionally elected government of Iran, when CIA engineered a usurpation of Iranian democracy in 1953, the unsavory history is the same in the role of Americans in support of dictatorship in Iraq, the US supported Saddam Hussein, then invaded Iraq to dislodge him, when Saddam ceased to be a full time puppet or when chickens came home to roost?
America similarly supported dictatorships of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Augusto Pinochet in Chile and the list of American support for anti democratic forces worldwide is legendary. America and its western allies regularly squanders and wastes what ought to be its democratic credentials and moral authority, by their support of anti people governments across the world
America and other western nations must know that it is bad investment, a shortsighted investment, to be strange-bedfellows with dictators and tyrants or operators of authoritarian regimes.
Why? Why is America Friend, Ally of Dictators & Tyrants WorldwideSummer at Willow Lake
Summer at Willow Lake
Written by Paul I. Adujie
President Barack Obama it was, who once stated that Africa need strong institutions and not strong men. But now we know these statements are mere deep end platitudes, in view of the fact that America, Israel and Europe etc prefer strong man dictator, tyrant president for life authoritarian Hosni Mubarak of Egypt
President Obama now engages in ambivalence and equivocation regarding democracy and Egypt.
American, European and Israeli apologists for Hosni Mubarak’s 30 years dictatorship and absolute power insistently talk about stability, what stability? Hosni Mubarak is now said to have sponsored and paid thugs in efforts to intimidate, frustrate and truncate legitimate peaceful protests by Egyptian citizens demanding democracy and freedom, and the Egyptian Army is said to have refused and neglected to prevent these Mubarak's thugs from killing and maiming peaceful protesters.
Where are unequivocal denunciations and condemnations of these egregious Human Rights violations? Where is the outrage?
There are also these nonsensical talks about anti Mubarak protesters causing chaos, even though it is quite clear to all reasonable persons that Egypt has been in a constant and continued state of chaos for 30 years. Hosni Mubarak has an abysmal track record of making promises of reforms and he has never kept any such promises. Allowing Mubarak to stay until September 2011 is the equivalent of another blank check for Mubarak
Alienating citizens of Egypt and supporting a dictator and turn blind eye to repressive Hosni Mubarak. There are now attempts by Hosni Mubarak and his friends to use thugs to orchestrate a counter demonstration or protest in support the unraveling dictatorship in Egypt.
There is this unreasonable insistence that Mubarak kept peace and maintained peace, and that Egypt is the cornerstone of Israel Middle East policy, but how has that furthered the best national interests of Egyptians?
There are these unreasonable self-serving fears by some, a new government after Mubarak departs will cozy-up to extremists and will ignore Israel -Egypt peace agreements and that such new government would reopen and disregard blockades by Egypt and Israel against Palestine; by re-opening of Gaza Crossing, Egypt will stop assisting Israel in blocking people and goods into Gaza. And so, some in America and Israel say supporting Mubarak at all costs is a good policy!
Israel now monitors, Jordan, Syria and Yemen, America, Israel and their allies are terrified at the mere prospect of Muslim Brotherhood becoming a measurable part of Egyptian political process and these fears are completely unjustified! Mubarak is American Israel stalwart, but he in the process neglected to be stalwart for Egyptians!
Muslim Brotherhood have been demonized and maligned as extremists and violent demagogue, even despite evidence to the contrary. Muslim Brotherhood have no record or history of violence, these false labeling have been employed often by Hosni Mubarak as a camouflage and cover to shield himself as he retained an ossified authoritarian, dictatorial and tyrannical power for thirty years
Reports are that over 300 people killed in Egypt already, in 10 days of political upheaval and yet, America has shown ambivalence, equivocal, muted response to the peaceful demand for democracy, freedom and liberty by Egyptians in their millions! America, Israel and some European nations are insouciantly practicing expediency as a policy, a myopic and shortsighted policy which has incubated hatred and terrorism in the Egypt, Palestine, Arabian and Persian worlds.
America, some European nations and Israel are thoroughly implicated in the dictatorship in Egypt with diplomatic, financial and military support for 30 years. But why prop-up puppets and dictators and tyrants while proclaiming the high ideals and tenets of democracy, freedom, the rule of law and due process? What an oxymoron is that? These double standards and hypocrisies are so glaring for world to see.
America, Europe and their allies must cease and desist from supporting and protecting authoritarian and tyrannical regimes in worldwide, but more particularly so, dictators in the Middle East and Africa. An Arab American has compared Hosni Mubarak to the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989, she says, when Hosni Mubarak falls, democracy will dawn in the rest of Arab world and Middle East.
It is unreasonable, it is counter intuitive, it is illogical and it runs against the grain, for self-proclaimed democrats to support the obscene dictatorship for which Hosni Mubarak have been known.
Israel have been making very condescending comments on Egyptian crises, Israel saying it is in the interests of America, Israel and western nations of Europe to keep Hosni Mubarak where he is, in power. America, Israel and others are nervous about the revolt and possible snowball effects in the entire Middle East from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, to Jordan, to Yemen, Syria etc
A successful peoples revolution in Egypt, will reverberate and have sundry ramifications, hence, enemies of the peoples of these nations are worried that their arrogant neglect and constipated complacency over the Palestine-Israel peace process is about to be disturbed by
responsive governments in the region, borne of the people, by the people, for the people
A myopic and parochial policy is being planned by the Americans is the contingency plan is to ensure that Mubarak survives long enough, then install a pro-American successor, preferably, the hierarchy of the Egyptian Army. The idea that America and her allies are advocating, a military takeover or coup in Egypt, with winks and nods to the Egyptian military with a view to truncating democracy, will make the head of true democrats and true lovers of freedom spin!
President Barack Obama of the United States once famously said that that Africa needs strong institutions and not strong men. But in recent days, every American official commenting on the political upheaval in Egypt have stated a clear preference for an Egyptian strongman known as Hosni Mubarak, who represent for the Americans and Israelis, a symbol of stability in Egypt, the Arab World and the entire Middle East.
American officials and journalists have for several days now, been aggressively promoting Egyptian Army as respected institution with individuals inside of it as wonderful friends of the United States! Americans are aggressively promoting the Egyptian military as successor to Mubarak. The Egyptian military is now being touted as preferred substitute. It is the case that America is behind the curve and quite clearly ambivalent in connections with what is happening on ground in Egypt. An Egyptian political earthquake is unfolding
Egypt and Hosni Mubarak have been an anchor, a bulwark and an epicenter for America, Israel and the rest of western world, which desperately wish to continue to use Hosni Mubarak Egypt as a wedge against Egyptians, Arabs and Persians national and regional interests, while the American, European and Israeli interests are given primacy
During the past several days, we were just regaled with the high ideals and tenets of democracy and the strength of American idea, but is America willing to see Egyptians taste freedom, democracy and idea?
Hosni Mubarak is president for life, the symbol for one-sided peace for Israel, at the expense of Palestine, Arabs, Persians and all Middle Easterners. Americans and other westerners have during these several days of political revolt and public demonstrations and protests by the people of Egypt, stated preferences for stable, stable, stable Egypt, even in the face of economic and political stagnation.
There is this pervasive attitude in which not much is said or expressed by way of what Egyptians want, but instead, what stability and a strong Hosni Mubarak’s fall could mean for America, Israel and other westerners! But why is it that not many westerners stop to consider what Egyptians want?
It cannot be argued that there is no one else among more than 80 million Egyptians, only Hosni Mubarak can govern Egypt. First of all, he is 82 years old and he will not live forever and secondly, there are qualified, seasoned Egyptian administrators and technocrats who would manage Egyptian politics and resources more creatively than Hosni Mubarak have done I 30 years
Hosni Mubarak have perennially used scare tactics and blackmail with his insistence that only absolute power wielded by him, would guarantee peace and stability and maintain Egypt as a secular state. Hosni Mubarak has forever pretended, without proof, that Muslim Brotherhood is violent and it is a terrorist group, even though there are Muslim Brotherhood members of Egyptian parliament. Hosni Mubarak and his friends, supporter and allies have forever pretended that every Muslim Brotherhood is a violent Ayatollah with extreme theocratic worldview, intent on imposing a theocracy.
All this flies in the face of Egypt being a plural society with left, right, liberal, conservative, Muslims, Christian citizens. Muslim Brotherhood was established in 1928 as a mainstream revivalist movement and they are not different from evangelicals, religious rights and Christians. After all, Strum Thurmond and other segregationists were elected to the United States congress from the so-called American Bible Belt or the bible wielding American south of the Dixie line. The National Rifle Association or NRA wield great political power and clout in the USA and NRA only promotes gun and not bread, butter or books, whereas Muslim Brotherhood have parliamentarians!
Egypt is gatekeeper and enforcer for the US and Israel, and, demonstrates stability and civility says Israel, says Egypt is a representative government as with Jordan… he arrogantly asks whether Egyptians can be trusted with democracy to be managed on their own, when Hosni Mubarak leaves.
America, Israel and western Europeans have gambled and squandered resources propping up Hosni Mubarak and sundry dictatorships
General Omar Suleiman the intelligence chief who was appointed vice president by Hosni Mubarak in response to demands for democracy is known to be a pro American pro Israel Egyptian, who has supervised American outsourcing of torture also known as Extraordinary Rendition, is unfortunately being touted now as likely successor to Hosni Mubarak. A complete army takeover is also being suggested, all these, because, American and Israel military have for decades interacted with the Egyptian military in most intimate ways.
30 years probationary period for Mubarak, he can initiate reforms now, and orderly transition thereafter… and the rest of mere mortals are only entitled to 3 to 6 months probationary periods on our jobs!
We should also factor in, the cause and effect of "sit-tights" rulers and their enablers or facilitators
we ought to also ask, why it is okay, to support Hosni Mubarak for peace, stability and as gatekeepers.... after 30 years of brutalities, extreme political repressions against opponents... and after 30 years of entrenched state of emergency with unmitigated arbitrariness and yet, neither America, France/other western nations are demanding that Egypt be invaded in order to dethrone Hosni Mubarak
Yet, Nigeria, ECOWAS, African Union were being pressured by America/France to invade the Ivory Coast in order to dethrone Laurent Gbagbo in complete disregard for the political independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ivory Coast
We should be alert to these double standards and utter hypocrisies!
Give me democracy, give me freedom and ensure that these high ideals have UNIVERSAL application etc. All reasonable persons should have zero tolerance for dictatorship and detesting and disdaining dictators should not be a selective. It is quite revealing that the same nations which are currently demanding and insisting on the use of force through military invasion to unseat Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast, are the same nations who are unfortunately very accommodating and comfortable with 30 years of Hosni Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt, with 30 years state of emergency
Hosni Mubarak is a dictator, a tyrant with record of ruthless repressions and brutalities. Mubarak has repeatedly used arbitrary authoritarian powers, but, thank God, Mubarak is a friend and ally.
Mubarak has for 30 years used brutal extreme repressions against his own people, but, thank God, Mubarak is a staunch ally and friend of America and Israel and some Europeans!
Mubarak has sponsored and paid thugs to attack peaceful protesters. Mubarak has used his political party members, and his armed forces against peaceful demonstrators American journalists with NPR, ABC, CNN and NBC, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Christianne Amapour and Garcia-Navarro respectively, Human Rights workers etc are being attacked agents of Mubarak, but, all these are acceptable overhead costs of doing business and thank God, Mubarak is our friend and ally. Mubarak is the surety and guarantor of stability and peace in the Middle East
Mubarak is 82 years old and after 30 years of absolute power and 30 years of a forced state of emergency in which civil liberties have been circumvented and completely denied every Egyptian, Mubarak is still unwilling to yield to democratic demands by millions of Egyptians, but thank God, he is friend and ally of America, Israel and some European nations and that is all that matters! Mubaraka’s friends and allies, America, Israel and European nations must determine the political outcome for Egyptians!
It is a fact, that Egypt is recipient of the second largest foreign aid from the America other than Israel!
It is also a fact, that Egyptian military is heavily reliant on America and Israel for money, hardware and other resources...
We all must note the facts of origins of even the teargas being used against protesters are MADE IN USA by an American company in Tennessee. America is largest arms supplier to Egypt. But America is not similarly deeply involved with Egyptian agriculture and food production sectors. President Obama sent a diplomatic emissary to Hosni Mubarak in the middle of this continuing revolution by the people of Egypt, but the emissary never met with representative of the political opposition across the spectrum
It is clear therefore, that America has only one dog in this fight, and it is Hosni Mubarak, not the Egyptian people. There so much poverty, unemployment and desperation in Egypt, and yet, Egyptian military has more arms than 10 developing nations put together
I am surprised though, that when Israel is discussed, debated or lightly, ever so lightly admonished, there is never a mention that Israel, a nation of less than ten million people, receives the highest foreign aid from America more than all the over 50 nations of Africa combined!
Americans, Israel and some Europeans are aggressively advocating and promoting the Egyptian military as successor and best substitute to Hosni Mubarak. It is clearly the case that all these three groups of pretenders to true democracy, are behind the curve and the citizens of Egypt inspired revolution which is currently unfolding on ground in Egypt.
President Obama on February 3, 2011 held a national prayer forum in which he prayed for the people of Egypt and we are sure that from now on, this will be standard policy, to pray for democracy activists in China, in Tibet and Iran etc in place of forthright statements of support for all those who seek democracy and freedom from oppression?
The Egyptian military allowed Mubarak thugs to attack peaceful protesters unhindered. These thugs who have been identified as members of the police and the military, acting at the behest of the dictator and apparatuses, were allowed to attack, murder and maim peaceful protesters, but, thank God, Mubarak is friend and ally of western nations!
Mubarak reign of 30 year is hallmarked by broken promises of reforms and his extreme repressions against millions of Egyptians and as Mubarak’s house of cards collapses, his allies and friends are now belatedly, at the eleventh hour, insisting on merely urging Mubarak to initiate reforms as salutary effect?
In 10 days of protests against Mubarak, he has spoken twice to his nation and President Obama have merely parroted Mubarak asinine platitudes!
The Truth About Foreign Aid; Where It Really Goes & Not To Africa
http://www.google.com/search?q=the+t...ient=firefox-a
1. What is good for Egyptians and Arabians and Persians, as opposed to western nations?
2. Why the fixation on what is good for you and America?
3. Why are supposed "democrats" afraid of democracy in the Middle East/Persian/Arab World, and particularly in Egypt?
4. Why MUST democracy be acceptable to us, only when our puppet is in-charge?
The Americans are insisting on peaceful transition in Egypt, despite thirty of unfettered state of emergency, and despite thirty years of authoritarianism, dictatorship and tyranny by Hosni Mubarak, thirty year during which there were brutal repressions of every shade of political opponent to Hosni Mubarak, a man who refused to have a constitutionally mandated vice president in Egypt.
But instead, Mubarak planned to have his son, Gamal Mubarak as his successor, as if Egypt were a monarchical system of government and as if a Mubarak is the last man standing capable of governing Egypt?
These same Americans and their western allies, have been demanding and insisting a military intervention, military invasion of Ivory Coast to unseat President Laurent Gbagbo, in order to install another western puppet Alsance Gbagbo.
America should urge the African Union or Organization of Arab States to invade Egypt and overthrow Mubarak and his dictatorship after 30 years or why set such dangerous and terrible precedent in Africa’s Ivory Coast? Why should America, and its European allies protect Mubarak, an anti democratic with an extremely brutal repressive regime spanning 30 years, while hounding Laurent Gbagbo, who was duly re-elected according to the highest constitutional court of Ivory Coast?
Supporting dictatorship is bad business and bad for all those nations with pretensions to democracy. In Afghanistan, Ronald Reagan’s supported the Mujaheedeen who were named Holy Warriors by Ronald Reaganin a proxy or surrogate war against the USSR, for hemispheric and hegemonic influence and geo-strategic advantages, then, the Mujaheedeen were fortified with tons of American sophisticated weapons Mujaheedeen subsequently were abandoned by the US and they eventually morphed into the Taliban which the US had to now fight. The fear of Islam as represented by Muslim Brotherhood is the foundation of most asinine America policy towards Egypt
Hosni Mubarak foisted stagnation, desperation, hardship and suffering by citizens of Egypt should not be replaced by another dictatorship, military or civilian. Egyptians military is funded and equipped by the United States and as have been revealed during these several days of protests by Egyptians, even the teargas used by Egyptian police and other militia, are made in USA, so are other military hardware, fighter jets and Apache helicopters etc
All reasonable persons would have thought that the United States have by now learned painful lessons in the unpleasant repercussions for supporting the Shah Palavi of Iran against a democratically and constitutionally elected government of Iran, when CIA engineered a usurpation of Iranian democracy in 1953, the unsavory history is the same in the role of Americans in support of dictatorship in Iraq, the US supported Saddam Hussein, then invaded Iraq to dislodge him, when Saddam ceased to be a full time puppet or when chickens came home to roost?
America similarly supported dictatorships of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Augusto Pinochet in Chile and the list of American support for anti democratic forces worldwide is legendary. America and its western allies regularly squanders and wastes what ought to be its democratic credentials and moral authority, by their support of anti people governments across the world
America and other western nations must know that it is bad investment, a shortsighted investment, to be strange-bedfellows with dictators and tyrants or operators of authoritarian regimes.
Why? Why is America Friend, Ally of Dictators & Tyrants WorldwideSummer at Willow Lake
Summer at Willow Lake
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