Monday, January 31, 2011

1. Egypt - No pun intended given (the Biblical) Joseph's dreams about cattle, but Holy Cow!! - can anyone keep up with what is going on in Egypt - RubinReports: Egypt's Revolution: A Simple Guide.


I remember the 1979-1980 events in Iran quite clearly, and the situation unfolding in Egypt reminds me of those days in many ways. While it is fascinating to watch history unfold, I am extremely concerned about where things will lead - especially and obviously as it relates to Israel.

I do not want to overburden you with millions of links, and things are developing so quickly that it is hard to keep abreast of the latest developments, but there is a lot of very interesting reading out there if you have the time. And this is a HUGE story. I have tried to pick through what I have seen and give you what I think are the most relevant from my perspective:
The theme I am pursuing here is not to argue for the status quo or defend the repression and corruption inherent in the Mubarak regime. My concerns, stated more specifically, are (a) if the regime falls, who and what will replace it, (b) if the regime does not fall, what will Mubarak (or the Egyptian military and political elites) have to do to remain in power, and (c) what impact will (a) or (b) have on Israel?

So as to the first question - what happens if the regime falls? The unanimous sentiment is that the Muslim Brotherhood, which seems to be the only organized opposition group in Egypt, will be the eventual power broker, even if it does so through some front man like Mohammed el-Baradei (The Rosett Report » Egypt: Please, Not ElBaradei and Column One: The pragmatic fantasy).

Who/what is the Muslim Brotherhood? Take your choice:

Here's my short answer - the guys who assassinated Anwar Sadat and spawned people like Muhammad al-Zawahiri - the second in command (and some say, the real brains) of al-Qaeda. It was founded in 1928 by Hassan al Banna, a devotee of Adolf Hitler (speaking of things that did not end well). Its motto is "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope." It has been the particular target of repression by Egyptian authorities on and off throughout its existence, and it is illegal under Egyptian law to belong to the organization.

If you want to see its official English language web site, go here - but be prepared for what in my view is a very slick site that makes the Brotherhood look like a combination of Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Albert Schweitzer and Nelson Mandela - and personally I do not believe any of it.

I believe that while its methods may differ from other jihad movements, the ultimate goal is the same. In my limited knowledge of Russian history, it perhaps can be compared in some manner to the difference between Stalin's approach to communism and that of Trotsky - and we all know how that ended - both for Trotsky and the world.

In any event, I sincerely doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood can in any manner be considered moderate, or, as I heard today from an Egyptian-Canadian professor being interviewed on radio, that it has renounced violence as a means of achieving its goals (I guess she missed this little tidbit - Muslim Brotherhood leader: Prepare for war with Israel - Jihad Watch).


But I am sure that will not stop the usual suspects in the West from supporting it - Ron Radosh » The New American Fans of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and RubinReports: Muslim Brotherhood Declares Jihad on America; America Declares Muslim Brotherhood is Moderate!. Or simply look at the rally held in Toronto. And can anyone seriously doubt that what the Brotherhood thinks of Israel and Jews?


As to the third question - see:
with no doubt a lot more to come in the near future.

Finally, here is a series of links about America's vital role in this whole situation:
2. Domino Theory - though the Southeast Asian Domino Theory has been called one of the really bad ideas of all time (Where Do Bad Ideas Come From? - By Stephen M. Walt | Foreign Policy - note - this is one of the co-authors of the terrible book "The Israel Lobby") - after Tunisia and Egypt, one can only wonder about Jordan - What about Jordan? and Jordanian protesters demand political reforms | Reuters.





5. More On The Pali-Papers - another whole story - would you really trust something from the Palestinian Authority and leaked through al-Jazeera. Not me.












15. Interesting Stuff - All from Tablet Magazine:
16. Why I Do This Blog - aptly summarized in this article - Our responsibility for the Jewish future - I'm just trying to do my little bit.

17. An Eye For An Eye - one of the most famous (and likely misunderstood) quotes from the Jewish Bible was read this past weekend in synagogue as part of Torah portion Mishpatim - namely:
"Exodus 21:22-25 - If men shall fight and they collide with a pregnant woman and she miscarries, but there will be no fatality, he shall surely be punished as the husband of the woman shall cause to be assessed against him, and he shall pay it by order of judges. But if there shall be a fatality, then you shall award a life for a life; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot; a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise."

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