Farewell, World As We Know It
While the Middle East is realigning, Obama says, "No it's not."
Since anti-government protests began sweeping the Middle East and North Africa since late last year, President Obama has been living down to the tongue-in-cheek definition of a politician by trying to jump in front of every parade. The one glaring departure from this pattern--if you can call it that--is Libya, where Obama and the UN are apparently out for the hide of Muammar G/Kh/Qadhafi. The contrast becomes all the more stark as these same groups hold back from Syria and Côte d'Ivoire.
Responding to questions about all this, President Obama in an ABC News interview stated, “Each country in this region is different. Libya was a unique situation.” That answer is unsurprising, since the only point the White House has remained consistent on since protests began erupting in nearly every Middle Eastern and North African nation is that they are all completely unrelated.
I am not convinced, however. Like many others, I see the uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia and others as being related, even if the White House does not. I side with Jonathan Cousar's initial premise that “whatever Obama does - it will be wrong.” As such, it only serves to reason that Obama is wrong on the unconnected nature of these uprisings.
But I’m not willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt that he is merely “wrong.” This statement by the White House is an out-and-out denial that the entire Muslim world is realigning--a world Obama believes includes the U.S. (2:25) *ahem*--and that the rest of the world will be compelled to realign as a result.
Since anti-government protests began sweeping the Middle East and North Africa since late last year, President Obama has been living down to the tongue-in-cheek definition of a politician by trying to jump in front of every parade. The one glaring departure from this pattern--if you can call it that--is Libya, where Obama and the UN are apparently out for the hide of Muammar G/Kh/Qadhafi. The contrast becomes all the more stark as these same groups hold back from Syria and Côte d'Ivoire.
Responding to questions about all this, President Obama in an ABC News interview stated, “Each country in this region is different. Libya was a unique situation.” That answer is unsurprising, since the only point the White House has remained consistent on since protests began erupting in nearly every Middle Eastern and North African nation is that they are all completely unrelated.
I am not convinced, however. Like many others, I see the uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia and others as being related, even if the White House does not. I side with Jonathan Cousar's initial premise that “whatever Obama does - it will be wrong.” As such, it only serves to reason that Obama is wrong on the unconnected nature of these uprisings.
But I’m not willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt that he is merely “wrong.” This statement by the White House is an out-and-out denial that the entire Muslim world is realigning--a world Obama believes includes the U.S. (2:25) *ahem*--and that the rest of the world will be compelled to realign as a result.
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