Barry Rubin: Egyptians in Terror Attack? Warning from Egypt to Israel? Where is U.S. Leadership? Playing Golf

Egyptians in Terror Attack? Warning from Egypt to Israel? Where is U.S. Leadership? Playing Golf

by Barry Rubin

To begin with, President Obama’s supporters are praising him for having overthrown Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qadhafi at no cost in American lives. I predict that the situation will break down within months into factional infighting, atrocities against civilians, and become a general mess. The main likelihood is not of an Islamist takeover but of rather nasty anarchy. While Obama’s team are crowing today they will be eating crow–or more likely be blaming somebody else–by early next year at the latest.

In his column for NowLebanon, entitled “Qaddafi’s fall, Obama’s vindication,” Hussein Ibish gushes:

“Though his decision to intervene in Libya was criticized from all sides, now President Obama can add Muammar Qaddafi’s scalp to that of Osama bin Laden. Unless Libya degenerates into total anarchy over the next 12 months, Obama will be virtually untouchable on foreign policy issues in the upcoming election campaign.”

Not so fast!

Continue reading Egyptians in Terror Attack? Warning from Egypt to Israel? Where is U.S. Leadership? Playing Golf

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His latest books are The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). His latest book is Israel: An Introduction, to be published by Yale University Press in January 2012. You can read more of Barry Rubin's posts at Rubin Reports, and now on his new blog, Rubin Reports, on Pajamas Media

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