It Is Obama, Not Israeli Settlements, That Foments Instability In The Middle East

Barry Rubin addresses The Powerlessness Excuse: Debunking the Claim that Obama Could Not Have Affected the “Arab Spring” and Islamist Takeovers.

He notes tangible steps taken by Obama that strengthened the hands of the more radical forces in Egypt.

• In his Cairo speech, Obama invited the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to sit in the front row -- thus showing he sided with the Islamist opposition.
  
  
• In his speeches discussing the Middle East, Obama made a point of emphasizing Islamic -- as opposed to the Arab -- identity of the region, singling out the religious identity of the area. Doing so undercut the then-current regimes and the moderate opposition.
  
  
• When the demonstrations in Egypt began last year, the US State Department said they would work with the military to institute reforms while easing Mubarak out. Obama, however, rejected this approach with instead advocating a replacement of the regime, opening the way for Islamist control. By openly backing the Islamists, Obama undercut both the military and the moderates.
  
  In addition, Rubin writes:

  Indeed, without being asked, Obama publicly stated that he had no problem with a Muslim Brotherhood government taking power. Obama deliberately didn't consult with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, or Saudi Arabia because he didn't want to hear their warnings about the risks he was taking and their opposition to what he was doing. He had already decided that a Brotherhood regime would be his preferred outcome.

To the degree that Obama's actions and statements affected Egypt, radical anti-American and antisemitic forces were strengthened. As a result, chances for peace in the region have decreased.

Read the whole thing.

Oddly enough, in the end Obama has to a degree become a greater threat to stability in the region than the Israeli settlements Obama cries out against.

Obama's solution was to get rid of the problem and freeze -- and ultimately remove -- the settlements.
Similarly, the first step to finding a solution to Middle East stability may be to get rid of the Obama administration.


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Technorati Tag: Obama and Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt and Election 2012.