Oh yes! How could we forget!
They had such respect for Americans back in the golden Carter years!
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Posted on 02/07/2009 4:02:54 AM PST by Clive
President Barack Hussein Obama's first major international interview, given to Al-Arabiya, the Middle East television network, did not come as a surprise.
Nor was it a surprise that the new occupant of the White House, displaying his rhetorical skills, attempted to placate the Arab streets and Arab leaders by indicating the Obama administration will restore "respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago."
It is only a leader as vain as Obama, surrounded by a sycophantic and genuflecting mainstream media, who would indulge in such sophistry.
Thirty years ago another Democrat, Jimmy Carter, was in the White House when an anti-American revolution rent asunder Iran under the Shah and pushed the entire region in the direction of Islamism, with the situation gone from bad to worse.
There was the invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union, an Islamist bid to overthrow the Saudi monarchy with the siege of Mecca, the Lebanese slide into civil war, the murder of Egypt's president Anwar Sadat by Islamists, and American diplomats held hostage in Tehran for over a year by Iran's clerical regime.
Since 1979 America has paid more attention to the Middle East than any other region of the world. It has to do with a host of reasons, but one not readily discussed is what Abdelwahab Meddeb -- a Tunisian scholar resident in Paris -- termed the "malady of Islam."
PATHOLOGY
Islam's malady, or pathology, is about the condition of people and society in the Middle East, primarily Arabs in Islam's history from its beginning to the present time.
Arabs are less than a fifth of the world's Muslim population, yet their political attitude and views are of dominant influence across the Muslim world. Non-Arab Muslims defer to Arabs and, therefore, the malady of Islam is bound with the norms of Arab culture.
The birth of modernity -- liberalism and democracy in politics -- took place in Europe. Arabs are proximate to Europe and, therefore, it might be asked of them how did they respond to modernity?
Despite apologetics and much obfuscation, the answer is the Arab majority has shown preference for totalitarian tyranny.
In the last century there were three ideological responses to liberal democracy within the Middle East representing the divisions among Arabs.
Secular Muslims responded with Arab nationalism embodied in the Baathist ideology.
Majority Sunni Muslims were mobilized by Wahhabi/Salafi Islamist ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban. Minority Shiite Muslims supported Khomeinism, the Shiite variant of the Islamist ideology.
These responses share in common the totalitarian collectivist values denying individual liberty, suppressing dissent and disdain for minorities.
TYRANNIES
Two tyrannies -- Iraq under the Baath and Afghanistan under the Taliban -- have been demolished with American assistance. In both countries, such as with the post-1945 circumstances in Germany and Japan, American arms have put in place in Baghdad and Kabul governments at a minimum respectful of democracy.
Iran remains the third tyranny bent on reversing the post-9/11 gains for democracy in the Middle East.
But while Iraq's democratic evolution may likely influence positively future developments in the region, Iran will put President Obama to the test and his administration eventually will be judged on how he contends with or appeases the power-holders of a totalitarian regime.
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I just heard this morning on the radio blathering biden said president Urkle is “Ready to talk to Iran and tell them they should stop on the path they are on or there will be more isolation and sanctions.”
The Iranians are probably amazed at the stupidity of The One, as if that wasn’t exactly what they prefer!
-—the Obama administration will restore “respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago.” -—
The entire leftwing believes that life was better for the Muslim world living under dictatorships like those of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
That is the great respect and partnership we had with them before President Bush changed that and liberated people in the Muslim world. Obama and the leftwing are promising to return that to them.
Did you say President Bush? Oh, you mean that new one that talks about "change"....
If the history of 'rat regimes holds true, he will appease until his back is against the wall, the Iranians will go one step further, and there will be war.
I heard that he’s the most popular stand up commedian in Iran right now.Before he came along,they had absolutely no sense of humor.Now they can’t stop laughing.
the Obama administration will restore “respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago.”
Everytime this man opens his mouth he proves he is unqualified to be a dogcatcher let alone the President..
The muslims began their war with America and civilization in the beginning of th 1980’s. This is 2009 so that falls right into Obamas 20-30 year range.
Perhaps the Marines that survived the attack in one of the muslim terrorists fisrt acts of war against us in 1983 would like Obama to explain to them how great our relationship was with these murdering scumbags.
The Shah of Iran was unavailable for comment.
Yours is an accurate message. If the mistakes we make socially in the near future are as great as mistakes we have made economically in the near past, we will be near Armageddon.
Obama didn’t live during the days of the daily parading and mistreating of the blindfolded hostages for t.v. cameras at the American Embassy in Iran. - Carter didn’t “like” the Shah of Iran, but he thought the Ayatollah was a “good religious man and admired him”. The Ayatollah chewed Carter up and spit him out, then when Reagan came in, the Ayatollah recognized a man who could chew up and spit him out.
Oh yes! How could we forget!
They had such respect for Americans back in the golden Carter years!
" />
bttt
Oh yes he did. 0bama was born in 1961 and was 18 in 1979 when that took place.
He was probably high on pot, coke, or other substances at the time and missed out on that little incident;)
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