The Middle East is in flux. If America is to preserve what is left of the status quo, she had best act sooner rather than later.
In Jordan the US-friendly King is being rocked by the most vociferous anti-regime protests in Jordan's history.
Ditto Bahrain.
Meanwhile, America's only ally in the region has bitten off an untimely war with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Just a couple of weeks ago the Emir of Qatar was touring Gaza promising moral and financial support. This is the same Emir who funds al Jazeera and funds the Syrian opposition, and has been considered a US ally for quite some time.
We're supposedly onside with their funding of the Syrian rebels, although we don't trust those rebels, but that Gaza junket raised a lot of eyebrows in Washington. That al Jazeera sponsorship has always been problematic for the US. Wasn't it Bush II who wanted to bomb their HQ?
The PM of Egypt toured Gaza today, clearly to demonstrate Egyptian solidarity with Hamas, the number one nemesis of America's only ally in the Middle East.
America has done a lot of sucking up to the Muslim Brotherhood since the demise of Mubarak, but where do Egypt's allegiances lie?
I would suggest not with America.
A Tunisian delegation will be touring Gaza in the days ahead. Tunisia is the cradle of Arab Spring, and America has been trying to convince the world that she is behind Arab Spring ever since it unexpectedly sprang.
All of which leaves America in something of a quandary. Insofar as the Syrian opposition still has any credibility whatsoever, the US can try to come out on the right side of history by supporting them.
At the same time, virtually every other country that has been touched by Arab Spring is lining up firmly behind Hamas in the current Gaza crisis.
Troubling days and nights for The Empire.
No comments:
Post a Comment