ran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) and his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Morsi, February 5, 2013
Fri Feb 8, 2013 3:30PM GMT
By Kian Mokhtari
The idea is to include all in the potential prosperity of the new regional drive being advocated by Iran at present. Libeling political opponents, tagging their supporters and strong arm tactics simply must be abandoned for prosperity and space for all so they can contribute where they stand rather than defect to aid the region’s sworn enemies abroad.”
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The recent public outpouring of grievances in Egypt has been met with questionable tactics from the new government. Many have likened the confrontations on Egyptian cities’ streets between the security forces and demonstrators to the last days of the Mubarak era.
It may be true that old habits die hard when it comes to a post-revolutionary nation attempting to throw off decades-long impositions of an unelected political order. But violent confrontations on the streets only play into the hands of those forces who have for millennia tried to portray the nations of the Middle East and North Africa as excitable, child-like peoples incapable of running their own affairs and hence in need of consistent “colonial guidance.”
The advocates of extremism and sectarian divisions across the world of Islam are finding themselves increasingly isolated with their calls being rejected more and more as the youth’s grasp and knowledge of the type of world they have been forced to live in improves.
The “younger generations” are becoming more adept at recognizing the forces at work in their lands and figuring out the domestic shortcomings that antiquated and rigid doctrines have helped create through imposition of their blinkered visions.
Accordingly, solutions to resolve the challenges being faced have become more sophisticated to counter the threats, both external and internal, and it would be useful for any democratic government to consider the popular suggestions for a way out of any crises.
To this end, President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood Party, for all their outward rejection of the Western values, absolutely amazed all observers soon after coming to office when it applied for a multi-billion-dollar loan from the World Bank. With no clear strategy for repayment of any borrowing, this was viewed for all intents and purposes by Egyptians as handing the “new Egypt” straight back to the old colonial masters.
So why should a new government, in office after swearing to serve the public, commit such a faux pas? Is it because Muslim Brotherhood, despite its protestations, is old iron so to speak?
The answer may be far less sinister than initial perceptions would have you believe. Many political systems that arise from the ashes of colonialism show a peculiar tendency to incorporate the old ways and in effect – if not careful – become the instigators of the old techniques. The Muslim Brotherhood has indeed shown such tendencies via the minds amid its ranks who have failed to shake off the haunting of colonialism. This becomes particularly apparent when it comes to the dollar world reserve-based mentality.
The message relayed during Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent trip to Egypt hinged on this very point. The Islamic Republic’s Fifth Economic Plan is adamant about expanding foreign trade relations with countries in the Middle East and Africa for a very good reason: to break away from the constraints of the dollar reserve.
The idea is to make local currencies exchangeable in regional trade, thereby eliminating the need to measure economic performance by Western models. Also if regional currencies are recognized and freely traded by the regional countries, a large volume of trade and investment can be carried out without the ever present threat of the US involvement under the pretext of “national interests”.
The other advantage will be that because the regional currencies will be traded in enormous quantities, their value will receive a massive boost on the international markets.
And this is where we return to the colonial impositions because in order to prevent such audacious economic coup for a breakout from under their financial control the Western world would naturally move to create divisions in the ranks of the world of Islam: Enter any number of loony-tune divisive arguments to prevent unity.
President Morsi’s initial political maneuvers could be seen as having been based on some very suspect advice from within the Muslim Brotherhood ranks. The answer to the Middle East and North Africa regions’ woes does not lie outside the territorial concerns. The solution can quite easily emerge from a convergence of able, open minds from across the world of Islam.
We must take into account that President Morsi’s election was not an overwhelming victory at the ballot box; many are aware that it was touch-and-go through the process with a slim majority enabling a Morsi win at the end. So the new government cannot ideologically move in self-denial of other powerful currents in the country. And indeed financial salvation and security in the Middle East and North Africa does not lie in exclusion of or intolerance for any party.
The idea is to include all in the potential prosperity of the new regional drive being advocated by Iran at present. Libeling political opponents, tagging their supporters and strong arm tactics simply must be abandoned for prosperity and space for all so they can contribute where they stand rather than defect to aid the region’s sworn enemies abroad.
KM/HMV
Jean, look at this! I so hope this article is one of Gordon’t “info” moments:
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/02/09/obama-to-israel-relations-with-iran-to-be-normalized/
DD, I published this when it appeared on PressTV some days ago . . . I think it’s a positive piece talking about the ‘real’ truth . . . Hug sand thanks for bringing it to folks’ attention, ~Jean