Monday, May 23, 2011

The Obama Speech: Part Two

No matter how many friends and family criticise my view of American president Barack Obama, I stand on my position that this man is detached from reality. At one point, he seemed to be on a learning curve, but his latest speech on the Middle East has dispelled any illusions. We have already commented on the Israel-Palestine part of the speech. Some were surprised by this part of the speech, but when expectations are zero it is difficult to be surprised. Same old, same old and doomed to failure, but an honest attempt. By far the really worrisome aspect of the speech is his delusional support of "democratic" forces in the area, and the promise of financial aid to countries moving in this direction.

To remove any doubt in anybody's mind, nearly all decent freedom loving people on this planet are in favour of the Obama vision of Utopia. Life usually gets in the way. We grow up and realize that not every meal is a picnic. Its easy to take the high road on a full stomach. What exactly is Obama offering them? Democracy? Economic aid? Thats grand, coming from a democracy where the real unemployment rate is close to 16% (google it, if you dont believe the number), a democracy drowning in debt and a leader who lives in a virtual reality bubble where they hand out billions of printed US dollars in debt and call it economic assistance. Lets take a closer look at some of the terminology used in the speech.

He called rioters in Syria "forces for democracy". The CIA and most intelligence agencies will back up the following: The rioters in Syria are Sunni Muslims sponsored by the Muslim Brotherhood (another democratic pro-Obama organization, and please excuse the sarcasm), financed by Saudi Arabia and attempting to bring down the elitist Alouite (a form of Shia) minority government. The purpose of the uprising is to break the Iran-Syria-Hizbullah alliance. And this is part of the Saudi Sunnis vs Iranian Shia struggle for control of the Persian Gulf and the oil supply.

He then points to the success of democracy in Iraq (a George Bush delusion), and a war correctly opposed by Obama. It probably looked good on paper, so the demagogue Obama is conveniently supporting democracy in Iraq while hundreds are being murdered on a weekly basis in that country. If I may adventure an uneducated guess, the US withdrawal at the end of this year, will lead to a the majority Shiite population in Iraq taking control of that country. Another Iranian step towards control of the Persian Gulf and the oil supply.

Obama:"Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day," Lets follow the money and see where we stand today. 2 billion dollars for debt relief and guaranteed borrowing to allow for growth and infrastructure. The last published figure for Egyptian international debt is close to USD35B. GNP was about USD180B before the Arab Spring. Egypt's major foreign currency income is from tourism. Thats now close to zero. No investment in Egypt, in fact an outflow of funds. Their major staple is bread (the Egyptians eat double the amount of bread that Americans do...Macdonalds and all). The price of wheat has doubled over the last year and risen almost 20% in the last week. Foreign currency reserves used to buy wheat is dwindling to the point where the Egyptian goverment no longer publishes figures.

Obama's aid package is a pittance, a drop in the ocean, good money after bad, a cheap election ploy so transparent that it will eventually backfire. And it sounded so wonderful coming from the eloquent Obama. What a visionary! The minimum requirement for a democracy and free market system to function is a basic educational system. 36% of Egyptians over the age of 15 are illiterate. Not a good picture. The so-called arab spring looks like an economic catastrophe in the making, and Obama is starting to look like Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burned. From an Egyptian point of view, they would be better off aligning with China.

And where does Israel fit into all this. After boldly withdrawing from Gaza and Lebanon, and signing the Oslo accords, all in the name of peace, Israel is still the villain. Israel still needs to take bold steps for peace. After two wars and possibly two more on the way, any withdrawal would be insanity. Add to that, Missiles in Gaza, missiles in Lebanon, an Egyptian economy on the verge of collapse and an American president who talks friendship, but buries allies in less time than it takes to say "Jack Robinson". I wonder what arab leaders across the globe were thinking during the speech? In one fell blow, Obama alienated most of the non-democratic world, basically declaring war on them, inciting revolution and setting the stage for a bloody confrontation. All on national TV. Oh the arrogance of it all!

“Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.” - Sydney J. Harris

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