Updated Title: World Revolution 2011

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Yeah, distress in the middle east doesnt seem like anything new to me, sadly. Hopefully they dont burn down the pymirds or the sphinx.

The one thing im kind of interested in is the whole Muslim Brotherhood thing. People on the right are pointing out all the extreme muslim type terrorist stuff that this group is either partly responsible for, or members of this group have done, or the connections with this group and flat terriorst groups. Then people on the left are saying theres nothing to worry about this group and are almost making the MB sound like a good proposition for control of Egypt and the middle east. Just sounds weird to me.

Rule by the Muslim Brotherhood would not be a good thing. That said, although the MB follows a radical ideology, they are not a violent group now (unlike in the '80's). That is, the MB should not be confused with al Qaeda. If you think radically, you join the MB; if you want to kill folks, you join al Qaeda. So rule by the MB, while it would not be a good thing, is not the same as installing a terrorist regime.

With all of that said, it is extremely unlikely that the MB could seize power. While they are organized and get a lot of press, they are not a particularly large group numerically compared to the total population of Egypt. So if Egypt turned democratic, it is very unlikely that the MB would be a ruling party, although they may capture a seat or two in the legislature.

El Baradei represents a rational and moderate Egyptian political voice. When all is said and done, I hope that he assumes power within a genuine Egyptian democracy. This would be good for us. If you follow terrorists, you know that they almost always come from places with autocratic regimes. Places like Turkey, which are both Muslim and democratic, produce far fewer terrorists.

If I could, I would storm the palace and put Mubarak out on the streets TODAY. I would install a caretaking UN oversight committee to keep the government and economy viable. Then I would schedule democratic elections for as soon as possible and presume that El Baradei would win the elections.