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I truly believe the OP has a false premise that these will be Middle Eastern democracies when the chances are better that they will quickly become Islamic theocracies ruled by radical Islamofacists.
I never said they would be democracies, what I did say was "America's worst nightmare, the rise OF Middle East democracies". I can no more predict the future than madam Cleo.
However it is a fault of the west that we judge everything by our standards, including what constitutes the definition of Democracy. In all practical terms, the people in Egypt during the last election had only one less choice for President than those of us here in the United States. I realize you are going to scoff at this but on the week before the US election, who else stood any chance or was shown in the US media and press other than the two choices we in the United States are presented, left or right, this or that, Obama or McCain. While we are free to write in anyone we wish, we ultimately have one choice, this or that. In Egypt they had one choice as well, this guy or no one, which is one less choice than we had. If this is what you are going to toot a horn about then I for one wouldn't be too proud of that.
Here are some official names of various Muslim nations, some in question.
Arab Republic of Egypt
Islamic Republic of Iran
The Lebanese Republic
Tunisian Republic
The Syrian Arab Republic
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Republic of Yemen
Now I'll be the last person the qualify these places as democracies in any fashion as we know it, and I would even assert that most are theocracies, but the most basic definition of democracy is as follows.
Democracy is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people.
Now if the people are offered a choice between Mullah A and Mullah B, they still have the choice and if they do not like these choices, then they are welcome to revolt and revolt they are as we speak. If after these revolts, the people desire some autocratic dictator or monarchy, then the people have chosen and who in the hell are we to judge what is best for them?
I really fail to see that happening . With the fundalmentals I doubt it will ever happen. Loo at the probelms in Egypt now and factions becoming invloved. Democray is just being further put under the bus in most coutnries.
Most of our oil comes from elsewhere,not the middle east.
If I'm not mistaken, most of US oil imports are from Canada and Venezuela.
Of course it doesn't matter if the US didn't use a single drop of Middle East oil, as oil is pooled in a global market pool and if the price of oil per barrel doubles in the Middle East, a place we don't even buy from, the global pool prices increase accordingly. So we end up paying the added cost anyway.
The USA hasn't been doing a good job keeping oil prices low for a few years now...
If oil prices go way up,won't that be good for the US dollar anyway since it is the currency that must be used to buy oil?
For the most part yes, but not entirely as of 2008. Iran opened an oil bourse that uses any currency but the US dollar.
One of the tough things about instability in the Middle East, be it from what is happening currently or whether we or someone else upsets the "zen" of the place is that when oil prices shoot upwards, those who often benefit the most are usually the very people we oppose at some level. Like Russia and Iran for instance.
"The cash grant will be paid to 1.15 million Kuwaiti citizens on February 24 while distribution of food is to start on Monday and last until March 31 next year.
Lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously approved the payments, which includes new-born babies and children of Kuwaiti women married to foreigners."
I never said they would be democracies, what I did say was "America's worst nightmare, the rise OF Middle East democracies". I can no more predict the future than madam Cleo.
However it is a fault of the west that we judge everything by our standards, including what constitutes the definition of Democracy. In all practical terms, the people in Egypt during the last election had only one less choice for President than those of us here in the United States. I realize you are going to scoff at this but on the week before the US election, who else stood any chance or was shown in the US media and press other than the two choices we in the United States are presented, left or right, this or that, Obama or McCain. While we are free to write in anyone we wish, we ultimately have one choice, this or that. In Egypt they had one choice as well, this guy or no one, which is one less choice than we had. If this is what you are going to toot a horn about then I for one wouldn't be too proud of that.
Here are some official names of various Muslim nations, some in question.
Arab Republic of Egypt
Islamic Republic of Iran
The Lebanese Republic
Tunisian Republic
The Syrian Arab Republic
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Republic of Yemen
Now I'll be the last person the qualify these places as democracies in any fashion as we know it, and I would even assert that most are theocracies, but the most basic definition of democracy is as follows.
Democracy is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people.
Now if the people are offered a choice between Mullah A and Mullah B, they still have the choice and if they do not like these choices, then they are welcome to revolt and revolt they are as we speak. If after these revolts, the people desire some autocratic dictator or monarchy, then the people have chosen and who in the hell are we to judge what is best for them?
How can you post a thread title as "....the rise of Middle Eastern Democracies" and then state you have no crystal ball as to if it is a democracy? Sounds like a bunch of double speak to me.
I don't see how Islamofacism is equated to a democracy as you are attempting. Past behavior is the best prediction of future behavior: Iran & the deposing of the Shah. There is no reason to believe that this is not what is happening right now in several Middle Eastern nations.
Would you call Venezuela under Hugo Chavez a democracy? Just because he was placed there by choice initially doesn't mean that the people do not live under a dictatorship now.
Actually, we do have to have an agreement upon what defines any particular type of government or there is no basis of common ground for a discussion. Power of the governing derived from the people is quite different than the over throw of a government and then a group exercising power over the people rather than derived from the people. At least, to me the difference in the actual government, as opposed to actions which allowed it to arise to power, are quite clear. YMMV.
Your post seems to ignore that it is the military that has been in power in Egypt for about the last 50 years. Mubarak is a figurehead, it is and has been in my lifetime the military with the real power in Egypt.
Just silly speculation here, but...what if, the US and other agents are behind these uprisings...bare with me here
We overthrew Saddam, a former dictator...
and "put in a democratically elected government", albeit still religious.
Also, reading around some Islamic forums, and former Egyptians, they are happy but seem somewhat disappointed that it will probably not result in an Islamic state, because as many there put it, most people there are secularist and would be mostly for a democratic state, which is shirk in Islam.
Now, way back when, Mubarak was useful when Egypt was more Islamic...and most would have wanted an Islamic state.
Now The Muslim Brotherhood is really the only danger in this plot, but they are a minority.
What if its just a continuation in their New World Order to reshape things to their vision
A lot of these countries will open up more to foreign business and investments with a more democratic structure in place...
Speculation perhaps....
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Sounds like a bunch of double speak to me.
