Thomas Friedman, "The Belly Dancing Barometer": Actually, a Fan Dance Intended to Hide Tom's Ignorance

Perhaps you remember, more than a year ago, how Thomas Friedman, Nicholas Kristof and Roger Cohen went to pains to avoid bumping into each other in Cairo's Tahrir Square while extolling the virtues of the Arab Spring and the birth of Egyptian democracy. Well, those heady days are long since over. In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "The Belly Dancing Barometer" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/opinion/friedman-the-belly-dancing-barometer.html?_r=0), Friedman writes:

"Egypt is in dire economic condition. Youth unemployment is rampant, everything is in decay, tourism and foreign investment and reserves are down sharply. As a result, Egypt needs an I.M.F. bailout. Any bailout, though, will involve economic pain — including cuts in food and fuel subsidies to shrink Egypt’s steadily widening budget deficit. This will hurt."

But don't worry. Friedman has a simple solution for every problem, and this is no exception. Tom explains, "But if you are Egypt and basically your only natural resource is your people — men and women — you need to be as open to the world and modernity as possible to unleash all of their potential for growth." Ah yes, the Muslim Brotherhood should should shake off its Islamist shackles and welcome the winds of democracy and progress.

Well, I've got news for Friedman: In a country plagued with illiteracy, high rates of unemployment, a dizzying birthrate, an economy owned in large part by the generals and colonels, abuse of woman (e.g., 90 percent of Egyptian women have undergone female genital mutilation), brutal discrimination against Christian Copts, and billions of dollars of debt that will never be repaid, it's not going to happen.

Friedman concludes his opinion piece by observing:

"Bottom line: Either the Muslim Brotherhood changes or it fails — and the sooner it realizes that the better. I understand why President Obama’s team prefers to convey this message privately: so the political forces in Egypt don’t start focusing on us instead of on each other. That’s wise. But I don’t think we are conveying this message forcefully enough. And Egyptian democracy advocates certainly don’t. In an open letter to President Obama last week in Al-Ahram Weekly, the Egyptian human rights activist Bahieddin Hassan wrote Obama that the muted 'stances of your administration have given political cover to the current authoritarian regime in Egypt and allowed it to fearlessly implement undemocratic policies and commit numerous acts of repression.'"

My goodness, what a surprise! Just as in Syria, where the Obama administration thought it could win over John Kerry's "dear friend" Bashar al-Assad by way of sycophantic gestures at a time when Assad was gunning down his own people (e.g., Hillary: "Many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he’s a reformer"), the Obama administration believes that the president's pearly smile can win over Egypt's newest tyrant. No way, Jose. The Muslim Brotherhood has its own rigid theological agenda.

But thanks anyway for the bunkum, Tom. Keep it coming!