Thomas Friedman, "What to Do With the Twins?": Begin by Ignoring Friedman

In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "What to Do With the Twins?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/opinion/thomas-friedman-the-conundrum-of-a-unified-iraq-and-a-unified-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0), would-be Middle East expert Thomas Friedman compares the chaos in Iraq with the pandemonium in Syria. Friedman's conclusion:

"Pluralism came to Europe only after many centuries of one side or another in religious wars thinking it could have it all, and after much ethnic cleansing created more homogeneous nations. Europe also went through the Enlightenment and the Reformation. Arab Muslims need to go on the same journey. It will happen when they want to or when they have exhausted all other options. Meanwhile, let’s strengthen the islands of decency — Tunisia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Kurdistan — and strengthen our own democracy to insulate ourselves as best we can."

Arab Muslims need to go on the same journey as Europe? Fascinating. During the Thirty Years' War, the populations of the various German states, Bohemia, Italy and the Low Countries were decimated by massacres, famine and disease. It has been estimated that the population of the German states was reduced by up to 40 percent. And then there was also the "small matter" of witch hunts during the same period. Arab Muslims must experience this same tragedy?

Friedman's islands of decency? No mention by Tom that some 70 percent of Jordan's population consists of Palestinians (Jordan comprises 78 percent of the original Palestine Mandate), who continue to suffer discrimination and hardship at the hands of their Hashemite rulers.

Lebanon? No mention by Tom of the on persistent fighting between Sunnis and Shiites in this country or the presence of Hezbollah, whose military wing, which is infinitely stronger than the Lebanese army and which takes marching orders from Iran, is now deployed in Syria. As reported in March by Lebanon's Daily Star (http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Mar-23/251086-29-killed-so-far-in-n-lebanon-fighting.ashx#ixzz34xQpOkgl):

"Intermittent sniper fire and fierce overnight clashes between rival neighborhoods in the troubled northern city of Tripoli dashed hopes Sunday for an end to the fighting that has claimed 29 lives so far.

Two people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed and one person was wounded late Saturday, reportedly when a personal dispute escalated into armed clashes in Bab al-Tabbaneh.

. . . .

The incident raised the death toll from 10 days of fighting to 29, the highest number of casualties from a single round of fighting since the uprising in Syrian began in 2011, eventually spilling over into Tripoli where supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad now regularly engage in gunbattles."

Tunisia? As reported by Tunisialive (http://www.tunisia-live.net/2014/06/11/man-burns-daughter-to-death-in-suspected-honor-killing/) earlier this week:

"A Tunisian man is accused of burning his 13-year-old daughter to death for walking home from school with a male classmate May 28 in Ibn Khaldoun, a suburb of Tunis. Aya, a middle school student, died on June 7 from fourth-degree burns, Kapitalis and other local news sources reported."

Obama reads and is influenced by Friedman's tripe? Lord help us!

Thomas Friedman, "Advice for China": Look to Tunisia

In his latest New York Times tour de force entitled "Advice for China" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/opinion/05friedman.html?ref=opinion), Thomas Friedman recommends that China heed the Arab Spring, which, according to Tom, is all about human dignity:

"If you want to know what brings about revolutions, it is not G.D.P. rising or falling, says [Russian historian] Aron, 'it is the quest for dignity.' We always exaggerate people’s quest for G.D.P. and undervalue their quest for ideals. 'Dignity before bread' was the slogan of the Tunisian revolution. 'The spark that lights the fuse is always the quest for dignity,' said Aron. 'Today’s technology just makes the fire much more difficult to put out.'”

Very inspiring, Tom, and I, too, seek out the assistance of Russian historians when attempting analysis of events in the Middle East. But let's also have a look at what's really happening in Tunisia. As reported by Reuters yesterday (http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE7531GQ20110604):

"Three people were killed and 90 wounded after rival clans clashed over access to jobs in the central Tunisian mining town of Metlaoui, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.

Clan members used homemade bombs, guns and iron bars against each other after a rumor spread in the town that only certain tribes would be offered jobs at the nearby Gafsa phosphate complex. Shops were looted and set on fire."

Indeed, just another example of "dignity before bread." By the way, this was not the first such "dignified" occurrence in Metlaoui since the January uprising, which was largely prompted by joblessness.

Incidentally, I just spoke over a noisy "monitored" line (my hearing has been damaged over the years, and I had trouble understanding everything that was said) with a grumpy senior official from the menacing Ministry of State Security in Beijing, who extended his gratitude to Tom for this gratuitous advice, mentioned something about a terrible haircut (What does my hair have to do with human dignity?), and mumbled "fàng pì" (I have since learned the translation) when hanging up the phone.

Roger Cohen's "Tunisian Dominoes?": The Beginnings of the Next Fairytale

Roger Cohen has breezed into Tunisia, and today, in an op-ed entitled "Tunisian Dominoes?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/opinion/21iht-edcohen21.html?hp), he tells us:

"These are heady days in the Arab world’s fragile democratic bridgehead."

Cohen concludes:

"There will, in coming weeks, be agents provocateurs bent on the worst, and the usual Muslim-hating naysayers. Arab democracy is threatening to a host of vested interests and glib clichés. It is also the only way out of the radicalizing impasse of Arab klepto-gerontocracies and, as such, a vital American interest."

Lest we forget, in 2009, in an op-ed entitled "Iran Awakens Yet Again" (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/opinion/11iht-edcohen.html), Cohen, who doesn't speak Farsi, informed us:

"Iran, its internal fissures exposed as never before, is teetering again on the brink of change. For months now, I’ve been urging another look at Iran, beyond dangerous demonization of it as a totalitarian state. Seldom has the country looked less like one than in these giddy June days."

So, in Iran Cohen witnessed "giddy" days, and now in Tunisia Cohen is witnessing "heady" days.

Unfortunately for Roger and the rest of the world, his Iranian bubble burst, but this did not prevent him from ignoring the agony of Iran's Baha'is, Kurds, homosexual community, Sunnis and political dissidents, while fabricating that fairytale. Today, in making the case that Tunisia is the Arabs' "Gdansk", which will bring democracy and freedom to the Arab world, Cohen is again choosing to ignore the inconvenient.

Hamas, which came to power in Gaza by way of democratic elections in 2005, is not willing to hold new elections. Instead, they are still busy consolidating power in the Gaza Strip by imprisoning and executing Fatah opponents, while persecuting Christians and gays. For the record, the Hamas leadership does not consist of aging despots clinging to power; rather, its leadership consists of brutal Islamists, who do not hesitate to kill and terrorize in order to maintain power.

Cohen disparages 82-year-old Hosni Mubarak, but fails to acknowledge the brutal massacre of Egypt's Christian Copts outside a church in Alexandria earlier this month, which left 25 persons dead. When Mubarak departs the scene, Cohen does not tell us what the Muslim Brotherhood, if they come to power in Egypt via democratic elections or otherwise, has planned for Egypt's Copts, who comprise some 10% of Egypt's population.

In Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Hezbollah party (i.e. Party of God) and far from being "old", just brought down the Lebanese government, owing to a draft indictment by a UN tribunal, pinning Hezbollah with responsibility for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Saad Hariri, Rafik's son and no "oldster", has thus far not caved in to Hezbollah; however, this past week Hezbollah threatened a coup, when it sent its "blackshirts" throughout Beirut in a display of force.

Tunisia is the Arab world's "democratic bridgehead"? Roger, don't you think it's a little early to be making such pronouncements? Don't you think before doing again what you did in Iran, you should first take several years to learn more about this country?

Forgive me, Roger, for suggesting that one need not be an "agent provocateur" or "Muslim-hating naysayer" in order to disagree with your latest analysis, particularly given how wildly off the mark your past analysis has proven. It could just well be that much of the Arab Middle East is currently not ready for freedom of thought and expression, which are the hallmarks of western democracy.

Roger Cohen's "The Arab Gdansk": More Penetrating Wisdom from The New York Times's "Globalist"

In an op-ed in today's New York Times entitled "The Arab Gdansk" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/opinion/18iht-edcohen18.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss), Roger Cohen writes:

"Islamist parties must commit to democracy rather than exploit democracy for despotic ends."

A remarkable thought! Imagine: If only Mr. Cohen had been around to tell Hitler in 1932, after the Nazis became the largest party in the Reichstag, that his National Socialist Party must "commit to democracy rather than exploit democracy for despotic ends," perhaps World War II could have been avoided.

Never mind. World War II is water under the bridge. Meanwhile, I spent last night soliciting the opinions of various Islamist parties around the Middle East regarding Cohen's demand that they commit to democracy.

Hamas, which came to power in Gaza by way of democratic elections in 2005, is not willing to hold new elections. Instead, they are still busy consolidating power in the Gaza Strip by imprisoning and executing Fatah opponents, while persecuting Christians and gays.

I spoke with acquaintances in the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, who can't wait for the opportunity to take power once 82-year-old Hosni Mubarak departs the scene. Meanwhile, however, they stay busy by persecuting Egypt's Christian Copt minority, as evidenced by the massacre outside a church in Alexandria earlier this month, which left 25 persons dead.

As Roger himself can tell you today, after trying to explain to us for the better part of 2009 that Iran is "not totalitarian", Iran is indeed totalitarian, and there is no place for political moderation or freedom of speech in that country, where murder and torture of Baha'is, Kurds, Sunnis, homosexuals, women, journalists and political dissidents is the name of the game.

I tried to speak with Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, whose Hezbollah party (i.e. Party of God) just brought down the Lebanese government, owing to a forthcoming indictment by a UN tribunal, pinning Hezbollah with responsibility for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Unfortunately, Nasrallah was not willing to emerge from his bunker to answer my call.

Finally, I did manage a word with Libya's dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, who voiced avid support for Cohen's suggestion. Qaddafi referred me to his speech broadcast by Al Jazeera on April 10, 2006 in which he stated:

"Some people believe that Muhammad is the prophet of the Arabs or the Muslims alone. This is a mistake. Muhammad is the Prophet of all people. He superseded all previous religions. If Jesus were alive when Muhammad was sent, he would have followed him. All people must be Muslims. . . . We have 50 million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe - without swords, without guns, without conquests."

At least Qaddafi, the butcher of Lockerbie, able to perceive the hidden value of democracy, was willing to listen to Cohen's voice of reason.

[The New York Times refused to post this comment online in response to Cohen's op-ed.]