.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Mole's Progressive Democrat

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. Originally intended for New York City progressives, its readership is now national. For anyone who wants to be alerted by email whenever this newsletter is updated (usually weekly), please send your email address and let me know what state you live in (so I can keep track of my readership).

Name:
Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States

I am a research biologist in NYC. Married with two kids living in Brooklyn.

Google
  • Help end world hunger
  • Sunday, January 30, 2011

    Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 287

    Now seems like a good time to remember:



    And for a bit of humor, as well as a reminder of who really supports Republicans and Teabaggers:



    Recent events in the Middle East have been astonishing...and have taken EVERYONE by surprise. What is happening is that democratic opposition to long-standing dictatorships has boiled over. In many ways this is a good thing. However, there is a very dangerous complication here. All too often dictatorships in the Middle East are allied with America and the West, which tends to throw together Islamists (who are by nature anti-democratic) and pro-democracy movements. In many ways we saw this in Iran back in the 1970's. A less well known example has been Algeria, where Islamicists have won elections only to have the French-backed military prevent (for better or worse) the Islamist take over.

    This has to be handled very carefully. The current situation in many ways can be best exploited by the Islamicists. And that is precisely what we don't want. If we can provide a truely democratic alternative, then the anti-dictatorship movements in so many Middle Eastern nations could lead to some real positive change. In Tunisia the initial movement seemed completely pro-democracy and spontaneous. However, now Islamicists are rapidly taking advantage of the situation. BBC News has a simple rundown of the key players in Tunisia right now. It seems clear the old guard is trying to hold on to power, but with the realization that they have to deliver at least some real change. Two movements in exile are rapidly trying to leverage power. Al-Nahda is an Islamist party in exile. They put on a moderate facade but I am highly suspicious of their motives. One hopes they are more like the Turkish Islamicists than the more radical Islamicists in places from Sudan to Somalia to Iran. The Congress for the Republic is a secular party in exile. They are already returning to Tunisia and eager to contest elections. And, of course, there is the army. It is clear that they have been playing a behind the scenes role, but it is not clear what their goals are.

    Egypt has some similarities with Algeria, with a military dictator holding the line against popular and radical Islamicist opposition. Again, this reminds me somewhat of Iran in the 1970's. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood has been the main voice of opposition, and they are a scary bunch. The initial spread of unrest from Tunisia to Egypt again seemed spontaneous and pro-democracy, but it is also obvious that the group most able to exploit the changes is the Muslim Brotherhood. Currently the best hope for a secular and democratic solution could be Mohamed ElBaradei, who was head of the UN nuclear watchdog organization and so is respected internationally...but would that translate into an effective domestic leader? As in Tunisia (and Algeria), I suspect the army will have a strong say in how things develop.

    And less well reported, Yemen has also caught revolution fever, with Tunisian inspired protests against their dictators.

    No matter how you cut it, the entire Middle East is largely split among military dictatorships with secular leanings (from the Shah of Iran to Saddam Hussein to the "presidents" of Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt), weak pro-democracy movements with secular leanings (often also socialist), and Islamicists. Usually it is the army that settles the question of who is in charge. But generally the only way that the military dictatorship can be overthrown is through a combination of the pro-democracy and the Islamicist movements. Needless to say, this doesn't lead to much of an improvement over the military dictatorship.

    So history is unfolding before our eyes. The army in each nation could probably rassert its control, either on behalf of the existing power structure or behind a modified powerstructure. But the Islamicists could come out ahead very easily, and I am sure that is what they are aiming for. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has her work cut out for her.

    But I think EVERYONE, from the military forces in each nation seeing these revolutions to our government to the pro-democracy movements to the Islamicists, has to keep in mind the trigger for these events. The precipitating event was a tiny and seemingly uninteresting event where local law enforcement destroyed a poor man's illegal market cart. A combination of poverty and corruption led to an act of desperation that inspired a whole generation of Muslims in several nations to say enough is enough. Whoever wants to bring peace and stability to the Middle East has to recognize that the combination of poverty and corruption has to be dealt with.

    Here is this week's newsletter:

    TABLE OF CONTENTS:

    Top American Rabbis Take on Fox News

    America's Real Entitlement Society

    Continued from last week: Better Banking and Better Credit Cards

    More from my blogger connection in Nigeria: MY ARREST AGAIN IN UYO...for more background on Leo Igwe and his efforts against both Muslim and Christian extremists, go here and here.

    California Focus: Green Power Switch

    Orange County, CA Focus

    Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley/San Gabriel Valley, CA Focus

    Silicon Valley Area, CA Focus

    San Diego, CA Focus

    California 11th District Focus: San Joaquin, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

    Northern California Focus: TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA

    Southern California Grassroots Alliance

    CALIFORNIA FOCUS

    New York Focus: Green Power Switch

    Manhattan, NY Focus

    Brooklyn, NY Focus

    Queens, NY Focus

    Bronx, NY Focus

    Suffolk County, NY Focus

    Rochester, NY Focus

    New York 19th District Focus: Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties

    NEW YORK STATE FOCUS

    Dallas County, TX Focus

    Houston/Harris County, TX Focus

    Austin/Travis County, TX Focus

    Texas 10th District Focus: Bastrop, Lee, Burleson, Washington, Austin, Harris, Waller Counties

    Texas 15th Congressional District Focus: Hidalgo, Brooks, Duval, Live Oak, Bee, Jim Wells, Karnes, DeWitt, Goliad, San Patricio, Refugio Counties

    Texas 21st District Focus: Travis, Kerr, Real, Bandera, Kendall, Comal and Blanco Counties

    TEXAS FOCUS

    Pennsylvania Focus: Green Power Switch

    Philadelphia, PA Focus

    Lancaster Co. PA Focus

    PENNSYLVANIA FOCUS

    Illinois Focus: Green Power Switch

    Chicago/Cook County, IL Focus

    ILLINOIS FOCUS

    Virginia Focus: Green Power Switch

    Charlottesville/Albemarle County, VA Focus

    Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania County, VA Focus

    Stafford County, VA Focus

    Hanover County, VA Focus

    Roanoke County, VA Focus

    VIRGINIA FOCUS

    Washington State Focus: Green Power Switch

    Seattle/King County, WA Focus

    Spokane County, WA Focus

    Thurston County, WA Focus

    WASHINGTON STATE FOCUS

    Wisconsin Focus: Green Power Switch

    Milwaukee, WI Focus

    Madison, WI Focus

    WISCONSIN FOCUS

    Georgia Focus: Green Power Switch

    Atlanta, GA Focus

    Coweta County, GA Focus

    Fayette County, GA Focus

    GEORGIA FOCUS

    North Carolina Focus: Green Power Switch

    North Carolina Focus: NC-5 District Focus (Forsyth, Stokes, Statesville, Surrey, Iredell, Watauga, and Yadkin Counties)

    North Carolina 11th District (Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Macon, Swain, Jackson, Transylvania, Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Polk Counties)

    NORTH CAROLINA FOCUS

    Florida Focus: Green Power Switch

    Tampa/Hillsborough County, FL Focus

    Orange County, FL Focus

    Broward County, FL Focus

    Pinellas County, FL Focus

    FLORIDA FOCUS

    Minnesota Focus: Green Power Switch

    Minneapolis, MN Focus

    Olmsted County, MN Focus

    MINNESOTA FOCUS

    Michigan Focus: Green Power Switch

    Detroit, MI Focus

    MICHIGAN FOCUS

    Arizona Focus: Green Power Switch

    Phoenix/Maricopa County, AZ Focus

    ARIZONA FOCUS

    Wichita, KS Focus

    KANSAS FOCUS

    New Jersey Focus: Green Power Switch

    Sussex County, NJ Focus

    Passaic County, NJ Focus

    Warren County, NJ Focus

    New Jersey 7th Congressional District Focus (Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union Counties)

    NEW JERSEY FOCUS

    Colorado Focus: Green Power Switch

    Boulder County, CO Focus

    Denver, CO Focus

    Larimer County, CO Focus

    Douglas County, CO Focus

    COLORADO FOCUS

    Tennessee Focus: Green Power Switch

    TENNESSEE FOCUS

    Nevada Focus: Green Power Switch

    Las Vegas, NV Focus

    NEVADA FOCUS

    Iowa Focus: Green Power Switch

    Iowa Focus: Republicans cut preschools and give the money to the rich

    Davenport/Scott County, IA Focus

    IOWA FOCUS

    SOUTH CAROLINA FOCUS

    Oklahoma County, OK Focus

    Arkansas 1st Congressional District Focus

    Arkansas 3rd Congressional District Focus

    0 Comments:

    Post a Comment

    << Home