Sudden, shocking, disturbing, and largely self-propelled trends in America and Europe are doing more damage to Western democracy today than Soviet armies or nuclear missiles ever did during the Cold War
By Brian E. Frydenborg (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter @bfry1981), originally published March 17th, 2016, on LinkedIn Pulse
Clockwise: Photo/Agencies, Cheryl Evans/The Republic, AP
AMMAN — Roughly a quarter-century ago, the world seemed poised for a triumph of democracy and human rights unprecedented...
... all Syria had little to do with anything Obama did, and those trying to place primary blame for any of these local revolutions and wars are way off the mark. Locals were just as surprised as Americans at the Arab Spring, as well.
As far as Israel/Palestine, Obama inherited a Bibi Netanyahu who had little-to-no desire to take the steps necessary for peace and an emasculated Palestinian Authority led by an emasculated Mahmoud Abbas, with the emasculation largely by Israeli design not just over the past few years but over decades....
... designed to cut off and prevent Palestinian access and growth, and he even said publicly he was against the two-state solution and against a Palestinian state, confirming in words what he has confirmed in action for years.
As for the Gaza Strip, If Netanyahu and his allies have their way and prevail in today's elections, its current setup and relationship with Israel could be a glimpse into the future of the West Bank, the territory with majorities of Palestine's land and people. Israel occupied Gaza in 1967 during the Six-Day War, and a level of hubris emerged within Israel that enabled it to believe it could occupy the West Bank and Gaza with its many Palestinian Arabs, and not just occupy,...
... Israelis, this might seem incomprehensible. What could African-Americans and Palestinians have in common with each other?
Well, despite all the differences, quite a lot actually. America in particular can very much look at the situation in Israel/Palestine as a cautionary tale.
And the sad reality of all of this is that this whole incident of young Michael Brown being killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, and its aftermath is but one single brick in a Berlin Wall of America’s ...
