The Back Story?
Last week the Harper government severed ties with Iran. This week the story du jour is the protests throughout the Muslim world over a grade D You Tube movie trailer. I happen to think the two are related.
First of all, the protests began on the anniversary of 9/11. That should be no surprise, even the dullest of diplomats in embassies could have predicted that something would happen on September 11th. Perhaps Harper had more intelligence (I'm referring to the diplomatic kind, not the kind associated with learning and mental acuity, although he has plenty of that, too.) Perhaps an attack on Canada's embassy in Iran was in the plans, and/or the murder of one or more of Canada's diplomatic staff in Iran.
It would seem logical to me that some mole in the Muslim world gave a heads up to at least one Western intelligence agency that the old bearded ones were planning to stir up shit by spreading lies to their poorly educated, easily provoked masses, especially to those who wanted to earn a bit of money by showing up at a protest. And that intelligence was shared, at least throughout Western ambassadors in the Muslim world. Perhaps The One got the memo, too, but being the enemy of his people, he may have failed to do what was necessary to protect his diplomatic staff in Libya.
In any case, it all makes sense to me. Old goats orchestrate protests using some lame excuse that none of their followers would have the smarts to refute. Middle Eastern oil money pays for it. Western diplomacy is dealt another blow and most of the West goes back to sleep.
On a related topic, some day I'm going to do an entry on Tarek Heggy, and my theory that Islam is going through the same sort of process that took place in Europe during the reformation and enlightenment eras. I don't know how much of an audience Heggy has, but he certainly is a reformer and his name belongs up there with the great thinkers of the West who brought us from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Do read his essay at the link.
Related.
Great rant here:
First of all, the protests began on the anniversary of 9/11. That should be no surprise, even the dullest of diplomats in embassies could have predicted that something would happen on September 11th. Perhaps Harper had more intelligence (I'm referring to the diplomatic kind, not the kind associated with learning and mental acuity, although he has plenty of that, too.) Perhaps an attack on Canada's embassy in Iran was in the plans, and/or the murder of one or more of Canada's diplomatic staff in Iran.
It would seem logical to me that some mole in the Muslim world gave a heads up to at least one Western intelligence agency that the old bearded ones were planning to stir up shit by spreading lies to their poorly educated, easily provoked masses, especially to those who wanted to earn a bit of money by showing up at a protest. And that intelligence was shared, at least throughout Western ambassadors in the Muslim world. Perhaps The One got the memo, too, but being the enemy of his people, he may have failed to do what was necessary to protect his diplomatic staff in Libya.
In any case, it all makes sense to me. Old goats orchestrate protests using some lame excuse that none of their followers would have the smarts to refute. Middle Eastern oil money pays for it. Western diplomacy is dealt another blow and most of the West goes back to sleep.
On a related topic, some day I'm going to do an entry on Tarek Heggy, and my theory that Islam is going through the same sort of process that took place in Europe during the reformation and enlightenment eras. I don't know how much of an audience Heggy has, but he certainly is a reformer and his name belongs up there with the great thinkers of the West who brought us from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Do read his essay at the link.
Related.
Great rant here:
Labels: Barack Obama, diplomacy, Iran, Islamism, Stephen Harper, Western Civilization, Yawn
posted by Louise at 8:37 pm
2 Comments:
"my theory that Islam is going through the same sort of process that took place in Europe during the reformation and enlightenment eras."
My theory goes back a good 5 centuries earlier than the Reformation and Enlightenment. Islam is going through the Dark Ages and enthusiastically playing the role of the parasitic, murderous, pillaging Vikings.
Well, the "5 centuries earlier" scenario is certainly one that creates the headlines, but there is definitely a reform movement in the shadows which is being severely repressed by the old guard (the counter reformation?), hence, my theory about the reformation, which certainly had its violence. Whether it will succeed or not is anybody's guess.
Oh, and I also think it will take much less time than the European reformation took, but you and I will be gone by then so I won't be able to say "I told you so". :(
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