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Post by Brer Brian on Aug 12, 2011 12:16:31 GMT -5
Meant to say, "is there anything apart from invasion" that Americans can do to help.
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mle
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Post by mle on Aug 12, 2011 12:27:09 GMT -5
I supported NATO action in Libya, mostly because the uprising was organic and started by Libyans themselves, who were in Libya- not in exile. During 2003 in Iraq, Saddam had control of his country- even if the Iraqis didn't like him, they weren't actively trying to overthrow him. We had some contacts with Iraqi opposition groups, but these groups were mostly in exile and had not been in Iraq for years and had no idea what the situation on the ground was actually like.
I think the best way for Americans to support pro-democracy movements is to re-evaluate our policies in the region. We've supported and still support regimes that are not democratic for what we perceive to be strategic regions. I think as these new governments form, we should try to avoid meddling behind the scenes as much as possible. An upfront and open policy with other nations would benefit everyone.
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Post by Brer Brian on Aug 12, 2011 12:28:52 GMT -5
I have to bounce!! I'm sorry if I didn't schedule enough time to do it in, as these questions may be too complicated to answer in a mere hour/hour and a half. Maybe, if you're down, we can extend the interview past today and you can handle a few more questions at your own leisure.
One more for now.
The Egyptian police and army, for the most part, refused to fire upon their protesting countrymen. Why do you think that wasnt' neccessarily the case in other countries where protests occurred?
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mle
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Post by mle on Aug 12, 2011 12:43:55 GMT -5
The Egyptian police did fire on people! It was the army that refused orders.
I think what sets Egypt apart from other states, like Libya and Syria is that the Egyptian military plays a huge role in Egyptian society- mostly behind the scenes. In some ways, the military is bigger than Mubarak. Before the revolution, there was a lot of concern that the army would not accept Mubarak's son as the next president, because he had no military background. I think the military eventually decided it wasn't worth siding with Mubarak in this circumstance. Even in a new government, the military is going to play a huge role.
In Libya, Syria, Saudi Arabia- their militaries have nowhere near as much autonomy as in Egypt. They are directly under the command of their leaders and most of the leaders regularly purge the army of anyone suspected of being disloyal. Mubarak took a different course- he bribed the army and placated them with money and gave them control of industries.
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Post by Brer Brian on Aug 12, 2011 13:45:22 GMT -5
Should Gadaffi be brought to justice by any means neccessary, be it through bloodshed and treasure, or can you envision a scenario where it'd be more worthwhile to let him fuck off with all his billions to some island paradise somewhere, so long as he wasnt' hurting anyone?
Have you been to Israel and do you believe it's a racist state?
Who are your favorite non-Wrestern artists you've come across in your time abroad? (links, etc)
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mle
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Post by mle on Aug 13, 2011 19:23:29 GMT -5
Yes I think Gaddafi should be brought to justice. Whether by Libyans or the international community, although I see him committing suicide when he's backed into a corner or fight to the death. He does not have the connections or allies that other Arab leaders may have, he's made a lot of enemies throughout his tenure. Even Saudi Arabia won't take him, because he tried to have King Abdullah assassinated in 2003. He has two friends- Chavez in Venezuela or Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and I don't think Chavez is in a position to be willing to take the heat for sheltering him. Also his situation is not like Saddams. Because it was the United States that overthrew him and not his own people, Saddam could always claim that his people still loved him, that it was the imperial hand of the West that did him in, whether it was true or not. In his eyes, the trial was illegitimate, his sentence was illegitimate, and his execution made him a martyr- whether it was true or not. But Gaddafi does not have that to fall back on. Blame NATO and the hallucinagen taking Al Qaeda fighters of the East all he wants, but this was started by Libyans and it will be Libyans who capture him. Even if he were given the chance to give up and go- he wouldn't take it. His sons might- but not until Tripoli or Sirte is in the rebel's hands.
I'll answer the other two later. The second post is long and I want to get all my thoughts down
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Post by The Dude of Life on Aug 16, 2011 15:35:16 GMT -5
Perhaps it's the leading questions from that miserable untalented cur, Homa, but I have NO DOUBT that the forthcoming DIATRIBE will NOT BE PRETTY and most likely FULL of PROPAGANDA.
Tell me this you sniveling FAT AND HAPPY DOG, How would you like living in a place where you knew your life was in peril every minute of every day, HMMMMMMMM, brer?
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Post by Brer Brian on Aug 16, 2011 20:56:49 GMT -5
I wouldn't, and I'm not here to neccessarily assert that Israel is racist or that Emily's opinions automatically reflect my own. Emily is a Jew who converted to Islam and has been critical of Israel in the past... She lived through Egypt's uprising and has some interesting perspectives. Egypt's uprising had to have been pretty perilous.
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mle
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Post by mle on Aug 20, 2011 22:24:48 GMT -5
Oh, I didn't forget. I just had my mind on other things. Luckily events taking place these days reminded me I had this question on the backburner.
As for the Dog of Lifes comment: I know where the pro-Israel types are coming from. I also understand that Israeli's world views are very much shaped by security concerns, so I give them slack. I also don't want to excuse blatant anti-semitism that exists in middle eastern culture- I've met people here who don't like Jews, who have acted differently towards me when they learned about my background. I'm aware that people in this region believe some stupid shit when it comes to conspiracy theories about Jews.
Yes- Israel is a racist state. It's not about being afraid for your safety every minute of every day- it runs deeper than that. It's the same racism that led us to wipe out Native American populations over the past two centuries and why our policies towards the Native American populations are still grossly exploitative. It's about divisions within the Israeli Jewish community between Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and Ashkenazi Jews- not to mention the African refugees and Asian workers living in Israel.
It's racist when those in power fret about the demographics of the country shifting out of their favor, whether its talking about the Latino population in Southern California, Asians in England, or the Arabs in Israel.
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Post by Brer Brian on Aug 22, 2011 9:57:59 GMT -5
Thanks Em... That's all for now, maybe I'll solicit you for more if this Arab spring keeps springin'.
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Post by Black Ops BoB on Aug 25, 2011 14:48:25 GMT -5
What A. Doofus, why cant this storm wash away all the self hating Jews in ISRAEL and LEAVE NEW JOISEY ALONE?
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mle
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Post by mle on Aug 26, 2011 3:11:12 GMT -5
self-hating Jews... haven't heard that before.
Have you been in the Occupied territories? Or do you prefer to be an armchair quarterback from the United States, wrapped in your bubble and ignorant of the rest of the world?
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Post by Brer Brian on Aug 27, 2011 20:46:04 GMT -5
This person doesn't actually care about jews or anything else, just the same troll who's posted under countless faked identities all over this board.
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Emilys arch enema hardly
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Post by Emilys arch enema hardly on Aug 29, 2011 16:09:32 GMT -5
Not a troll or even a trollup for that matter, B You seem to be the one that toils in obscurity (UNDER A BRIDGE as it were!) in that cesspool of wannabe artistic oblivion that IS the LES. To continue the dialogue with Em WITHOUT having my motivations questioned would be nice . . . I can keep up with you, sweet cheeks, so DON'T call me a solipsistic nitwit JUST because I disagree with you From my vantage point you are starting from a bias of being a self hating jew and indeed cede a moral superiority to the palestinians in the form of being "noble victims" that the FACTS belie. Please be responsive to my comments and don't sink to the level of ad hominem attacks that the moderator of this board seeks to provoke.
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mle
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Post by mle on Aug 30, 2011 2:14:14 GMT -5
I don't consider the Palestinians to be "nobel victims", I'm aware there are plenty of problems that exist in Arab culture. Secondly, why does rejecting zionism make me a self hating jew? Judaism has been around a lot longer than Zionism. I believe in assimilation and integration and that eliminating racism of all kinds is much more effective than merely fighting against anti-semitism.
I don't condone violence, I support non-violent resistance.
Please don't flood this with Hasbra. Anyone who is socially conscious liberal in the United States can see beyond that.
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