tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post4233165425875302..comments2024-03-23T00:46:27.084+02:00Comments on Egyptian Chronicles: Regarding the Blair’s Project in #Egypt "Updated" Zeinobiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12290387395565291310noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-66215008351937698292014-07-05T06:28:34.371+02:002014-07-05T06:28:34.371+02:00One group of people suffering from the Sisi regime...One group of people suffering from the Sisi regime are LGBT Egyptians: more than 77 arrested since last year. Blair, the "pro-gay" British prime minister, is complicit in Sisi's crackdown on them. <br />http://paper-bird.net/2014/05/18/brutal-gender-crackdown-in-egypt-the-tomorrows-that-never-came/Hebanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-2396697773450234852014-07-04T15:32:19.798+02:002014-07-04T15:32:19.798+02:00Consider what the post was a response towards. Th...Consider what the post was a response towards. The anonymous mentioned about the connection between democracy and human rights and about how this connection functions in Egypt and the third world. My argument is that democracies tend to expand human rights over time while the same process is halting or nonexistent in dictatorships over an equivalent period of time. This is one reason why those who value civil liberties push for the implementation of democracy, even if it will not lead immediately to a civil liberties utopia. <br /> <br />Unlike some arguments about the Iraq war presented here, it does not present a false (and incoherent/demagogueic) dilemma. Orange Ketchuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147889868883061979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-56405207366398547652014-07-04T04:58:29.900+02:002014-07-04T04:58:29.900+02:00Some criminal killers escape justice only in this ...Some criminal killers escape justice only in this life.Hamdyyoussef.blogspot.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10334486457590678486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-77926848607077493662014-07-04T03:01:48.643+02:002014-07-04T03:01:48.643+02:00Orange Catsup: That was meaningless twaddle from b...<b>Orange Catsup</b>: That was meaningless twaddle from beginning to end. Stop your incoherent babbling. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.Jasonhttp://elnaschiewatch.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-3882299403309977232014-07-04T02:51:52.624+02:002014-07-04T02:51:52.624+02:00Anonymous: I understand and agree about the indepe...<b>Anonymous</b>: I understand and agree about the independence of, on the one hand, democracy, and on the other hand, freedom and human rights. If you want <i>all</i> that stuff, it's probably best to have freedom and human rights permanently enshrined in a Constitution or similar document that's difficult or impossible to undo by, for example, stupidly voting in authoritarians or despots, as majorities sometimes do, unfortunately. <br /><br /><b>Latifa</b>: Well, that's just silly. Lots of Brits like Tony Blair. He was Prime Minister for ten years or something, so it should go without saying. Your circle of acquaintances must be limited to fringe leftists who were butthurt when Blair took the British alliance with the USA seriously. They couldn't believe a Labour PM would side with a Republican president. I remember they were calling him Bush's lapdog and worse. But the Anglosphere really does have special relationships that transcend party ideology. While Britain's loony left will never forgive Blair, he earned the respect of at least as many Tories.<br /><br />Also, your categorization of Israelis doesn't make sense. What about Israelis who <i>do</i> want a Jewish state (i.e., they are Zionists) but <i>don't</i> want war with their Arab neighbors? I don't pretend to be an expert, indeed I have never been to the Middle East, but I would guess most Israelis subscribe to that.Jasonhttp://elnaschiewatch.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-59950744331375691492014-07-03T23:21:04.060+02:002014-07-03T23:21:04.060+02:00The evolution of liberty in a society doesn't ...The evolution of liberty in a society doesn't normally complete itself during periods of authoritarian government. Historically, the practice of self-rule through democratic governance was a necessary step is enabling the struggle for freedom to progress. The amount of freedom present in a society which has just shed centuries or more of dictatorship is naturally not going to be as high as one that has experienced democracy for a lengthy period of time. But even such a new democracy (including in the third world) will generally have a greater level of freedom than a modern or traditional autocracy. <br /><br />This is also a reason why a real constitution that actually can be used to protect freedom is an important component for political success. <br /><br />It takes some time for the population to adjust and start expanding self-rule (which is connected to the growth of liberty) but this cannot really be accomplished by an authoritarian system. Authoritarianism by nature requires repression and censorship of information. At some point, freedom can only progress through encouraging the general population to participate in their own governance. The countries that have the highest level of civil liberties at present had to go through lengthy struggles to reach the stage that they presently have attained. Orange Ketchuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147889868883061979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-85144781874387368532014-07-03T16:12:10.150+02:002014-07-03T16:12:10.150+02:00jason bury your head in shame. We are talking abo...jason bury your head in shame. We are talking about tony blair.....you can't twist the truth that much to make him look nice! Ask any Brit what they think of him (despise him) and ask any Pro Zionist Israeli (love him) or any pro peace Israeli (hate him).<br /><br />Latifanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-80762879431104377772014-07-03T15:25:51.081+02:002014-07-03T15:25:51.081+02:00Jason:
I think the theory is that democracy means...Jason:<br /><br />I think the theory is that democracy means freedom and human rights, and lack of democracy means lack of freedom of human rights. I disagree with that, because in the third world (and any place really) democracy gives the majority the right to tell the minority what they can do in their personal lives. For example, the majority in Egypt cannot allow civil liberties that contradict with Islam and the ancient views of the Coptic Orthodox church... in other words, no freedom, and no civil liberties. But that's the operating theory in Egypt and many countries, that democracy is a goal in itself regardless of the results, instead of just a tool to achieve freedom and civil liberties. So, when democracy in a place like Egypt contradicts with freedom and civil liberties, it doesn't matter, democracy has to stay... that's basically the theory.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-39909175215286181952014-07-03T07:07:34.994+02:002014-07-03T07:07:34.994+02:00What was it exactly that you disagreed with in Ton...What was it exactly that you disagreed with in Tony Blair's speeches? I watched all three clips and I couldn't find a single wrong or objectionable thing. Keep in mind he didn't, at the time he made those statements, know of the most recent developments in Iraq (no Status of Forces Agreement between the US and Iraq, ISIS on the rampage, etc.) as they postdate his speech. Blair seems to me like an honest man and a stand-up guy with a good moral compass.<br /><br />Zeinobia, you appear to take for granted that any rational Egyptian would prefer Saddam to al-Maliki. Why on Earth? Surely getting rid of a mass-murderer and his rape-hobbyist sons is a good thing even if the justification was imperfect? They lowered their political opponents slowly into tire shredders, you know. They displayed mercy by lowering them head first. Ooohh, I know why you prefer Saddam: It's because al-Maliki is a Shiite! Am I right? Shiites are not true Muslims.Jasonhttp://elnaschiewatch.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-60076331585796913312014-07-03T06:44:05.173+02:002014-07-03T06:44:05.173+02:00I am very surprised....
You are right in all your ...I am very surprised....<br />You are right in all your concern.<br />Tantay & El Sisi they still think we are under British occupatiom ????!<br /><br />In 2011 the British PM came tp Egypt (to visit Tantaway) with the presidents<br />of 8 British Arms factories (to fight the Revolution) !!!"""<br /><br />Now what is Tantawy's friend El Sissi want ???<br /><br />Why Egypt need foriegn advisers ???<br /><br />we have all the Qualifications<br /><br />Dr. Hamdy Youssef, Ph.D., P. Eng.<br /><br />Hamdyyoussef.blogspot.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10334486457590678486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8003335.post-3069378545838204042014-07-03T01:55:07.157+02:002014-07-03T01:55:07.157+02:00Sisi supporters love to claim that everyone else i...Sisi supporters love to claim that everyone else is a foreign agent, supposedly bought and paid for by foreign entities. However, not only is this a delusion, but it is the Sisi loons themselves that have the most extensive foreign patronage and propensity to sell themselves to foreign groups. <br /><br />Prior to July 3, 2013 (and after that date as well), it would have been very naïve to fail to grasp that Sisi and his sponsors have numerous and massive economic and political connections that were driving their agendas. The idea that the military or its front man are any kinds of "saviors" or heroes is just absurd hogwash. The Egyptian military aristocracy is much like the one in Thailand. Both are deeply beholden to unsavory foreign interests and both desire to keep their own countries in states of perpetual subjugation and exploitation so as to benefit an anti-liberty, anti-democratic political-military elite. Neither the Blair news nor the regime's use of the Falcon Group are surprising. There is so much more waiting to be discovered on this iceberg. <br /><br />The truth about Egypt's despotic elite is going to keep getting more and more obvious. Eventually, it will penetrate even the skulls of Sisi supporters that they have been duped, used, and discarded by people who are totally unworthy of their loyalty and allegiance. At that point, the Sisi regime will meet its end, though it may happen even before then. <br /><br />The notion that a police state is somehow stopping an Iraq scenario is just dumb propaganda. Not only is Egypt too different from Iraq for the comparison to hold well, but the claim actually contradicts the arguments of Sisi supporters. Authoritarianism and police state policies, fuel, aid, and abet militant insurgencies. Political extremism thrives in destitute and unfree places. <br /><br />Iraq also showcases the growing failures of Saudi foreign policy. Given the Sisi cult's love of Saudi Arabia, it is odd that they bring up cases which do not reflect well on their beloved ally. It is disgusting that Sisi prefers police states like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to democratic and free countries like Tunisia. <br /><br />In spite of Iran's problems, if a post-sanctions Iran emerges from the nuclear negotiations, it will look a whole lot more appealing that a more dictatorial Egypt that is spinning its wheels in economic terms. The arguments in the West in favor of defying the Gulf states/their Egypt vassal to reestablish relations with Iran will keep getting more powerful. Eventually, the voices espousing this course of action could well grow stronger than those of the political and economic entities that wish to keep the fate of the U.S. tied to monarchical and military dictatorships. Orange Ketchuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147889868883061979noreply@blogger.com