Islam and the Self-Determination Movements
For approximately a month before the "Arab Spring" I patiently read and the considered the thoughts of individuals on a robust Al-Qaeda forum discussing the imminent uprising in Egypt. The date had already been set and the general public remained unaware. But the vibrant geopolitical discussions sent signal which greatly increased my curiosity.
The date ( 25 January 2011), and the event at Tahrir Square which followed - had already been set in motion by Mohamed Bouazizi, an impoverished Tunisian street vendor who sat himself on fire. He became the emblem of a rallying cry across the Arab states. As I viewed a video of President Zine El Abidine Bin Ali leaving his turf with his aircraft laden with gold, his wife's hair was on fire. "Get on the airplane, you idiot!" The president was taking his time bidding farewell to a military general who accompanied him to the aircraft.
As a journalist, I am deeply interested in the thoughts of others. I am willing to remain seated, and "in the space" for prolonged periods of time in search for that one nugget of truth, that one sentence, which begins to untie a Gordian knot. In observing the political conversations on the aforementioned forum there is one thing which became apparent: In modernity and within well-established sovereign borders, Islam is dependent on both confederacy and large population masses to change political climate. These are the self determination movements of Islam. And they are dependent on a flank of civilian "human wedges" who both harbor and embolden the fighters. You can jail one hundred. You cannot jail 100,000.
More than a few of the 21st century upheavals are because of powerful and well-educated Muslim men who were born between the late 1930's to the beginning of 1960. That cry the mother heard at birth became the mature rallying cry of a new century. It has been a distinct pleasure, to share thoughts with some of these men. My life has been enriched.
https://thelastenglishprince.wordpress.com/2021/11/10/vyshinsky-in-the-sudan/
In small manner, we are to blame for some of the cluster f-cks. USAID has been used as carrot-stick to leverage favorable trade deals with impoverished nations. Loan packages rarely trickle down beyond a despot and his inner circle. In Africa in particular, the financial gain is shared within the family and clan of the tribe in power. So we find ourselves kicked out of Libya... fleeing the U.S. embassy in Sudan... and when the dust settles... the spirit of Gaddafi and of Al Bashir is resurrected in another man. Hemeti is al Bashir on steroids and what rises from the ashes of war is worse than what was reduced to ash.
We will deal - because we want the deal - because we don't want Russia or China to beat us to the table. The nations become awash in American cash. But the roads are never built, clinics not opened, schools provided in rural areas. We do not tie our loan agreements to ethical and measurable responsiveness on the receiving end. There is negligible benefit for the impoverished. We shake the taxpayer money tree. The criminals do not thank us.
So yes, we want your damn rare earth elements. We will pay dearly for the resource. But you, in return, must offer tangible benefits back to your constituents. We will dictate the disbursement in clear terms. But that is not the way we do business, now is it? We run our lemon-aid stands across the globe. The parched, remain parched. We need a more humane model of doing the work of the Republic.
So in the background, another confederacy; another self-determination movement begins to form. These should not always present as crimes against the state. Neither should not be viewed through the lens of agitation propaganda, although it exists. But agit-prop is not the primary driver. Loss of hope drives these movements.
Have you ever noticed that billionaires do not protest on the streets? smile
Post note:
Aware that a coup attempt was about to be quickly mounted in Sudan, this journalist sent out one message. Keep the children off the streets and indoors. Keep them in school because this is going to be ugly. The children were protected, our aspirations in the region collapsed, and it is just another damn day in Africa.
1300: Date corrected to 25 January 2011. I do not edit what I write because I merely post blogs as the thoughts come to me. It is a pleasure and not a task. smile Sorry for the incorrect timeline - just now noted. Tammy
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