YNET NEWS: Op-ed: Like any good pyramid scheme, Mubarak’s weak regime looked sturdy from afarRiveted by the populist uprising now raging on the streets of the Arab world, one can't help being astonished by the events taking place in Egypt, the largest Arab state in the world. Until very recently, Egypt was considered by most Western political analysts as a dependable ally under Mubarak. But with events overrunning this narrative, Egypt stands at the brink of a new era in its governance. Whatever direction this popular revolt goes, the West can no longer ignore the fact that there’s a naked emperor in Cairo, nor pretend that the Arab masses are not relevant to the diplomatic equation.
What is clear to all sensible observers is that the reality of these nations (Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia) is that they are extremely vulnerable to public pressure; in today’s globalized world the precarious nature of these dictatorships are even more threatened. Astonishing as these events in Cairo have been to most, they should not be a surprise to everyone.
Like any good pyramid scheme, from afar Mubarak’s dictatorship looked sturdy, strong, and at times, well established. But as with any Ponzi scheme a closer look, and the tests of time and stress, have revealed a flimsy house of cards. In the land of the pyramids, where the greatest Ponzi scheme ever orchestrated is being unmasked in front of our eyes, the irony is unmistakable. And the biggest victims in this scheme's collapse are America and Israel.
On paper alone, the US has provided Mubarak with $60 billion in foreign assistance. Israel, on the other hand, forked over the Sinai, an invaluable strategic asset, in order to forge a supposedly enduring peace. But it is on the diplomatic front that both nations invested an incredible amount of political capital in their relationship with Mubarak, providing countless benefits in order to woo him to support the peace process and other initiatives of the West's drive to engage the Arab world. The list goes on, and as the uprising’s death toll rises, and the flames on Cairo's street burn with greater intensity, the jig is up and Israel and the West are scrambling. >>> Ariel Harkham | Wednesday, February 02, 2011
YNET NEWS: Israel left all alone: Op-ed: In wake of Egyptian uprising, Jewish state has been left without Mideastern allies >>> Itamar Eichner | Saturday, January 30, 2011
