Thursday, January 29, 2015

Why the Attempts to Bring Democracy to Middle-East Will Fail

I read recently (and, unfortunately, don't remember where) someone describe the basic hubris or conceit of Western intellectuals and politicians, including our last several presidents, as to foreign policy is the belief that everyone wants the same things we want, including freedom and democracy. Except it isn't true. From an article at The Independent:
A man was held down and beheaded for “insulting Allah” in the middle of a Syrian town by Isis fighters as he screamed for help from the silent crowd. 
Footage reportedly taken on Monday in the town of Al-Shadadi is the terror group’s latest show of brutality in its territories stretching from the Turkish border in Syria to northern Iraq. 
Details of the man’s crime were unknown but his death was staged for maximum exposure in a public square. 
A militant addressed the large crowd, which included children, as the man was restrained behind him claiming to carry out the “law of Allah” by executing him for allegedly insulting God. 
* * * 
One militant dropped his Kalashnikov as the man fought his captors for several minutes, eventually being pinned down by four men including one sitting on his back and pinning his arms behind him. 
When the executioner finally beheaded him with one blow of a sword, a roar went up from the crowd as militants chanted “Allahu akbar” (God is great) [sic].

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Weekend Reading -- A New Weekend Knowledge Dump

Greg Ellifritz has posted a new Weekend Knowledge Dump at his Active Response Training blog . Before I discuss some of his links, I want to ...