An excellent exclamatory postscript to your praiseworthy book, Sir! Fine work. Each time I see my doctor at the VA hospital, the truth of what you write slaps me soundly in the face. No, Trump will not read this, or even get the message. His attention span is far too short to do either.
Attempting to analyze this fool would drive one unstable. I look forward to a new book entitled "Trump on the Couch" similar to the one authored on GWB when he was in office. Whew!
I always relish being informed, the process as well as the outcome. Your blog is a treasure for me to enjoy each day, helping me to stay abreast of the goings-on in the region I found so intriguing while living there in the '60s. Thanks, Dr. Cole, for your efforts. I am happy I was able to donate to the cause--it is so very important.
Excellent clarity, reason and content. I have struggled to put the pieces together exactly why I have always considered Daesh to be a historical incidental precipitated by the Bush Administration, its viceroy and associates' tearing apart of Iraq. May the pipe bombs be few.
My understanding is that the House of Saud is supplying arms to the opposition. They want badly to see the fall of the Shia Alawite regime to help weaken Iran's regional influence. It seems logical that this would be the case.
Dr. Cole's discussion of Shabiha's thuggery helping to diminish Assad's approval among his backers is encouraging. To expect Damascus business people to support the mass murder of women and children by government hirelings is rather stupid, which Assad is not. He is obviously desperate.
I don't see Al-Queda usurping the revolt from the true revolutionaries. Secularism is ingrained in Syrian society. Would Syrian's die by the thousands to remove the current police state, only to have it replaced with radical Islamist authoritarianism? It is unlikely, as Syrians are also smart.
The U.S. dog in the fight would fare better if State could get it's facts together. It does not help for SecState to complain about Russia delivering new choppers to Assad's forces when they were actually old, existing equipment refurbished in Syria. If one cries "wolf", then it better be an actual wolf, or we lose more legitimacy internationally. We should persist with as much humanitarian aid as is deliverable, preferably some of it in cash to keep the opposition afloat. The current situation is inhumane, so some of that floatation could mean an upgrade in arms from the Gulf or Saudi Arabia. We should feed our dog from a long distance, however.
The final vote count has not been determined (or announced), but unless there is a 11th hour shift favoring Mr. Shafiq, Dr. Cole's analysis seems quite sound and his projections on future dynamics of democracy formation in Egypt is thoughtfully logical. I think the critical unknowns of the cohabilitation issue are:
1) How inclined is Mr. Mursi to assume an autocratic stance regarding fundamentalist Sharia as the basis for Egyptian law? Did his exposure to the West during his university years influence his leanings toward or away from a secular, consititutional legal structure? How is he disposed to improve the economy, and deal with the dissatisfied majority that appears not to have voted this round?
2) How inclined is the SCAF to retain absolute authority in criminal and civil matters now that the consitution has been annuled? How much influence will they demand on its re-writing? Will they cause the presidency to be powerless, therefore useless?
I am not a doomsayer regarding these elections, however flawed. This is just the first round in the experiment.
An excellent exclamatory postscript to your praiseworthy book, Sir! Fine work. Each time I see my doctor at the VA hospital, the truth of what you write slaps me soundly in the face. No, Trump will not read this, or even get the message. His attention span is far too short to do either.
Attempting to analyze this fool would drive one unstable. I look forward to a new book entitled "Trump on the Couch" similar to the one authored on GWB when he was in office. Whew!
I always relish being informed, the process as well as the outcome. Your blog is a treasure for me to enjoy each day, helping me to stay abreast of the goings-on in the region I found so intriguing while living there in the '60s. Thanks, Dr. Cole, for your efforts. I am happy I was able to donate to the cause--it is so very important.
Excellent clarity, reason and content. I have struggled to put the pieces together exactly why I have always considered Daesh to be a historical incidental precipitated by the Bush Administration, its viceroy and associates' tearing apart of Iraq. May the pipe bombs be few.
My understanding is that the House of Saud is supplying arms to the opposition. They want badly to see the fall of the Shia Alawite regime to help weaken Iran's regional influence. It seems logical that this would be the case.
Dr. Cole's discussion of Shabiha's thuggery helping to diminish Assad's approval among his backers is encouraging. To expect Damascus business people to support the mass murder of women and children by government hirelings is rather stupid, which Assad is not. He is obviously desperate.
I don't see Al-Queda usurping the revolt from the true revolutionaries. Secularism is ingrained in Syrian society. Would Syrian's die by the thousands to remove the current police state, only to have it replaced with radical Islamist authoritarianism? It is unlikely, as Syrians are also smart.
The U.S. dog in the fight would fare better if State could get it's facts together. It does not help for SecState to complain about Russia delivering new choppers to Assad's forces when they were actually old, existing equipment refurbished in Syria. If one cries "wolf", then it better be an actual wolf, or we lose more legitimacy internationally. We should persist with as much humanitarian aid as is deliverable, preferably some of it in cash to keep the opposition afloat. The current situation is inhumane, so some of that floatation could mean an upgrade in arms from the Gulf or Saudi Arabia. We should feed our dog from a long distance, however.
The final vote count has not been determined (or announced), but unless there is a 11th hour shift favoring Mr. Shafiq, Dr. Cole's analysis seems quite sound and his projections on future dynamics of democracy formation in Egypt is thoughtfully logical. I think the critical unknowns of the cohabilitation issue are:
1) How inclined is Mr. Mursi to assume an autocratic stance regarding fundamentalist Sharia as the basis for Egyptian law? Did his exposure to the West during his university years influence his leanings toward or away from a secular, consititutional legal structure? How is he disposed to improve the economy, and deal with the dissatisfied majority that appears not to have voted this round?
2) How inclined is the SCAF to retain absolute authority in criminal and civil matters now that the consitution has been annuled? How much influence will they demand on its re-writing? Will they cause the presidency to be powerless, therefore useless?
I am not a doomsayer regarding these elections, however flawed. This is just the first round in the experiment.