Egyptian democracy is like a tiger or something
Whenever anyone asked me what I saw in Tahrir Square during that original revolution, I told them I saw a tiger that had been living in a 5-by-8 cage for 60 years get released. And there are three things I can tell you about the tiger: 1) Tiger is never going back in that cage; 2) Do not try to ride tiger for your own narrow purposes or party because this tiger only serves Egypt as a whole; 3) Tiger only eats beef. He has been fed every dog food lie in the Arabic language for 60 years, so don’t try doing it again…
The wild street demonstrations here — for and against the constitution — tell me one thing: If it is just jammed through by Morsi, Egypt will be building its new democracy on a deep fault line. It will never be stable. Egypt is thousands of years old. It can take six more months to get its new constitution right.
God is not going to save Egypt. It will be saved only if the opposition here respects that the Muslim Brotherhood won the election fairly — and resists its excesses not with boycotts (or dreams of a coup) but with better ideas that win the public to the opposition’s side. And it will be saved only if Morsi respects that elections are not winner-take-all, especially in a society that is still defining its new identity, and stops grabbing authority and starts earning it. Otherwise, it will be all fall down.
Blowback
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Tom Friedman is like a cockroach or something.
NotCoach on December 12, 2012 at 10:06 PM
Friedman?
Obligatory!
Valkyriepundit on December 12, 2012 at 10:09 PM
I love this particular affectation of the idiot jet-set.
The fact that a rough designation of borders has managed to keep roughly the same name does not mean it has ancient roots. My particular favorite is the way they talk about Paris or Amsterdam as an ancient city that has seen places like America come and seen them go. Meanwhile, in the real world, Paris has literally ceased to exist under its own recognizance twice last century, and kept
The society now inhabiting Egypt has little in common with the forcibly moderated Muslim subjects of the Ottoman Emperor who lived there a century ago, slightly more in common with the savages who pillaged and plundered in the name of their prophet a millennium before, next to nothing with the Egyptians who lived under the thumb of the Romans, and less than nothing with the pagan subjects of the Pharaoh who built the pyramids.
HitNRun on December 12, 2012 at 10:10 PM
A paper tiger that is run by MB, the Moose Bull.
tommy71 on December 12, 2012 at 10:15 PM
This is so deep, Tom.
Bishop on December 12, 2012 at 10:16 PM
Since Friedman thinks we should be like China, I guess he thinks China has “earned” its authority.
Bitter Clinger on December 12, 2012 at 10:19 PM
Now what will Friedman do?
Schadenfreude on December 12, 2012 at 11:19 PM
Remember this conflict has nothing to do with Islam except that the ruling party is called the Muslim Brotherhood and they are trying to ram through a constitution that will give Muslim clerics judicial powers.
But Friedman assures us it has nothing to do with Islam….
William Eaton on December 12, 2012 at 11:38 PM
You lack the insight of reality Tom. Your assurances are based on ignorance and how you feel about things. Pap for tards Tommy, pap for tards.
BL@KBIRD on December 13, 2012 at 12:24 AM
Musical video commentary
Shy Guy on December 13, 2012 at 4:22 AM