Posted on 03/22/2011 7:22:34 AM PDT by Academiadotorg
A Georgetown professor debates himself and both sides of the debate lose. “The Arab world’s unrest has brought forth gushing, rather adolescent analysis about what the region will look like a year or more hence,” Michael Scheuer writes. “Americans have decided that these upheavals have everything to do with the advent of liberalism, secularism, and Westernization in the region and that Islamist militant groups like al-Queada have been sidelined by the historically inevitable triumph of democracy—a belief that sounds a bit like the old Marxist-Leninist claptrap about iron laws of history and communism’s inexorable triumph.”
Scheuer, the author of a book on Osama bin Laden, is an adjunct professor of security studies at Georgetown. “How has this judgment been reached?” he asks of the Western elite’s view of Arab revolts. “Primarily by disregarding facts, logic, and history, and instead relying on (a) the thin veneer of young, educated, pro-democracy, and English-speaking Muslims who can be found on Facebook and Twitter and (b) the employees of the BBC, CNN, and most other media networks, who have suspended genuine journalism in favor of cheerleading for secularism and democracy on the basis of a non-representative sample of English-speaking street demonstrators and users of social networking sites.”
This is not an indefensible view. Unfortunately, Scheuer offers no evidence to support it. Before he can, his is off to the races in a different direction.
“No regime run by the Muslim Brotherhood would look like Canada, but it would be significantly less oppressive that those run by the al-Sauds and Mubarak,” Scheuer asserts. “This is not to say it would be similar to or more friendly to the West—neither will be the case—but in terms of respecting and addressing basic human concerns they will be less monstrous.”
(Excerpt) Read more at academia.org ...
another useless professor
Useless and receiving an absolutely (you can bet) princely salary!!
In the battle of wits, he showed up unarmed.
“another useless professor”
Can’t think of a more productive use of his time.
Subtitle: Arguing with an idiot.
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