Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Peter Robinson ·
Feb 1, 2011 at 11:28am
Tomorrow I'll be recording a podcast on Egypt with Ricochet contributor Victor Davis Hanson.
If you have any questions for Victor--and, really, who wouldn't?--by all means feel free to pop them up right here.
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Jun '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Thank you, Peter, for the chance to chime in. I see modernity as the only antidote to radical Islam. So how do militant Muslims expect to turn back the clock even as modern communications provide Muslim populations with a full picture of the liberty and abundance that comes with embracing modernity?
May '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
If Egypt goes the way of an Islamic republic, does that mean an Islamic axis with Iran and, does that make a war between the West and a coalition of united, revanchist Islamic Arab states inevitable?
May '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
My question is: Aside from some tinkering with the optics of our response, is there anything we can really do to influence the outcome in Egypt? If Victor Davis Hanson were president today, what could he do to move things in a direction favorable to our geopolitical interests?
Sep '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Peter, I'd like to ask Victor about the Long Doctrine from last week's podcast, crudely paraphrased:
"Let's let them all go theocratic. The sooner the better. Then at least we'll have clarity and know who we're fighting against rather than having them all lurk in the shadows."
I raised some of this on another thread that Paul Rahe started and I wondered aloud why we go to the trouble of supporting bulwark regimes against Islamic takeover when we know from history that all of these regimes must eventually fall, with the US being tagged, without exception, as the Great Satan who helped the dictator oppress his people.
Your thoughts Victor?
May '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
I worry that no matter how it pans out, the treaty with Israel is going to be lost. What are the chances of soon having a Middle East unified against Israel with blood in their eye, (sans Iraq)
Jun '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Question: Should we choose a side to support, and if so, which side and for what reason?
Question: Why should we, as a country, care?
Democratic allies are important in this world. But Egypt is not really either of those things are they? And a change in power is unlikely to change either of those, correct? I suppose there are varying degrees of both, but how would one side's victory benefit us in any meaningful way.
Please excuse the sophomoric nature of the question, but, I'm a graduate student, that's my job. Should be no problem for Dr. Hanson as he likely has to routinely smack down such questions in class.
Jan '11
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
The Obama administration seems to be walking a fine line, saying little and adopting a "wait and see" approach; perhaps understandably. How far ahead of the curve should Obama and Clinton be? They were mostly mute on the protests in Iran. If the US government stays silent, and if things go terribly wrong (and there may no way to predict what that looks like), will Obama forever wear that lost opportunity?
May '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
What's the one thing that President Obama could do to avoid going down the same path (failure, American impotence, etc.) as Jimmeh Carter did? Not that he'll accept the counsel of Ricochetians, of course ...
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Thanks so much, Peter. Please give all our highest regards to the good Doctor.
If the Obama Doctrine is to stand aside as the enemies of liberty advance and to apologize to them if we ever failed to do so, could we be aiding the formation of an Axis of Oppression from North Africa to the South China Sea? If so, what are the implications of this for Israel and Taiwan?
Happy to have the chance to ask -- but sad at the prospect of ever posing such a question.
May '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
In what ways does instant technology of facebook/twitter change the ways that wars/revolutions are fought?
Sep '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
I agree completely.
May '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
For Dr. Hanson: Is the past secular cosmopolitanism of Cairo and parts of Egypt forever lost with subsequent generations of Wahhabist Islam? Additionally, are the Copts and other non-Muslims more prone to resistance or flight?
Jul '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
For VDH: If you were President of the United States today, what would you do differently with regard to Egypt and the Fertile Crescent?
Sep '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
I wonder if VDH sees any parallel between events in Egypt today and any particular event in ancient Greece or Rome and, if so, how did things turn out?
Dec '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
In 1956, Eisenhower betrayed Nasser by cancelling a grant promised for the Aswan Dam.
As a result—also by withholding funds—he then betrayed the Israelis who, with French and British troops, attempted a preemptive seizure of the Suez Canal to thwart Nasser’s nationalizing it in vengeance to Eisenhower’s earlier betrayal.
So today, can’t our historic first Islamic apostate president just do the same thing as Eisenhower—renege on our pledges to Egypt and Israel without disruption of access to the Suez Canal?
What has changed since 1956?
Sep '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Are there parallels with what happened in Iran in the late '70s and what is happening in Egypt now. Will the Brotherhood be able to take advantage of the chaos and civil unrest as did the Ayatollahs?
Is there a breaking point between Sunni and Shia populations? Will they turn on each other or will they collectively turn on the West?
Oct '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Sorry about his response..So much highminded banter here...Often shortsighted.
There is simply an Islamic push on to unite said countries and create a new bloc totally opposed to any Western influnece. Regulated and controlled by Islamic faith.
The question would be.. Should this come to pass, as the purpose is to destory the West by any means possible, where to go from here...
Do not kid yourselves...
Jul '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
Did we get our moneys worth?
Thanks Peter
Jan '11
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
1. What role do you see the military playing in both the short and long term?
2. Thoughts on Libya which is rarely referred to during this crisis.
Oct '10
Re: Questions on Egypt for Victor?
For all: For the last 30 or so years Islamism has been ascendant, and the Western powers have been tepid and uncertain in response. Egypt, being the largest Arab Muslim state, if it goes to the Muslim Brotherhood, will it be the tipping point? Can Jordan and perhaps Kuwait be expected to fall quickly into the fold? Will Indonesia then go?
Given that Islamists deal very harshly with those they have conquered, how long will it take for moderate Muslims to recognize that they have a means to survival that no one else has... they can join the winning side, either actively or by acquiescence?
Edited on Feb 1, 2011 at 2:14pm