Pity the Arabs. Non Arab neighbors just keep using our causes to expand their influence in the region.
Populism in the Arab world is second nature and despite its disastrous track record, it never seems to go out of fashion. Non-Arab regional players like Iran have understood this and have cynically used populism to their advantage.
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What the flotilla episode reaffirmed was the ease with which the Arabs can be used as instruments for the projection of power by the region’s non-Arab powers and traditional centers of regional influence, such as Turkey and Iran.
Meanwhile, we cheer..
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Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
I have a gripe with this kind of analysis and Tony’s general writings. Of course it highlights the weakness of the Arabs to address their own concerns…
…on the other hand, I’m happy to have Turkey and Iran voice our frustrations in return for influence in the region… as opposed to the US, which doesn’t do that yet still imposes on Arab nations in the way it does. What do we get out of the US? Certainly not diplomatic or material support against Israel.