Podcast: The Manchurian Candidate
Issandr El AmraniIn this week's podcast, we discuss the "Constitution First" vs. "Elections First" debate in Egypt and Sheikh al-Azhar's proposal, the silence surrounding Syria and Bahrain, the ADC's attempt to prevent Syrian artist Malek Jandani from playing a pro-uprising song and review the autobiography of Egyptian ex-Muslim Brother and presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, and wonder if he's really been kicked out of the group.
We're still working on getting iTunes to update the podcast, but remember you can always subscribe with iTunes (and other podcatcher software) by using this link. In iTunes just go to "Advanced / Subscribe to a podcast" and paste in the link.
Thanks for the feedback we've gotten (podcast[at]arabist.net), and please keep it coming! This is still a work in progress and we learn a lot from your input.
Links for this week's episode:
- AFP: Calls for mass rally to bring Egypt revolt 'back to basics'
- FT.com / Middle East / Politics & Society - Top Sunni body calls for democratic Egypt
- Syria Comment » Archives » Is Turkey a Shield? Assad to Speak about Reform on Monday
- ADC bans Syria freedom song - Blog - The Arabist
- Why the Muslim Brothers will brook no dissent
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Reader Comments (1)
I am not Arab, but I am a life long student of the human condition. And in regards to the constitution / election issue, I suggest the following. Every situation in life has an optimal operation, and a multitude of incompetent operations. And government is not different. In reality land, the government should be the organization that establishes the infrastructure for a country: the institutions and material substance that allows each person in that country to most effectively achieve his or her potential. Stated otherwise build and operate what free enterprise never does effectively.
But there is a problem. God created each human with a spirit, and a hardwired desire to master life: achieve optimal performance in the four major areas of life; activities done alone, work tasks, social encounters and religious activities. And God also gave each human free will; which ALL humans used to develop internally what I call a human-nature (from a religious view, a sinful-nature); out of which each person is motivated to believe he can be his own god (choose and control his own destiny), is lazy (loves easy ways and something for nothing), and assumes that "real" success involves accumulating much money (possessions and cash), power (able to control one's own situation and others), and fame (have a good reputation).
Another point. Each politician can only take actions that are consistent with the constituents of that politician.
Many of the people who attempt to form governments do so out of their human-natures (the majority not even consciously realizing that is so), and as a result take actions that produce governments that do not act as described above, but act in very different manners, often to the detriments of most of the residents of that country. Such was occurring in the Sadat through Mubarak times. But you have now had the Arab Spring, which I propose arose out of a desire of most Egyptians, for the first time in their country's multi-millennium history, to have the right to pursue what each person inwardly knows is right for her.
So there will be much changes, and much chaos, and much disruption. But eventually you will have in Egypt a government that operates as I described above. So work hard, and do not become cynics. But don't worry about whether elections or the constitution writing are first. In the long run it will not matter.
The comment that much more cohesiveness is possible in the opposition than when leading is very astute. And further, the information that much of the Muslim Brotherhood's youth did that because a means for political influence is great. Because that means that once Egypt is fully a free enterprise democracy, the percentage of Jihadi Islamists in the Egypt population will be roughly equal to the percentage of American White supremacists; in essence extremely negligible.
Finally, having listened to this week's podcast all the way through, you young Arab journalists are significantly more astute than your American peers, and have much more common sense. There is no equivalent in this country: almost all, if not all journalists, on the left or the right, or in the (what I consider the non-existent) center being talking heads, who solely express their personal political sphere's talking points. Not a smidgen of realistic rational analysis. Congratulations, and keep up the good work.