The bankers’ budget

The bankers’ budget

The stock market panic and the call for strong government

The stock market panic and the call for strong government

Knowlegde to the Highest Bidder

The new harsh Realities of Education in Ghana

this is an up and coming article on educationan in Ghana.

Middle East and North African Crisis and The US Reponse

TRUE DEMOCRACY OR NATIONAL INTEREST?
The current upheavals in the Maghreb and the Middle east clearly shows the quandary in which many of the western capitals have dug themselves in over the years.After proping up unrepresentative repressive regimes over the years all in the name of promoting their national interst and ensuring stability in a volatile region while preaching openness freedom and democracy to all bu those regimes- their friends in the region-  the chickens seem to have finally come home to roost.

One of their chummy tyrannical allies has fallen and fled to Saudi Arabia even though all indications points to the fact that they still have a sympathetic cabal in place in Tunisia. Even though the ordinary people who brought down the western backed leader have not given up the revolution. Many western capitals were absolutely shocked at what happened a couple of weeks ago in Tunisia. Now what faces the western nations is even a bigger problem; their closest and strongest ally Egypt is in the middle of an unprecedented revolution.

No matter what happens the country will never be the same again and certainly the relationship with the west especially the US will not be as it was before the revolution. These protests are as much against the ruling class in Egypt as it is against the major western powers especially the US. At the moment there is as much apprehension in Washington and Jerusalem as there is in Cairo.There is more at stake than the leadership and politics of one country.What is at stake is the future of American influence in the region and more importantly the future of Israel.

After propping up the repressive government that has ruled the country under emergency rule for over two decades , most of people outside the ruling class are alienated and even feels hostile to the western nations. These abuses were tolerated primarily because the Egyptian Government claimed any reforms that leads to democracy will inevitably lead to the transfer of power to more radical groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

What is refreshing is that there very little involvement of any religious organization much less an extremist religious group in the Egypt protests. It was the case in tunisia and up till now there is no indication that there will be any religious element.

Now ,it is decision time in many western capitals. many of the leaders are afraid of what will come next if Mubarak falls however they are savvy enough not to appear to be on the wrong side when the history of this revolution is written in years to come. Their hypocrisy has caught up with them and any bad move will cost them dearly in a region that occupies a great importance in their foreign policy.