From political scientist John M. Owen IV, at New York Times : Political Islam, especially the strict version practiced by Salafists in Egypt, is thriving largely because it is tapping into ideological roots that were laid down long before the revolts began. Invented in the 1920s by the Muslim Brotherhood, kept alive by their many affiliates and offshoots, boosted by the failures of Nasserism and Baathism, allegedly bankrolled by Saudi and Qatari money, and inspired by the defiant example of revolutionary Iran, Islamism has for years provided a coherent narrative about what ails Muslim societies and where the cure lies. Far from rendering Islamism unnecessary, as some experts forecast, the Arab Spring has increased its credibility; Islamists, after all, have long condemned these corrupt regimes as destined to fail. Liberalism in 19th-century Europe, and Islamism in the Arab world today, are like channels dug by one generation of activists and kept open, sometimes quietly, by future ones. When the storms of revolution arrive, whether in Europe or the Middle East, the waters will find those channels. Islamism is winning out because it is the deepest and widest channel into which today’s Arab discontent can flow. The implications of this are pretty dire, actually. Islamism is a destabilizing force for international relations. It rejects the legitimacy of the status quo and will work to topple it. But RTWT for context. Owen makes an interesting argument, despite the troubling implications of the analysis.
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Why Islamism Is Winning
AP – The White House says the decision by an international court to issue arrest warrants for Moammar Gadhafi is yet one more indication that the Libyan leader has lost his legitimacy.
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White House: warrants show Gadhafi not legitimate
(AP)
U.S. lawmakers staked out starkly different positions Tuesday on the legitimacy of the American intervention in Libya, suggesting more legislative challenges are ahead in a debate the White House had hoped to put to rest.
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Libya War-Funding Fight Escalates
There’s a big long post at NewsBusters , ” NBC’s Lauer Claims Breitbart Violated Conservative Principles by Breaking Weiner Story .” The full clip is at Big Government, ” Breitbart on TODAY: Big Gov’t Publisher Tells the Incredible Story Behind the Weiner Presser .” Watch how hesitant Matt Lauer is to credit Breitbart with legitimacy and vindication. He tries to trip up Breitbart as a conservative hypocrite. And at New York Times , ” A Conservative Blogger Looks for Legitimacy .”
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Breitbart on ‘The Today Show’
AP – The Obama administration is edging closer to calling for an end to the long rule of the Assad family in Syria. Administration officials said Tuesday that the first step would be to say for the first time that President Bashar Assad has forfeited his legitimacy to rule, a major policy shift that would amount to a call for regime change that has questionable support in the world community.
Reuters – The United States imposed sanctions on the Libyan government on Friday and said the legitimacy of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had been “reduced to zero.”
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U.S. hits Libya with sanctions, shuts embassy
(Reuters)
Reuters – The United States imposed sanctions on the Libyan government on Friday and said the legitimacy of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had been “reduced to zero.”
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U.S. hits Libya with sanctions, shuts embassy
(Reuters)
