For a Genius, Condoleezza Rice not making much sense

She served for four years as George W. Bush's National Security Advisor, another four as his Secretary of State; she had been Provost at Stanford, and is an extremely accomplished pianist. By all accounts, Condoleezza Rice is widely accepted as a genius.

So why on earth is she advocating for what would inevitably lead to Muslim Brotherhood control of Syria? After reading her recent op-ed in the Washington Post, there really is no gray area about where she stands, though as a seasoned diplomat, she does her level best to massage her message. Her position is that Assad must fall and Syria must not be allowed to fall into the hands of Iranian control.

Via WaPo:

The fragile state structure of the Middle East has been held together for decades by monarchs and dictators. But as the desire for freedom has spread from Tunis to Cairo to Damascus, authoritarians have lost their grip. The danger now is that the artificial states could fly apart.

What Rice avoids saying is breathtaking. Whatever desire there is for freedom in the Middle East is being snuffed out by new, religious tyrants who are filling the vacuum left by those "monarchs" and "dictators". Simply put, in every country where the 'Arab Spring' has been successful at removing dictators, things have gotten much worse. Egypt's new Muslim Brotherhood leader is consolidating power and that country is increasingly on the brink of civil war; Libya may have elected a secular government but make no mistake; al-Qaeda is calling the shots. Yemen, Tunisia, et. al. are all seeing similar outcomes.

Therefore, why would Rice think Syria would be any different?

Perhaps the answer lies in the very next paragraph:

In Iraq, after overthrowing Saddam Hussein, the United States hoped that a fledging multi-ethnic, multi-confessional democracy could do what authoritarians could not: give all of these groups a stake in a common future. To an extent it has, with elections repeatedly producing inclusive governments. But the institutions are young and fragile, and they are groaning under the weight of the region’s broader sectarian explosion. The conflict in Syria is pushing Iraq and others to the breaking point. At the same time, U.S. disengagement has tempted Iraqi politicians to move toward sectarian allies for survival. If Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki cannot count on the Americans, he will take no risks with Tehran.

Note how Rice comes precariously close to admitting that going into Iraq was a mistake but qualifies it by implying that more time is needed. The notion that the Syrian conflict is pushing Iraq to the "breaking point" is a bit of an exercise in denial. Make no mistake; Iran has all but annexed Iraq and for Rice to assert anything to the contrary presupposes that the Bush strategy still has a chance. It was doomed to failure when the foundation for the new Iraqi constitution was Sharia law; it was a soft surrender.

As Rice points out, Iraq is 65% Shiite; so is al-Maliki Shiite. Counting on Americans would have involved a Constitution that did not have Sharia law. Assuming that al-Maliki was ever interested in true freedom in Iraq, such interest was snuffed out at that point because it meant the Americans could not be counted on.

Rice runs into another problem. Note I did say she only came "precariously close" to admitting failure. Opining that the United States should not support the ouster of Assad would be an admission of failure in Iraq and inconsistent with the broader strategy of her boss, because it would mean that the perceived liberation of people who are ruled by a dictator can lead to greater enslavement, which it has in Iraq, Gaza, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, et. al. Rice almost has to support Assad's overthrow at this point. Advocating the opposite would torpedo the Bush doctrine of democratization in the Middle East.

Comparing Iran to Karl Marx seems to be an attempt - in part - to liken the former to the United States' cold war nemesis. Take note of her reference to a "theocratic flag" and where it flies:

Today’s Karl Marx is Iran. It envisions the spread of its influence among Shiites, uniting them under the theocratic flag of Tehran — destroying the integrity of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon. Iran uses terrorist groups, Hezbollah and the Shiite militias in southern Iraq to do its bidding. Syria is the linchpin, the bridge into the Arab Middle East. Tehran no longer hides the fact that its security forces are working in Syria to prop up Assad. In this context, Tehran’s sprint toward a nuclear weapon is a problem not just for Israel but the region as a whole.

Few would argue that there are easy answers in the Middle East but Rice seems to be falling into the same trap that so many westerners do. While being rightfully concerned about Iran, there is this inexplicable underestimation of Turkey, which continues to be wrongly viewed as an ally of the West. In reality, Turkey has been making more gains than Iran, in many ways. With every Muslim Brotherhood victory, Turkey is secretly emboldened and its lustful eye for a reestablished Ottoman empire waters a little more with increased anticipatory desire.

While Rice rightfully bemoans the Shia's "theocratic flag of Tehran", she ignores the "theocratic flag" that is being planted all over the Middle East as Turkey quietly sees those flags as representing a resurrected empire in the near future.

Rice continues...

In recent days, France, Britain and Turkey have stepped into the diplomatic vacuum to recognize a newly formed opposition that is broadly representative of all Syrians. The United States should follow their lead and then vet and arm the unified group with defensive weapons on the condition that it pursues an inclusive post-Assad framework. The United States and its allies should also consider establishing a no-fly zone to protect the innocent. America’s weight and influence are needed. Leaving this to regional powers, whose interests are not identical to ours, will only exacerbate the deepening sectarianism.

Certainly there are risks. After more than a year of brutal conflict, the most extreme elements of the opposition — including al-Qaeda — have been empowered. Civil wars tend to strengthen the worst forces. The overthrow of Assad could indeed bring these dangerous groups to power.

But the breakdown of the Middle East state system is a graver risk. Iran will win, our allies will lose, and for decades the region’s misery and violence will make today’s chaos look tame.

It is simply breathtaking to consider that someone of Rice's intellect does not understand the Islamist nature and goals of Turkey's leadership. She then talks about aligning with them and arming the Syrian rebels but under the condition that there is a post-Assad framework and that the rebels who are armed can be trusted (because that's worked out so well to this point).

Then, she demonstrates an unbelievable amount of naiveté relative to history, both old and recent, when she says that the breakdown of the Middle East state system is a graver risk than the Muslim Brotherhood groups ultimately taking control of Syria. If she was truly interested in preserving the "state system", Assad is the better option.

Does she not know that it is Turkey which desires the dissolution of every nation that has fallen to the Brotherhood?  That would also include Syria if Assad falls.

Rice's former boss - George W. Bush - communicated a similar embrace of the 'Arab Spring' in an op-ed he wrote for the Wall Street Journal last May.

For Rice or Bush to admit the truth would require them to admit failure, which they're obviously not willing to do.

Unfortunately, not doing so smacks of both pride an foolishness.

Newt calls Palestinians an 'Invented People,' Palestinians Respond

One of the knocks on Newt Gingrich is that he's undisciplined. Consequently, he says and does things that leave people either cheering or scratching their heads. How else can one explain his willingness to sit on a love seat with Nancy Pelosi for an ad on climate change? Recently, Newt referred to the Palestinians as an 'invented people.'

Before getting to the Arab response, here is the video via MediaIte:

Apparently, the Palestinians consider Newt a racist after those comments.

Via CNN:

Senior Palestinian leaders on Saturday strongly criticized comments by Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich that the Palestinians are an "invented" people, calling the comments ignorant and racist.

Top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said the Gingrich remark was "the most racist statement I've ever seen."

Erakat, who has negotiated in talks with Israel and the United States, said the remarks show "how really despicable things can get" in American politics.

"Such thinking should be an alarm and concern for the world," Erakat said.
Gingrich made the comments in an interview that aired Friday with The Jewish Channel, a U.S. cable channel.

Apparently, in the minds of the Palestinian leadership, hating the Jews is not racist.

h/t Weasel Zippers

Turkey and Egypt Linking up?

Turkey has almost been flying under the radar when it comes to its role in the Middle East. An Islamist government took power there nearly ten years ago and for all intents and purposes, has taken control of the military. It's not a secular ally of the west anymore and hasn't been for some time. Yet, it's potentially the most dangerous nation in the Islamic world right now. It's at least running neck and neck with Iran. This report that Turkey is now seeking an alliance with the post-Mubarak Egypt only further validates these claims.

Via New York Times:

ANKARA, Turkey — A newly assertive Turkey offered on Sunday a vision of a starkly realigned Middle East, where the country’s former allies in Syria and Israel fall into deeper isolation, and a burgeoning alliance with Egypt underpins a new order in a region roiled by revolt and revolution.

The portrait was described by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey in an hourlong interview before he was to leave for the United Nations, where a contentious debate was expected this week over a Palestinian bid for recognition as a state. Viewed by many as the architect of a foreign policy that has made Turkey one of the most relevant players in the Muslim world, Mr. Davutoglu pointed to that issue and others to describe a region in the midst of a transformation. Turkey, he said, was “right at the center of everything.”

He declared that Israel was solely responsible for the near collapse in relations with Turkey, once an ally, and he accused Syria’s president of lying to him after Turkish officials offered the government there a “last chance” to salvage power by halting its brutal crackdown on dissent.

Strikingly, he predicted a partnership between Turkey and Egypt, two of the region’s militarily strongest and most populous and influential countries, which he said could create a new axis of power at a time when American influence in the Middle East seems to be diminishing.

“This is what we want,” Mr. Davutoglu said.

There is another point of view being vindicated as we watch these events unfold and it says that the Muslim Brotherhood, formed in Egypt, was created to reinstated the Turkish Ottoman Empire. This development is a clear step in that direction. The next step will be for Turkey to basically annex Egypt, which is the process of being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. Ditto for Libya and Tunisia, other countries we are sure to see Turkey establish relations with, in much the same way it's doing with Egypt.

One man who has been loudly and boldly predicting all this for years now was a Muslim Brotherhood activist himself. Despite media attempts to smear him, Walid Shoebat has been right on target to this point.

h/t Drudge

Why the 9/11 Truthers Love Ron Paul

If Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) ever admitted to being a 9/11 truther himself, his presidential goose would officially be cooked. I'm not postulating that he believes that the United States brought down the World Trade Center towers but a significant contingent of his followers believe that. In fact, this weekend, Paul seemed to meet the truthers half way by blaming the United States for the attacks. Truthers LOVE that kinda talk. It's their red meat and it's eerily similar to liberal groupthink.

Via the Des Moines Register:

Two weeks away from the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul says that U.S. intervention in the Middle East is a main motivation behind terrorist hostilities toward America, and that Islam is not a threat to the nation.

At a campaign stop on Saturday in Winterset, one man asked Paul how terrorist groups would react if the U.S. removed its military presence in Middle Eastern nations, a move the candidate advocates.

“Which enemy are you worried that will attack our national security?” Paul asked.

“If you’re looking for specifics, I’m talking about Islam. Radical Islam,” the man answered.

“I don’t see Islam as our enemy,” Paul said. “I see that motivation is occupation and those who hate us and would like to kill us, they are motivated by our invasion of their land, the support of their dictators that they hate.”

I've never looked into Paul's take on whether World War I was justified but the reason the Muslim Brotherhood wants to destroy western civilization has nothing to do with our foreign activities in Muslim lands; it has everything to do with reestablishing the Islamic caliphate known as the Ottoman Empire that the US helped to dismantle after the first World War.

On domestic policy, Ron Paul is Jekyll. On foreign policy, he is Hyde and the Truthers LOVE that 'Hyde side.'

h/t GWP

Hamas Congratulates Libyan Rebels... In Arabic

Well, well. It looks like Hamas is one group that is thrilled with the overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi. A poster on Free Republic is reporting that on Al Jazeera's Arabic site, there is a ticker in Arabic that, when translated, expresses congratulations on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood group (Hamas) for the rebels' overthrow of Tripoli. Couple this bit of news with the revelation that the new 'Draft Constitution' includes Sharia Law in the foundation of a new Libyan government and we continue to see that the Obama administration is furthering the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that wants to destroy the United States from within (per its own internal documents).

The translation of the ticker, via Free Republic:

"Hamas issues statement congratulations rebels on seizing (sic) Tripoli and hopes it ushers in a new era of history for Libya". (paraphrase)

It looks like John McCain and Hamas have something in common. Both view the Libyan rebels as 'heroes.'

Oh, just as a refresher, here's the portion of the 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document relative to objectives in the United States:

The process of settlement is a "Civilization-Jihadist Proecess" with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim's destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who chose to slack. But, would the slackers and the Mujahedeen be equal.

I know I put this video on the last post but I just can't resist doing it again.

Fast forward to 1:40 mark to see what I mean:

Libya Falls, Now What?

Now that it appears the Gadhafi regime in Libya is coming to a close, let's take inventory of the Arab Spring, which started with Tunisia, a small North African country to Libya's west. Dictator Ben Ali fails to beat back the uprising there and flees the country on January 14, 2011. Soon thereafter, a similar uprising takes place in Egypt with Tahrir Square in Cairo serving as the epicenter of activity. With the help of the liberal media - along with the Obama administration - Hosni Mubarak steps down on February 11, 2011. Then NATO set it sights on Libyan strongman, Muammar Gadhafi, in an undeclared war backed by the Obama administration. To be fair, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) referred to the rebels as 'my heroes.' Though Gadhafi's forces put up more of a fight than Obama probably expected or liked, he surrendered on August 22, 2011.


Now what? As Libya no longer requires NATO support against Gadhafi, and the US is not likely interested in more nation building, watch for our diplomatic, political, and even some military resources to re-focus on Syria, where dictator Bashar al-Assad is facing an uprising of his own. Though the 'Arab Spring' is taking place all over the Middle East, those interested in furthering it are likely going to look for the regimes most vulnerable at any given time. This is clearly the case in Syria, which is dealing with two separate opposition groups that seek the overthrow of Assad. One is the pro-democracy Syrian opposition and the other is the Muslim Brotherhood, which is either seizing or has seized control in the other three countries mentioned.

According to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), the Obama administration has chosen to back the Muslim Brotherhood forces. US Senators McCain, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), have all publicly endorsed Obama's support for Assad's ouster but seem to be either ignorant of or unconcerned with what will replace him.

There is another country at the center of all of this that seems to be escaping scrutiny. In fact, Turkey, which is now ruled completely by Islamists, is sitting back and reveling in all of these nation states coming to them. The United States, in supporting these uprisings is actually doing Turkey's bidding for nothing in return except a larger debt and a much greater long term threat. When one looks at the history of the Muslim Brotherhood, it was formed in 1928 for one reason - to reestablish the Ottoman Empire, which was based in what is modern day Turkey. Even the liberal LA Times admits this.

This is something former Muslim Brotherhood activist Walid Shoebat has been preaching for nearly a decade now. Turkey has the second-largest military in NATO and the US is the first but we are actually dwindling our resources as a result of reckless spending and wars that actually further the cause of the Muslim Brotherhood and, by extension, Turkey.

Again, why are almost all of the Obama administration's foreign policy decisions in line with the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood, to include our insane deficit spending? We know there are Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers in this administration but we don't know how many. The more we push the Brotherhood's agenda, the more we need to find out.

Timelines for Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.

Syrian Expert: Assad Will Fall, Muslim Brotherhood will Take Over

Like the situation that's taking place in Libya, Americans have grown to despise Syria's leader. On its face, the toppling of Gadhafi and Bashar Assad appears to be welcome news. In actuality, it would be if the vacuum left by both tyrants were to be filled with someone better. Unfortunately, as the dominoes fall, the entity poised to fill that vacuum is much, much worse. In Libya, the Obama administration is facilitating it and even has the support of the likes of John McCain, who is obviously ignorant of the true enemy the west faces - the Muslim Brotherhood.

IPT reports that an expert from Syria seems certain Assad will fall and the Brotherhood will take over:

The wave of unrest sweeping Syria will drive President Bashar Assad from power and severely weaken the Islamist regime in Tehran, a prominent dissident predicts. "It is a certainty the Assad regime will fall," said Farid Ghadry, president of the Reform Party of Syria (RPS).

Ghadry, currently living in the United States, closely monitors the situation in his native land through a network of contacts there. He said his organization is getting reports that Syrian security men appear tired and demoralized and have reached "levels of mental and physical fatigue they are not prepared for."

Syrian forces killed as many as 40 people during weekend clashes and human rights groups say the total death toll during three months of unrest is more than 1,100 people. A new online video shows Syrian soldiers joking over the bodies of some of those killed."Your father told you to watch out," one soldier says over the body of someone with a head wound, "but you didn't."

The United States continues to implement policies that fuel an enemy we won't identify.

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry does not mince words about the Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks to dominate the opposition movement in Syria. He notes that U.S. policy may be helping the Brotherhood's efforts to marginalize non-Islamist opposition to Assad. According to WikiLeaks, since 2005 between $6 million and $12 million in U.S. funds went to Syrian opposition groups. Much of this money went to the Movement For Justice and Development in Syria (MJD), an organization reportedly headed by former Muslim Brotherhood members.

The mother ship for the Muslim Brotherhood - as Walid Shoebat has been saying for years - is Turkey. That is where it seeks to centralize its power in the form of an Islamic caliphate. After all, that's where the last one existed - the Ottoman Empire. Turkey and Iran are jockeying for the most power. The former wants the Brotherhood to take over Syria while the latter wants to keep Assad in charge.

What does it mean when a group like the Muslim Brotherhood takes control of sovereign nations? The answer is more power under one Islamic umbrella. That's what is happening before our very eyes and we have leaders who are either in on it or literally too stupid to recognize it.

Read it all.

Report: Turkey's Prime Minister has ties to Muslim Brotherhood Leader

The facts surrounding this 'Arab Spring' in the Middle East warrant a look at an extremely important premise. That premise is as follows: The Muslim Brotherhood is working hand-in-glove with the Turkish government and is actively supporting the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Once enough of the governments in these Muslim nations fall, Turkey will move in to restore the Islamic Caliphate that was the Ottoman Empire. Those pieces are falling into place almost daily.

The latest example that supports such a premise comes courtesy of the Syrian ambassador to Turkey, Nidal Kabalan, who is expressing extreme concern over the relationship between a Muslim Brotherhood leader - Gazi Misirli - and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose government is siding with the participants in Syria's uprisings, which have the support of the Muslim Brotherhood, as they did in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Turkey has also been publicly attacking Syria for how it's been dealing with protesters.

Hurriyet Daily News via GMDR:

"I think Turkey has been trying to play a role, maybe which in principle has a good intention, but the Muslim Brotherhood, those who have taken part in armed operations against the Syrian army in 1980s, have Syrian blood on their hands," Kabalan said.

---

"The Muslim Brotherhood has been attacking the army. You have to understand that sensitivity." Kabalan said the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood had been engaged in dialogue with the Syrian government, but added that he was talking about the military wing of the group.

Kabalan then expressed concern over Misrili's relationship with Erdogan:

“At the gathering in Istanbul a press conference was held by Riad al-Shaqfa, a mentor of the Muslim Brotherhood. It was carried live on Al Jazeera – an unwelcome development, I have to be honest. We did not like it. You should not give a platform to people with blood on their hands,” he said.

“The issue is who is meeting and what the decisions are. If it was a meeting to initiate a peaceful constructive dialogue with the country, it was not a problem,” Kabalan added.

The meeting was organized under the auspices of the Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, or MÜSİAD, but the financer and the real organizer was Gazi Mısırlı, one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and a Syrian who has been living in Turkey with Turkish citizenship, Kabalan said.

“When President al-Assad came to Istanbul [in 2009], Mr. Erdoğan introduced this guy and said, ‘Please, my brother Bashar, help this man.’ Mısırlı is the financer of most of the actions,” the ambassador said. “He was welcomed by Bashar al-Assad personally to go back to Syria. This was 1.5 years ago, and he did not give one single answer.”

GMBDR also links to an Israeli report that even further validates the claims of the Syrian diplomat. In it, Misrili is shown to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Europe.

Read GMBDR's take.

New York Times Fluff Piece on the Coming Caliphate

Talk about putting a positive spin on something very ominous for western civilization. Anthony Shadid has a piece in the New York Times with the title: 'Can Turkey Unify the Arabs?' When translated into English (from New York Times' liberal tripe), Shadid is really asking if Turkey can restore the Ottoman Empire. The reality is that the 'Arab Spring' the left wing media and Obama administration is fawning over is making that restoration a very real possibility. Once you get past the sappy personal interest story Shadid embeds in his article, there are some telling signs revealed, with NYT spin, of course. Beneath each relevant excerpt is my translation.

Via NYT:

As the Arab world beyond the border struggles with the inspirations and traumas of its revolution — a new notion of citizenship colliding with the smaller claims of piety, sect and clan — something else is percolating along the old routes of that empire, which spanned three continents and lasted six centuries before Ataturk brought it to an end in 1923 with self-conscious revolutionary zeal.

Translation: as the 'Arab Spring' rages, Turkey is gaining more power and Islamist support.

Even amid the din of the upheaval in the Arab world, that new sense of belonging represents a more pacific and perhaps more powerful undertow pulling in directions that call into question more parochial notions. The undertow intersects with the Arab revolution’s search for a new sense of self; it also builds on economic forces now reconnecting an older imperium, as well as on Turkey’s new dynamism and on efforts to bring reality to what has long been nostalgia.

Translation: I have no idea.

“The normalization of history,” proclaims the Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, whose government has tried to reintegrate the region by lifting visa requirements and promoting a Middle Eastern trade zone, as it deploys its businessmen along the old routes and exports Turkey’s pop culture to an eager audience.

“None of the borders of Turkey are natural,” he went on. “Almost all of them are artificial. Of course we have to respect them as nation-states, but at the same time we have to understand that there are natural continuities. That’s the way it’s been for centuries.”

Translation: going back to the way things were is really what's best for the world. We want an Islamic Caliphate / Ottoman Empire like we had before. There were no borders. We were all part of the Islamic order. To get back to that, we're lifting travel restrictions.

THE DRAWING OF 20TH-CENTURY BORDERS rendered traumas large and small. Sectarian and ethnic cleansing after World War I rid Turkey and Greece of much of their diversity. The horrors of nationalism and the Holocaust made Salonica, a celebrated melting pot, unrecognizable in its modern incarnation. Even history’s footnotes were rewritten.

Translation: That Islamic Caliphate we had never should have been dismantled. Doing so has caused such a mess. By the way, the 'holocaust' mentioned there is NOT meant to be interpreted as the Armenian holocaust perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against the Armenians; if you ask the Turks, it didn't take place.

No one in Marjayoun would necessarily pine for the days of the Ottoman rulers… Yet more than a few in Marjayoun today might express a nostalgia for the time and place the Ottoman Empire represented, when Marjayoun’s traders ventured to Arish on the coast of the Sinai Peninsula and down the Nile to Sudan, by way of Palestine.

Translation: If we actually SAY we want the return of the Ottoman Empire, there will be unnecessary attention paid to such words. We'll just subtly express 'nostalgia' for it.

Just as Arab nationalism still runs run deep, with the fate of Palestine its axis, so does Turkish nationalism, which includes a sense that the country deserves a role in the region, and beyond that at least echoes of its Ottoman age. The more sophisticated Turks dismiss charges of a new rationale for Turkish imperialism and call the goal instead a peaceful partnership that might look like the free-trade zone that presaged the European Union after World War II.

“It’s been almost 100 years that we’ve been separated by superficial borders, superficial cultural and religious borders, and now with the lifting of visas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, we’re lifting national boundaries,” said Yusuf Yerkel, a young academic on Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s staff. “Turkey is challenging the traditional understanding of policy in the Middle East in place since the 20th century.”

Translation: A return to the Ottoman Empire is in their DNA and they're doing everything possible to restore it without anyone really noticing. They just can't say they yearn for it (see previous translation).

Across the region, the Arab revolution has inspired a rethinking of identity, even as older notions of self hang like a specter over the revolts’ success. In its most pristine, the revolution feels transnational, as demands of justice, freedom and dignity are expressed in a technology-driven globalism. It echoes even in Turkey, where religious and national divides are increasingly blurred.

Translation: they are pushing for the dissolution of national borders so that all Muslims can belong to one Caliphate again - the Ottoman Empire.

Read it all (if you can).

Video: Mock Funeral for Osama Bin Laden in Turkey

Let's recap. The Muslim Brotherhood condemned the killing of Bin Laden. Those who insist that Islam wants a return of the caliphate say that the headquarters of such a thing would be in Turkey, once the home of the Ottoman Empire. Bin Laden wanted an Islamic caliphate. Al-Qaeda was formed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Perhaps those little factoids, when put together, might explain why thousands of Turks would gather together in Ankara and hold a mock funeral for Bin Laden. Turkey is clearly not the same country it was ten years ago.

From UNdhimmi, via GWP:

Video: Armenians Protest Obama in California over Turkish Genocide

Well, I hate to be redundant but we have another Obama broken promise here. This one is politically radioactive too, because it involves an increasingly Islamist nation in Turkey. Armenians were slaughtered by the Turks under the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and their descendants have been demanding that it be deemed 'genocide' for generations now. Turkey refuses to acknowledge it as such and any discussion of it has driven them further into the arms of a welcoming Iran. There are forces all over the Middle East who want to reinstate the Ottoman Empire; count the Muslim Brotherhood as being among them. That's why all of the uprisings carry more weight than most will admit.

The Turks did commit genocide in 1915 and these people are correct. Once again, Obama is on the wrong side and has been caught in yet another in a long line of lies. More about the protest HERE.

Via Hapblog:

Islamic Cleric to Speak in front of White House, Calls for Sharia

His name is Anjem Choudary and it Great Britain, he is the most recognizable Islamic cleric. He is planning to come to America and speak in front of the White House. His objective is to one day have the United States submit to Islamic (Shariah) Law. His visit is good news and bad news. It is good because Choudary unmasked himself a long time ago. He makes no bones about Islam's intentions. The bad news is that these are the same intentions of all groups tied to the Muslim Brotherhood (CAIR, ISNA, MSA, etc.). Such groups distance themselves from Choudary not because they disagree with him but because they don't like his letting the cat out of the proverbial bag.

Choudary granted an interview with the Daily Caller and said something very interesting:

TheDC: You’re planning a protest next Thursday, correct?

AC: The 3rd of March is the 87th anniversary of the destruction of the Ottoman Empire. It was the last time that Sharia was implemented in this world and that makes it a perfect time to call for Sharia to be re-implemented. I understand that one can have a static demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue without any permission, as part of your First Amendment and freedom of religion and to protest. I don’t envision any problems. We’re getting feedback from the Muslim community there in America and even non-Muslims. They’re very interested and I think we should have a good response.

Interestingly, the Muslim Brotherhood was created in 1928 for the sole purpose of reestablishing the Ottoman Empire / Caliphate. This means that the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Students Association (MSA), and a slew of other Islamic groups that belong to the Muslim Brotherhood necessarily agree with Choudary; they simply don't agree with him being so overt with his rhetoric.

Here is Choudary last year on ABC with Christianne Amanpour talking about one day flying the Islamic flag over the White House:



More at Daily Caller

LEAKED DOCUMENTS POINT TO U.S. CONCERN OVER TURKEY, SAUDI ARABIAN CONCERN OVER IRAN

There is a touch of irony that leaked documents which show U.S. government concern over Turkey were released on Thanksgiving weekend but the concern over that country is more than a little warranted. A point of curiosity is why the U.S. concern about Turkey becoming increasingly Islamist has been such a secret. Ever since 2002, when the AKP (Islamist) Party began making huge gains in the Turkish government, Islamist influence inside that government has been growing substantially.

Via Der Spiegel:

The US diplomats' verdict on the NATO partner with the second biggest army in the alliance is devastating. The Turkish leadership is depicted as divided, and Erdogan's advisers, as well as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, are portrayed as having little understanding of politics beyond Ankara.

The Americans are also worried about Davutoglu's alleged neo-Ottoman visions. A high-ranking government adviser warned in discussions, quoted by the US diplomats, that Davutoglu would use his Islamist influence on Erdogan, describing him as "exceptionally dangerous." According to the US document, another adviser to the ruling AKP party remarked, probably ironically, that Turkey wanted "to take back Andalusia and avenge the defeat at the siege of Vienna in 1683."

People like former Muslim terrorist Walid Shoebat have been sounding the alarm over Turkey for many years for this very reason. Back in March of this year, Shoebat explained in great detail why Turkey's move toward Islamism is so potentially dangerous. The Ottoman Empire was disbanded in 1924 and the vacuum was filled when the Muslim Brotherhood was created in 1928. The Muslim Brotherhood umbrella has many Islamic groups under it that are currently operating in the United States. Among them are the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and many others.

The country known today as Turkey was ground zero for the Ottoman Empire and its reimplementation would mean the end of Islamic nation states - all would be part of the monolithic Caliphate centered in Turkey.

Shoebat (pictured) appears to have another one of his arguments bolstered related to Saudi Arabia and Iran. He has long maintained that he thinks it highly likely Iran would attack Saudi Arabia before it went after Israel. Other wikileaks documents show that Saudi Arabia pleaded with the United States to attack Iran.

Via the L.A. Times:

Leaders of oil-rich Arabian Peninsula monarchies who are publicly reluctant to criticize Iran have been beseeching the United States in private to attack the Islamic Republic and destroy its nuclear facilities, according to a series of classified diplomatic cables released by the WikiLeaks website.

The cables show that both Saudi King Abdullah and King Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa of Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet, are among the Arab leaders who have lobbied the United States to strike Iran. According to one dispatch, a Saudi official reminded Americans that the king had repeatedly asked the U.S. to "cut off the head of the snake" before it was too late.

Iran, being a Shiite nation, has been nurturing a stronger alliance with Turkey lately. Both nations loathe Saudi Arabia for its cozying up to the west. The Saudi Arabian monarchy is held in contempt by Iran and Turkey, perhaps even more so than their hatred for Israel. Iran is likely to view these released statements from Saudi Arabia as extremely provocative.

h/t to Weasel Zippers for the Der Spiegel link.

IS TURKEY THE BIGGEST ISLAMIST THREAT TO THE WEST?

Former Muslim terrorist Walid Shoebat has been sounding the alarm with respect to the rise of Islam within the political leadership of Turkey for quite some time. It has been a subject that has generally been ignored by most media outlets. Recent events warrant giving more credence to Shoebat's position.

Via World Net Daily, Shoebat was interviewed about the situation in Turkey, once home to the Ottoman Empire, which was dissolved after WWI. Shoebat maintains that the Islamist forces inside Turkey want to re-establish that empire along with the Islamic Caliphate that comes with it.

Shoebat insists that this is the goal of Turkey's Prime Minister, Tayyip Recep Erdogan and it should be easy to see when one looks at the facts:

"Erdogan is saying 1.5 billion Muslims are waiting for the Turkish government to arise. This is pretty scary. Turkey rules only 70 million people so why are they talking about 1.5 billion Muslims?" continued Shoebat, who has written "For God or For Tyranny: When Nations Deny God's Natural Law" as well as "God's War on Terror."

About 98 percent of Turkey's estimated 74 million people are Muslim.

"Erdogan has made the statements, and he's impacting a youth movement in Turkey that is calling for the glory days of the Turkish rule through the Caliphate. Let's not forget the history," he said.

Ex-PLO member Walid Shoebat on Fox News

"It was Turkey that lost the power of Islam when the Caliphate was dismantled and Shariah law was no longer the law of the land," Shoebat said.

At the end of World War I, Mustafa Kemal, who became Kemal Ataturk, dissolved the Ottoman Empire and moved to form a secular Turkish state.

Interestingly, Shoebat says that all Islamic groups now in the United States roll up under the Muslim Brotherhood umbrella, a group he says was formed four years after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1924 with a long term goal of re-establishing the empire as well as defeating the west.

"In 1924, the Caliphate was dismantled by the West, and this is why Muslims hate the West. Americans don't understand why Muslims hate us so much. In 1928, four years later, the Muslim Brotherhood was born. This is the umbrella of all the Muslim terrorist organizations," he said.

"The Muslim Brotherhood is the mother, and it was established four years after the dissolution of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. This really answers the whole question when people ask about the roots of Islamic terrorism," he said.

View earlier posts on Turkey here and here.

Be sure to read the entire interview.