The Arab Revolt Worries The American Right

... They See The Protests Against Authoritarian Regimes In The Region As A Direct Threat To The United States and Israel.


By Richard Hétu
Translated By Erin Summers
Edited by Sarah Siyufy
3 February 2011
Courtesy Of "Watching America"


Canada - La Presse - Original Article (French)
Instead of reacting with enthusiasm to the images of Arab protesters demanding liberty and democracy, a number of America’s right-wing personalities are alarmed by what is taking place. From Glenn Beck to Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee, they see the protests against authoritarian regimes in the region as a direct threat to the United States and Israel. Some of them even go as far as to compare Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter, who “lost” Iran in 1979. 

Be afraid — be very afraid. The demonstrations in Egypt could lead to a “restoration of the Islamic caliphate” in the Middle East and parts of Europe. Our Western way of life could be on its way out, a loss that would not only delight the Muslim Brotherhood but also some communist-leaning Americans, such as the former far-left militant Bill Ayers, as well as members of the anti-war group Code Pink.

Are you having trouble following Glenn Beck’s explanations? You are not alone. Since Monday the Fox News moderator has outdone himself, making alarming remarks and the most bizarre connections about the crisis in the Arab world. In particular, he sees the Tunisian revolt as the trigger factor for a third world war and also sees the Egyptian demonstrations as a repeat of Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979. 

“It is not about freedom. It is not about democracy. It is about an Islamic state,” he declared on Monday to his viewers while sharing his opinion on the issues surrounding the upheaval in Egypt.*

Mubarak, “A Friend Of Peace”

The comments from Glenn Beck, as crazy as they seem, illustrate an unexpected phenomena: After showing unreserved approval for George W. Bush’s speech in favor of liberty and democracy in the Arab world, today a large portion of the American right has become alarmed by the wave of popular protest against authoritarian regimes in the region, including that of Hosni Mubarak. 

Mike Huckabee, Republican ex-governor of Arkansas and potential presidential candidate in 2012, said that, in particular, it was a “real shock and surprise … at how quickly the Obama administration abandoned” the Egyptian president, describing him as a “friend to peace and stability.”

The Texan televangelist John Hagee, founder of the organization Christians United for Israel, is worried about the impact of the Egyptian demonstrations on the security of the Hebrew State. “Israel will soon be surrounded by enemies screaming for their blood,” he wrote on his website. “Will America support them? Our president certainly has not been supportive of Israel to this point in his administration; why would he change now?”

Obama and Carter

Since the beginning of the revolt against Mubarak’s regime, several voices from the right have made a parallel between Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter, suggesting that the 44th president risks seeing Egypt fall under Islamist iron rule, as was the case for Iran during Carter’s presidency. According to Newt Gingrich, another potential candidate for the presidency in 2012, Obama should take some of the blame if such a situation occurs. 

“The president went to Cairo and gave his famous speech in which he explained that we should all be friends together because we're all the same people doing the same things and there are no differences between us. Well, I think there are a lot of differences between the Muslim Brotherhood and the rest of us,” stated the former speaker of the House of Representatives in an interview with Fox News. 

*Editor’s Note: This statement by Glenn Beck was aired on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011.