I'm definitely not a fan of Mr. Buchanan politically, but I heard him say something on TV that I had not heard before. The jist of it is that Bush's "War on Terror" through the War in Iraq is not effective, in fact it's making matters worse for the United States. Now I know that this is not earth-shattering news, but what was very interesting to me was how Mr. Buchanan went on to use serious facts to back up his argument. Here's the talking point followed by the info to back it up:
Bush's grand dream of bringing democracy to the Middle East has been a disaster. You see, with democracy you don't necessarily get people who are friendly to American interests.
Since we invaded Iraq, Islamism (Islamic Fundamentalism) is on a roll.
It won in Egypt. It won in southern Lebanon. It won in Palestine. It won in Iraq. It won in Iran.
Here are the facts to back up this talking point:
Egypt - The Muslim Brotherhood is the name of several Islamist organizations in the Middle East. The first Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928; Muslim Brotherhoods have since been founded in other countries, including Syria, Palestine and Jordan.
In the 2005 parliamentary elections, the Brotherhood's candidates, who stood as independents, won 88 seats (20% of the total) to form the largest opposition bloc, despite many violations of the electoral process, including the arrest of hundreds of Brotherhood members. Meanwhile, the legal opposition parties won only 14 seats; this revived the debate within the Egyptian political elite about whether the Brotherhood should remain banned.
Though the Brotherhood formally renounces violence in Egypt, it provides outspoken support for Hamas's armed campaign against Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Also the movement conducts massive fundraising efforts throughout the world, to support various islamist groups.
Lebanon - Hezbollah is an active participant in the
political life and processes of Lebanon, and its scope of operation is far beyond its initial militant one. In 1992, it participated in elections for the first time, winning 12 out of 128 seats in parliament. It won 10 seats in 1996, and 8 in 2000. In the general election of 2005, it won 23 seats nationwide, and an Amal-Hezbollah alliance won all 23 seats in Southern Lebanon.
Palestine - Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist organization created in 1987. It is best known throughout the world for carrying out suicide bombings and other attacks primarily against Israeli civilians, as well as military targets, to further its goal of creating a Palestinian state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Hamas has created an extensive network of social welfare programs throughout the West Bank and Gaza, explaining part of its popularity. The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Austrailia, Canada, the Euorpean Union, Israel, and the United States.
In 2006, Hamas became the majority party of the Palestinian Authority Legislative Council , having won a majority of seats in Palestinian Elections.
Iraq - well, you know what's going on in Iraq.
Iran - The struggle between the reformists and conservatives over the future of the country continues today through electoral politics and was a central Western focus in the 2005 elections where conservative candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triumphed. Ahmadinejad has been a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program.