Ben Stein: 'Arab Spring' is a Fraud

www.cbsnews.com...

Now, I am going to tell you the truth about the so-called "Arab Spring," and about the Middle East generally right now.


First, the "Arab Spring" as a force for democracy, human rights and peace in Egypt seems to me to be a fraud.


The dictator and his entourage who were kicked out in Egypt were pro-West, a bit restrained on Israel, open to free enterprise, and resistant to Iranian-sponsored terror.


Egypt is now rapidly becoming anti-Israel, pro-Iran, pro the Iranian-sponsored terrorist group Hamas, and very far from being pro-human rights. They are arresting businessmen right and left in Egypt just for the crime of being successful. They have arrested Mubarak's sons, and have said they plan to try Mubarak.


The most potent of the political forces in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, hates the United States, loathes Israel, condemns the killing of bin Laden (whom they praised as a martyr), and have been wedded to terror for their entire existence.


Oh, P.S, they are closely connected with Adolph Hitler.


They will probably take over Egypt completely sooner or later.


As the terrorist government of Syria cracks down on its own people, the U.N. Security Council does exactly nothing about it.


Has anyone noticed that the common denominator of all the successful Arab street movements is that they are sympathetic to Iran? When the dust settles, Iran is going to own the Middle East - except for maybe Saudi Arabia, if we have the guts to help them (which I very much doubt).


We are going to lose our pals in Bahrain - not nice guys, but pals of the U.S.A. anyway - and we are going to lose our pals in Yemen, and it will possibly have an actual al Qaeda government.


There is a gigantic regional coup by Iran taking place. We are doing very little, if anything, to stop it.


We are going to regret helping the Egyptians kick out Mubarak as much as we regret helping Khomeini force out the Shah.


You can call it "Arab Spring" if you want. But with Iran now the regional superpower, it is a lot more like an extremely bleak Mideast winter.

The Revolutions for a New World Order

wow, why cant you comment on something instead of just posting the article

Originally posted by THEDUDE86
wow, why cant you comment on something instead of just posting the article

My thoughts are in the thread I posted under the article...

Could this be more propaganda to justify an attack on Iran eventually?

Does Iran have that much power over The Middle East?

I find it ironic that the Muslim Brotherhood was responsible for Mubaraks rise to power after they assassinated Sadat, also Mubaraks' downfall some 30 years later.

What is the western world going to reap from this Arab Spring?

This is where Stein gets it wrong; "We are doing very little, if anything, to stop it."

Not only are we doing nothing, WE'RE ENCOURAGING IT

Mr. Stein sounds quite a bit paranoid.
The way he mentions Iran - its supposed effect on Arabs - is just too similar to Hitler's rhetoric about the Soviets and their "terrorist agents" in Europe.
The truth is Iranians are mostly Shi'ites who are in rivalry with the mostly Sunni Arabs (although you have a sizeable amount of other religions such as Coptic and even Judaism among Arabs).
BTW the OP could enlighten us as to who this Mr. Stein is... or why should we care about his opinion.

Originally posted by Kokatsi
Mr. Stein sounds quite a bit paranoid.
The way he mentions Iran - its supposed effect on Arabs - is just too similar to Hitler's rhetoric about the Soviets and their "terrorist agents" in Europe.
The truth is Iranians are mostly Shi'ites who are in rivalry with the mostly Sunni Arabs (although you have a sizeable amount of other religions such as Coptic and even Judaism among Arabs).
BTW the OP could enlighten us as to who this Mr. Stein is... or why should we care about his opinion.

He's a journalist for CBS

Is there any evidence that Iran is behind the Arab spring? The west wanted Ghadaffi out thats for sure. I am not so sure about Mumbarak and others though.

Does anyone care what Ben Stein thinks? Anyone? Anyone?

Originally posted by Cassius666
Is there any evidence that Iran is behind the Arab spring? The west wanted Ghadaffi out thats for sure. I am not so sure about Mumbarak and others though.

edit on 23-5-2011 by Cassius666 because: (no reason given)

Wall Street Journal

Iran has had little if anything to do with this outpouring of unrest in the Arab world. The whole movement has caught them as much by surprise as it has done everyone else.

The sudden outpouring of repressed hostility unleashed by the Arab spring has punctured the illusion, cultivated by Iran, of harmonious relations with the Arab world and has instead highlighted its isolation. More dangerously for the warring Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, it may act as a catalyst reviving Iran's internal opposition as economic problems mount and political factionalism intensifies ahead of next year's parliamentary polls. At their latest demonstration in February, broken up like all the others, Tehran protesters hit on a slogan the terrible twins might do well to ponder: "Whether Cairo or Tehran, death to tyrants!"

www.guardian.co.uk...

The Iranian leadership, especially the Revolutionary Guard corps are too busy trying to deal with a continuation of their own 'spring' through the uprising by the western financed 'Green Movement' following the 2008 general elections.

Coupled with this the feud between Ahmadinejad and Khameni and the ongoing western effort to sanction/kill the Irainian nuclear project and economy, I really do not thing they have the resources to influence the situation significantly at this time.

In fact even in regards to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, Iran had nothing to do with the recent reconcilliation between Hamas & Fatah which was all the work of the Egyptians. The rising in the Arab world is if anything, isolating Iran.