Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Arab elites push back political Islam

By Ramzy Baroud
Asia Times

"From Jordan to Tunisia to Algeria, ruling Arab elites have for decades co-opted and manipulated Islamic opposition parties to keep the reins of power. Perhaps the most significant illustration of the trend is in today's Egypt. There, exploiting a resilient power structure and corrupt media, the old regime has managed to turn the revolution against itself......

In some sad way, the Arab regimes are making gains. Some are doing so through war, others through military coups, and some are actively plotting in hopes of making their move soon. As costly as the revolts have been, however, one thing is for sure - the old Middle East paradigm of powerful elites backed by formidable allies oppressing weak peoples seems unlikely to ever be resurrected. "

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