Did Dubai Do It?

by Thomas L. Friedman

NOV. 18, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/opinion/thomas-friedman-did-dubai-do-it.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss


"Maybe the beginning of wisdom is admitting that we don’t know what we’re doing out here and, more important, we don’t have the will to invest overwhelming force for the time it would take to reshape any of these places — and, even if we did, it is not clear it would work.”

That is truly an insight - it is just such a shame that it comes so late, after 4500+ American casualties and likely several 100,000 Iraqi and Afghans killed, and helping to unleash the current bloody wave of terrorists. Too bad that “experts” such as Mr. Friedman are so sloooow….

Unfortunately, Mr. Friedman then turns around and makes the same mistake again - that “we”, the West, the US, can do anything significant to promote this “containment” and “amplification” — he sure does like buzzwords…

The rest is of course pure rubbish - again demonstrating Mr. Friedman’s penchant for glorifying, and taking as gospel truth the last interview he’s had.

Dubai/UAE initiated the Arab awakening/spring? what utter nonsense!

The “average Arab” is looking to Dubai for inspiration on how to join the modern world, as his newest wiseman claims? the “average Arab”, struggling to survive hunger, filth, lawlessness, etc. is looking to an incubator for “media and entertainment” to show them the way out of centuries of religious war, despotic leaders, starvation, etc.? What absurd rubbish.

The only valid point in the midst of all this nonsense is that the impetus for liberalization and modernization in the Arab world does not, and will not come from some abstract, idealistic striving towards “freedom and democracy”, but from basic needs to better ones social and economic conditions. 

Yes, change in the Arab world has to come from within, but not from some ruthless capitalists in Dubai...