In the presidential campaign, American foreign policy towards the Middle East has overshadowed other regions by far – underlining considerable differences between each candidate’s approach to this part of the world
Much leftist analysis of Syrian events is trapped by a dogmatic outlook that combines a warped view of geopolitics with inattention to local realities, says Vicken Cheterian.
Now the inaction of the authorities is tarnishing Libya’s reputation worldwide and as a result, frustration on the streets is becoming palpable.
The 'secret courts bill' is heading through the Lords, just as former ministers and MI6 officials face the prospect of public court appearances over torture allegations.
These armed men think, act and make demands on the basis that they are revolutionaries, yet there is no longer a revolution to be fought. Once the heroes of the story, they have now become the villains.
People took to the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi on Wednesday night holding banners with messages such as ‘Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans’ and ‘Sorry people of America. This is not the behaviour of Islam or our prophet’.
The fall of autocratic regimes in the Arab world have led to the inevitable rise to power of Islamist groups who have had no real competition. These groups however are ill-equipped to tackle the economic, social and political problems that these countries face today.
In Libya learning is by rote and independent thinking, problem solving and analytical approaches are nonexistent.
