Information Related to "World News Review February 2008"
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In Brief... World News ReviewContributors: Darris McNeely and Mike Bennett Can Gaza Conquer Egypt? The recent breakout of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip poses a challenge for both Egypt and Israel. The blockaded strip of land on Israel's southwest border butts up against the Mediterranean Sea, with Egypt forming its southern border. More than 1.5 million Palestinians are crowded into what amounts to a prison. For 10 days in January and February a wall separating Gaza from Egypt was breached, and thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt and the Sinai. Many were carrying rockets and bombs, which no doubt will be used against either Israel or Egypt. Gaza is part of the shame that is the Palestinian problem. No Arab nation has fostered a solution for the decades-old problem. Israel is not the only nation to blame for the plight of the Palestinian refugees. While the animosity between Palestinian and Israeli is very apparent, no Arab state can claim to be the great benefactor. The Arab nations of the Middle East have ignored, abused and exploited the Palestinian issue since 1948. It is a ticking time bomb that will one day explode into another major conflict in the region. A recent Wall Street Journal article asked, "What if Gaza were to conquer Egypt?"; (Jan. 29, 2008). The key to this possibility is the connection between Hamas, which rules Gaza, and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, a stronghold of power and Islamic fury in the heart of the Egyptian state. Many see the Brotherhood as mounting a major challenge to Egypt's ruling class when President Hosni Mubarak dies. During the recent breakout, the Brotherhood organized 70 demonstrations throughout Egypt protesting Israel's economic blockade of Gaza. "Arm us, train us and send us to Gaza,"; chanted the demonstrators, along with "O rulers of Muslims, where is your honor, where is your religion?"; The Wall Street Journal article speculates the Brotherhood's real target is Hosni Mubarak's regime and the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty that it supports. Egypt is a military regime. Many feel its upper ranks have been infiltrated by the Brotherhood and that upon Mubarak's death the regime may seek an agreement with them to secure its position and power. Should something like this happen, Egypt would change its position with both the United States and Israel. The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty would be in jeopardy. America would have a major foreign policy crisis on its hands.
While America Picks a President, Europe Plans to Too The 27 members of the European Union are set to ratify the Lisbon treaty by next year, creating, among other things, the new office of president of the European Council. Currently the EU's leadership is rotated between the member countries every six months, while the new president will hold office for two and half years. Who will be selected for this new job? That seems even harder to predict than who will be the next U.S. president. German magazine Der Spiegel Online reported, "Tony Blair is one prominent name that has been bandied about recently. The former British prime minister is said to have a good shot, and he has powerful friends. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has thrown his support behind Blair for reasons of both personality and politics"; (Jan. 28, 2008). But the magazine noted that many others in Europe, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, aren't as impressed. One thing is for sure. Americans will likely miss the behind the scenes and even open jockeying for this powerful new position while caught up in their own presidential election.
Who Is Keeping the U.S. Economy Afloat? The subprime credit crisis and business slowdown in the United States are yielding more evidence that the economic clout of the United States is waning. The energy-rich countries and major exporting countries are awash in U.S. dollars. "These vast savings have to go somewhere, and sovereign wealth funds—the investment arms of these nations—have provided infusions of cash to otherwise desperate American financial firms,"; said Fareed Zakaria in the Feb. 4, 2008, Newsweek. "Imagine what the U.S. economy would look like without these investments. Many of its most illustrious banks and financial companies would have gone bankrupt, triggering cascades of gloom and doom across America,"; he wrote. Mr. Zakaria noted the disconnect between what the U.S. presidential candidates are talking about and the real world where the U.S. president must plead with the Saudi king to ease oil prices. "Meanwhile Middle Eastern fund managers and Asian consumers are quietly keeping the U.S. economy afloat,"; he said. |
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Related Information:
Other Articles by Darris McNeely
Other Articles by Mike Bennett
Origin of article "World News Review February 2008"
Keywords: Gaza Egypt Hamas Muslim Brotherhood U.S. economy E.U. president
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