Mariano Lowy is an Israeli born Canadian citizen. He has a Masters degree in Government, Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security studies from the IDC in Herzliyah Israel. To contact him please send emails to minos29@gmail.com
Almost a full calendar year since the beginning of the Arab spring which gave hope to a democratic future to many Arab states who were under tyrannical and Islamist rule, we have not yet seen much change. The hysteria of the West about the Arab awakening turning into an Arab Islamist nightmare is reaching full-blown proportions.
The West had it hopes that the people would lean towards a secular, more democratic party and relieve Islam of its guarding post in the heart of their political positions. However, Israel is now facing the dilemma of having to deal with a Muslim Brotherhood majority government as a peace partner. This couldn’t be any more of an oxymoron than it already is.
The Muslim Brotherhood is the same party that believes in the destruction of Israel. It’s the same party that wouldn’t recognize a Jewish State. It’s the same party that vowed to kill Jews. We were hoping that Egypt, a country with a long, extensive history, the longest of the Arab nations, would lead by example in the Arab Spring. Conversely, this has not happened, and it seems that the Arab populous speaks for itself when the Muslim Brotherhood won majority seats in the government. The people don’t care to live alongside Israel, just like the Palestinians who voted for Hamas when they had the opportunity to take a stance and make changes with their new and unilaterally acquired land (Gaza Strip). It’s easier to blame Israel, than have to deal with the domestic issues going on in their country. It’s always easier to point a finger. When Anwar Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel he was condemned by many of his people, and was later assassinated for it. If it wasn’t for Mubarak upholding the treaty and quelling the Muslim Brotherhood’s movements, who knows if we would even be using the term peace and Egypt in the same sentence.
To this day no democratic country has gone to war with one another; instead they have looked to prosper from economic ties. Economic ties lead to restraining violence due to a checks and balances theory which means that one would gain more from not fighting than fighting with one another. The people choose, the people vote for it, and the people elect it. Then why don’t we see this happening in Egypt? Arabs know they don’t care for democracy, they also know they don’t want to be peace partners with Israel. If we still believe that the Arab Spring will bring us democracy and peace to the Middle East region, then perhaps the tooth fairy is real and Santa Claus will come down our chimneys on Christmas.
The Arab world is seeing a sea of change. The Arab people are facing many crucial and important choices that will determine the future the Middle East. New Arab governments will face monumental challenges such as deep poverty, poor industrial infrastructure, broken health systems, and systemic corruption. And if the recent election results are any indication, the Islamists are here to stay.
