President

-By Frank Salvato

In 2008, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, was quoted as saying, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” As stunningly opportunistic as that statement was to many, it was, at least, a transparently honest statement that defined the tactics used by the White House during the first two years of the Obama Administration. And while those of us who are politically aware here in the United States came to see that tactic bring to fruition a sea-change of initiatives, our political and ideological trials and tribulations pale in comparison to what is happening in the Middle East today.

I bring up Mr. Emanuel’s admission regarding crisis because it is cogent to the events happening in Tunisia, Jordan and, especially, Egypt. With pro-democracy and anti-dictatorial movements taking to the streets in protest of what they see as heavy-handed totalitarianism – albeit to a much lesser extent in Jordan than in the other locales, the world is witnessing a level of chaos that can only exist where there is a void in national cohesion; a void of accepted leadership. It is this void that serves as the opportunity for nefarious forces to exploit the “crisis.”

Perhaps most notably in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is calculating its actions carefully; waiting in the wings but for their call to take to the streets in support of the protesters. The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the quintessential organizations within the realm of radical Islam, was the organization that gave birth to al Qaeda. In fact, al Qaeda’s number two, Ayman al Zawahiri, was a high-level member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood before embarking on a reign of terror, murder and oppression with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda.
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The Middle East, The World, at a Crossroads”