Election has been successfully held in Tunisia and is promised in Libya. The Islamist party ( referred to as "moderate") has garnered the highest votes and must govern with others, maybe a coalition. Ennahda hs won support both inside the country and with expatriates voting abroad, but is expected to fall short of a majotity. So far it has not taken a position on sharia and claims that it respects democracy and human rights and wants to work with secular parties to draft a new constitution. Its leader Rachid Ghannouchi has advocated moderate Islamist policies like those of the AKF ruling party of Turkey.
      The  old constitution declared Islam as official religion, but does not mention sharia as the foundationof the legal system. The country has strong secularists traditionsand would face strong opposition if sharia is declared as the bsais of law. With the exception of Saudi Arabia, which has only Islamic law, other countries in the region has often followed a mix of religious and civil law. It varies from place to place, for example, muslim rebels in Nothern Nigeria has demanded strong sharia, while women in Yemen are burning their veils. It is said that Ghannouchi's writings helped influence the AKF and its moderation in Turkey.
      The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to win the largest  number of seats (25%) in Egypt's election in December. Its constitution describes Islam as the state reliogion and calls for it to be the main source of law. It tried to build a "Democratic Alliance" with rival Islamists and liberal groups, but that failed due to lack of trust and fears that the Brotherhood was merely putting up a moderate front to win wider support. The Salafists, who want a strict implementation of Islamic laws are expected to win about 10% of the seats and could join with the Brotherhood to form the next government. The secular parties, as well as the Copts will have to be on guard to prevent any move towards strict Islamism. Again, like Tunisia there is a long tradition of secularism, which would offer strong opposition to such a move (under Mubarak, the Brothrerhood was banned).
     Gadhafi ruled by decrees that mentions Islam as state religion, but fought the Islamists, especially in Benghazi. The Muslim Brotherhood hs about 1,000 members because recruitment was outlawed.(Thousands were killrd and imprisoned by Gadhafi's security forces) . Now that he is gone, the Islamists who were amongst the most determined and organised rebels, are coming to the fore and make it clear that sharia will be the basis of law. NTC chairman Jalil, announced on Sunday 24th, that as he had stated before, " sharia is the main source for legislation". What extent. will be settled by the new constitution, to be written by the assembly and approved bt a referendum.
     The mood in these countries would indicate that the people who for the most part are Muslims, want moderation in government. They see Turkey as the model to emulate. They have had enough of dictatorships. They want to breathe. They want flexibility in government. They are willing to try democracy but are wary of the license, lewdness and the general decay of decorum and decency. They may not be prudish but they are definitely against licentiousness.   

     He lasted 42 years and in the end he died ignominously at the hands of blood-crazed and still fear-ridden Libyans. What now for Libya?
     Its friends? and boosters (the West led by France and Britain, followed closely by USA and Canada) would like to see democracy and stability and free-flowing oil but this is just wishful thinking and will be for a while. Egypt which peacefully ended Mubarak's rule is still, after 8 months in turmoil, rocked by sectarian violence and a Mubarak-less military govenrment that is not too keen about giving up power. 
     Libya has been torn by bloody civil war, and the glue that held the various groups together ( Gadhafi) is no more. There are 140 tribes, 30 or so of them are very powerful, religious differences (Sunnis, Shias, Jihadists/Islamists vs Liberals, regional/geographic differences (Benghazi vs Tripoli vs Misrata), the Berbers who fought with Gadhafi and Oil  which will lubricate these fissures.
    There are few institutions, no parliament, no unified military command, no political parties, no unions etc. Government ministries with the exception of the state oil company were shells. So where do you begin to build this new stable, secular democracy> This is a tower of BabeL and the voices are discordant, rancorous, selfish, strident and brutal. Tney all want a piece of the pie/power. They fought and they won and now they want their share.
     Weapons are all around and those who have them will not give them up. The militias will not surrender to authority. They have tasted blood and power and they will no more be enfeebled. They have the lust for more. It's heady, this thing they call power. So let the "deluge" begin. It will be bloody and it will draw in the b neighboring states,,Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Chad and the Arab Spring will wither away. The day of the strong-man is not over. Just a name-change.  

     Anita Perry saw the " burning bush", but Rick did not, so she urged him to run for the presidency, because she felt God was calling him to do so and he obeyed her. Mitt Romney's religion was called a cult and he was said not to be a Christian, by Rev. Robert Jeffries a staunch Perry supporter. who introduced Perry at a "Values" get together. Herman Cain, the choice of the Tea Party and evangilicals and himself a true believer, has reversed the "666' and came up with "999" and has surged to the front after it was discovered that the Perry family ranch was named N....LAND, and white Republicans came out and did the Christian thing and welcomed this lonely blackman into the fold and made him their "choice of the week". Oh Lord, where do we go from hence? Basck to Newt?Nah. Huntsman? Mormon problem. Michelle? Oh, Boy, here comes some more history lessons. Forget Christie, too much New Jersey and Palin? Gone to Alaska, money has to be milked.
     It is not true that all Conservatives are stupid. What is true is that most who are Conservatives are addled. Too many contradictions...for family values, immigration, medicare, abortion, term limits, prayer in schools, guns for all, death penalty, don't tax the rich or the corporations but tax the middle class ...too many fli[p-flops make you seem stupid or make the people feel stupid. 

     Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the refusal of the South African government to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama "a national disgrace" and that " the discourtesy is mind-boggling". It was that and much more, because this is the same Dalai Lama who had vigorously condemned the apartheid that had repressed the black South African for so long. 
     This was a most shameful act and it was done under pressure from the repressive Chinese government whose 3 trillion + dollars investment fund is being used to bully countries into following its lead. This is the Chinese government that had invaded Tibet in 1950 and impose its rule on it, bringing in millions of Han Chinese in order to destroy the Tibetan culture and identity (cultural genocide). This is the Chuinese government that denies its own citizens their rights, meting out all manner of punishments on them ( national repression). This the Chinese government that is waging internal war on the Falun Gong. This the Chinese government that is warring against ethnic minorities like the Uighurs. This is the Chinese governmentthat uses its huge investment trillions to impose its will on any nation that wants to trade with it .This the same Chinese government whose huge appetite for resources is creating environmental degradtion on a very large scale , whether it be the Tar Sands of Canada, the mines in various African countries, the iron and other minerals in Australia or the forests in the Amazon. Their voraciousness knows no bounds and any who stand in their way face their crushing might.
     You can understand some small desperate countries caving in, but South Africa, given its history? When its human rights were being violated and when its people were repressed and exploited, many came forward in protest and sacrifice on its behalf. It has been only 20 years and they have already fotrgotten, cozying up with the likes of Mugabe and the Chinese. They sold out, and cheaply.
     Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, led a trade mission last week to China and came back with 42.5 billion in agreed invwestment, and soon after the Dalai Lama's visa was denied, with the government spokesman saying that the problem was in processing (the application was made weeks ago) the paperwork and that "South Africa has not said 'no'. The man has decided to cancel the trip." The man? How crude. How appallingly stupid. " This is a morally bankrupt decision aimed squarely at appeasing the emerging economic super-power, China" editorialised the Mail and Guardian newspaper
. Yes it is. They have sold their soul for "thirty pieces of silver"
     Let Archbishop Tutu, whose 80th birthday, the Dalai Lama was coming to celebrate have the last words " Mr. Zuma, you and your government don't re[present me. You represent your own interests.I am warning you out of love, one day we will start praying for the defeat of the ANC government"

   The Greek Trojan Horse, filled with toxic government Bonds, was forced to adopt "policy of expansionary austerity"...slashing spending, raising taxes, cutting jiobs and social services., by the ultra-conservative European Central Bank, the European Commission and the IMF. It failed and exacerbated the situation ( growth in Greece will be down by almost 8%).
    It then offered piecemeal bailouts, for example, after a meeting with Papandreou, Sarkozy and Merkel offer $ 411 billion  to banks and countries when debts was  over $2 trillion...Italy $1.3 tri and Spain $750 billion with the other PIIGS.....Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain, not counted. Countries (Greece) have to meet certain standards before more is offered, Greece will not meet its goal. What will the Trio do? Allow Greece to go bankrupt, with the banks that iold their notes going belly up or will they fork over more funds, papering over the problem, making it worse.
     Expansionary austerity has failed, and now what must be done is to allow for more public spending, lower interest rates to allow the private sector to borrow with confidence, to invest and create jobs, expanding trade. The private sector need assurance and with the help of Trio backing their investment, they can with the public sector spending begin to alleviate the financial situation.

                                       Turkey's Dilemma, Syria.

     Turkey has gained tremendous influence in the Arab world with its harsh criticism of former friend Israel and its praise and support of the democratic movement that started with the Arab Spring, as well as its support for the Palestinian Cause.
     Its stature has risen to great heights in its former 'empire', that has looked at it suspiciously over the years, since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and as it developed a close relation, militarily and economically with Israel. All began to change when Israelis commandos boarded the "peace flotilla" and some Turks were killed. Turkey demanded an apology and compensation from Israel and was refused. Relationship rapidly soured between the two countries and Turkey decided to throw its considerable weight behind the demands for change in Egypt, Libya etc and for the rights of the Palestrinians, and offered itself as a model that can be followed..a country with a muslim population but a democratic government.
     Syria, however may be a pitfall. At first Turkey tried to get Assad to agree to some changes, but as the state violence increased and more and more were killed and many fled across the border to Turkey, there was a reassessment of policy and now Turkey has taken a hareder position, even to the extent of calling for Assad's replacement. Now here is the problem. Syria is Arab, and so other Arab countries may not like this tough stance. If this is all Turkey does then there is no problem, but if Turkey undertakes any kind of military exercise on the grounds that it is concerned with the border crossings or if Turkey builds a buffer zone on the border for the safety of those who are fleeing, then the dynamics change. The Turks are very aware of thr Kurdish minority living in Syria and neighboring countries and the millions in Turkey itself, which Assad/Syrian Intelligence, could use tio make trouble for Ankarra. This could precipitate military actions on both sides and would put Arabs against Turks.
     Turkey has to tread very carefully or else risk losing its newly won influence/stature in the Arab world.