For a long time the ruling elites of this country have found themselves

[CoffeeAnnan]

keeping company with the oligarchies of third world countries and excluded any meaningful dialogs with the masses.This has, of course, happened throughout Latin America.In the Middle East the U.S has`always been a protector of tyrants like the Saudi Royal family, the Shah of Iran,the Kuwaiti Sheiks and assorted Emirs from the United Arab Emiratesand the Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak.This habit of supporting tyrants has been counterproductive in the extreme and, yet, our ruling elites do not seem to be able to break this addiction.I am afraid that it is now too late.In latin America, a powerful tide of Democracy with Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile and Argentina in the vanguard is going to sweep aside our toadies.In the Middle East the Saudis are counting the days of their power, so are the Kuwaitis;Hosni Mubarak must be readying his villa on the Cote'd'Azur and others associated with the US may meet a variety of fates from their peoples.It seems as though being seen in the company of Americans is now going to be the kiss of death for the ruling oligarchies in any country.

while the signs are there everywhere, our ruling class continues to place its faith on its money and power; and, of course, its mantra of bringing Freedom and Democracy which has been a long time coming.

As they say: Ask not for whom the bell tolls;it tolls for thee.

[NEOBuckeye]

1. I suspect things will probably get worse here before they get better.

Many Americans still don't get the full picture, and/or they don't care. The Matrix has them, and they'd rather take Morpheus' blue pill to continue living in the false reality, than the red one to face all that is true.

[madmom]

2. We sure like our coffee n/t

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. I, for one, would be just as happy bying my coffee from a free

country.

[the_outsider]

3. supporting third-world oligarchies made sense

to US foreign policy makers since the end of the first world war. Having easy access to middle east resources has always been the most important issue. The map of the middle east as we know it today was created by the colonial powers after the Ottoman empire was defeated in the first world war. Since then the US and British oil lobby (and the French to some extent) have decided the politics of middle east. For them, an authoritarian dictator is always a lot easier to manage(bribe/coerce/corrupt) than a progressive democratic government. The first thing such a government will do is to nationalize the oil interest and use oil money for the welfare of its own citizens. Consequently any such progressive movement or government in the middle east has always been resisted and crushed with active or passive help of US and European governments. There is a racist/colonialist mindset that enabled US and European governments to formulate these policies and their citizens to ignore this situation for decades.

We also have to admit that historically these policies, though disastrous for middle eastern people, have worked in favor of the economic growth of US and Europe for a long long time. Cheap, easy access to oil has been secured and the huge amount of money those dictators made by selling oil was funneled back into US and Europe stock markets instead of being invested for the growth of their own countries. The growth of the extreme right-wing Islamism like Wahabism in the middle east was a direct outcome of deep discontent and powerlessness average middle eastern people felt over this political situation. Naturally they are easy targets for terrorist brainwashing. USA because of its geographical location has mostly been insulated from the consequences of these policies. Israel and Europe had to deal with it more directly.

US sense of security got a jolt on 9/11. * then did his best to isolate the whole world in general and middle eastern people in particular by his attitude and actions. Consequently the discontent in middle east has reached the boiling point and all the puppet regimes are very unstable. The inhuman anti-democratic foreign policies pursued over decades had to be sustained with minimal damage and it took a lot of international diplomatic efforts and maneuvering to do it. * administration has not been capable to do that and has completely de-stabilized the equilibrium.

This is a huge problem for the economic growth of the whole world - Indian and Chinese economies for example will be the fuels of global economic growth for next few decades and they need a cheap and reliable supply of oil from middle east. * had to work together with all countries who have stakes in this (EU, China, India, Israel and middle east people) and has proved that it's beyond him and his administration. That alone disqualifies him in his re-election bid IMO.

[Indiana_Dem]

4. Very well said. I agree.

I wish they would teach these things in the high school or college history books/classes.