unemployed men, angry about the lack of change in their societies.”
Still, he said regime changes from Tunis to Sanaa “have released violent anti-American forces that the previous regimes largely kept in check.” The violence at U.S. diplomatic installations “raises questions about the ability and the willingness of the new governments in the Middle East to impose order, and also to cooperate with the U.S. on a whole range of activities.”
Andrew Tabler at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said the attackers are fringe extremists, but in places such as Libya they are armed and dangerous, and can take advantage of a new political order with greater freedom and authorities less likely to use brute force.
“There are constraints on these new governments. They are not as authoritarian and are more accountable,” he said. For the U.S., he said, “the people are a factor in these countries now, and it’s harder to deal with than talking to the dictator.” He called for even greater engagement to figure out who can be good U.S. partners in the region.
Danin said he didn’t see this week’s ongoing violence leading toward consensus on the question of greater or less American engagement with the Arab world’s new democracies.
“This won’t resolve any debates,” he said. “It will only fuel them.”
Comentarios recientes