Sunday, January 15, 2006

Unintentional irony from the NY Times...


In Tiny Arab State, Web Takes on Ruling Elite


Anybody who reads this blog knows that it ain't just Arab states, and not only that but the "ruling elite" also astroturfs its own propaganda machine via the web...

Here's the "fair and balanced" money quote. Remind you of anywhere?

The royal family here dominates, holding half the cabinet positions and the major posts in the security services and the University of Bahrain.

Sheik Muhammad al-Khalifa, the prince who runs the Economic Development Board, argues that Bahrain should not become a democracy in the Western sense. "As traditional Arabs, I don't think democracy is part of our nature," he said.

"I think all people want is accountability," he added, noting that some form of democracy was needed to achieve that.

So political change in the Middle East rests partly on whether and how the many minority governments will yield power and allow others to participate. So far, the results are anemic.



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