It hit me while watching the protests/riots going on in Egypt: the smartest way to overthrow a government is recruit college kids. It's smart, because college kids are at that age when they believe they are immortal.
They believe they can change the world.
They are always looking for a cause.
And when the cause also involves missing classes ... so much the better.
So you put thousands of college kids on the street, protesting the government. They are young, and everyone likes youth. They are articulate.
And they're smart enough to write signs in English, which makes for good TV in America.
Don't think for a minute that what is going on in Egypt is not ultimately aimed at America. Why else would there be so many non-Egyptian signs? They know the news networks will be watching, and the American people will be reading.
No matter what they want us to believe they are protesting - no matter what government they might actually be overthrowing - it's always aimed back here, to the USA.
Kind of like how in all those war movies, the bad guys - whether Germans in World War II, Russians in the Cold War epics, or even Japaneese - always speak English. They know that's the audience they have to reach to be successful.
But the absolute best reason to use college kids?
Eventually, they go back to school.
Of course, when they leave, what they leave behind is a power vacuum, and a terrified population that is afraid to venture out, which is a perfect opportunity for extremists to jump in and take over.
That was America in the 1960s, of course: college kids out there trying to change the world - while hooking up and getting out of class at the same time. What could possibly be a better combination for 18-22 year olds?
But seriously ... when all this trouble in Egypt is over, the voices in the street will go back to class, oblivious to what they left behind, and what will fill the vacuum will be the power that is bold enough to step in, convinced that it knows better than the masses what the masses "need."
And what the masses don't need is a democracy -- it makes tyranny so unmanageable.
You have to hand it to Muslims: when they're unhappy, they let you know. Loudly.
The only thing like it in American society is those people who get rejected by American Idol. You know, the ones that leave screaming threats and flinging curses and threatening the cameraman with obscene hand gestures.
What if, instead of "golden tickets to Hollywood,'' we gave the rejects little signs written in Arabic, containing some kind of anti-Iranian or anti-Hezbollah or anti-Hamas or anti-Chavez signs (wait; does Hugo Chavez read Arabic?).
They could wave them around as they leave, cursing and screaming, and people in Lybia or whereever wouldn't know any better. They'd think the youth of America had finally come alive, were mad as heck and aren't going to take it anymore.
If that wouldn't make terrorists think twice about messing with America, I don't know what would.
Sometimes it is not about America, but in this case it most assuredly is. President Carter's mishandling of the Shah in 1978 and 1979 was the cause of a total fundamentalist Islamic power grab in Iran that has "vexed our diplomatic efforts for 30 years" [RCP]. Our generation helped end the Vietnam war, but not until 50,000 American lives were lost. The NVA and China also had a little bit to do with it too. President Obama needs sound judgement and learned advisors in dealing with Egypt. Our prayers would be a good thing too.
ReplyDeleteNice post. Makes sense. Another problem is that there is so much unemployment people don't have anything else better to do than to be protesters/extremists.
ReplyDeleteBut I do wonder why none of the books on your bookshelf have titles. But I like the fact that you don't have any thick books. They make my head hurt. :-)
I do not see Moby Dick.........or Crime and Punishment
ReplyDeleteHate to break it you guys, but the books aren't real! It's just a clever backdrop! Isn't it amazing what you can do with a computer?
ReplyDeleteVirtual............books
ReplyDelete