Lima Charlie News MENA Report covers Middle East / North Africa developments as reported by Lima Charlie’s MENA Bureau. This week, MENA Bureau Chief John Sjoholm and LC Editor-in-Chief Anthony LoPresti discuss John’s new article titled “The Shifting Sands of the Dictator.” John makes a compelling argument that, essentially, the Middle East is not ready for true democracy, and Western/U.S. policy should be, as it has been in the past, the support of autocratic regimes to maintain stability while providing an environment favorable to a developing democracy. In other words, Democracy vs. Dictatorship. The team discusses the Arab Spring, and the events that led to, and followed the Jan. 2011 protests in Tahrir Square, Egypt; the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak, and the power vacuum that resulted, leading to the rise of Salafist Jihadism and ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula. John also discusses and cites to Jordan and King Abdullah as examples of what works in the Middle East. Lastly, the question is asked: Does America need to apologize for supporting Middle Eastern dictators, beginning with the policies of the Eisenhower administration? Or, did the end justify the means?
Listen in to the MENA Report Ep.0.2
Lima Charlie podcasts are available on iTunes and Soundcloud. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5 star rating and review. Follow Lima Charlie on Twitter @LimaCharlieNews, and follow @JohnSjoholmLC and @LimaCharlieMENA for the latest developments in the Middle East.
In case you missed it:
John Sjoholm, Middle East Bureau Chief, Lima Charlie News
John Sjoholm is Lima Charlie’s Middle East Bureau Chief, and founder of the consulting organization Erudite Group. He is a seasoned Middle East connoisseur, with a past in the Swedish Army’s Special Forces branch and the Security Contracting industry. He studied religion and languages in Sana’a, Yemen, and Cairo, Egypt. He lived and operated extensively in the Middle East between 2005-2012 as part of regional stabilizing projects, and currently resides in Jordan. Follow John on Twitter @JohnSjoholmLC
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