The violent storms triggered by the Arab Spring continue to batter the Middle East. As regimes fall, wars rage and nations fracture, is there any reason for hope? A new Fraser Institute study—Institutions and Economic, Political and Civil Liberty in the Arab World—says yes and no.
economic freedom
With violence flaring in the Middle East, the Arab Spring seems like a distant wilted dream. Yet, some green shoots have sprouted.
The presidents of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador just visited U.S. President Barack Obama to urge him to change course in combatting the flood of illegal immigrants into the United States.
With the recent Russian-inspired tragedies in eastern Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, much of the world is understandably focused on those regions. But another continent, Asia, is worth watching, particularly Chinese government action vis-à-vis Hong Kong.
Napoleon famously cautioned against interfering with an enemy making a mistake. So why is the West interfering with Vladimir Putins massive mistake in Crimea? More puzzling is the Wests unstated goal of legitimizing Putins Crimea grab.
Putins mistake? Some in the media are lionizing Putin as a strategic genius, running circles around the West. Yet, Putin could have gotten Crimea with a please-and-thank-you and looked like a humanitarian hero. Instead, hes viewed as a threatening thug, with long-term negative consequences for Russia.
Let's play a game of guess-who. Name the country where 80,000 people have been killed in a brutal conflict pitting a weak central government against powerful warlords; civil authorities regularly quit or join up with the warlords; and entire towns have been depopulated as the sides vie for control. It may sound like Yemen, Iraq or Afghanistan, but this country is a NAFTA neighbour.