The false choice offered by US autocrats in the Middle East

A handy reminder by Nasrin Alavi in the Wikileaks dump that has been largely ignored by the corporate press (too busy covering the “embarrassment” of the US and allies):

Interestingly, though, in the very same cable in which Abu Dhabi’s crown prince declared it is merely “a matter of time” before President Ahmadinejad “takes us to war,” he also describes Mir-Hossein Mousavi—the man millions of Iranians believe was the true winner of June’s elections—as “more dangerous than his competitor.” At least, according to the Sheikh, Ahmadinejad is “an open book.” This attitude perhaps shows that what the Arab Sheikhdoms fear more than a nuclear Israel or Iran are calls for accountability and signs of democracy in the region. To shore up their power they claim to offer western allies a strict choice between “loyal Arab monarchies” in the region—or the mayhem of Islamic terrorism.

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