An interesting editorial piece from the Strategy Page:
Islam Triumphant
by James Dunnigan
April 30, 2007
What if Islamic radical movements won and took over? Actually, we know what would happen. Rebels generally make bad rulers. That’s an observation based on the historical record. There are several current examples. The Taliban took over in Afghanistan and ran the place for five years in the 1990s (through 2001). The Taliban made themselves very unpopular, not just because of their attacks on lifestyles they didn’t approve of, but because they were incompetent when it came to running a country. Same thing in Iran, where the religious establishment has been running the place since the 1980s. The Iranian clergy won’t allow a fair election, and are nervously waiting for the population to get pissed off enough to start another revolution.
Then there’s Sudan, where hardly anyone noticed the Islamic conservatives taking over in the 1990s. Sudan has several rebellions going on at the moment, but the rulers believe they have God on their side and have no intention of letting anyone else play. In Lebanon, Hizbollah established a separate state within a state in the 1980s, and have survived on handouts from Iran, and a lucrative drug business. But Hizbollah attempts to increase their power have resulted in violent resistance from the rest of the country. Hizbollah may have turned themselves into Islamic folk heroes, but no one trusts their ability to run a country.
Hamas is the poster child of rebels who won an election, and then find themselves unable to govern. (more…)
Opinionated Infidels