Sunday, December 14, 2003
Greetings from Dubai
I am sleepy. I am jetlagged. There is a fabulous duty-free shop outside where I am expected to spend my millions of paisas. So, what do I do? I turn on blogger.
The interesting news I have to report is how the middle east (well, Dubai) is reacting to the capture of Saddam Hussein. Most of the reaction I have noticed tends to be stunned disbelief -- mind you, not disbelief in the American claim of capturing Saddam per se, but in the ease with which he was *arrested.* Here was a man who said he, like Saladdin, would fend off the disbelievers and fight their fire with fire. Instead, all that I can see on TV is some doctor examining the innards of Saddam's mouth. Not exactly a Saladdin-like last stand, I must say.
I don't know what this will do to the Arab street. My guess is that it will increase their sense of shame and inferiority. Here was a guy who dared the great satan, and the great satan arrests him without a shot being fired. That's pretty embarassing.
The contrast with London was pretty striking. I had a couple of conversations on the tube and at a pub regarding the arrest. Most Londoners seemed to be concerned with whether this arrest would drastically boost Bush's re-election possibilities. My guess is that it will. Unless something drastic happens between now and November (the economy tanking or Iraq getting worse), I think we are going to have a two-term Bush presidency to deal with. God help us all :)
The interesting news I have to report is how the middle east (well, Dubai) is reacting to the capture of Saddam Hussein. Most of the reaction I have noticed tends to be stunned disbelief -- mind you, not disbelief in the American claim of capturing Saddam per se, but in the ease with which he was *arrested.* Here was a man who said he, like Saladdin, would fend off the disbelievers and fight their fire with fire. Instead, all that I can see on TV is some doctor examining the innards of Saddam's mouth. Not exactly a Saladdin-like last stand, I must say.
I don't know what this will do to the Arab street. My guess is that it will increase their sense of shame and inferiority. Here was a guy who dared the great satan, and the great satan arrests him without a shot being fired. That's pretty embarassing.
The contrast with London was pretty striking. I had a couple of conversations on the tube and at a pub regarding the arrest. Most Londoners seemed to be concerned with whether this arrest would drastically boost Bush's re-election possibilities. My guess is that it will. Unless something drastic happens between now and November (the economy tanking or Iraq getting worse), I think we are going to have a two-term Bush presidency to deal with. God help us all :)
