(Guardian-UK) Ian Black - The onslaughts in Benghazi and Cairo underline the glowering and dangerous presence of the sort of radical Muslim fundamentalists whom the old regimes kept at bay and are now free to pursue their agendas. Gaddafi and Mubarak may have been unreconstructed dictators, but U.S. diplomats were usually safe. In Libya, Salafi extremists killed an American official who was instrumental in helping overthrow Gaddafi. The attacks are likely to curb what enthusiasm remains for U.S. activism in the Arab world as the fear of Islamist chaos overwhelms hope for the springtime of Arab democracy.
2012-09-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive