04 October 2012

Brother Tariq's Last Stand

.... Turkey under Mr. Erdogan has emerged as the world's top jailer of journalists. Mr. Ghannouchi, meanwhile, has declared that, for Islamist parties, democracy is merely a steppingstone toward "the long-term objective of establishing an Islamic government."

These developments don't concern Mr. Ramadan, who waves away the "empty controversies" dividing the region's Islamists and secular forces. He wants to keep the focus on evil Western governments and corporations, on Guantanamo and America's security apparatus, on an endless litany of Israeli crimes. Railing against these demons made him a media darling during the first decade of the war on terror. But, for good or ill, much of the region has moved on. [The Wall Street Journal] Read more