US Secretary Of Defense Gates Voices His Concerns On The Dangers In The Middle East

PRESS REMARKS - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates speaks with members of the press after meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf while U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey, left, looks on in Cairo, Egypt, March 23, 2011. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen

Gates Underlines The Dangers In The Middle East -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

Defense Secretary Bob Gates is running through the standard list of factors that have caused political upheaval across the Middle East: the youth bulge, unemployment, corruption. I start to ask another question but Gates cuts me off, as if he wants to underline the dangers and uncertainties of this moment of history.

Gates says the unrest has highlighted “ethnic, sectarian and tribal differences that have been suppressed for years” in the region, and that as America encourages leaders to accept democratic change, there’s a question “whether more democratic governance can hold . . . countries together in light of these pressures.” The implication: There’s a risk that the political map of the modern Middle East may begin to unravel too, with, say, the breakup of Libya.

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My Comment: I am not a fan of US Secretary of Defense Gates .... but I will grudgingly give him credit for doing a job that would be difficult in the best of times. David Ignatius gives a fair review of Gate's tenure .... read it all.