It’s the Economy, Stupid!

Regardless of which side of the fence they are on, be they Democrat or Republican, American politicians have managed to project a coherent position when it comes to the conflicts unfolding in the Arab world.

U.S. President Barack Obama explained that the United States has not ruled out imposing a “no-fly” zone over Libya. His former rival, Republican Senator John McCain, suggested the same thing after spending 12 days in the Arab world.

In essence, a flight interdiction zone implies military intervention, which is to say that should Gadhafi use an airplane to attack protesters, the United States would have the right to bring it down.

But how is it that a Republican and a Democrat are able to see eye-to-eye on such a delicate issue, especially at a time of partisan tension in Washington over budget cuts? As former President Bill Clinton once said: “It’s the economy, stupid!”

The go-ahead was given a few days ago by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who argued that high oil prices endanger the recovery of the American economy.

In other words, the price of petroleum needs to be reduced as soon as possible. Last month, the price of a gallon of gas rose 10 percent, and there is a strong possibility that it will reach 12 percent this month.

Another interesting example is the one regarding the Serbian revolutionaries in Otpor, who shared their revolution manual with the Egyptians.

The Serbs were trained both by financier George Soros’ foundation and the International Republican Institute. Significantly, the Institute’s headquarters is, in fact, John McCain’s office.

Moreover, similar warnings were also issued by Europe, from the chief of the European Central Bank to the European Commission, which agreed that events in the Arab world represent a true risk for the already fragile economic development of the European Union.

However, Europe’s reaction to the situation has been the same as always: It is every man for himself. While Downing Street is requesting the flight interdiction zone, Italy is reluctant to endorse military intervention in Libya.