Current Middle East Redux Iron Curtain?

Christopher Orlet, writing in today's American Spectator, espouses an interesting way to view the current socio-political climate in the Middle East. He compares it to the dreaded Iron Curtain of Eastern Europe circa the 1980's. His article does ring true when he compares popular euro-leftist opinion of Communism then and popular euro-leftist opinion of Islamic culture now. Those opinions are comparable. One can easily recognize their sentimental feelings being stirred, for the big, bad U.S. is still seen the instigator. Orlet fails to mention that point although it feels implied. The article compares the two ideologies-one actually being an economic system the other being a religion-rather superficially and shows the European idea of dealing with the burgeoning, Muslim quasi-state by revisiting apartheid. My first question for the Europeans is, how well have separate but equal societies fared, hmm? Orlet's article does give plenty of food for thought, but fails to look close enough at current and past Islamic culture. He writes of the similarities between Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the closed culture, lack of political freedoms, oppression of women, etc. And briefly, he writes of the disparities, chiefly being that dissidents in the past Iron Curtain did fear nasty visits from cultural police and possibly incarceration, while dissidents in today's Islamic culture fear...well...death. But, there is one glaring factor as well as a disparity that Orlet fails to mention. That being OIL. Which leads to an idea which has been put up by Western leaders on both sides of the political aisle. Lessen or extinguish the West's demand for said oil. For you see although comparisons can easily be made between 20th Century Communism and 21st Century Islam, Communism did not have the financial clout or backing. It did not have that supportive commodity as the Imams do today. Reagan, Thatcher, and the other stalwarts of Western Capitalism and strength slowly squeezed and starved the political machine behind that Iron Curtain. Reagan, et al spent the Russkies and their neighbors into submission. I do not believe we presently could outspend these current Islamic leaders, nor do I think that they would even care.

Personally I have recently spent time in the Middle East. I have trouble truly seeing similarities. I do not believe that the local populace of Eastern Europe looked down their noses at Americans that happened to visit. I do not believe that the female portion of the population were considered such second-class as they are in and around the Persian Gulf. Lastly, and to further a point made above, I do not believe that the influx of western monies was even close to what is now flowing into the region through commerce and investment. Double-edged sword, I think so. Western companies being capitalists make profit from their investments and presence in the region, while at the same time propping up Islamo-Fascists.

Finally, an article here at MC just would not be the same if this writer did not strongly disagree with another writer's assertion. Orlet writes in his last paragraph that Islamists today are just like "Medieval Christianity" of the past. No, Mr. Orlet the Islamists today are just like the Medieval Islamists of the past. What you fail to assert is that while we have evolved, or became enlightened, or-give it a name-Islamists are still theoretically repelling the Crusaders, albeit with Western petro-dollars/euros.