Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Judith Miller tells Newsmax that the radical Muslim Brotherhood inevitably will come to power in Egypt and other Arab states — resulting in a “very grim” future for Christians and other minorities.
The national security expert also warns that Egypt could face a total economic meltdown and says the option of a military strike on Iran is being weighed against the ultimate goal of a regime change in the Islamic republic.
Miller, who left The New York Times Washington bureau in 2005, now is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a Newsmax contributor.
She recently wrote in Newsmax about a culture of corruption and repression against reformers in Egypt. In an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV, she was asked why other media outlets are not covering that situation more.
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“I think there is a reluctance to turn our backs on the revolutions that took place throughout the Arab world during the Arab spring uprisings,” she says.
“There is a reluctance to acknowledge what is happening, which is that these revolutionary movements that were spearheaded largely by secular, liberal young people have been taken over by Islamist forces, and there is an unwillingness to come to grips with the direction in which these revolutionary movements are moving.
“The United States now faces a region that is going to be increasingly Islamic, increasingly intolerant to minorities, particularly Christians, and to alternative secular points of view.”
As to how much of an influence the Muslim Brotherhood is having on this intolerance, Miller says: “It’s a large factor.
“I think overall the prospects for Christians and other minorities are looking very grim if they come to power. And they seem poised inevitably to come to power, at least in Egypt but also other Sunni Arab states that have had these uprisings.”
Miller discusses the possibility of an economic meltdown in Egypt.
“That is where you face the most chaotic and potentially dangerous situation,” she says.
“If the Egyptian economy fails, and it’s rapidly on route to failing — they are almost out of hard currency — you could actually have riots and chaos in the streets. You could have a turning by the Muslims on their Christian brethren in the hunt for scapegoats. And that is what the Christian community fears the most.”
Miller was asked whether politics and President Barack Obama’s re-election concerns are influencing his policies regarding the ongoing turmoil in Syria.
“I think the Obama administration is very concerned about the spillover effect of chaos in the region on their election prospects,” she responds.
“What they’re particularly concerned about is a rise in the price of oil. That would dampen the burgeoning economic growth here, which could be completely offset should we see a sharp rise in the price of oil.
“Therefore, the administration is doing what it can to put a damper on things. It has been unwilling to do more than it has done about the chaos and the killing by the government in Syria because it is so concerned about the alternative, which is the collapse of Assad regime in Syria, the coming to power of militant jihadists, what their attitude might be toward the United States, what Iran might do in response to that.
“But surely any more instability in the Middle East will translate into higher oil prices for America, so of course they are concerned about that possibility.”
Miller says Russia is not cooperating with the United States and its allies regarding strong sanctions against Iran, partly because of Russia’s weapons sales to Iran. “But there’s no doubt that a covert war is being waged against the Iranian regime that involves the killing of scientists, the blowing up of institutions, the sabotaging of enrichment capability through computer viruses,” she adds.
“There is a full-fledged effort to stop this [nuclear] program, coupled with sanctions.
“Unfortunately, both of these courses of action together do not seem to be deterring the Iranian regime. So there are now calls in Congress and among defense hawks for stronger actions against the Islamic Republic.”
Asked whether Israel will take unilateral action against Iran’s nuclear program if the West doesn’t do enough, Miller tells Newsmax: “I don’t know when the Iranians will cross that line, but at some point Israel will conclude that the Iranians are at a point of no return and that Israel cannot wait any longer to take more assertive military action against the Islamic Republic.”
As for possible U.S. military action against Iran, or by Israel, Miller says: “Here is the question that is being debated both in the corridors of the Pentagon and among Israeli decision-makers: Will a strike against Iran enhance or diminish the prospects of getting rid of the Islamic regime entirely?
“Because that’s the ultimate goal of American and Western and Israeli policy: regime change. There is no doubt a strike against Iran if it were effective it would degrade the program, would delay the nuclear program. But would it undermine the goal of getting rid of this terrible regime by giving it legitimacy it does not now have?
“Eighty percent of Iranians want this regime gone. But would we give this illegitimate regime the gift of Iranian patriotism by bombing their facilities and rallying Iranians around their government?”
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