Egypt’s opposition parties have accused the incumbent president, Hosni Mubarak, of massive fraud in the first round of the parliamentary elections and are refusing to take part in the second round slated for next Sunday in protest. The regime, which has been in power for 30 years, need not fear all too harsh criticism from the West.
“The country is an indispensable military and political ally in the notoriously unstable Middle East. The authoritarian Mubarak system has ensured that Egypt remained peaceful for the past three decades. This is why the country receives billions in military and economic aid from the U.S. And this is also why Europe’s governments remain politely silent when elections are rigged as expected and any kind of opposition is harassed.
“These double standards, guided by real politics, are partially understandable. But they also undermine the credibility of Western politics among the people in Middle East countries at least as much as the not-so-sensational Wikileaks revelations from the day-to-day work of American diplomats.”
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung, December 3
The second video in the Internment series has been posted at YouTube.
Photos from the launch of “The Weimar Triangle” on December 4.
Eric Koch’s book, The Weimar Triangle, is available at Indigo-Chapters and in your local bookstore. 
“The Weimar Triangle” is testimony to a fertile and creative mind in an author steeped in historical knowledge who remembers the location exactly. Remarkable!