World watches as Egypt unravels
 Ten years ago just after the bombing of the USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000, in the port of Aden, Yemen, I had a short business trip to Cairo, Egypt.
The bombing claimed the lives of several U.S. sailors and heightened tensions between various Jihadist groups and the West. My trip to Egypt coincided with the bombing of the Cole and gave me a chance to see Middle Easterners up close and personal during a period of political uncertainty and conflict. The attack on the Cole preceded the two later events that would come to define much of the attitude of the majority of Muslims in the Middle East.
These events would be the tragic attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and then the U.S. invasion of Iraq to unseat Saddam Hussein. Before either Sept. 11 or the Iraq war, the bombing of the USS Cole and the reaction in the Middle East revealed a brewing conflict.
.....For the full story, subscribe to the The Ouachita Citizen's NEW E-Edition!
Ron Coody, a West Monroe native, is a Ph.D. candidate in Intercultural Studies at Concordia Seminary. From 1993-1998, he lived and worked in Kazakstan doing environmental work. Since 2002, Mr. Coody and his family have resided in Istanbul, Turkey. |
E-mail Story
Print Story
