As you have surely heard, the unprecedented anti-government protests in Egypt have continued over the past week, growing in strength despite some very cynical attempts to disrupt them through violence and intimidation. Together with the revolution in Tunisia and demonstrations in Jordan, Yemen, and Syria, this is probably the most remarkable development in the Arab world since decolonization. From reports on the ground – perhaps most valuably those submitted by Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Democracy Now! – this is an astoundingly well-organized and well-disciplined uprising, very much a bottom-up movement with no obvious uber-leaders. Quite the opposite of the kind of chaos Mubarak keeps referring to as the alternative to his continued rule.
Of course, the United States – despite our late-to-the-party expressions of sympathy for the Egyptian people – is squarely on the wrong side of this divide, as is practically every government in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, and Israel. As a key component of U.S. foreign policy in the middle east, we have been sluicing billions of dollars into the Egyptian regime since the Camp David Accords were signed more than thirty years ago, 29+ of which have been presided over by Mubarak. Much of this has been military aid, the principal purpose of which is to ensure continued non-interference and tacit complicity in Israel’s policy of occupation and assimilation of the West Bank and its denial of national rights for the Palestinians. This aid has given Mubarak the space to run his country with no hint of opposition, in a constant state of emergency. Unsurprising that he would argue for his continued rule by suggesting some dire fate may prove the only alternative.
It’s the same in Egypt as it is pretty much everywhere else. There are two opposing sides: basically the side that owns everything vs. the side that has nothing. Once in a while, the side that has nothing – always far more numerous – decides to stand up, because (as Martin King pointed out) it’s harder for a man to ride on your back when you stand up straight. In nation after nation, we stand with the ownership side – the landlords, if you will. Egypt is no exception. Our bland statements of support for the democratic process cannot change history. Once again, we have been duly recognized as the funders of security forces, the trainers of torturers, the suppliers of tear gas canisters and bullets, all in the name of an abusive “stability”. Even with Obama’s long legs, that’s a little hard to walk away from.
One last point. If our old friend Mubarak continues his astoundingly cynical attempts to break this movement through the use of paid thugs, and if substantially more blood is shed by the Egyptian people as a result, their view of the United States is likely to grow very much dimmer.
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