Phil Weiss’ title for this story says the State Dep’t “says” the above, and he adds that democracy is not good for Egypt “because of Israel.” In actuality, this is Phil Weiss’ analysis. However, because the word “democracy” in discussing Egypt is not even mentioned by the State Department representative, there is every reason to believe he is probably right.
Thanks to Pulse, (the above video) is a wonderful interview of State Dep’t spokesman P.J. Crowley by Shihab Rattansi of Al Jazeera that shows why Obama talked about Tunisian democracy in the State of the Union but said nothing about democracy in Egypt. At about 5:40 Rattansi asks Crowley why the U.S. with all its leverage over Egypt doesn’t pressure it to call off the dogs and let the society move toward democracy?
Says Crowley: “We respect what Egypt contributes to the region, it is a stabilizing force, it has made its own peace with Israel, and is pursuing normal relations with Israel, we think that’s important, we think that’s a model that the region should adopt broadly speaking. at the same time, we recognize that Egypt, Tunisia other countries do need to reform, they do need to respond to the needs of their people, and we encourage that reform and are contributing across the region to that reform.”
Rattansi: [paraphrased] but if Egypt can’t guarantee stability, what’s the point of all your financial support.
Crowley: “We rely on Egypt as an ally to be a stabilizing force in the region… that has benefits across the region.”
In fact, Joe Biden just came out even more strongly on this very theme: On the PBS News Hour Biden doesn’t appear to know what to say, except that Mubarak is not a dictator. Biden can’t seem to spit out the word “democracy,” let alone embrace it.
JOE BIDEN: Look, Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things and he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region: Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing the relationship with Israel.
And I think that it would be — I would not refer to him as a dictator.
Whether the US position is taken for Israel’s sake or not, it is quite clear that we are not for democracy in Egypt. What a revoltin’ development dis’ is, as the late Brooklyn actor William Bendix liked to say.
did “we” (state department, gov’t etc) hinder democracy in Iran in the past few years when protesters were rising up (and using twitter/etc) by way of state dept showing support for the protesters?
I’m trying to recall how that went down and find myself confused…
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Weapons of the Masses called Democracy musn’t fall into the wrong hands!
Look what happened to Tehran in 1979. The CIA and President Carter tried to have the dictatorship of the Sjah make urgent last minute refoms. Ayatolla Khomeiny and his followers didn’t buy it and the student protests took the U.S. embassy by mistake and made captives and lasting enemies with superpower U.S.A. I see the uprising in Egypt much in the same way. Luckily Egypt doesn’t have a leading cleric coming home from exile.
The Egyptian autocratic rule is under attack by both shia and sunni funded foreign power meddlers. The assassination attempt on Mubarak in 1995 was supported by Sudan and Iranian elements. The Muslim Brotherhood is a militant and political power inside Egypt and is poised to play a major role in Egypt’s future. They will most likely call the Sadat peace treaty with Israel null and void. The latest bombing of Coptic church in Alexandria was instigated by Al Qaeda sunni elements from inside Gaza and the Bedouin people living in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.
Perhaps best to have the Egypt’s metropole of Caïro destroyed so the World won’t be reminded of the major speech by Obama. Too bad the Israelis and Netanyahu wouldn’t play along, but they had their own Zionist playbook for a Greater Israel all along.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.".
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."A lot of meat in this post, as the possible loss of Egypt as an Israel-US lackey looms. Will Jordan be next?
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"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Democratic governments mean a total degrading of Israeli and US influence and ability to manipulate (read power) in the region. This is totally obvious and leaves the spin doctors squirming as Mubarak fires US made tear gas into his people and gets the death toll going. If he stays they retain ability to manipulate against the wishesd of the people but have to put up with an out in the open despotic murderous tyrant or a lite version and if he goes and the people’s will is heard it means goodbye to the nice deals made in smoke filled rooms
What is good for the peoples of the arab world is not good for US policy in th eshort to medium term and not good for Israel. That however, is because of the actions of the two countries and nothing else. Sometimes you do have to take responsibility for your actions even if it is forced on you
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Democracy is such a wonderful ideal when it overcomes a major rival in the Middle-East … and creates chaos. Every revolution offers new chances.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Latest report from Monodweiss:
Israel and its American friends want to stop the Egyptian `earthquake’
Jan 28, 2011
Alex Kane
Interestingly, Biden did not EXACTLY say that Mubarak is not a dictator. His statement was, in fact, pretty weasily. Reading between the lines, you could interpret his statement as “I would not refer to [Mubarak] as a dictator right now, although he really is a bloody-awful one, because that would make our own hypocritical position much too clear, and we really, really need him to stay in power ’cause the next guy might not be so willing to lick our boots and Israel’s while keeping his boot on the necks of the Egyptian people.”
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"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Israel ‘fears’ post-Mubarak Egypt
Of course. We have paid off Egypt for the past thirty years to guard Israel’s western border. Now we hear that Hillary is calling for a meeting of all US ambassadors in the Middle East. Is there a connection?
“….officials say Clinton plans to meet personally with ambassadors from front-line states to hear about developments on the ground. Officials also expect that specific concerns about the WikiLeaks revelations will be raised.”
Israel’s greatest fear, strange as it seems for “the only democracy in the Middle East,” is democracy, in Egypt and possibly other countries like Jordan and Syria as well. Clearly, democracy in Lebanon is already a threat.