How Stupid does Obama think the Egyptian People Are?
by: Eli Zaretsky on February 2nd, 2011 | 36 Comments »
Let me tell you a story from the 1960s. As so often happened in those fabled times, students at a major university occupied the university President’s office to protest a war-research laboratory. After a few hours, the President appeared and said “Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. You have really performed a public service. This is what democracy is about. I am going to study this question now. Certainly, there will be reforms.” The students stood up and began to disperse. Then one of them confronted the President: “How stupid do you think we are?” he asked. The sit-in continued. I actually don’t know what happened to the lab.
When will Americans stand up and say to Obama, “How stupid do you think we are?” From the first moment that the demonstrations appeared, everyone knew that everything rode on the attitude taken by the American administration. Every word spoken by Obama, Biden, Clinton and others would be scrutinized as to how much of a revolution the Americans would allow. Of course, the administration has constantly revised its position so as to stay ahead of the demonstrations, and to give the appearance of supporting the aspirations for democracy and freedom that are so palpable and moving in Tahrir Square, but anyone who thinks that that public face represents the actual American maneuvering does not understand history.
Since 1945 the United States has been the great counter-revolutionary force in the world. There are exceptions, including its role in the occupations of Germany and Japan, originally launched with a largely New Deal mind-set, and the American support for anti-communist revolutions, which were motivated by the opposition to state-ownership, and not an opposition to dictatorship, and arguably its support for Aquino in the Philippines. But otherwise, the US has been on the side of dictators over and over and over again, in Latin America, in the Middle East, in East Asia and Vietnam, in Africa, always with an embarrassed grin afterward, as if to say, gee, that’s against our values. Next time we will do better.
Until Bush’s disastrous war in Iraq, which dramatically weakened the US, nothing happened in the Middle East without American approval. Mubarak’s dictatorship is inconceivable without the US. The tanks and tear gas and rifles now being deployed in Egypt are all “Made in the USA,” as is the Egyptian police force, the “bad cops” to be contrasted to the “good cops.” Any genuine expression of the popular will in Egypt, when added to the increasingly independent influence of Turkey, would be a disaster for US imperialism, as excellent as it would be for US (and Israeli) democracy. Thus, it is no accident that every statement of Obama’s, beginning with his call for Mubarak to negotiate, and including his statement yesterday that reform start now, has been very carefully calibrated – not to support Mubarak, no one thinks that is possible – but to get the power away from the people in the streets and in the hands of “responsible” business and military elites that will allow the US to shape the results in its own interests, or rather in the interests of the US’s dominant business and military classes. Lets get real about this, folks.
Very interesting comment. Although I am by nature a conservative and an American, my experience with American actions in the last 10 years leads me to a position not far from your own cynical one – although you do fall into the trap of ascribing every major turn in Middle East policy to American string-pulling. Actually the Americans like to think they control the process, but as is happening now in Egypt and in Palestine, they are pretty impotent in the face of local developments, which are driven by local people with their own aspirations and grievances.
If the US had not been around as a “counter-revolutionary force”, the world would have been so much better off. Think about how many great governments in Asia, Africa and Latin America were crushed by Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, et al.
Mr. Obama is merely another faker.
Surely, Sudan, China, Syria, Libya, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Central Africa, Venezuela and Russia (together, roughly half of the world population excluding the US and its most important allies, India and Western Europe) would be much better if not for us!
This is sheer stupidity, motivated by an absurdly closed-minded worldview.
Praise to the President for being intelligent and circumspect.
I hardly know of this guy, Eli Zaretsky, but he seems to be on a roll since the outbreak of protests in Egypt. He blames the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypton the American misguided reaction to 911 and now he is blaming Obama for the wrong reaction. If only Zaretsky would this worked up about other authoritarian regimes in the Arab world. I’m thinking of Syria. a police state of the highest magnitude am Zeretsky can find ways of blaming their woes on the US. The Arab world is full of political rot built up over decades and has much to do with their own short comings. The US can only tread lightly though the treacherous waters of the Arab world. The blame the US game is LAZY
When Obama made the speech saying that Mubarak should not run for President, I was immediately reminded that he said the exact same words to Charlie Rangel and Rangel said fu*k you, ran and won.. Obama had no business saying anything other than that we hope for peaceful resolutions. Saying anything else was provocative. and humiliating as well as publicly blackmailing Mubarak, a despot, but an old man who was once a hero.. I think the opposition to Mubarak is coming from the people and despite the recent pro-Mubarak attacks, I don’t think Egyptian populace will retreat from their revolutionary stance. What our role in this remain to be seen. By saying that we are orchestrating everything, you are inadvertently rendering the rest of the world stupid and powerles.
perhaps you are right Jane, I will think about it, eli
Perhaps Eli will realize this is not about the US nor brought on by US actions. Internal dynamic are at play here and it is in large part due to a very large dissatisfied young generation. The US does not control the demographic crisis facing Egypt and the rest of the Arab world.
A contrast between the multinational companies that work in Egypt and the Middle East and nation states, i.e. the US, would be interesting. To what extent are nation states the determinative factor right now for international politics? Perhaps, Eli, you should also look at what the corporate world is saying in the current crisis, what conflicts are going on there (i.e. European Common Market economic interests versus us companies). I think things are much more nuanced that just a reading of the US government as the determinative factor. Though I agree with you, Eli, that the US has been ludicrous in this.
Follow the money trail. Who is making money from this. Are there corporations supporting the reform/revolution movement. There was in Iran when the Shah fell.
Eli is absolutely correct in describing the U.S. as the “great counter-revolutionary force in the world since 1945,” and the other comments suggesting the U.S. is merely a bystander are absurd. The Mubarak regime would not exist without crucial U.S. economic, diplomatic, military support. Imagine if the U.S. government, beginning in 1981, had forcefully opposed dictatorship in Egypt: maybe UN resolutions calling for democracy, targeted sanctions on Mubarak and his police state apparatus, no economic/military aid of any kind given Egypt’s horrific human rights record, etc. Would the Mubarak regime have lasted 30 years? 30 days? Same thought experiment could be carried out for Saudi Arabia, the other Gulf dictatorships, etc. The United States has blocked democracy the world over, especially in the Middle East and Latin America.
Obama, as Noam Chomsky suggested on Democracy Now yesterday, is following standard operating procedure whenever a U.S.-supported dictator comes under the wrath of his people. The first tactic is to effectively support the regime by calling for “calm,” “order,” an undefined “reform” agenda. Once it becomes evident that the regime cannot survive, the U.S. switches sides claiming to be on the side of the people the entire time. I mean Hillary Clinton actually said that the United States has been supporting the people of Egypt historically.
Jane is incorrect on so many levels. All Obama can/should say is that we hope for a peaceful resolution?! How about we support the Egyptian people, we call on Hosni Mubarak, the brutal dictator, to immediately resign and take up residence at the old folks home for ex-dictators in Saudi Arabia, we demand the Egyptian police state be systematically and thoroughly dismantled, and we unambiguously and enthusiastically support the Egyptian people in their courageous struggle for democracy.
Right on Eli!
Write on!
You’re damned if you do , you’re damned if you don’t. The US forcefully removed one of the bloodiest dictators in the Arab world, Saddam, Hussein and was condemned by the world for doing so. There are other brutal dictators in the Middle East who have no ties to the US, Assad of Syria, Bashir of Sudan, Kaddafi and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI comes to mind. Are you going to tie these dictators to the US? I can only guess that Mubarak would be in power with or without the US.
I fail to see any complaints about China’s support of dictators in their sphere of influence. Burma and North Korea come to mind. Where is their voice? China was busying itself in Sudan drilling for oil while Basher was committing acts of genocide. I can only see a anti American double standard in you response, in other words agenda heavy.
As for Chomsky, like you he cherry picks who to condemn.
I hate what is happening in Egypt I hate to see the thug like behavior of Mubarak supporters. But it is an internal problem. This is typical of the dysfuction within Arab society. It is not about the US
The U.S. was not condemned by the world for removing Saddam Hussein; it was condemned for committing criminal aggression, for invading a country illegally, for torturing, for mass killing, for using weapons in Falluja that have led to shocking cancer rates and birth defects and so forth. The U.S. could’ve supported the Iraqi people when they rose up in 1991 at the request of George Bush I but instead they authorized Saddam to slaughter still more Iraqis not wanting to threaten the “stability” that Saddam’s regime provided. Then they killed 500,000 Iraqi children through a sadistic sanctions regime in the 1990′s followed by Bush II’s war that killed a million more, displaced millions and wrecked the country. Way to go Washington!
I don’t see how naming other dictators that the U.S. isn’t particularly close to is relevant here. We’re talking about Egypt, the most populous Arab country, the center of Arab culture, a country of profound strategic importance, the second-largest recipient of American foreign aid for 30 years! That’s 30 years that the United States has been propping up this brutal, undemocratic regime directly responsible for the internal problems that you discuss.
As far as double standards are concerned, it seems to me that Chinese support for dictators is an issue for Chinese citizens to address. I’m an American. It’s my responsibility to critique American foreign policy. That’s not cherry picking. It’s called citizenship.
Michael, nothing is relevant unless it involves condemnation of the US. That is why I am precisely correct when I write you’re damned if you do or you’re damned if you don’t. Even the sanctions are wrong! Sanctions were authorized by the UN. BTW, Iraqi children did not die from those sanctions, Saddam seemed to work around them pretty well and allow his victims to suffer.
So what would it have looked like if Bush Sr. went into Iraq in 1991? Would it have looked any different than Desert Storm 2? The answer is simply no. We would have gotten mired in the same mess we got mired in the 2nd go around. The uprising in southern Iraq was by Shiite Arab. If successful, there would have been a bloody backlash by Sunnis. Does it sound strangely familiar? Nothing ever goes as planned and the risks far outweigh any benefits by leaps and bound.
When you get involved in the domestic affairs of Arab state you will get burned and the costs will be high. They have created no alternative to fill the void. There is no one to pick up the rubble of change. Arab domestic affairs are unpredictable and complicated by deep, ancient factional issues.
Ignoring Chinese support of dictatorships placing the responsibility on the Chinese citizen makes you a hypocrite and terribly naive. Chinese support of dictators is an international issue. Should we have ignored the genocide in Sudan because the Chinese supported them? Should we ignore a very dangerous North Korea who is militarily aggressive? I am sure Chinese citizen have the strong voice to oppose Chinese policies.
I suggest you widen you focus. It is not all about America. You’re a cherry picker of issues. Don’t even try and deny it.
Ok Mr. Limbaugh I’m done taking up space on Eli’s post with this back and forth. I mean if you’re going to say that the sanctions didn’t kill children then there’s just no point in going any further. The numbers are well-documented; read Joy Gordon’s Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq sanctions…or just look up what Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck, the two men that ran the program, had to say about them.
Peace.
I loathe Mr. Limbaugh and his jackbooted friends. I deal in reality. Now you tell me that they were US sanctions. If it were US only, the sanctions would have had minute impact. Those were UN sanctions and I believe they were in place for a reason. Even when there was an oil for food program,, Saddam misdirected the revenue. So invasion was not good but only if it had happened in Gulf War 1, sanctions were not good. What else should we say is not good to pressure for change in Saddam’s regime. I would have kept the sanctions in place, avoiding the invasion altogether. As a hypocrite who ignores other supporters of dictatorships, you have no leg to stand on.
Ok, I can’t sit here and ignore being called a hypocrite. Eli posted a comment on what’s happening in Egypt. I’ve tried to address that issue. You want to talk about China. I don’t support Chinese policy in Sudan, I agree that the Sudanese government has engaged in genocidal policies in Darfur, I oppose any government that supports genocidal regimes. But I don’t think you want to go down that road David. The United States supported Saddam Hussein in the 1980′s when he was carrying out genocidal policies in Iraqi Kurdistan. The United States supported Suharto’s regime in Indonesia when it was carrying out genocidal policies in East Timor. The United States supported the genocidal Guatemalan regime when its death squads were busy slaughtering entire peasant populations. The same in El Salvador. U.S. policy in Indochina from the Kennedy administration through 1975 was borderline genocidal, criminal at least. I’m no fan of the regime in China but if you want to compare Chinese crimes and American crimes over the past half century you’re going to find that America has brutalized populations all over the world to a magnitude far surpassing anything China has done.
The Iraq sanctions were UN sanctions but the United States was the driving force behind and made them murderous and sadistic. That information is widely available if you do the research. The Korean War was technically a UN action too. So according to you the fact that the United States supplied 90% of the arms and soldiers is irrelevant? Or just a minor footnote? Give me a break.
It’s also a rather telling comment that you would have kept the Iraq sanctions in place. The sanctions were responsible for punishing and tormenting the people of Iraq while making Saddam stronger relative to the population.
I think you are overstating US support of Saddam in since it was by and large Soviet weapons being the 1980′s war against Iran. Once again those Sanctions were UN even if the US led the effort. The UN could have rejected the imposition of sanctions. For once the UN did something right. You mentioned Korea. Anything wrong with defending the south from invasion, or was that a war crime as well.
The US did some bad things and supported some bad regime, but so did the French, Chinese, British and Soviets. Vietnam, by the way, was a French mess the US should never have tried to clean up. The US also has done a lot of good in the world. Actions in Bosnia come to mind. I can vaguely recall the Russians support Milosevic .But there you go again, singling out the US. That makes you a hypocrite. Yes, I stand my words.
Looking at present day Egypt, I would almost cal the Mubarak regime the lesser of evil regimes in the Arab world. The Assad family legacy in Syria lives on, Bashir is still in power in Sudan. Compared to those regimes, Mubarak is an angel.
David, if you need to call me a hypocrite to get through the day that’s your choice. I’m an American citizen, I have two college degrees in history both with concentrations in U.S. history and foreign policy, and there’s a revolution in one of the most repressive U.S. client regimes in the region. So I’m gonna write about the United States and I’m going to keep on writing about the United States. I stated earlier what I thought about any country that supports dictatorship. You still wanna call me a hypocrite go for it.
Maybe you can tell me why what’s happening in Egypt is an internal Arab problem while what goes on in Sudan is due to the fact that China buys oil there? There’s no hypocrisy there David. If the U.S. supplies Egypt’s police state with a coupla billion dollars annually for 30 years that’s just America doing business. But if China arrives late in the global scramble for oil and does business in Sudan, then China is somehow responsible for the genocide in Darfur and should be condemned by Eli Zaretsky and Michael Cloonan each and every time they write anything, even though there’s a revolution in Egypt right now that we’re trying to discuss in an intelligent, critically-engaged fashion.
Michael:
“Maybe you can tell me why what’s happening in Egypt is an internal Arab problem while what goes on in Sudan is due to the fact that China buys oil there?”
What occurred in Sudan was ethnic genocide. I am sure you, with you r2 impressive degrees make the distinction between the Darfur genocide and the internal struggle in Egypt. I am sure you can realize that China continued their drilling in Sudan while the Bashir sanctioned acts of genocide.
You seem to give the China a free pass by saying that they are new in the game. Might i suggest the U is new in the game as well, relative to the rest of Europe. Many of these dictatorships in the world today are a result of European colonialism.
Ahh but Egypt has become the flavor of the day. Their govt may have the support of the US but it is to maintain the peace between them and Israel, The current system in Egypt was in place long before Sadat turned his back on the Soviets and sided with the US. It was not a system created by the US. Egypt is also not the most repressive regimes in the region. You might want to turn your attention of Syria and it’s Persian neighbor, Iran.. And how can you forget Libya. The problem in Egypt only reflects the problems of the Arab states and Iran. There is no history of Democracy in the region.
Your 2 college degrees in history do not impress me. The fact that you have to bring them up to supposedly impress me only exposes the weakness of your position. As long as you sit on your high horse and focus your wrath on the US, your position is weak. I ;lived in the Middle East for 13 years, spent 9 months serving in Lebanon during my IDF Europe. I have seen the Arab mentality at work first hand. It was an eye opener. 60 + years and the Arab world can hardly get their act together and the US has nothing to do with it.
Two degrees in history and foreign policy and you insist on viewing the world though the blinders of your agenda. I suggest you get out in the world a bit, because you will discover as I have that it is not all about the US. Yes, you are a hypocrite.
the title of this article and use of word STUPID seem to express tremendous rage, frustration. the use of the word reminds me of the way CRAZY is used. it’s more a resort to emotional lashing out, which is indeed the way we all feel here, now, following the news.
but it hurts me when that’s used. someone’s the object of that insulting word, and i wish we’d point to the pain about witnessing how many suffering humans are terrorized into submission the world over, including back ‘home’ in usa. i cringe when insults like that are added to that suffering that we all experience and struggle against all our lives. i’d rather remain directly in touch with the pain and grief, and keep clear of blame, which causes more pain and often more violence among the powerless.
Shrea, It’s alway a pleasure reading your response. You’re a voice of reason. Thank you
David, Thanks for your appreciation
Reading this drivel is starting to turn my stomach. It is not nearly as nauseating as the situation in Egypt, of course. But the comments here seem to single out the United States as a source of evil – as though the Arab world would be respectful of human rights without our involvement.
Do you know of a single one of those countries – absolutely irrespective of their closeness or complete hostility to the United States – that does not rank among the most corrupt on this planet by virtually every globally recognized measure?
Many of you have never set foot in the Islamic world, where assaults against women are a regular part of life because of immodest dress, and where tens of millions clamor for strict religious law as secularists are under constant pressure and intimidation.
The reality, which is painful for many of you to admit, is that hundreds of years of Eastern history show that these regimes have shown broad and systematic contempt for women’s rights and have a revolting record of atrocities against virtually every minority that threatens Islamic-religious or Arab-race hegemeny. Yes, some of those countries have been close to the United States. But many, if not most, are not and never have.
We can only hope that the current revolutions will bring a new mindset that allows those nations to live in harmony with Christians, Jews, Kurds and other eastern nationalities, black Africans and others, while preventing mutilations and atrocities against women and people of “prohibited” sexual orientations, political opponents and other minorities.
Meanwhile, we also ought to be grateful that our President and Secretary of State, unlike many of you, are proud to be Americans and see a brighter side to this nation.
I am hearing very little for our western Euroepan allies.
David:
I mentioned my studies just to give some context to my focusing on the United States during a revolution in a U.S. client state. I get it now. You’re an Israeli. You think Israel is a nice little ethnic cleansing project and you’re worried now that your boy Mubarak is on his way out that the
Egyptians might actually deter Israel from expanding and killing and occupying and doing all those wonderful things that have won Israel so many friends in the region and around the world. Well maybe you’ll get lucky and Egypt can remain completely undemocratic and continue helping you guys starve Palestinians in Gaza. Good luck with that agenda.
“The Arab mentality?” Nothing like a little racism to keep the conversation moving. But that’s becoming the norm in Israel from what I’ve been reading in my isolation bubble lately.
Did you bring up your IDF service and your years of living in the region to impress me?
Oh, the U.S. has had nothing to do with what’s gone in the Middle East for the last 60 years? My mistake. Must be a dream I had.
Let me just let you in on one more thing: My mother was of the sky, my father was of the Earth, and I am of the universe and you know what it’s worth!
Hasta la victoria siempre!
Michael, Israel is a democracy caught in a bad neighborhood. The Palestinians would have their state if their leaders practiced more civil behavior. You just seem to ignore what occurs in the Arab world until it is happening in a “US client state.” The Arab political mentality would exist with or without US involvement. Bombs, assassination, gassing, massacres, race based genocide, that is the Arab political process and is not a US creation. The late Hafez Assad murdered 10,000-20,000 of his own citizens to preserve his power. Syria is not a client state of the US
Israel certainly has its serious issues. It is hardly a perfect country, but it is delivering to the world a lot more than political bloodshed. Hang out in Lebanon for a while and watch as factions shell each other’ villages. When the Arab world emerges with western political values, there may be hope for the region. Thankfully one authentic democracy exists in the region where Israeli- Arab citizens have real political rights.
Thanks for showing your true colors. I hope you are not teaching impressionable students
Michael,
Just one other thing, we have not seen any burning American flags during this uprising. To the agenda heavy historian like yourself, that might just mean that anger is being directed at the Egyptian president and not the American govt who you seem to think created it.
INSANITY ALERT
“I get it now. You’re an Israeli.” You support the “ethnic cleansing project”.
Tikkun – healing – is a place where one can say that the Jews – let’s face it, most Jews live in Israel – are rapacious killers.
Tikkun – healing – is a place where one can imply that Israel, the Jewish homeland, has no place on earth.
Nice.
Well Howard I believe in something called free speech. I’m pretty sure Tikkun does too. I didn’t say any of the things you said to discredit my comments on Israel. I didn’t say “rapacious killers” nor did I say a “Jewish homeland has no place on Earth.” I said Israel, like the United States, was founded by ethnically cleansing an indigenous population. That’s just a plain fact as painful as it may be for you to admit it.
On the notion that Israel’s a democracy. Yes it’s a democracy for Jews. Just like Apartheid South Africa was a democracy for Afrikaners. When the Palestinians have a vote and equal rights then I’ll call it a genuine democracy. Don’t give me the “Israeli Arabs” have rights line. There’s plenty of discrimination and repression of Israel’s Palestinian citizens and your Foreign Minister wants them transferred to a future Palestinian state completely against their will.
To David’s comment suggesting “Bombs, assassination, gassing, massacres, race based genocide, that is the Arab political process and is not a US creation,” it’s just amazing to me how far you’re willing to tread into racist territory in order to defend U.S. imperialism and Israeli crimes. “Bombs” –I think the United States has used its share of bombs in the Middle East and elsewhere, Israel too. “Assassination”–have you heard of U.S. drone attacks and Israel’s “targeted killings?” Not to mention the murder of UN mediator Folke Bernadotte, the assassination of British officials in Israel’s pre-State period, and so on…sorry David, nothing uniquely Arab about the use of assassination. Gassing? Well the British introduced that to the region when they were busy gassing recalcitrant Iraqis. Iraqis used them in the 80′s to be sure, Syria as well maybe. But Israel’s use of white phosphorous, cluster munitions, and other horrible weapons is a part of the story you don’t want to acknowledge. “Massacres”–well, now you’re getting into comical territory if you’re going to suggest that Israel hasn’t carried out routine massacres of Arabs since the founding of the State. Ariel Sharon’s goons in the 1950′s massacred Arabs time and again. Goes right up through the present, the massacre in Gaza in 2008-09 just the most obvious recent example. “Race-based genocide”–well, I wouldn’t call Israel genocidal but it’s certainly carried out ethnic cleansing. The United States carried out genocidal policies, race-based if you like, against Native Americans during its conquest of what’s now the United States. The U.S. is responsible for the killing of millions of Iraqis alone through war and sanctions since 1991. No, the U.S. and Israel and the West generally have a rather formidable record when it comes to massacring and killing so as much as you’d like to ascribe regional difficulties to the violent tendencies embedded in Arab DNA, I think some of us would rather live in reality. Thanks
Howard, It is easy to see that Michael is weighted down with an agenda. 2 history degrees has not done much to help in.
Michael
“Don’t give me the “Israeli Arabs” have rights line”
They have far more rights than in any Arab country in Middle East. The hold seats in parliament, have created to of their own political parties. I see Michael like to listen to the voice of one politician who more than likely will find himself dismissed from his position.
Michael:
“To David’s comment suggesting “Bombs, assassination, gassing, massacres, race based genocide, that is the Arab political process and is not a US creation,”
Anything untrue about this:
Darfur – tens or hundreds of thousands
Hama, Syria – tens of thousands
Iraq- who knows how many
The Lebanese civil war -100,000
Jordanian govt vs. the PLO- thousands
The Iran-Iraq war -over 1 million
Just a short list.
” But Israel’s use of white phosphorous, cluster munitions, and other horrible weapons is a part of the story you don’t want to acknowledge”
Than does not even hold a candle to the above list. Nothing. The white phosphorus, anyone in the military knows, is used for logistic smoke screens. Any questions or are you going to continue to fabricate lies,
Really? When? I am sure you are going to use 1948 as an example. But let be bless yo with a wonderful quote from an aging Palestinian leader:
Great quote, reveal a lot and refutes the whole ethnic cleansing thing:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008 … 6227_x.htm”Would you believe me if I tell you that if I had to do it all over, I would?” said Mohammed Oudeh, architect of Black September’s 1972 Olympics attack that left 11 Israeli athletes dead.
“But maybe, just maybe, we should have shown some flexibility. Back in our days, it was ‘the whole of Palestine or nothing,’ but we should have accepted a Palestinian state next to Israel.”
However, Oudeh is quick to add that conditions were different then, and the two-state solution might not have ended the conflict.”
At least you claim to have 2 degrees in history and not claiming you’re a historian. You’re about as good as Norman Finkelstein, who for good reason was denied tenure
I’ll let you have the last word David. I’ve enjoyed the dialogue and perhaps we’ll meet again on these pages. I’m sorry you feel that I have some sort of nefarious agenda. I respect your passion even if I disagree with some of your positions. Take care.
The hypocrisy of the US government is yet again demonstrated in full bore force. The US government invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, laid waste to much of the countries including entire villages and towns, and massacred untold numbers of civilians in order “to bring democracy” to Iraq and Afghanistan. Now after days of Egyptians in the streets demanding “Mubarak must go,” the US government remains aligned with its puppet Egyptian ruler, even suggesting that Mubarak, after running a police state for three decades, is the appropriate person to implement democracy in Egypt.
On January 30, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that “freedom and democracy” America neither seeks nor supports the ouster of the Egyptian dictator. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu told the US and Europe that criticism of Mubarak must be curbed in order “to preserve stability in the region.”
By “stability” Netanyahu means the unimpeded ability of Israel to continue oppressing the Palestinians and stealing their country. Mubarak has been for three decades the well-paid enforcer for the US and Israel, sealing off Gaza from the outside world and preventing aid flows across the Egyptian border. Mubarak and his family have become multi-billionaires, thanks to the American taxpayer, and the US government, both Republicans and Democrats, do not want to lose their heavy investment in Mubarak.
The US government has long corrupted Arab governments by paying rulers installed by the US to represent US/Israeli interests rather than the interest of Arab peoples. Arabs put up with American-financed oppression for many years, but now are showing signs of rebellion.
The murderous American-installed dictator in Tunis was overthrown by people taking to the streets. Rebellion has spread to Egypt and there are also street protests against the US-supported rulers in Yemen and Jordan.
These uprisings might succeed in ousting puppet rulers, but will the result be anything more than the exchange of a new American puppet ruler for the old? Mubarak might go, but whoever takes his place is likely to find himself wearing the same American harness.
What dictators do is to eliminate alternative leadership. Potential leaders are either assassinated, exiled, or imprisoned. Moreover, anything short of a full-fledge revolution, such as the Iranian one, leaves in place a bureaucracy accustomed to business as usual. In addition, Egypt and the country’s military have grown accustomed to American support and will want the money to keep flowing. It is the flow of this money that ensures the purchase of the replacement government.
Because the US dollar is the world reserve currency, the US government has financial dominance and the ability to financially isolate other countries, such as Iran. To break free of America’s grip, one of two things would have to happen. Revolution would have to sweep the Arab world and result in an economic unity that could foster indigenous economic development, or the US dollar has to fail as world currency.
Arab disunity has long been the means by which the Western countries have dominated the Middle East. Without this disunity, Israel and the US could not abuse the Palestinians in the manner in which they have for decades, and without this disunity the US could not have invaded Iraq. It is unlikely that the Arabs will suddenly unite themselves.
The collapse of the dollar is more likely. Indeed, the policy of the US government to maximize both budget and trade deficits, and the policy of the Federal Reserve to monetize the budget deficit and the fraudulent paper assets of the large banks, have the dollar heading for demise.
As the supply of dollars grows, the value diminishes. Perhaps the time is not far off when rulers cease to sell out their peoples for American money.
Paul
“The US government has long corrupted Arab governments by paying rulers installed by the US to represent US/Israeli interests rather than the interest of Arab peoples. Arabs put up with American-financed oppression for many years, but now are showing signs of rebellion.”
With the exception of he deeply flawed invasion of Iraq to remove the tyrant, Saddam, I really cannot think of any leaders the US ha installed in the Arab world. It’s certainly not true with Mubarak. Mubarak comes from a line of military officers turned politician starting with Nasser. Syria’s Assad certainly was not installed by the US. Same applies to Kaddafi and the kings of Jordan and Saudi. Please explain.
Paul
“By “stability” Netanyahu means the unimpeded ability of Israel to continue oppressing the Palestinians and stealing their country.”
Netanyahu is keeping a low profile and just hoping the peace treaty survives whatever change occurs.
Paul. Egypt is a military dictatorship. What the military says goes. They appear to be ready to thrown Mubarak under the bus. This military control of Egyptian affairs ahs nothing to do with US aide. As was pointed out on a recent NPR report, Egypt’s military extends well into the economic sector after the peace treaty was signed with Israel. The Egyptian military controls a significant portion of civilian industries. So let’s not make any mistakes about who is in charge the and the Egyptian people are not burning American flags like they did in Iran in 1979.
As for the west dividing the Arabs, that is hardly true. They do a god enough job on the own as reflected by bloody civil wars and acts of genocide by their leaders.
This blame the US/Israel thing just smells of an alternative agenda
Obama’s and the State Dept’s reaction to the revolution in Egypt is the same way they treated the illegal coup in Honduras. First the President had strong words of condemnation against the coup, then he sat on his hands and did nothing, because he loved the outcome. Legally the White House should have cut off all military funds to Honduras, but as Wikkileaks has shown, the State Dept pretended they were confused about whether it was a “military” coup and allowed democracy to die once more. Because Mubarak is our friend, by staying out of a war with Israel and allowing liberal use of the Suez Canal the U.S. is certainly not going to pressure him to step down, even though he is a cruel dictator and a hindrance to democracy, which we claim to love and promote world wide.
Donna
What should the US do, invade and remove Mubarak? Oh wait the US was condemned for removing even a greater tyrant, Saddam. We were wrong to invader Iraq and we need to treat the situation in Egypt with kid gloves. A melt down in Egypt can be costly for the whole region. For the love of the peace treaty, I would not want to see that happen. Let democracy evolve in Egypt.
How “stupid”?
Stupid enough to accept the most horrendous violence against women.
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