Posted on 02/08/2011 7:53:55 AM PST by nuconvert
Behind the Obama administration's concern over legalism, many current and former officials worry that any withdrawal of support for Egyptian President Mubarak will reverberate through the region much as did President Carter's abandonment of the Shah of Iran.
The two situations are not analogous, however. Egypt has been an ally in name only. When Vice President Cheney called Mubarak a good friend and a U.S. ally, it is telling that his example of Mubarak's friendship — Egyptian assistance during the liberation of Kuwait — is two decades old. He omitted that Mubarak held out for $14 billion in debt forgiveness before he chose sides.
As for the shah, Iran had been a loyal ally during the cold war when the stakes were higher. While the shah's fall harmed American national security interests, what occurred next compounded the damage: Desperate to ingratiate himself with revolutionary students, President Carter was willing to sacrifice the shah's life. He not only sought to force the shah to leave American soil for Panama, but he quietly encouraged Panamanian authorities to send the shah back to Iran before the deposed monarch could travel on to Egypt. Thankfully, they did not. The problem with Carter's approach was not the shah's fall, but White House dithering in its aftermath.
So long as Mubarak remains in power, the most radical elements will use his presence as an irritant against which to rally. If Obama and Secretary Clinton try to take a legalistic approach now, they will alienate the protesters. After all, Mubarak's behavior was little grounded in Egyptian constitutionalism. Instead they should be proactive: They should support establishment of a technocratic transitional government, use their soapbox to help it make the necessary legal changes to ensure a smooth election according to a set time line, and then welcome Egypt's new democratic order.
And which african country has ever repaid it’s loans?
NONE
umm...you missed the point. Mubarak had to be bought to get his cooperation - he didn't do it out of a sense of friendship or allegiance
Dithering is the trade mark of the O administration. Also, I fear that whatever comes after Mubarak will be intensely anti Israel and anti American. Our bribes are not likely to work anymore. Hatred of the Jews will unite the ruling coalition. JMO
Egypt is very similar to the Shah’s Iran. We shouldn’t kid ourselves
The author is deluded. Egypt has never really had a democratic government or order. The idea that somehow we can engineer a smooth transition to a democracy is nonsense. Whatever caretaker government emerges will just be a temporary aberration enroute to the results of a political struggle between the secular military/civilian elements and the Islamic fundamentalists. It will be messy and more than likely disastrous for the region and the US.
In international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies- only permanent interests
As if peace with Israel wasn't in Egypt's long term permanent interest as well as ours?
So, we paid our friends to stay our friends - it's honorable and risky work to be an ally of the US in that part of the world. We got a better return on our investment in te Egyptian military than what we've gotten by pouring billions into a Palestinian or Pakistan (another ally?) rat hole Oh, and “We” sure wouldn't want to ALIENATE the muslim brotherhood, would we? Let's just talk about our mutual permanent interests with the MB....sarc
In international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies- only permanent interests
As if peace with Israel wasn't in Egypt's long term permanent interest as well as ours?
So, we paid our friends to stay our friends - it's honorable and risky work to be an ally of the US in that part of the world. We got a better return on our investment in te Egyptian military than what we've gotten by pouring billions into a Palestinian or Pakistan (another ally?) rat hole Oh, and “We” sure wouldn't want to ALIENATE the muslim brotherhood, would we? Let's just talk about our mutual permanent interests with the MB....sarc
In international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies- only permanent interests
As if peace with Israel wasn't in Egypt's long term permanent interest as well as ours?
So, we paid our friends to stay our friends - it's honorable and risky work to be an ally of the US in that part of the world. We got a better return on our investment in te Egyptian military than what we've gotten by pouring billions into a Palestinian or Pakistan (another ally?) rat hole Oh, and “We” sure wouldn't want to ALIENATE the muslim brotherhood, would we? Let's just talk about our mutual permanent interests with the MB....sarc
We funded egyptian military. For now we still own them.
Nope. Egypt is even better armed, equipped and trained.
On our dime.
Domestically Obama is paying off any and everybody who can be bought as he garners support for his socialist policies. ‘One finger out in accusation with three pointing back’, so fits this administration.
would you rather have Egyptian military officers who were trained at West Point, or by the Kremlin? Or by the Revolutionary Guard?
If I had to fight ‘em, I’d rather have ‘em trained by the Kremlin or the Revolutionary Guard - they’d be less competent, wedded to failed combat doctrines and generally easier to kill.
and the Egyptian West Pointers’ military education has contained strong doses of Western history, philosophy, Constitutional study, discussions of military-civilian relations
I would say the modernization of Egypt and the development of a middle class will depend on the training received by the military officers, and the civil servants, many of whom I will guess were educated in European-style bureaucracy. British clerks, French diplomats, Italian traffic police.....LOL
Better a paid mercenary that aids your overall cause than having the horde sabotage your security.
When the Shah was our man, Iran was not a big problem - Egypt has the potential to go the same way. The kind of folks that Carter wanted and what so many today clamor for, do not have the fortitude to keep the really bad guys at bay.
“Better a paid mercenary that aids your overall cause than having the horde sabotage your security.”
Of course, that’s why he was paid for his cooperation
What a cluster....
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