The American/Egyptian Dilemma
The United States is having a really tough time lately. Conflict and disagreements wherever it looks. Internally, externally. It may be the most powerful country on the Globe, but it is also the most distracted, beset, confused and bemused. In the throes of a lead-up to a presidential election, the Republicans and the Democrats appear as rigidly and ideologically polarized as is possible. This is a truly divided country on a political scale.
Its economy is burping along on its way to losing the indigestion that an extremely bad case of fiscal mismanagement caused, bringing the country - and the international community with it - to a near-terminal case of financial depression. It remains militarily mired in two countries that are steeped in Islamist tribalism whose populations are invested in generations upon generations of sectarian hatred.
It has withdrawn from Iraq, only to see everything it attempted to persuade the Iraqis to adopt to become a socially, politically and religiously humane and just country, collapse into chaos, leaving their billion-dollar embassy-state in a very vulnerable position. It aspires to withdraw with honour intact from Afghanistan, with the painful knowledge that when it does the Islamist terror group initially dislodged is poised to return in triumph.
And, after decades of carefully and solicitously grooming a relationship with the Middle East's most populous Arab country, that relationship too is fast sinking into bleak and unstoppable oblivion. The removal of Hosni Mubarak, with not even a gentle demurral from the United States at the fate of a former ally, has caused Saudi Arabia to fully understand the limits of its relationship with America.
The violence and popular unrest that has spread virally throughout the Arab and North African countries of Muslim heritage has set on the edge of uncertainty all former verities and associations as each country tries to re-arrange itself back into a semblance of its former self, but with certain inadequate modifications meant to mollify the demands of their populations.
And nowhere is the ongoing chaos more muted, yet destructive to societal cohesion and old relationships than Egypt, looking on as Syria's regime self-destructs, and agonizing over its own dissolution from governance by the remnants of the old guard of the Supreme Military Council, with the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists breathing hot and heavy over their shoulders.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is hugely resentful of the entire situation they find themselves in. Gone, the steady guiding hand of President Hosni Mubarak who understood the logic in maintaining a peace agreement with Israel bringing peace to the region and itself, and thus placating the powerful and generous giant of America which handsomely funded the military apparatus of Egypt for many years.
"Egypt will not kneel, Egypt will apply the law and will not back down because of aid or other reasons", thundered Kamal al-Ganzouri, Egypt's new, appointed ad hoc Prime Minister - until such time as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists take their electoral due place at the seat of government. Surely an irritant of monumental proportions to the still-ruling military.
So, just to make certain that everyone - protesters of the liberal-democratic variety of which Egypt has too few, but vocal withal - the great population of some 80-million souls, eager for the return of economic and social stability and the successful election political hierarchy, understands how determined and still powerful the military remains, a standoff with the U.S. was engineered.
The U.S., set to deliver as usual the annual $1.3-billion to the Egyptian military, and an additional $250-million in economic aid, spent an additional $40-million in support of a democratically elected civilian government through pro-democracy activists. Said activists now being accused by Egypt of being spies and saboteurs, whose fault it is the country now faces an economic crisis and sectarian strife.
That funding is now being withheld. Until such time as the United States, under the current circumstances, can be convinced that the Government of Egypt remains committed to a few basic issues; committed to peace with Israel, democracy and freedom of speech. Egypt refuses to relent accommodatingly, expressing outrage that "foreign schemes threaten the stability of the homeland".
Those 'foreign schemes' were committed by groups promoting human rights, advocating democracy and 'interfering' in Egypt's internal affairs. Groups such as the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and Freedom House. Egypt will not accept such malign meddling, accusing the NGOs of working to achieve regime change, while speaking of building civil society.
Egyptian employees of these groups from 17 NGOs have been charged with treason. In total 43 people have been charged, including 19 Americans, with illegal operations in Egypt. They could be imprisoned for as long as five years, if found guilty as charged. They will be charged, and they will stand trial; travel restrictions have been imposed on them.
Its economy is burping along on its way to losing the indigestion that an extremely bad case of fiscal mismanagement caused, bringing the country - and the international community with it - to a near-terminal case of financial depression. It remains militarily mired in two countries that are steeped in Islamist tribalism whose populations are invested in generations upon generations of sectarian hatred.
It has withdrawn from Iraq, only to see everything it attempted to persuade the Iraqis to adopt to become a socially, politically and religiously humane and just country, collapse into chaos, leaving their billion-dollar embassy-state in a very vulnerable position. It aspires to withdraw with honour intact from Afghanistan, with the painful knowledge that when it does the Islamist terror group initially dislodged is poised to return in triumph.
And, after decades of carefully and solicitously grooming a relationship with the Middle East's most populous Arab country, that relationship too is fast sinking into bleak and unstoppable oblivion. The removal of Hosni Mubarak, with not even a gentle demurral from the United States at the fate of a former ally, has caused Saudi Arabia to fully understand the limits of its relationship with America.
The violence and popular unrest that has spread virally throughout the Arab and North African countries of Muslim heritage has set on the edge of uncertainty all former verities and associations as each country tries to re-arrange itself back into a semblance of its former self, but with certain inadequate modifications meant to mollify the demands of their populations.
And nowhere is the ongoing chaos more muted, yet destructive to societal cohesion and old relationships than Egypt, looking on as Syria's regime self-destructs, and agonizing over its own dissolution from governance by the remnants of the old guard of the Supreme Military Council, with the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists breathing hot and heavy over their shoulders.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is hugely resentful of the entire situation they find themselves in. Gone, the steady guiding hand of President Hosni Mubarak who understood the logic in maintaining a peace agreement with Israel bringing peace to the region and itself, and thus placating the powerful and generous giant of America which handsomely funded the military apparatus of Egypt for many years.
"Egypt will not kneel, Egypt will apply the law and will not back down because of aid or other reasons", thundered Kamal al-Ganzouri, Egypt's new, appointed ad hoc Prime Minister - until such time as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists take their electoral due place at the seat of government. Surely an irritant of monumental proportions to the still-ruling military.
So, just to make certain that everyone - protesters of the liberal-democratic variety of which Egypt has too few, but vocal withal - the great population of some 80-million souls, eager for the return of economic and social stability and the successful election political hierarchy, understands how determined and still powerful the military remains, a standoff with the U.S. was engineered.
The U.S., set to deliver as usual the annual $1.3-billion to the Egyptian military, and an additional $250-million in economic aid, spent an additional $40-million in support of a democratically elected civilian government through pro-democracy activists. Said activists now being accused by Egypt of being spies and saboteurs, whose fault it is the country now faces an economic crisis and sectarian strife.
That funding is now being withheld. Until such time as the United States, under the current circumstances, can be convinced that the Government of Egypt remains committed to a few basic issues; committed to peace with Israel, democracy and freedom of speech. Egypt refuses to relent accommodatingly, expressing outrage that "foreign schemes threaten the stability of the homeland".
Those 'foreign schemes' were committed by groups promoting human rights, advocating democracy and 'interfering' in Egypt's internal affairs. Groups such as the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and Freedom House. Egypt will not accept such malign meddling, accusing the NGOs of working to achieve regime change, while speaking of building civil society.
Egyptian employees of these groups from 17 NGOs have been charged with treason. In total 43 people have been charged, including 19 Americans, with illegal operations in Egypt. They could be imprisoned for as long as five years, if found guilty as charged. They will be charged, and they will stand trial; travel restrictions have been imposed on them.
02/11/12 03:27 PM ET 
Labels: Crisis Politics, Egypt, Middle East, United States, Upheaval
posted by Pieface | 7:49 PM
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