Obama's Egypt Policy,A Predictable Fiasco...

[paulitician]

Looks like many are going to pay for this mistake.

The Egyptian elections have resulted in a rout for the throngs whose springtime hopes for freedom are now facing the prospect of a nuclear winter at the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood and its fellow Salafists. These Islamists appear to have garnered 60% of the seats in the next parliament and the opportunity to shape the country’s new constitution in line with their ambitions to impose the totalitarian doctrine of shariah nationwide. That will be bad news for the people of Egypt, for Israel and for us.

This fiasco was made predictable in early February when President Obama announced that President Hosni Mubarak had to leave office at once. It was clear even then that the most organized, most disciplined and most ruthless group would prevail in the ensuing, chaotic electoral environment. Apart from the military, in Egypt that group has been the Muslim Brotherhood basically since its founding in 1928.

Press reports indicate that the Obama Administration spent $200 million to help non-Islamist parties organize and compete in last week’s elections. If true, it adds insult to injury. The money was wasted, not only because the liberal and secular elements to whom much of it reportedly was given, were hopelessly outgunned by the Brotherhood. More importantly, it was squandered because Team Obama, in the person of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, made a point in the run-up to the vote of welcoming the Muslim Brotherhood’s participation in the “political dialogue” in Egypt.

In so doing, the Obama administration not only signaled that it could do business with the Brotherhood. It gave lie to any pretense of concern about the Islamists’ role in the massacre of Coptic Christians,which will be the subject of an important hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

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Obama’s Egypt Policy, A Predictable Fiasco

 

[paulitician]

Blow-Back. Look out,take cover.

 

[ekrem]

You have to think about whether the USA has still the ability to "set Agenda" besides military option, or USA has lost that kind of ability and only can "react" to social/political dynamics in the region.
Just look at the Lebanon elections, where the pro-Western forces averted any visibility of being in connection to USA as it is counter-productive.

Now, from a partisan viewpoint of an American heading towards election, it is legitimate to seek all evil in Obama, but reality is, that in case of Egypt Obama just reacted and the developments on the ground would have happened independent of Obama's rhetoric or actions.
If Obama would have provided "support" to Mubarrak the revolution only might have become more bloody. When millions of people are revolting against their dictatorial pseudo-government, they'll achieve to overthrow the system and USA would've lost all remaining influence with the new system.

Egyptian Army decided Mubarrak has to go.
It was not Obama.

 

[paulitician]

You have to think about whether the USA has still the ability to "set Agenda" besides military option, or USA has lost that kind of ability and only can "react" to social/political dynamics in the region.
Just look at the Lebanon elections, where the pro-Western forces averted any visibility of being in connection to USA as it is counter-productive.

Now, from a partisan viewpoint of an American heading towards election, it is legitimate to seek all evil in Obama, but reality is, that in case of Egypt Obama just reacted and the developments on the ground would have happened independent of Obama's rhetoric or actions.
If Obama would have provided "support" to Mubarrak the revolution only might have become more bloody. When millions of people are revolting against their dictatorial pseudo-government, they'll achieve to overthrow the system and USA would've lost all remaining influence with the new system.

Egyptian Army decided Mubarrak has to go.
It was not Obama.

Some very good points for sure. But high-ranking Egyptian Generals worked very closely with our Government on this. They were flown in to meet with our Government on several occasions during the uprising. We definitely had a hand in this. Now will we regret it at some point? Yes i think we will. I think that's already beginning to happen.

 

[Avatar4321]

This policy was bad to begin with. We shouldn't have been meddling. We should have let Egypt handle it's own problems.

 

[Trajan]

the MB has played a subtle, brilliant game so far.

when Mubarak went down, I said here that job one would be for them to diminish the military's reputation and burnish theirs.

AND, without leaving a lot fo finger prints, they would work make the military appear inept and antithetical to civilian rule of any kind, they needed to turn the populace against them. Now of course their backing Mubarak for years spoke volumes but as a org. the military had a better then average reputation overall, than any other org. present then, and were seen as caretakers more so than oppressors.

They didn't put down the Egyptian spring and almost immediately agreed to elections. The MB had to keep pushing below the surface, and they have, and, they have won. They will continue to tread lightly but, they will ratchet up slowly the more fundamental aspects of their charter, bet on it.

So far they are batting a 1000.

 

[Chris]

Republicans do so hate democracy.

That's why the love voter suppression.

 

[Claudette]

Did anyone ever doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood, along with those touting Sharia Law, wouldn't be running Egypt once Mubarak was gone?

It will be the same story all over the middle east if all the dicators get bounced.

 

[KissMy]

This was planned to prove to ruthless dictators that they a not invincible gods they think they are.

For up to 6 years prior to the uprising in Egypt, Rupublicans in Congress secretly backed this uprising in Egypt planning for regime change.

The Daily Telegraph

The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.

On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.

He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.

Secret US document discloses support for protesters behind the Egypt uprising.

xxxxxxxxxxxx contended that the GOE will never undertake significant reform, and therefore, Egyptians need to replace the current regime with a parliamentary democracy. He alleged that several opposition parties and movements have accepted an unwritten plan for democratic transition by 2011;.....

xxxxxxxxxxxx claimed that several opposition forces -- including the Wafd, Nasserite, Karama and Tagammu parties, and the Muslim Brotherhood, Kifaya, and Revolutionary Socialist movements -- have agreed to support an unwritten plan for a transition to a parliamentary democracy, involving a weakened presidency and an empowered prime minister and parliament, before the scheduled 2011 presidential elections

The "Secret Document" mentioned this "Revolutionary Activist" speaking at a late January. The Congressional hearing on House Resolution 1303 was regarding religious and political freedom in Egypt.

This Resolution H. Res. 1303: Calling on the Egyptian Government to respect human rights and freedoms of religion was introduced Jun 24, 2008 by Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA10].

It was also introduced in several previous secessions of congress. On Jul 28, 2005 it was introduced as H. Res. 413: Expressing the concern of House of Representatives regarding the amount of United States foreign assistance provided to Egypt over the past 25 years without meaningful political reforms by the Government of Egypt, by Rep. Ted Poe [R-TX2].

So this is defiantly looking like a republican master plan.

Our government relied heavily on our relationship with Egypt's military. We counted on our influence of democratic civilian control of our military to influence their military officials over our 30 year joint military cooperation. So far it seems to have paid off. Egypt's military has played ball with the plan.

Pentagon Faces Test of Influence With Ally

The officer corps of Egypt’s powerful military has been educated at defense colleges in the United States for 30 years. The Egyptian armed forces have about 1,000 American M1A1 Abrams tanks, which the United States allows to be built on Egyptian soil. Egypt permits the American military to stage major operations from its bases, and has always guaranteed the Americans passage through the Suez Canal.

The relationship between the Egyptian and American militaries is, in fact, so close that it was no surprise on Friday to find two dozen senior Egyptian military officials at the Pentagon, halfway through an annual week of meetings, lunches and dinners with their American counterparts.

By the afternoon, the Egyptians had cut short the talks to return to Cairo, but not before a top Defense Department official, Alexander Vershbow, had urged them to exercise “restraint,” the Pentagon said.

Saddam = Gone
Bin Ladin = Gone
Ben Ali = Gone
Mubarak = Gone
Gaddafi = Gone

I love it when a plan comes together.

 

[rdean]

This is hilarious. When I pointed out that Republicans sent tens of thousands of Americans off to die and be maimed for life to create a theocratic right wing extremist Muslim government with "Islam" written right into their constitution saying all legislation is to be based on Islam, those Republicans said "So what?" Those people have the right to have whatever government they want.

I guess, according to the right wing, it only doesn't count when thousands of Americans die.

And I'm tired of them saying, "But Democrats supported our lies". Yea, because they were lies. We know they never would have supported the truth.

 

[Katzndogz]

This administration intended for the muslim brotherhood to replace the Egyptian government with a fundamentalist islamic government. This administration intended for the muslim brotherhood and Al Quaeda to replace the Libyan government with a fundamentalist islamic government. This administration intended for the Coptic Christians in Egypt to be slaughtered.

It was not a fiasco. It is going along exactly as this administration intended all along.

This administration intended to end the cooperation of the Pakistani government with anti terrorist efforts. It intended that our supply lines be cut.

These are not mistakes. It is going along exactly as this administration intends.

What else does this administration intend?

 

[rdean]

This administration intended for the muslim brotherhood to replace the Egyptian government with a fundamentalist islamic government. This administration intended for the muslim brotherhood and Al Quaeda to replace the Libyan government with a fundamentalist islamic government. This administration intended for the Coptic Christians in Egypt to be slaughtered.

It was not a fiasco. It is going along exactly as this administration intended all along.

This administration intended to end the cooperation of the Pakistani government with anti terrorist efforts. It intended that our supply lines be cut.

These are not mistakes. It is going along exactly as this administration intends.

What else does this administration intend?

That's one of the most stupid things I've read on this forum. What the fucks wrong with you? It was Republicans who let Bin Laden go and ignored al Qaeda.

 

[paulitician]

'Beware of the Military Industrial Complex.' Our actions will likely lead to more War. And that's just the way the Military Industrial Complex likes it.