Last year, Egyptians overthrew the Mubarak regime in the name of freedom and democracy. Yet, the transitional government’s recent taking of hostages—foreign nongovernmental staff—reveals that authoritarian tendencies remain a major problem. On Monday, Egypt’s public prosecutor published a list of 43 workers, including 19 Americans, who will be put on trial for violating foreign funding laws. Egypt’s interim government claims that the foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) illegally funded political groups in Egypt’s parliamentary election. The NGOs insist that they provided Egyptians with only technical assistance to help them take part …
Egypt’s beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak announced tonight in a televised speech that he refuses to step down, but he promised to launch an investigation to hold officials of his regime accountable for fomenting violence against protesters since the political turmoil began on January 25. Mubarak promised that he would transfer some undefined leadership responsibilities to his Vice President, Omar Suleiman. He also proclaimed his love for Egypt and promised that “I will not leave it until I am buried in the ground.” Mubarak failed to satisfy the tens of thousands …
As expected, President Hosni Mubarak’s promise not to seek re-election has not appeased the huge crowds of Egyptians who are determined to remove him from power immediately. The regime mobilized thousands of supporters, who clashed with protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Such clashes are sure to inflame the situation and risk dragging the army, the most important force for stability in Egypt, into a spiraling series of confrontations with opposition demonstrators egged on by radical anti-democratic groups. Such an escalation of political violence would discredit the army and undermine its …
There was a time when the U.S. government boldly supported democratic movements and spoke out unabashedly in favor of political and human rights. It wasn’t even that long ago—under the Bush and Reagan Administrations, actually—but it seems like eons. Consider President Obama’s comment in the State of the Union speech that the United States “stands with the people of Tunisia” (whatever this code means) while ignoring that at that very moment tens of thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, protesting the 30-year …
Cairo was flooded with protesters for the seventh day on Monday, as opposition leaders promised that Tuesday would see a “march of a million” aimed at toppling the besieged Mubarak regime. Significantly, a spokesman for Egypt’s military noted that the army recognized “the legitimacy of the people’s demands” and promised that it “will not use force against the public.” This suggests that the army has adopted a more neutral stance in the current crisis. Vice President Omar Suleiman, promoted last weekend by President Hosni Mubarak in an effort to calm …
Tensions on the streets of Cairo continue to rise. Looters have taken advantage of the widespread disappearance of the reviled police to smash and grab what they can. Gangs have attacked prisons to release Muslim militants held there along with hundreds of common criminals, who have added to the chaos. The Egyptian army, which was welcomed yesterday by the teeming crowds of protesters in Cairo, has sought to restore order, but it is ill-equipped to handle the growing chaos triggered by the massive protests. Today, the military command dispatched two …
From the outset of the Obama presidency and the emergence of the Obama Doctrine, the similarities between this Administration and that of Jimmy Carter have been striking. Like Obama, Carter trumpeted soft power and international institutions as the means to solve the most perplexing foreign policy problems. The programs of both Presidents hinged on the cooperation of adversaries who interpreted the U.S. initiatives as signs of weakness, and in the second half of their presidencies, both faced the prospect of sharp reversals.
The Middle East was meant to be the crowning achievement of the Obama Doctrine. Once in the White House, President Obama focused laser-like on a “charm offensive” with Iran. When voices rose against the regime in Tehran in the wake of a disputed national election, Obama offered virtually no support for the cries for freedom. Nevertheless, the “playing nice initiative” with Tehran fell flat. Today, the regime is more aggressive than ever—backing a terrorist take-over of the government in Lebanon, snubbing Western nuclear negotiators, and promoting an Islamist agenda across …
Egypt remains convulsed by massive popular protests after President Hosni Mubarak sought in vain to appease the opposition. The police have melted into crowds or holed up at risk for their lives and the once-feared Interior Ministry is under siege. Army troops on the streets of Cairo reportedly have bonded with the massive crowds and appear to be respected, in contrast to the thuggish police. President Mubarak, who dismissed his cabinet yesterday, today appointed a vice president for the first time in his 30-year rule, Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. The army, which always has …
The President’s national security team prepared a solid speech for him to deliver at the University of Indonesia yesterday. The speech, intended as a follow up to his 2009 Cairo speech to the “Muslim world,” was first posted on the State Department’s America.gov website in its “as prepared for delivery” form. It was well-tailored to an Indonesian audience and avoided all the ill-advised religious language of the Cairo speech. Unfortunately, the President had some of ideas of his own. Judging by the changes posted in the revised speech he ad-libbed.
