Dear Egypt,
Congratulations on forcing Hosni Mubarak to resign. Millions of you stood up and protested against oppressive rule and you got results. Many of you would like a democracy—or perhaps a representative democracy modeled after the U.S. government—to replace the dictatorship that was in place under Mubarak. Yet, at least as reported by Western newsmen and women, many of you have expressed hostility towards the United States for supporting Mubarak’s regime for over thirty years.
Because the U.S. did not remove Mubarak, it’s at fault? The same could be said about the millions of Egyptians who lived in Egypt during Mubarak’s reign and did nothing to pressure his resignation. That probably sounds tactless to many, as the real blame belongs at the feet of Mubarak and his cronies, and not the victims of his oppressive control. However, why should the United States be blamed for supporting a politician whose own people (by and large) were not crying to have removed from office until recently?
Despite the myth that many have throughout the world, and that the U.S. government propagates from time to time when it seems militarily or politically advantageous, the United States is not Savior of the World. While the U.S. government (and numerous charities within the country) has sponsored numerous humanitarian efforts to help people and even countries in need, government policies are generally dictated by political opportunism and a complex web of negotiations among allies. I place no moral judgments on that; just simply offer facts. Yes, at times that opportunism has led the U.S. to both formally and informally sponsor military campaigns or plots by various agencies to overthrow governments in different parts of the world. That opportunism has also led the U.S. government to actively—if not formally—sponsor efforts to suppress efforts to overthrow governments criticized for being dictatorships. It would be naïve to believe this has not been the case. Finally, this opportunism has sometimes led the U.S. government to sit back and let events unfold before coming out in support of any side in a dispute concerning other sovereign nations.
Whether you believe it is the U.S.’s job to intervene in international conflict or it isn’t, is your opinion. But I ask you to look at the track record of U.S. intervention in other countries’ political unrest. Following are but a handful of examples. The Bay of Pigs fiasco, which was supposed to overthrow Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba, was a spectacular failure. Certainly the Iranian students who led a revolution in the late 1970’s did not appreciate the U.S.’s support of the Shah of Iran. The U.S. government’s overt, and later covert, support and financial backing of the Contras in Nicaragua (who committed gross human rights violations) was not popularly supported. Countless Iraqis are bitter at the U.S. for invading Iraq and removing a ruler who, by all accounts, committed gross abuses against the populace. Afghans, en masse, are not dancing in the streets grateful for the U.S.’s efforts to eliminate Al-Qaeda and curb abuses by the Taliban.
So, exactly, what would you have hoped for with U.S intervention, Egypt? Eventually, groups of you fed up with abuses by your government stood together and protested loudly and united. You got the attention of the international community. You got the attention of the U.S. government, who did encourage and pressure—perhaps in not the way you desired—Mubarak to step down. The U.S.-suggested timetable for his resignation might not have met with your approval, but your desire won out. Be proud of your efforts and work to establish a democratic government that provides security to all citizens. Fight against forces who will want to replace Mubarak with their own brand of oppressive rule.
Harboring grudges against the U.S. government—that you seek to emulate—is counterproductive. The only group that had a right to overthrow the government of your sovereign nation was a group from within. Being angry at the United States for not doing what was your right and duty to do is unreasonable.
Socialjusticeink's Blog
Dear Egypt
February 12, 2011Dear Egypt,
Congratulations on forcing Hosni Mubarak to resign. Millions of you stood up and protested against oppressive rule and you got results. Many of you would like a democracy—or perhaps a representative democracy modeled after the U.S. government—to replace the dictatorship that was in place under Mubarak. Yet, at least as reported by Western newsmen and women, many of you have expressed hostility towards the United States for supporting Mubarak’s regime for over thirty years.
Because the U.S. did not remove Mubarak, it’s at fault? The same could be said about the millions of Egyptians who lived in Egypt during Mubarak’s reign and did nothing to pressure his resignation. That probably sounds tactless to many, as the real blame belongs at the feet of Mubarak and his cronies, and not the victims of his oppressive control. However, why should the United States be blamed for supporting a politician whose own people (by and large) were not crying to have removed from office until recently?
Despite the myth that many have throughout the world, and that the U.S. government propagates from time to time when it seems militarily or politically advantageous, the United States is not Savior of the World. While the U.S. government (and numerous charities within the country) has sponsored numerous humanitarian efforts to help people and even countries in need, government policies are generally dictated by political opportunism and a complex web of negotiations among allies. I place no moral judgments on that; just simply offer facts. Yes, at times that opportunism has led the U.S. to both formally and informally sponsor military campaigns or plots by various agencies to overthrow governments in different parts of the world. That opportunism has also led the U.S. government to actively—if not formally—sponsor efforts to suppress efforts to overthrow governments criticized for being dictatorships. It would be naïve to believe this has not been the case. Finally, this opportunism has sometimes led the U.S. government to sit back and let events unfold before coming out in support of any side in a dispute concerning other sovereign nations.
Whether you believe it is the U.S.’s job to intervene in international conflict or it isn’t, is your opinion. But I ask you to look at the track record of U.S. intervention in other countries’ political unrest. Following are but a handful of examples. The Bay of Pigs fiasco, which was supposed to overthrow Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba, was a spectacular failure. Certainly the Iranian students who led a revolution in the late 1970’s did not appreciate the U.S.’s support of the Shah of Iran. The U.S. government’s overt, and later covert, support and financial backing of the Contras in Nicaragua (who committed gross human rights violations) was not popularly supported. Countless Iraqis are bitter at the U.S. for invading Iraq and removing a ruler who, by all accounts, committed gross abuses against the populace. Afghans, en masse, are not dancing in the streets grateful for the U.S.’s efforts to eliminate Al-Qaeda and curb abuses by the Taliban.
So, exactly, what would you have hoped for with U.S intervention, Egypt? Eventually, groups of you fed up with abuses by your government stood together and protested loudly and united. You got the attention of the international community. You got the attention of the U.S. government, who did encourage and pressure—perhaps in not the way you desired—Mubarak to step down. The U.S.-suggested timetable for his resignation might not have met with your approval, but your desire won out. Be proud of your efforts and work to establish a democratic government that provides security to all citizens. Fight against forces who will want to replace Mubarak with their own brand of oppressive rule.
Harboring grudges against the U.S. government—that you seek to emulate—is counterproductive. The only group that had a right to overthrow the government of your sovereign nation was a group from within. Being angry at the United States for not doing what was your right and duty to do is unreasonable.
Tags:anti-U.S. sentiment, crisis in Egypt, Egypt, Egyptian protest, Hosni Mubarak, human rights, Mubarak, oppression, political oppression, U.S. policy
Posted in Egypt, international, Political Commentary | 3 Comments »