Pharaoh's End

Protests rocked Egypt, calling into question whether President Hosni Mubarak's regime can survive. FP asked five top experts how Barack Obama should respond to the growing signs of revolt on Egypt's streets.

JANUARY 28, 2011

Sherif Mansour: It's Freedom, Stupid

There's only one lesson that American foreign policymakers should take from recent events in Tunisia and Egypt: freedom matters. The United States has continually supported Mubarak and other oppressive regimes in the region, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The Obama administration it finds itself between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose whether to support the ideals of freedom and democracy it espouses and run the risk that in the aftermath, the United States will have lost its allies in the region, or stick with the devil it knows.

If the administration is smart, it will see the writing on the wall and realize that the old order in Egypt, and conceivably the rest of the Middle East, is gone forever. When the smoke clears, Washington will want to be on the right side of history. The United States must now withdraw its support, both financial and symbolic, from the Mubarak regime and avoid any further ties to its oppression.

The retreat of the police force in the major cities Friday indicates the end of the oldest and most repressive police state in the Middle East region. Obama should publicly acknowledge this fact. The Egyptian people have spoken, and the Egyptian regime should follow the police into the dustbin of history. The Egyptian army shouldn't replace police's role in repressing demonstrators, but rather ensure that the Egyptian people's aspirations for freedom and democracy and dignity are met.

Most of all, Obama should make his actions speak louder than words. In these moments of truth, the United States should always take the side of the people. It should offer its help in building democratic institutions while refraining from endorsing any particular candidate or party. It should freeze its foreign-aid package to Egypt until a more just, transparent, and accountable government is in place.

Moreover, Obama should move before it is too late. More important than what the U.S. president says is when he says it. For two years, Egypt experts have urged Obama to put greater pressure on the Egyptian regime, but their words fall on deaf ears. It is time for Obama to respond like he did in Tunisia and hail the courage of the Egyptian people -- but before Mubarak's regime utterly collapses, because at that point it will be too late.

Sherif Mansour is senior programs officer at Freedom House.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

 

DOCHAJ

9:57 PM ET

January 28, 2011

Mansour: New leadership in Middle East

I would be very interested in Mr. Mansour's concept of the new leadership he envisions.

 

BENDOVER1

11:09 AM ET

January 29, 2011

Wikileaks - World Revolutions!

Who’s Julian Assange? – Here is an extract of the forth coming book Trapped in a Masonic World: We have to do everything legally within our powers to prevent this same “network of people” from being able to introduce some form of Chinese “Google clamp” to our systems here in the West. Our job is to help inform our fellow man, - those billions of others who are still kept in the dark, and with our collective assistance, they too shall soon be bathed in the light of truth and knowledge, - and I would like to take this opportunity in thanking Julian Assange for having to balls and conviction for doing what he has done, and continues to do, - we must look out for him and his kind, and be by he’s side when he needs our protection, because after all, - who really is Juilan Assange? - Well the answer is obvious, he is you, me and every single one of us; “...I’m Julian Assange!” - We shall all rise and claim back our planet from these predatory evil bastards, our slave masters whom have deliberately kept us in continuous never ending wars, famines, illnesses, diseases and poverty, keeping the majority of us treading water in order just to survive and pay our extortionate bills and the cost of living, all their talk about eradicating poverty, has been proven by themselves as utter bullshit. - Their time is up, the games coming to an end, and there’s never been a better time to be alive knowing we can do something about the reclamation of our world from a relative small number of elite bloodline families and their present misled foot soldiers, it’s happened before and shall again. - There’s over 6.6 billion of us, and as a collective we can do it, it can be done, should be done, and more importantly needs to be done, and that’s the true meaning of 2012, and perhaps what the Mayan calendar is indicating too, the end of the old world, and the coming of the new one, - a world of the enlightened ones, though without the help of the illuminati! And here’s the catch, as even though I am putting down the Freemasons, illuminati and religious camps in general, I am not funnily enough totally against them, as I know for certain there are millions of members of these sorts of organisations who are genuinely honest and sincere human beings. My only bug bear, is their secrecy, the elitism and those presently in charge and control are not using their wealth power and influence for the empowerment of mankind, but to the detriment of it instead, and it is these individuals who have to be exposed for what they truly represent, and given the opportunity to either alter their ways, step down and retire, or be disposed off. We are at the start of a worldwide revolution and it is our task to lay the path for the sake of our children, and their children’s children. – Viva -Revolution, - and orf wid dare eds! Many political leaders throughout history have always sought to mislead the thinking of the masses. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates taught his students; that the pursuit of truth can only begin once they start to question and analyse every belief that they ever held dear. If a certain belief passes the tests of evidence, deduction and logic, it should be kept. If it doesn't, the belief should not only be discarded, but the thinker must also then question why he was led to believe the erroneous information in the first place. - Not surprisingly, this type of teaching didn’t bode well with the ruling elite of Greece, and Socrates was tried for subversion and for corrupting the youth, in which he was found guilty, - then forced to take his own life by drinking poison!
www.trappedinamasonicworld.co.uk Please spread this message far and wide.

 

MORAN

7:44 AM ET

January 30, 2011

conspiracy theories

To bendover1: You're off-topic here, but you bring up a subject that is my bugbear, and that is many, not all, conspiracy theories, e.g. masonic, (viz. your reference to the website trappedinamasonicworld) illuminati, bilderberg, zionist, new world order, eugenics. It seems to me that in seeking to blame someone for the troubles we face, we should look much closer to home, namely the corporatists on Wall St, the banksters, the Military/Industrial complex, and our own politicians. The thing is that you're wasting considerable energy looking elsewhere.

As for the situation in Egypt, we can expect that our foreign policy will be influenced by Israel and Big Oil, not concern for spreading democracy and for the human rights of the oppressed. For Clinton to have said that Mubarack's government was stable is evidence of how out-of-touch our State Department is. Obama should see to it that aid to Egypt is suspended until the present regime is out.

 

CEOUNICOM

1:06 PM ET

January 30, 2011

LOL

I havent even read crazy person #1's comment (well, now I have... boy, was that embarrassing)... but i thought yours was priceless in its, "no, no, your conspiracy theory is not nearly as relevant as MY conspiracy theory..."

du calme, du calme, adieu

 

COLIMA47

1:56 PM ET

January 30, 2011

bendover1

I very much liked bendover1's comments. A little wordy.

 

NYESTO

8:12 PM ET

January 29, 2011

Egypt

No matter what the outcome for US Foreign Policy & the effect on our economy -- it is time we truly stood for freedom -- and recognized the voice of the Egyptian people. The street HAS voted. Mubarek has lost.

The longer we wait to recognize this simple fact...the more we jeopardize both the Egyptian & global economy...& miss that rare historical split second to truly turn the tide on terrorism!

 

JOLTINJOE

7:13 AM ET

January 30, 2011

Egypt

I agree that Mubarack must go but the street really has not voted. Only a small fraction of the 30 million people have been on the street voting with words and crimes. If the rest of them come out and "vote" in the "street" fashion then Mubarack will be gone. But what then? Worse is what to expect. A clear vacumn will allow the loudest and least cometent to advance to power. Nobody who loves freedom wants that.

 

COLIMA47

2:02 PM ET

January 30, 2011

Firing employees

Whenever I contemplated firing an employee, I would think, "is the new one that I will hire going to be any better?" If Tunisians and Egyptians think that removing their leaders will cause an immediate paradise, they are engaging in delusional thinking, not necessarily based on fact.

 

ANGELLIGHT

7:41 AM ET

January 30, 2011

America is Not The Ruler of the World

We cannot dictate the outcome of Egypt, only the Egyptian people can do that. Pres. Obama got it right when he called on universal freedeom for all people, for non-violence and the opening up of the internet, which has much to do with the interlinking of the world.

There seems to be a spiritual wave spreading accross the Middle East -- a demand for freedom, which as Pres. Obama has stated and everyone knows, is a basic universal right. Surely, the uprising in Egypt and Tunisia can be seen as a victory for the forces of light on this planet. For those of us who know how to work with the energy of light, love and goodwill, we must direct this energy into that region, aiding those forces of light already working for reconstruction.

 

ANGELLIGHT

7:43 AM ET

January 30, 2011

America is Not The Ruler of the World

We cannot dictate the outcome of Egypt, only the Egyptian people can do that. Pres. Obama got it right when he called on universal freedeom for all people, for non-violence and the opening up of the internet, which has much to do with the interlinking of the world.

There seems to be a spiritual wave spreading accross the Middle East -- a demand for freedom, which as Pres. Obama has stated and everyone knows, is a basic universal right. Surely, the uprising in Egypt and Tunisia can be seen as a victory for the forces of light on this planet. For those of us who know how to work with the energy of light, love and goodwill, we must direct this energy into that region, aiding those forces of light already working for reconstruction.

 

MARTY MARTEL

9:10 AM ET

January 31, 2011

Democracy can bring another Iran in Egypt

When gods want to punish us, they answer our prayers.

Before supporting these so-called winds of change, let us think what will replace them.

All indications are there that if Mubarak’s regime was to collapse in Egypt, Islamic fundamentalists will most likely come to power because they have the largest non-government political organization there.

Democratic dispensation in Pakistan after Musharraf has exposed the true nature of Islamic fundamentalist character of Pakistani society as witnessed by public outpouring of support for the killer of Punjab governor. And democratic government also has been subservient to Pakistani Army when it comes to supporting Taliban factions sheltered in Pakistan and killing US/NATO troops daily in Afghanistan since 2001.

Democratic elections in Palestinian territories brought radical Hamas to power.

When US supported change in Iran in 1979, little did it know what was to follow Shah’s regime.

Same scenario will repeat in Algeria if military rule was to crumble.

 

THE GLOBALIZER

11:19 AM ET

January 31, 2011

Egypt presages the future...

...zombies. I guarantee it.

*laugh*

I think all five experts get at the core of the issue here -- this is a popular revolt, not by one group against another, but by all groups against the state. With democracy, there are no guarantees, particularly when a nation has not known political freedom for a long time. The US needs to be on the side of freedom, not just the shallow self-interest that has served it so poorly throughout recent history.

 

NEMATSADAT

7:22 PM ET

January 31, 2011

Quick Take: Social Media and the Arab Revolts

The Egyptian protesters have been empowered by innovative communicat­ions technology and sooner or just a little later they will unseat Hosni Mubarak.

Check out my quick take: Social Media and the Arab Revolts by clicking on the link below:

http://ohm­ygov.com/b­logs/gener­al_news/ar­chive/2011­/01/31/qui­ck-take-so­cial-media­-and-the-a­rab-revolt­s.aspx

Thanks,

Nemat Sadat

You can join me by adding me on these sites below:

Twitter: http://twi­tter.com/n­ematsadat

LinkedIn: http://www­.linkedin.­com/pub/ne­mat-sadat/­13/620/A83

Facebook: http://www­.facebook.­com/?ref=l­ogo#!/profile­.php?id=14­34669268

 

MIKESTOMACHFAT

10:34 PM ET

January 31, 2011

Order needs to be put in

Order needs to be put in place now or president Hosni Mubarak regime will not survive.

Tom @ lose stomach fat

 

JIMCAS

5:57 PM ET

March 2, 2011

As for the situation in

As for the situation in Egypt, we can expect that our foreign policy will be influenced by Israel and Big Oil, not concern for spreading democracy and for the human rights of the oppressed. Find IT jobs. For Clinton to have said that Mubarack's government was stable is evidence of how out-of-touch our State Department is. Obama should see to it that aid to Egypt is suspended until the present regime is out. An interesting point.