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EDITORIAL
What about Egypt?
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Many Americans were optimistic when the "Arab Spring" reached Egypt last year, toppling the decades-long dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. Numerous volunteers even flocked to the country as part of a group of pro-democracy, non-governmental agencies hoping to advise the Egyptians on how to set up a pluralistic and representative republic.
The optimism now appears to have been misplaced.
Ignoring a U.S. threat to cut off aid, the Egyptian government -- a supposedly kinder, gentler military junta than the last one -- has arrested and now threatens to put on trial 19 Americans and 24 other employees of nonprofit groups on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest in the country.
In response, U.S. officials said Tuesday that Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would travel to Egypt to press for the criminal charges against at least 16 Americans to be dropped.
Among the American defendants is Sam LaHood, the Egypt program director for the International Republican Institute and the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Egyptian state media's limited coverage of the dispute is couched in calls for national sovereignty.
Is Egypt doomed to fall back into blindered, theocratic repression?
The ruling generals who took power after the uprising, led by a man who was Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years, have tried to deflect criticism by claiming "foreign hands" are behind protests against their rule. Conspiracies are now seen in nearly every move by a foreign nation. Egypt has plunged into a new cycle of violence, with 12 killed in four days of clashes, sparked by anger at the authorities' inability to prevent a soccer riot that left 74 dead.
It's a depressing prospect, but surely damage control is now the proper course. Get the Americans out. Cut off U.S. aid. Tell the Egyptians they're welcome back into the community of nations when tourists, diplomats -- and yes, even naive young people hoping to pass out Bibles and copies of "The Rights of Man" -- can again travel there safely.
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"Only libs and idiots could have been optimistic" ~ Arn't they one in the same?
President Bush has much to do with what is happening in the Middle East today, and will be responsible for much of what happens tomorrow. We shall see whether the result is positive or negative for this country, but for all those on the far, far, far right wing, know that your support of that menace to society is directly responsible for his actions.
Obama Feeds Radical Islam In Absurd Budget Spending http://goo.gl/fb/l3y2c
Abolish foreign aid.
Give all of those Middle Eastern countries back to the Ottomans.
@Harry.Kochman,,,I think you greatly simplify the minds and thoughts of people before WWII and the Holocaust. It isn’t fair comparing the Holocaust to the issues in the Middle East today. There was a certain amount of anti-Semitism here, still few Americans wanted to enter another world war after enduring the First World War, still so fresh in many memories; even though they heard rumors of genocide. Many people didn’t believe the atrocities could be true even after understanding similar atrocities took place in WWI. The complexities of the Middle East, tribal hatreds, religious hatreds, still won’t be solved by us invading and we have had years of sanctions with little or no progress for generations. It’s not a question of involvement but a question of, is there really is a solution that will actually work with such a mix of hatreds that have been in place for centuries.
Only libs and idiots could have been optimistic ~ Arab Spring.
That's exactly why 6 million Jews and homosexuals were killed in the Holocaust. Nobody wanted to get involved until it was too late.
Which Path to Persia?
mrs ed more kool aid you got to quit drinking that stuff it just makes you sound like you have an ID 10 error
Another Obama success.