Egypt in Danger of Becoming America's Greatest Middle East Enemy

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Mr. Zuckerman's perspective is revealed to align with the worst colonial and imperialist fears of Western influence. This is because he simply ignores the perspective of the Egyptian people, their well-being and their own aspirations for the future of their nation. In this sense, he provides a condescending and undemocratic analysis of how Egypt may develop.
This is a terrible way to approach international relations. We should be engaging Egyptians to make them see how important the values of free speech, religious freedom, and individual civil rights are, and to help them overcome traditionalist notions that conflict with modern democracy. We need to have faith in the people of Egypt and recognize that they have shown immense courage and maturity in overcoming their regime, and have shown a great hunger for modernization and progress. We should build on these aspects and show Egyptians an open hand. That will be the best way to counter any Islamic radicalism hiding under the frock of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is not a monolithic institution. This lack of positive imaginative perspective on the human spirit and the possibilities of enlightenment and humanism are perhaps the greatest failure of American conservatism.

AgentG of TX 12:49AM February 21, 2011

In addition, the article quotes Tony Bliar who has no credibility whatsoever. The Muslim Brotherhood, the bogey man of the west, was used successfully by Mubarak to create an oppressive security apparatus in Egypt and crush any opposition with the tacit approval of the west, including the USA and the UK. So, now Tony Bliar, the criminal of Bagdad, is an expert on democracy. What a joke.

Mostafa Kassem 11:08AM February 19, 2011

It's obvious that many Obama voters now wish they had voted for Hillary. Many of those same voters would now rather see a Republican elected President in 2012 than have Obama re-elected.
As long as that Republican isn't named Pat Buchanan. Pat has been writing about our Middle East policy for the past twenty years. It's difficult to find any errors of logic in Pat's columns about the Middle East. Which is why Pat is not an acceptable Republican alternative for those Obama voters who now wish they had voted for Hillary.

Bill of MA 3:21AM February 19, 2011

Thank you

Mani of CA 6:38PM February 18, 2011

What happened in Egypt had nothing to do with the USA or any other country for that matter. This was purely 100% and Egyptian revolution, internal revolution that is.
This revolution was made to make Egyptians live a better quality of life. They are not going out there looking for enemies, just for a better life and it would not make any sense for whom ever comes to power to invest in the army, or conflicts. Any investments would be done for the economy (jobs, salaries, food).
We want to live in peace and sincerely hope that Americans can too! Why must Americans always scare the American public by creating an imaginary enemy?
To fund the military machine? Please find other ways.
Peace man..

Ahmed Kamel 4:42PM February 18, 2011

Mort,
We do not own the Middle East, and cannot control it. We have spent TRILLIONS already in an attempt to install our puppets in Iraq and Afghanistan, and still haven't learned that the area is not ours to rule. Hundreds of millions live there. We need to co-exist on the planet with them - not try to control them.
Europe has figured out how to live with the oil and gas situation by forging agreements for resources coming from elsewhere. They are recycling and saving fuel. They are providing increasing wind power. Oil is coming from Russia. They have public transportation if cars and planes become impractical. And of course a lot also comes from the Middle East. They bargain and compromise and make agreements that they honor, and in return, the Middle East is not so hostile to them.
Mort - THIS is the New American Century. The one where we get to share the planet with everyone else, and eventually learn how to play nicely with others once again. The British empire dies after WWII. Our empire "died " when GW Bush took this country to war with Iraq.
GW Bush said he invaded Iraq to bring democracy to the Middle East. Well - here it is! Democracy. Messy. Unpredictable. Of the people. By the people - Middle Eastern style. There is no "super power" any more here other than bombs. He burned up the goodwill, and suddenly the rest of the world saw our hypocrisy - first-hand. Now we are just another player among many strong ones.
We sent our money and bases to kingdoms and tribal leaders and strongment in exchange for their cooperation and us looking the other way about human rights. Now wwe are hugely invested in a region we have no way of controlling, and we have many bases and much materiele located there. Oooops.
Egypt is going to become what it always should have been - Egypt, Egyptian. Not a British outpost, not a country run by a US propped up strong man. If it does business with its neighbors, that is probably more natural than what we have been forcing for these past decades. That does not mean it is a danger to the USA.
That kind of talk is paranoia - and attempts at changing things with fear. The owrld is into us Mort. They know we are just playing political games.... Obama is the first sincere thing to hit Washington in decades - and we are now lurching towards equilibrium.

DeeToo of SC 4:14PM February 18, 2011