With millions of Egyptians flooding the streets of Cairo and Alexandria, I’m sure there are many who believe that the United States has a real role in forming the Egyptian government.

We have given $50-60 billion; if not more of US taxpayer’s hard earned money to prop up our puppet regime of Dictator Hosni Mubarak for decades. At the same time, many Egyptians are living in abject poverty living on $2 a day.

Mubarak has tried to pull a rabbit out of his hat. As Vice President Omar Suleiman appeared on state television, making claims to the masses that a new government sworn in by Mubarak would fight unemployment, inflation and corruption, the main grievances. In addition, it will review whether the 2005 elections were legit. This is likely too little, too late.

What has the United States said about the fate of Mubarak and the rioting? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has come out saying that “US officials obviously want to see people who are truly committed to democracy,” but with the stipulation, “not to imposing any ideology on Egyptians.”

President Obama has called for an “orderly transition” to democracy in Egypt, all but turning his back on Mubarak. This move has not pleased some, most notably politicians and journalists in Israel.

However, as Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges points out; don’t be fooled by all the democracy chatter from the West:

“Egyptians are not Americans. They have their own culture, their own sets of grievances and their own history. And it is not ours. They want, as we do, to have a say in their own governance, but that said will include widespread support—especially among Egypt’s poor, who make up more than half the country and live on about two dollars a day—for the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic parties.”

What if the Muslim Brotherhood or other Islamist group takes over the most populous Arab nation? What should the US and the West do?

I think this was spelled out well by Daily Telegraph chief political commentator, Peter Oborne:

“These eruptions in the Middle East present a moral challenge to Western governments. There is no question that we will feel very tempted to try and control events and maintain regimes which, however morally loathsome, are seen as sympathetic to the West.”

Then citing the disaster of Algeria in the 90s, he goes on:

“The lesson is straightforward: that America, Britain, France and other Western countries do not have a legitimate role in determining what kind of government Egypt and other countries around the world choose for themselves.”

http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/what-should-we-be-doing-about-egypt

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