This One's For Egypt, Not U.S., To Disentangle

IBD Editorials ^ | February 8, 2011 | GEORGE F. WILL

[Kaslin]

Sixty years ago, American politics was embittered by an accusation couched as a question: "Who lost China?" The implied indictment was that America had fumbled away a possession through incompetence or sinister conniving.

In 1949, when communists came to power there, America bestrode both hemispheres shattered from war. Americans thought their nation was at the wheel of the world and that whatever happened, wherever, happened at America's instigation, or at least its sufferance, or was evidence of American negligence.

It is a sign of national maturity — the product of hard learning, from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan — that fewer American complainers are today faulting the Obama administration for not anticipating and shaping events in Egypt. Israel, which lives next door to Egypt and has an excellent intelligence service, did not see this coming. So, a modest proposal:

Those Americans who know which Republican will win next year's Iowa caucuses can complain about those who did not know that when a Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire, he would set a region afire. From all other Americans, forbearance would be seemly.

It also would be amazing, because there is a cottage industry of Barack Obama critics who, not content with monitoring his myriad mistakes in domestic policies, insist that there must be a seamless connection of those with his foreign policy.

[Ev Reeman]

Mubarak was and is a stabilizing factor in the Middle East.

But in order to keep himself in power he should make some needed democratic reforms.

But he should never ever knuckle under to anything or anybody connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.

I think Mubarak has the basic support of the military who respect him and his new VP.

[privatedrive]

No it’s not O’s fault. But he could come out and say that the USA believes in freedom, free elections, women’s rights to an education and a job and to own property. He could say the we don’t believe that the penalty for converting from Muslim to another faith (apostasy) should be punishable by death. He couild say the America won’t support a government that believes that gays should be executed, or that accused adulterers should be stoned to death. He could say that we won’t support a government that wants to conquer the world by means of violent jihad.

He could say all these things.

But he chooses not to.

[Hotlanta Mike]

[HardStarboard]

I know little about current Egypt politics other that what I have read in the past two weeks. That said, I think I could craft a better policy in the current situation than Obama/Clinton “foggy bottom” have.

Mubarak is done...he is/was a figurehead of the military/secret service complex much as Pervez Musharaff
was in Pakistan. He had power up until maybe 5 or 6 years ago but the military is increasingly calling the shots and propping him up.

Mubarak is done - the passion in the streets is real and has the potential to get much more deadly the longer he stays. Yet there is a crying need for an orderly transition to a new leader - quickly. The longer the street riots go on, the higher potential for it to be necessary for the military to intervene decisively.

The longer Mubarak stays the more likely it is that the Muslim Brotherhood, with Iran/Hezbollah actively egging
them on, will be able to exert pressure greater numbers of people to join them. Lurking in the background - and probably being exploited by Iran - are the 500 [not sure of the number #] or so al Qaeda members that escaped from the jails during the rioting.

The Egyptian military loves the United States. Many trained here with our military. The Egyptian man in the
street respects the Egyptian military.

It occurs to me that we should encourage, very quietly of course, the military to find a man of the people, unconnected with the current regime or directly with the military that has the respect of the people and put back
him, quietly of course, as an interim President....

A Vaclav Havel type if you will. There must be some Egyptian, somewhere, that will command the respect and even adoration of the large mass of reasonable people.

Such a leader, even if interim, would isolate the crazies from the masses...those that keep fomenting riots could
be cracked down upon - hard - by the military.

All this is easier said than done. I have every faith that - even if such a plan existed - Washington DC, the Obama Administration with media flacks by their side
would screw it up by attempting to take credit prematurely
with “leaks’ and self congratulations.