The United States finds itself in a difficult position regarding the current popular unrest in Egypt. Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been a friend and ally of the United States. If he goes, the way may be open to a radical Islamic, anti-American regime that might even support terrorists. Also, Egypt under a new regime could abrogate its current peace treaties with Israel. Plus, Egypt, while not an oil producer, is an important transit point for oil supplies, partly because it controls the Suez Canal.
Nevertheless—surprisingly, and to his credit--President Obama has clearly expressed his sympathy for the Egyptian demonstrators who are calling for an end to Mubarak's regime and the establishment of greater democracy in Egypt.
This is surprising both because Obama is placing human rights above what might be America's interests in the Middle East and also because, so many times in the past, America has backed, supported, and even installed right-wing dictators.
Just one example would be Iran. The U.S. can pretty much blame itself for the current anti-American regime in Iran because the U.S. staunchly supported the Shah, who was hated because of his repressive regime: by means of his secret police he used torture and so forth to suppress opposition.
In fact, going back a bit further still, the U.S., in the 1950s, helped overthrow a democratic government in Iran and engineer the Shah's assumption of power.
Copyright © 2011 by Richard Stein
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