Bravo, Egypt
I just want record my awe and joy and what the Egptians have achieved. I know, it’s early to see what the revolution will bring. But for millions of people, with almost no violence, to bring down a dictatorship–it doesn’t happen every day. Of course I don’t know whether the new Egypt will be genuinly democratic, not corrupt, etc. But there’s certainly a chance of it. There are, clearly, a lot of educated, patriotic young Egyptians with very good political instincts. The world may owe them a large debt.
The first question of many Americans is “what does it mean for Israel?” Well, I’m pretty sure Egypt won’t cooperate too much longer in Israel’s ugly siege of Gaza, and that has to be good for the Palestinians. Since Israel is now in a self-defeating downward spiral, based on the belief that it can get away, forever, with crushing the aspirations of Palestinians, what the Egyptians have achieved is likely to be good for Israel too.
For the moment let’s share the joy of Tahir square. It’s not something that even happens once in a generation.
Truly a great moment! Hopefully the remaining despots will now fall like dominoes. I hope we do not screw it all up. I note that Republicans like Ros-Lehtinen and Pence are already insisting that the new Egyptian order honor its treaty with Israel as a first priority. If we come on all adversarial on behalf of Israel we will make a new enemy no matter who comes out on top in Cairo. A freer Middle East will be good for everyone, including Israel if we can get Bibi and Avigdor to take their blinders off.
If the net result is that a new government forms around Omar Suleiman and holds power, I suspect we’re looking at meet the new boss (same as the old boss). Which, I also suspect, would be “just fine, thank you very much” with most of the political leadership in the developed world.
I have heard from a friend who is a former Egyptian intelligence officer that the crunch came last night when field and company grade officers told the generals that the troops would not fire on their countrymen.
“Hopefully the remaining despots will now fall like dominoes.”
And then… a world of salads and sun!
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The audacity of Israel. Wondering if Egypt is going to keep the peace treaty. What a shocking development. But this is classic McConnell. Two paragraphs on the biggest story to come out of the middle east in a long time and one of them is devoted to the horror of Israel.
[...] Egypt to open the borders with Gaza. … Hungry Gazans Feed Egyptian TroopsInter Press Service Bravo, EgyptAmerican Conservative Magazine (blog) Mission possibleEuropean [...]
Bill Pearlman wrote:
“The audacity of Israel. Wondering if Egypt is going to keep the peace treaty. What a shocking development. But this is classic McConnell. Two paragraphs on the biggest story to come out of the middle east in a long time and one of them is devoted to the horror of Israel.”
Wait a minute, Bill. McConnell is an American and has a right to be concerned about his country. And here’s Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator quoted in the NYTimes talking about the Egyptian situation: “…the core of what is the American interest in this…. It’s Israel. It’s not worry about whether the Egyptians are going to close down the Suez Canal, or even the narrower terror issue. It really can be distilled down to one thing, and that’s Israel.”
So how is it that American McConnell is wrong to be mentioning Israel in the context of talking about Egypt?
Moreover, McConnell didn’t say Israel was being audacious worrying about its treaty with Egypt, and I see that Ehud Barak and other Israeli figures are openly saying precisely what McConnell said to the effect that Israel’s occupational policies have been bad for Israel: Have essentially let it remain the object of anger in Egypt, and that it’s way past time they should be changed and indeed a comprehensive peace deal ought to be reached due to the strategic cost and liability of not having same.
Your entire point therefore seems to be that only Israelis or jews are allowed to comment not only on Israel’s policies, but on America’s too insofar as they effect Israel. And, because it’s even more important, presumably that same are the only ones who can legitimately determine such U.S. policies too.
Isn’t it you that’s being a bit … audacious then, Bill? What stripped the rest of us Americans from having the moral right to comment on and have a say in our own country’s policies?
To BP– I didn’t write anything about the peace treaty. Of course Egypt is going to keep it. Helping with the Gaza blockade another matter.
Here’s a nice link from a good Israel blog:
http://972mag.com/inside-the-military-repression-of-nabi-saleh-part-one/
“it’s early to see what the revolution will bring.”
it isn’t a revolution really, it’s switching one set of rulers for another within basically the same system. however there are many positive developments within this revolt.
Bravo Egypt?
Scott must be smoking crack.
So goes Israel…..
“So goes Israel…..”
So goes what? Israel contributes nothing to American security.
Scott McConnell is nuts! The Egypt will be a second Iran. It will join the anti-US Islamic coalition. There will be another Arab – Israeli war, mushroom clouds and millions of dead Arabs. Come to think of it, millions of dead Arabs, perhaps it is not so bad after all…
I second Scott’s congratulations. The US can finally end the titanically costly failure known as the “peace” business, cut the local kleptocracies (Israel included) off the US dole, and let the free peoples of the area work out their own destinies. As John Boehner said last week, we’re broke. We need our money and our troops at home.
The Egyptians have a lot of work ahead of them. It’s their work, not ours. Best of luck to them – and those of the rest of region, but no more “help” or interference from the US.
As yet we don’t know how this will turn out. When Mr Giraldi says Bibi and Avigdor need to take the blinders off many Jews in Israel and here in the US agree. Many don’t and believe that a scenario as described by “Rebel” without his moronic applauding of millions of Arab fatalities is a realistic probability. Outside of Israel it’s very understandable to want to take a chance on Islamic intentions and if one is mistaken, and Israel is weakened by making concessions and hence more vulnerable to attack in the short term it’s only Israel that pays the price. At that point the rest of the world may decide on a harder line, but it may be too late for Israel. It’s no surprise that many in Israel and their supporters elsewhere while welcoming the almost bloodless overthrow of Mubarak are not at all confident that the cold peace with Egypt will survive.
Re Gaza as far as I understand it Israel wanted to give it back to Egypt who wanted no part of it. I don’t blame Israel for doing what it can to protect it’s citizens from Hamas terror coming from Gaza even though many civilian casualties are unavoidable. It seems to me Israel has to look out for Israel’s interests and the US for it’s own and as I see it sometimes they will not be identical. AIPAC and the Christian Evangelicals are a loud voice in influencing US Middle East policy to be pro Israel but I’m guessing that the US is so involved in the region and keeps trying despite failing in the peace business because as expensive as it is the prospect of middle east oil being controlled by Iran or Sunni fundamentalists with mindsets identical to Bin Laden is an unacceptable alternative at least at present.
They went from a dictatorship to a military dictatorship. How honest do you all think the Egyptian military is in their promise to install a genuine democracy in Egypt?
Andy wrote:
“… I’m guessing that the US is so involved in the region … because as expensive as it is the prospect of middle east oil being controlled by Iran or Sunni fundamentalists with mindsets identical to Bin Laden is an unacceptable alternative at least at present.”
If so then, Andy, how come we ever-more keep invading and occupying and meddling, thereby precisely fulfilling bin Laden’s warnings about our intentions and thereby giving his words enormous traction in creating ever-more fundamentalists and radicals and inflaming almost every other arab and moslem against us even if they are moderate?
I know: It’s easy to say “oh it’s because we are stupid,” but c’mon: Even a child knows that continuing to hit a wasp nest with a stick isn’t going to mollify the wasps. And that he isn’t ever gonna be able to kill enough of ‘em either. And in this case everyone knows that hitting the nests just creates more wasps so almost no matter how profound it really can’t just be stupidity.
No matter how fundamentalist, Andy, they can’t drink their oil; they need someone to trade money for it.
It’s Israel, Andy. Just as former Israeli negotiator Levy says about the nature of the U.S. interest in Egypt, it’s overwhelmingly the same with regard to the rest of the ME too: It’s Israel.
Without saying a single solitary thing about what we should thereby do about it, if anything, let’s just at least be clear about why we have been doing as we have: It’s Israel.