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One thing really stands out here, although it shouldn't be surprising: what incredible fucking hubris it must take for the American President to talk about "what's needed" in Egypt right now, and for that message to basically be for the Egyptian citizens to calm down. Everything that I have read that has come out of the Obama administration in the past few days can do nothing but hurt them in the eyes of the Egyptian citizens and the new government they eventually install. From Hilary Clinton to Joe Biden to President Obama, all's comments have been positively dripping with condescension. Then again, there also seems to be a good, not unjustified, amount of fear that underscores their remarks. If there is indeed a new government instituted in Egypt (and there's really no doubt that there will be at this point) it is very likely that it will not be remotely as subservient to US/Israeli interests as Mubarak's government was. As I said before, it's no secret either here or in Egypt that the US has supported Mubarak's dictatorial regime. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the government is using tear gas against Egyptian citizens that is (and is branded as being) made in the USA.
In a great article at Salon, Philip Weiss calls this Obama's 9/11: "the day Arabs blindsided a president." There are indeed parallels in the scrambling to capitalize behind closed doors in the White House, I'm sure. Only, optimistically, the logical conclusion of this would seem to be the opposite of that of 9/11, in which the government used the attack as pretext to invade and militarily take control of sections of the Middle East, and, with the aid of the media, create a prevalent and enduring climate of fear and Islamophobia. Rather, this time, as Weiss puts it:
"The danger to America and Israel is that the Egyptian revolution will destroy this false choice of secular dictator-or-crazy Islamists by showing that Arabs are smart articulate people who can handle real democracy if they get to make it themselves."
This is absolutely an occasion to celebrate, and a strong rebuke of the Bush and Obama administrations' assertion that we're the only people who can take down the Bad Guys and it's our "responsibility" to do so. On the contrary, this is an example of a people taking down their Bad Guy in spite of the US.
One last note for now. There is a particularly disgusting claim I keep hearing on CNN, propagated prominently by other Middle Eastern dictators who are no doubt in a profound state of fear right now, that the uprising is a result of some foreign plant. It's shameful and absurd that the US press has been even treating this seriously. Here's what Weiss says on the matter:
"I thought this is what he wanted for the Arab world: democracy! But the market dropped, and the cable shows are filled with mistrust of the Arab street. Our talking heads can't stop talking about the Islamists. Chris Matthews cried out against the Muslim Brotherhood and shouted, Who is our guy here? -- as if the U.S. can play a hand on the streets. While his guest Marc Ginsberg, a former ambassador to Morocco whose work seems to be dedicated to finding the few good Arabs out there, said that forces outside Egypt are funding the revolt -- a grotesque statement, given the homegrown flavor of everything we have seen in the streets; and when Matthews pressed him, Ginsberg said, Hamas... Iran."
This is really more pathetic than anything else, as anyone with any knowledge of the recent uprisings that have spread to every major city in Egypt now seems to be saying, it's already far too late for anything to stop or slow the tremendous momentum of the recent days' accomplishments.
Oh, and finally, there are protests going on in many US cities now as well, as people call for the government to withdraw its support of Mubarak. So look into that if you live in a large city and are interested in joining in or simply going and watching these protests. I know for sure people are protesting in front of the UN.
So I don't keep posting just to put up hyperlinks, I'll just post here the URL for a quite good editorial that I just read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theittlist.com/ittlist/ind/5901/not_another_color_revolution/
In addition to the falsehood that the protests in Egypt merely represent "a 'youth revolt' against 'corruption'" one should make note of the somewhat ridiculous overemphasis on the role of Facebook and Twitter in organizing the protests, as if it were the ingenuity of the market itself that was somehow the hero of the Egyptian resistance.
The editorial's cynicism about the participation of elites in the protests is secondary to some crucial points that need to be emphasized:
-Mubarak's regime is shored up by the security forces alone, which are themselves supported by the $1.5 billion dollars of U.S. aid that Egypt receives annually. Thus, inasmuch as these protests are anti-Mubarak protests, they can in no way be instrumentalized by some pro-Western elite.
-The other reason I don't think these protests can be instrumentalized by elites is that the scope of participation in them already enacts a notion of democracy different from a "pro-Western" conception thereof - that is to say, a notion of democracy which includes the needs and demands of poor and working people. One of the protesters' demands is for "the constructive administration of all of Egypt's resources," which could be read to mean: freedom from the Washington Consensus when it comes to distributing wealth within its own borders.
ReplyDeleteOne could argue that such demands were also a part of Eastern Europe's Velvet Revolutions, but the difference that is crucial here, I think, is that Egypt is an ally of the U.S. rather than a satellite of its avowed rival. So again, the fact that these are anti-Mubarak protests would seem to indicate that once the protesters achieve their goals, they will not turn around and embrace the U.S., but rather that the demand for popular sovereignty will find itself at odds with the American government's desire to direct Egypt's affairs.
Right, and of that $1.5 billion dollars, 1.3 goes to the military and only some $250,000 goes to the country for economic purposes i.e. for the people.
ReplyDeleteAnd while we're talking about slander and propaganda, most of the neutral, on-the-ground reports are taking issue with the media's reportage of widespread looting, sexual assault, etc.. Not too hard to believe that the media would exaggerate these things, as it's a narrative that the American people have grown very comfortable with (Hurricane Katrina comes to mind). Al-Jazeera even reported that a couple of looters have been stopped by protesters who have found government issued guns on them. Obviously, some of the protesters are looting, but the proportion to which events match up with the narrative where this is concerned is questionable. There have also been many entreaties by the protesters themselves for people not to loot, and protesters are famously protecting the Egyptian Museum.
Another encouraging note: while it's now clear that Mubarak is trying to hand pick his replacement (his intelligence chief and "longtime confidant" Omar Suleiman, an establishment figure with a long history in the high command of the Egyptian army, who he just named Vice President) the Egyptian people are continuing to make clear that they will not accept a slight "shake up," but want radical, structural change. Rafaat Mubarak, a teacher in Alexandria, said:
ReplyDelete"This is all nonsense. They will not fool us anymore. We want the head of the snake. If he is appointed by Mubarak, then he is just one more member of the gang. We are not speaking about a branch in a tree, we are talking about the roots."
There is also this working against him: "Suleiman is well known and respected by American officials and has traveled to Washington many times." and "Suleiman's frequent trips to Israel could be held against him by a population that continues to view the Jewish state as a sworn enemy more than 30 years after the two neighbors signed a peace treaty."
And again, as the reports of looting become more prominent:
ReplyDelete"As part of a new people’s militia, men from my building are guarding us with wooden sticks or knives. One neighbor has two swords. The butcher down the street sharpened knives and handed them out, not out of violence but for protection. Looters are not welcome in my neighborhood. Elsewhere in the city, they’ve pillaged a big mall, driven off with new BMWs and attacked many jewelry stores by shattering windows and grabbing all they can. It’s pretty intense. Those who are doing the looting and setting the fires are from the police, something they’re not saying on television but everyone knows it. It’s really distressing. The government blames protesters but everyone knows who’s really doing it. I’m not scared because I trust the men in my building and I trust my neighbors. It’s very brave of them to stand guard."
This from a 17 year old Journalism student in Alexandria.
What's your source for that quotation?
ReplyDeleteThe Huffington Post's live blog.
ReplyDeleteAlso this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/eyewitnesses-say-state-sponsoring-vandalism