Anyone wondering about the US role in Egypt’s turmoil should consider two images from last week. First, there was the strangesight of millions of Egyptians in the street begging the army to get rid of the president they voted for less than a year ago. Second, a banner displayed by the opposition at a massive rally last week which depicted Muhammad Morsi’s portrait superimposed on a Jewish star, flanked by the American and Qatari flags. The run-off election last year of the now-rejected president had been welcomed by the US administration because the process had been free and fair, at least as far as the host of domestic and international observers were concerned. Therewasn’t much in the Muslim Brotherhood’s programme that appealed to American sensibilities, but the feeling was that the United States would have to work with the new government, in part to make the more general point within the region that it was willing in principle to work with Islamists and because intensive engagement would be essential to Egypt’s economic recovery andpolitical stability. Washington paida price for this support in its relations with important allies, especially Israel, which worried about encirclement, and some ofthe Arab Gulf countries, which are particularly suspicious of the Brothers’ agenda. It was a price that had to be paid, but was expected to diminish over time if the new government proved pragmatic.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 10:53:27 +0000
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