What's going on in Egypt?
Do you have 15 minutes or so?
We've been watching the situation in Egpyt a lot on the news, as well as reading various articles on the country's current predicament. We also have some first-hand information on what the political climate is like there from our friend's parents (who are Egyptians living in Kuwait, but had traveled to their house there recently), and we will hopefully have more information soon from our friends that are traveling there. You've probably seen things in the news, too, so what do I have to say about the situation? It's complicated.
Thanks to the 22words blog, I found an easy-to-read article that is pretty understandable; it will give the basic facts about why there are tens of thousands (if not millions) protesting in Egypt: A Short Primer on Egypt Now
Now, what's the U.S. stance on the Egyptian "revolution?" I think that varies according to who's talking, and even with President Obama, it's ambiguous. Generally, one would think that the U.S. would support a new regime of democracy and push away from the current tyranny, sort of like what has taken place in Iraq; however, because of America's interests in the Middle East (especially its relations with Israel), it looks like the U.S. supports the current leader, Mubarak, who just about everyone in Egypt hates.
Egypt is one of the only countries in the Middle East that recognizes Israel as a country. All of the Gulf states (including Kuwait) consider that area Palestine, and support the Palestinian government. If Egypt were to appoint new leadership, the U.S. has no guarantee that the new government would be pro-Israeli, or at least remain neutral, potentially costing the U.S. one of its footholds in the Middle East. Also, if the U.S. is seen as supporting the the president-dictator (now age 83), it speaks against all of our cries for democracy and human rights. If we push for Mubarak to stay, we are essentially speaking against the Egyptian people, and probably angering the other Arab states. That, I think, would be a bad move for America.
Generally speaking, this revolution is about domestic affairs- people's rights to low-cost food, jobs, and less police corruption. I don't think those are terrible things, so you can probably guess where my opinion sits. I might not have quite the scope of information that a foreign policy analyst does, but I can say that living here has certainly shaped my point of view on things!
Caution: The following video contains violence, some swearing, and people in peril.
We've been watching the situation in Egpyt a lot on the news, as well as reading various articles on the country's current predicament. We also have some first-hand information on what the political climate is like there from our friend's parents (who are Egyptians living in Kuwait, but had traveled to their house there recently), and we will hopefully have more information soon from our friends that are traveling there. You've probably seen things in the news, too, so what do I have to say about the situation? It's complicated.
Thanks to the 22words blog, I found an easy-to-read article that is pretty understandable; it will give the basic facts about why there are tens of thousands (if not millions) protesting in Egypt: A Short Primer on Egypt Now
Now, what's the U.S. stance on the Egyptian "revolution?" I think that varies according to who's talking, and even with President Obama, it's ambiguous. Generally, one would think that the U.S. would support a new regime of democracy and push away from the current tyranny, sort of like what has taken place in Iraq; however, because of America's interests in the Middle East (especially its relations with Israel), it looks like the U.S. supports the current leader, Mubarak, who just about everyone in Egypt hates.
Egypt is one of the only countries in the Middle East that recognizes Israel as a country. All of the Gulf states (including Kuwait) consider that area Palestine, and support the Palestinian government. If Egypt were to appoint new leadership, the U.S. has no guarantee that the new government would be pro-Israeli, or at least remain neutral, potentially costing the U.S. one of its footholds in the Middle East. Also, if the U.S. is seen as supporting the the president-dictator (now age 83), it speaks against all of our cries for democracy and human rights. If we push for Mubarak to stay, we are essentially speaking against the Egyptian people, and probably angering the other Arab states. That, I think, would be a bad move for America.
Generally speaking, this revolution is about domestic affairs- people's rights to low-cost food, jobs, and less police corruption. I don't think those are terrible things, so you can probably guess where my opinion sits. I might not have quite the scope of information that a foreign policy analyst does, but I can say that living here has certainly shaped my point of view on things!
Caution: The following video contains violence, some swearing, and people in peril.
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