EGYPT

[SnakeTom]

Any opinions here on the situation in Egypt & how it affects the USA.

I know the buzz word here is "Democracy" and it always has been regardless of whether the Dems or GOP are in power. But usually thats just BS for PR & public consumption. What we want now is the same as we have always wanted "a friendly government". We have never had a problem supporting dictators if they were our allies (eg: the Shah, Saddam before Kuait, Mubarak etc.) By the way Mubarak is being portrayed in the press as ultimate evil. And I'm sure to an extent that it is but his regime was not shooting protesters in the public square as has been the case in China, Iran and elsewhere. So let's keep it in perspective.

Tom K

 

[HALL85]

Tom, I think this could be one of those "be careful what you wish for moments". It will come down to the election process and if it's allowed to be carried out without corruption and the people feel its a valid process. We know what we had with Mubarek and he was an ally. My gut tells me that we take a step back with Egypt when the dust settles.

Outside of greed, I think it's usual media BS once again regarding the "evil" tag. In fact, it does say something about the Egyptian people in general (military, citizens, etc.) that there was not as many casualties as you would expect with something like this. It is a phenomena that some regions are going to have to face with the advent of technology though. All of a sudden, people can be mobilized toward a cause that can become incredibly powerful as we saw over the past two weeks.

 

[shu09]

Not sure why this matters to Americans unless you know people from or you are from Egypt.

I avoided most media outlets of late because this is all they talked about, a story I have zero interest in. My take is we shouldn't be getting involved in the internal affairs of other nations.
This post was edited on 2/12 4:31 PM by shu09

 

[SnakeTom]

It matters because it affects the stability of the region which supplies oil that we are unfortunately dependent on. Even something as simple as closing of the Suez canal greatly affects the cost of importing the oil. Egypt itself does not have a significant oil supply but it does have many refineries. If other friendly governments in this oil producing region fall into terrorist or anti American hands it affects us greatly.

Should we ever send troops there - NO.

Should we be concerned - YES.

Tom K

 

[HALL85]

Originally posted by SnakeTom:
It matters because it affects the stability of the region which supplies oil that we are unfortunately dependent on. Even something as simple as closing of the Suez canal greatly affects the cost of importing the oil. Egypt itself does not have a significant oil supply but it does have many refineries. If other friendly governments in this oil producing region fall into terrorist or anti American hands it affects us greatly.

Should we ever send troops there - NO.

Should we be concerned - YES.

Tom K

Tom, good summation. Pretty much the way I feel as well.

 

[shu09]

That's true but I'm convinced gas is going to $5 per gallon in the next 3-5 years anyway.

It's not like every middle eastern government is going to fall into "terrorist" hands. Terrorists are an unorganized group of radicals, not a group with the ability to take over a nation.

 

[SnakeTom]

Originally posted by shu09:


It's not like every middle eastern government is going to fall into "terrorist" hands. Terrorists are an unorganized group of radicals, not a group with the ability to take over a nation.

What about Iran or Afghanistan under Taliban rule. If you prefer to call them religious extremists rather than terrorists - OK. But to me they are one and the same.

Tom K

 

[shu09]

Terrorists don't run Iran and they don't run Afghanistan, either.

 

[SnakeTom]

Sorry but if they support and fund terrorist groups they are terrorists to my way of thinking.

Tom K

 

[MBF72]

Tom:

I voted for Obama.

I have been somewhat turned off by how rapidly he seems to have done a 180 on Mubarak. Eighteen days ago "he was our autocrat."

Though I am happy with the apparent changes in Egypt, in my view the President here comes off as a finger-in-the-wind front runner.

 

[Belluno]

'09, you are way out of step on this one. Terrorists don't control Iran? The Suez Canal in in Egyptian territory, for one thing. Imagine the impact ifthat is closed. For once Snake om and I are in complete agreement, at least for the time being. If we are to wait and see if Willard is a success or failure, we certainly have to take a wait and see attitude with Egypt and the rest of the Middle East for that matter. It's fine to claim democracy has won out, but we don't really know that is the case yet. There are evil players in this game and we darned well better not be living in a fool's paradise. Personally, whenever Muslims are involved, I expect the worse. I hope I'm wrong (but I rarely am)

 

[SPK145]

This looks and feels eerily similar to the Shah of Iran with president Carter. I suspect the ending will be similar too but won't be felt for quite some time.

Personally Egypt should be no business of ours. Too many foreign entanglements and this is what you get.

 

[SnakeTom]

Originally posted by MBF72:
Tom:

I voted for Obama.

I have been somewhat turned off by how rapidly he seems to have done a 180 on Mubarak. Eighteen days ago "he was our autocrat."

Though I am happy with the apparent changes in Egypt, in my view the President here comes off as a finger-in-the-wind front runner.

Any President would do the same thing. American administrations had supported Mubarak for over 30 years. The fact that he was a dictator was irrelevant. The President must do what's in the best interest of our country. The handwriting was on the wall that Mubarak was finished. He's also 82 years old which means that even if he hung on for how long. It is important that we maintain good relations if possible with whoever becomes the new power in Egypt. And most importantly hope & do whatever we can to make sure that Egypt does not fall into the control of forces allied with al queda or other enemies of our nation.

Democracy is fine if it results in a government that is friendly. That does not always happen. Look at what happened in the elections held in Gaza.

Tom K

 

[shu09]

Originally posted by SPK145:
Personally Egypt should be no business of ours. Too many foreign entanglements and this is what you get.

This.

 

[Section112]

I don't know what will come of this but I will say that in general this was a peaceful protest and it is getting results. Nothing peaceful happens in the middle east but this is working so far. I hope the people in the middle east realize that change can be had without suicide bombings and terroristic threats and that peaceful demonstrations and solidarity can effect the country's direction.

I really hope they end up with a government that is not run by the Muslim Brotherhood. That will be a disaster. Let's hope they can continue to keep the peace as they go through this transition.

 

[PiratePride]

The fact that the Egyptian protestors did not resort to violence (the only violence I saw from the pro-Mubarak types) was huge. A revolution to be admired. The biggest question of course is... What's next???? With the military in charge now and with no proven pro-democracy leader waiting in the wings and with the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood lurking about it's anybody's guess as to how this will turn out. Hopefully, our government will do the right thing. Exactly what that should be... I don't know. A fine tightrope indeed. US has a big stake in this.

 

[HALL85]

There was a great piece on 60 Minutes last night regarding the protests and the fleeing of Ben Ali. Essentially, a relatively peaceful country that had been under the rule of a corrupt dictator who was able to control the message. Unfortunately for him, 20% of the country is now on Facebook and one event created the means to mobilize the population. Two things I think you take away from this all is 1) The internet and specifically Facebook is having an incredible impact on all of the events in the region and 2) I think we're heading into potentially the most volatile time, if others follow Mubarek and Bin Ali.....what happens next? One of the protesters in Tunisia who is now part of the interim government was lamenting how everyone is complaining to him now! Amazing that the catalyst for the revolution in the Middle East, is the result of a computer geek who developed an application designed to promote "relatioship status".