In recent days protests have broken out in Egypt. Initially this was a pro-democratic movement; however it is in the process of being hijacked by radical groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim brotherhood does not want to make Egypt not a democracy but a theocracy and one that looks very similar to Iran. Of course we as Americans want democracy to spread to other nations especially the Middle East but this movement does not look friendly to democracy. If the Muslims Brotherhood takes control and creates a theocracy this will de-stabilize the Middle East and will pose a threat to Europe and the United States.
The United States needs to back our ally, President Mubarak. Yes he is a dictator and yes he has limited speech and shut down the internet but the U.S. has made a pledge to him that we will support him in good times and more importantly tough times. What will U.S allies think if we suddenly abandon President Mubarak and support the protesters? The answer is simple, they will not trust the U.S to be there when times get tough. Normally nations look towards the U.S. for help but if we start betraying our allies then they will look to other nations for help. Jordan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are all allies of the U.S. What will these three vital Middle East allies think once we have turned our back on Egypt? They could possibly look towards Iran for help or look towards terrorist organizations. We cannot afford to have our Middle Eastern allies turn towards Iran for help. This will further de-stabilize the region and terrorist organizations will have safe havens to plan for attacks against our allies in Europe and ourselves.
The best course of action to take right now is to wholeheartedly support President Mubarak and assist and advise him on how to maintain control. Once President Mubarak has regained control, then we need to advise him and convince him to implement democratic reforms slowly. The U.S always wants democracy to spread to other nations but this “pro-democratic” movement is starting to look and feel more like that of a pro-theocracy and pro-sharia law movement. Supporting President Mubarak in these troubled times and then convincing him to bring democracy to Egypt is a win-win situation. The U.S continues to have a strong ally in Egypt and a democracy could be created in the Middle East.
Michael Lesko
SUR Contributor
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