Gary Fouse
fousesquawk
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com
Now that the Egyptian government has called a spade a spade and labeled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, isn't President Obama put in a bind? Surely, the Egyptians will arrest more MB members for being active in a terrorist organization. How will Obama and his inept secretary of state, John Kerry, respond? After all, the Brotherhood is the bunch that they prefer to see in power.
So now will Obama condemn the action? Will the US cut aid to Egypt?
In spite of the thousands of protesters that the MB is sending out into the streets to battle the police, the coup was supported by the majority of the Egyptian people, who had taken to the streets of their cities by the millions to protest the Morsi regime's heavy-handed tactics. They wanted the military to restore order to the country. We hear a lot of lip service from Obama and Kerry that "the Egyptian people must decide". But if the majority of the Egyptian people support the coup and the taking down of the Muslim Brotherhood, who is Obama to complain?
The fact of the matter is that despite all the protestations of innocence from Ikhwan Web, the MB's English-language web site, the Brotherhood has engaged in massive violence. Today, it stands accused by the government of the bombing of police hqs in Mansoura. Just since the military coup, They have driven their followers to destroy over 80 Christian churches.
It will indeed be instructive to see how Obama responds to this latest development. If he takes the side of the Brotherhood, it will be one more indicator that he does, indeed, prefer Islamists to rule Middle Eastern countries as opposed to more friendly and secular governments. We see it also in Syria. We have seen it in Libya, with tragic results. We see it in Turkey. Coupled with his antagonism toward Israel, it is troubling to say the least. Meanwhile, in the face of massive persecution of Christians from one corner of the Islamic world to the other, Obama and his administration are silent. Troubling, indeed.
3 comments:
He doesn't have to. He's already beaten. Snowden, Syria, Ukraine? Yeah I don't think your president can do much in Egypt. Thus the reason the Egyptians are buying Russian arms.
The reason the Egyptians are buying Russian weapons is because the Israelis will NOT sell to them.
If you want to know the value and abilities of Russian/Soviet weapons ask the Israelis. They destroyed tons of them in 1967 and 1973.
The Israeli victory of 1967 didn't have much to do with technology as it did with tactics and strategy. The Israelis deduced correctly that the Arabs were going to attack and pre-empted them. Destroying the majority of their opponents' aircraft on the ground.
1973 had similar issues for the Arabs. They clustered their tanks too close together and made themselves easy targets for the Israeli tank crews.
And those wars were over 40 years ago. Egypt isn't buying T-60's.
The new T-90 can take on the M1 Abrams in terms of technology and maneuverability. In a duel it would depend on who's the better Tank crew.
Besides, I don't think the Israelis are in any position to sell heavy arms to other nations, especially ones they've been at war with. They need every tank, jet fighter and attack helicopter within their borders. Should a conventional conflict erupt.
As for USA and Egypt? Shouldn't have called it a coup. It was clearly a popular uprising. Probably more people rose up in 2013 against Morsi than they did against Mubarak in 2011.
Your President took the Qatari option and backed the wrong horse.
And then made it worse. Withheld military aid. That was the last straw for the Generals, so they went shopping in Moscow. I'm sorry but that's just the nature of international geo-politics. Foreign countries are not simply going to accept empty rhetoric from a TelePrompter and put with fickle flip flopping.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that I haven't been watching the trips and falls of your Presidents' foreign policy with amusement. Especially since those trips and falls have benefited my country.
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