It seems everyone gave up on Mubarak. Rulers under duress mistakenly believe that keeping quiet and protecting their individual turfs is the necessary remedy, but it is not. While Iran talks about the shockwaves reeling through the Middle East, there is no united front of the Arab League, or for that matter, of any of the major Arab leaders.
Talk about friends in time of need. Everyone already seems to be eulogizing President Mubarak’s rule. Exactly at a time that encouragement and support are needed most, everyone seems to have disappeared.
If the strongest of the Arab countries falls, the rest will undoubted follow. If Egypt tumbles, then Saudi Arabia, already in the range of missiles, will experience an exodus from the Holy Land to a less precarious life in American exile. They, the leaders of the Arab world, should have immediately come out and say, in response to the US threats against President Mubarak: “We are making $1.5b available to President Mubarak and to his people, the nation of Egypt.”
There are two very active participants as the players on the global chessboard rearrange positions: Iran and the United States of America. One is left to wonder which, if not both, are instigating current events.
As individuals, we are attracted to power, or the image thereof. It can be someone with a lot of money or another working for a large institution. We often assign to their opinions and statements great value, only because of the association with wealth or institutional power. Likewise, when countries around the Middle East look around, they see Iran leading, setting the pace and visibly taking a position.
Immediately following Iran is Hamas and Hezbollah, both financed and armed by Iran.
The bully and its cronies are neither afraid nor hesitant. It is their party; it is their homerun.
Turkey tried to re-assert its position as the leader of the Islamic world, thus alienating itself from the West, particularly Europe, and thereby losing popularity in the Arab world.
Thus, on the Middle East chessboard, there is just one main player at the moment: IRAN.
The other player is the hated Satan, the Devil with all its pretended might-America. While Iran seems to be commenting, the USA has taken a leading role in promoting the uprising in Egypt.
There are reports that the uprising is a direct result of American incitement of the past two and a half years, active undermining of Mubarak’s rule by the USA while pretending to be a respectful friend.
While these reports may be exaggerated, they are not just conspiracy theories. The US Administration has not shied away from being actively involved during the last few days. “Democracy” is heard time and again, and instead of supporting President Mubarak, the Obama-Biden-Clinton team has done everything outwardly possibly to further undermine his administration.
From where does this newly found animosity come? Nobel Laureate Obama in his Cairo Speech in 2009 dedicated a whole section to Democracy in the Middle East, yet, not one word about Egypt. Is it possible that as he stood and bowed to the Muslim World all the while he was dispatching his forces (the CIA, NGOs financed by the Federal Government and others) to work against the Mubarak regime?
If these are your friends, there is no need for enemies. America has sent a clear signal to the other Arab rulers-our word is worthless, our friendship superficial and our loyalties will change as the wind blows.
It is not being “Opportunistic.” Rather the US is actively engaged in toppling a friendly government. And as Egypt falls, the world will pay a price for decades to come (Suez Canal).
I am ashamed of the role my country is taking against a country that until a fortnight ago was a friend and an ally. Have we not learned from President Carter’s active ushering in the Ayatollah Khomeini? We are just repeating the exact same script.
And for our loyalty, says the Bible: “Now, here you trusted upon this splintered reed of a staff [on the reliance of this broken cane].” (Kings II:18:21 and Isaiah 36:6)