17 thoughts on “Egyptian End Game”

  1. We need to pull all of his aid.
    After we send billions, the best he could do to break up the protest was send his thugs on cavalry charges on camel and horseback?
    Shit, why does he need our money, he can do that on his own?
    He only used our teargas? Where were all of the “Made in USA” tanks, guns and bullets? What’s is he saving them for? *

    *Obviously, I’m trying to make light out of a horrible situation. My apologies in advance if I offended anybody.

  2. Wouldn’t be so sure. What I’m seeing is chaos and a lot of conflicting signals, including some signs of the regime turning on itself. The next few days are critical.

  3. There’s a big difference between Israel & Egypt in the geopolitics. The average voter in the US sympathizes with Israel as the underdog – despite the facts about what they are doing in Gaza. So Obama would be steeping firmly on the 3rd rail if he tried to cut off aid BEFORE the voter recognizes the government of Israel as the oppressor.

    Egypt- Muberak and the ruling clique – are CLEARLY seen in the US on the left and the right as the oppressor. If Mubarak survives and military aid to Egypt continues, it will be the battle cry of the ‘freedom-loving’ republicans. Military aid to Mubarak is toast – and once that becomes clear to the Army of Egypt, so is Mubarak.

    Juan Cole misses on a major point I haven’t seen anyone comment on. Mubarak assisted Israel with the blockade of Gaza, since the Gaza backs up on Egypt. If a moderate regime takes over, then there will be humanitarian aid to the Gaza, which will play hell with the blockade.

  4. Not much from Juan on the internal dynamics there. How can the most relevant perspective of all be so completely ignored?

    Here’s one compelling analysis that cautions agains leaping on binary models as no more than a twitch or a gut feeling.

    I hardly see Juan Coles analysis as any less binary. How rapid must the change in Egypt be for him to concede movement?

  5. Doug,

    In your second and third paragraph, you may have yourself missed the point.

    The absolute imperative for our bi-partisan political class is the maintenance of a willing or groveling (makes no difference…) submission to the agenda of the Zionist entity, and Mubarak, through that very complicity in the blockade of Gaza, and through his other actions, has demonstrated his alignment with that absolute imperative. This fundamental reality trumps any transitory distaste that members of the political class might feel towards Mubarak’s naked power play, and he for damn sure knows that that reality will insulate him from any consequences. Remember all of the worries being voiced from the Zionist clique about how terribly anxious they are about a change in the status quo? <b/They want him to remain, and what the Zionists want, the Zionists get. All that need happen is for the US government to refrain from ACTUALLY doing anything to apply pressure for change.

    Oh, US government officials can – and will – wring their hands, and cry crocodile tears; but when it comes right down to it, little will be done. I’m sure that Mubarak will have gotten back channel assurances from Netanyahu that they’ve got his back where it counts (i.e., Washington), so there’s nothing to fear from their big, dumb puppet.

  7. JJ – I have little patience for racism – whether it’s hating Muslims or hating Jews.

    I made it clear what the difference is between support of Israel – who remains popular – and Egypt. Even the wingnuts are calling for Mubarak’s head. A dissenting opinion is fine – but if you come back with racist bias, Barbara will be deleting my comments,

  9. Actually, Doug,JJ said nothing hateful.I fail to see how pointing out Israel’s clout with our leaders is “hateful”
    “Zionist” is the term used by Jews and Christians who fully support Israel to describe themselves. “Zionist” is not a slur, it is an ideology.
    Israel, and the treatment of the Palestineans living there is a VERY big deal to Arabs and Muslims world wide, and is fast becoming an issue in Europe and South America.
    I hold no hatred for any group, but the policy of brutality and war held by the U.S. and Israel cannot continue, and there is no disputing the enormous power of Zionist lobbys in the U.S.
    Recent Wikileaks releases show Israel in quite a bad light, a view I have held for years, They ARE NOT our friends, they are bleeding us to death.

  10. erenyes – I suspect you read my post, so you know I hope new leadership in Egyot will crack the blockade in Gaza. If that happens, Netanyahu may have to accept negotiations brokered by the ‘big, dumb puppet’ in Washington.

    I have no patience for paranoid or simplistic worldviews in which Jew bankers control our destiny and we should hate them for it.

  11. Maybe here’s a good place to reintroduce a question I posed in a previous post..It’s sort of a trick question because I don’t really need to know the answer..I know the answer, and the answer is designed to lead to the answer or at least the exploration of a different question. I think it is properly called a rhetorical question, but whatever, we’ll leave that to those who have a better command of the English language. So here’s my question….How are those Israeli/Palestinian peace talks coming along?

  12. Doug,

    Really, did I say ANYTHING about Jew bankers? You are intemperate and not moored to reality in these comments.

    Maha, didn’t mean to kick a hornet’s nest here. Sorry, but I’m going to defend myself from irrational and non-factual assaults.

    • Doug and Jersey, I haven’t had time to read comments and referee, so for now just settle down. I’ll take a look later.

  13. ‘Intemperate???” I prefer to be called a grouchy old bastard. I have been critical of Obama when he abandoned the public option and when he negotiated away the tax hike on the rich. But I find it offensive when you call him a ‘big, dumb puppet’.

    Nothing in your post was a specific criticism of what Obama did or did NOT do re Egypt or Israel. It was mean-spirited and IMO antisemitic.

    Swami – IF a moderate government replaces Mubarak, will the blockade crack?

    If so, might Israel sit down at the peace table?

  14. IF a moderate government replaces Mubarak, will the blockade crack?

    Yeah, there’s always a possibility..but if the United States continues to fund and encourage Egypt to enforce their part in that blockade…it won’t.

    If so, might Israel sit down at the peace table?

    Never! Israel will never relinquish the occupied territories. The whole peace table nonsense is just a show put on to milk false hope and money from the fools who don’t understand the true nature of Zionism.

  15. http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/us-foreign-aid.htm

    Doug, this appears to be hard for you to swallow, but being NOT pro Israel, is not being hateful of Jews.
    I believe that the continued (unconditional)support of Israel is not much different than a parent supporting a 40 yr old child that insists on doing whatever the hell it wants to do, facts be damned.. There are enough members of the tribe that can support the Jewish state. I think it wiser to build schools and Mosques in Egypt and what remains of Palestine than to support the expansion of Israeli “settlements” on confiscated lands.
    My heritage is Irish / Italian by way of Canada. I don’t plan on supporting any of those countries (except, of course for disaster reilef )

Comments are closed.