In Egypt, Sharp Reactions to U.S. Demand for Political Freedom in the Country

On April 6, 2010, Egypt's security apparatuses clashed with demonstrators from the April 6 opposition movement[1] who were marking the second anniversary of the movement's founding; dozens were arrested.

On April 7, the U.S. State Department issued a statement expressing concern about the arrest of Egyptian citizens, and calling on Egypt to let its citizens "express their political views peacefully... The United States believes that all individuals should be allowed to exercise freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The people of Egypt should be able to participate in the political process."[2]

The statement was harshly criticized in Egypt. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit told the Roz Al-Yousuf daily that it was the result of pressure on the U.S. administration at home, and added that only Egypt itself would make decisions about its internal affairs, and that it would not permit social upheaval in the country.[3]

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki called the statement an intervention in Egypt's domestic affairs, saying that in making it, the State Department had ignored the fact that the detainees had already been released.[4]The government daily Al-Gomhouriyya led the attack on the statement in the Egyptian media.

Following are excerpts from several articles published in the Egyptian government press on the issue:

Al-Gumhouriyya Editor: "Strong Egypt... Will Respond Aggressively to Any U.S. Criticism of Its Internal Affairs"

Al-Gumhouriyya editor Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim attacked the U.S.'s demands of Egypt, and noted that Egypt would respond aggressively to any U.S. intervention in its internal affairs: "The U.S. has not ceased to interfere in the internal affairs... of [other] countries, as it thinks itself custodian of the universe and responsible for freedoms and democracy worldwide.

"Washington does not perceive this as interference; it considers it one of its obligations as supervisor of the school for freedoms – even though the 'supervisor' herself has violated freedoms on more than one occasion: It established the most infamous prisons in the world – Abu Ghreib in Iraq, Guantanamo in Cuba, and Alcatraz in the U.S. Nevertheless, it provokes [countries] and interferes in [their internal] affairs... primarily in Egypt, the largest Arab country, because [Egypt's] fall will make it easier [for the U.S.] to force its will upon the region...

"Accordingly, the U.S. State Department's condemnation of the Egyptian regime's actions towards several April 6 demonstrators is not strange in my eyes... Despite the U.S.'s considerable experience [in its relations] with Egypt, it has not internalized the fact that Egypt [refuses] to become a banana republic. Strong Egypt... will respond aggressively to any U.S. criticism of its internal affairs... Washington has not learned from firm responses, and continues to criticize it...

"As a matter of fact, the Americans realize that their reputation was harmed after the wave of optimism that swept [the world] following the June 2009 speech of [U.S. President Barack] Obama at Cairo University. The Arabs and Muslims have been waiting a long time for fears of the U.S.'s constant pro-Israel bias to disperse; the anticipation is becoming more and more drawn out, and Washington is still dealing with its greatest challenge – meeting its obligations vis-à-vis the Arabs' main concern, [that is,] Palestine... "

"The Illegitimate Opposition Must Realize that Using the American Card … Would Only Work against It"

"The [U.S.]'s presence in Iraq has led to continued catastrophes... and has turned this important Arab country into a nest of terrorism and killing, and a hotbed for Al-Qaeda, which does whatever it wants there... [It can be assumed] that U.S. interference in Egypt's affairs will increase come election year [in Egypt]... and that it will cultivate its relations with the illegitimate opposition [in Egypt] in order to distort the face of the Egyptian regime...

"However, the illegitimate opposition, its movements, and its activists... must realize that using the American card in any conflict with the [Egyptian] government will [only] work against it. As will be recalled, the attempts by Ayman Nour, Sa'd Eddine Ibrahim, and the Copts in the diaspora have not been crowned with success...

"Egypt is capable of neutralizing these pressures forever, and of presenting the world with an illuminated picture of clean and transparent elections... and of shaming the American supervisor with the lesson that she will learn from [Egypt], which she thought to be her pupil..."[5]

"The U.S. Has Never Offered Political, Moral, or Monetary Aid... For No Reason"

'Abd Al-Qadr Shahib, who heads the board of directors of the Hilal publishing house, wrote in Al-Gomhouriyya that it is not possible to trust the U.S.'s intentions in spreading democratic values as long as it also supports dictatorships and ignores human rights violations.

He wrote: "Anyone who follows the [American] political goings-on... knows that despite its slogans [of support] for democracy and for the safeguarding of human rights, the U.S. has not managed to create democracy in a single country... On the contrary: It has supported many tyrants and dictatorial governments, and turned a blind eye to human rights violations in many places, from Palestine to Guantanamo, Cuba...

"The U.S. has never offered political, moral, or monetary aid... for no reason... The greatest election fraud took place in Afghanistan, where today there are some 100,000 U.S. troops... How can we trust [such] false witnesses? How can we [believe] that they are [really] seeking a good [kind of] democracy for us? "[6]

The American Recipe for Democracy Isn't Right for Arab Countries

Al-Gomhouriyya columnist Safwat Abu Taleb wrote: "It is completely clear to any intelligent person and to anyone with eyes to see that the American recipe for democracy is not right for the Arab countries; [nay,] it is completely unsuitable.

"The basic principle in the democracy catalogue presented to us by the U.S. is based on elections by the people to determine the parliamentary leadership, and to choose the head of state. But when elections [according to this principle] were held in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, recently in Sudan, and before that in Kuwait, Somalia, and Mauritania, they unfortunately ended up harming the situation of the peoples and the countries in which they were held...

"It has not yet been proven that elections are the most appropriate [solution] for the Arab peoples [and countries]. [Even if] their outcomes are exact and transparent, they always constitute a source of doubt and concern, for both winner and loser.

"It would seem that we need a special kind of democracy, capable of [monitoring] the power of each of society's groups, ethnic communities, or parties; [a democracy] capable of screening the candidates and choosing [from among them] the one of greatest integrity and least corruption; [a democracy] capable of preserving national unity and of opposing all tendencies towards division, whether [driven by] the U.S. or... [by various] groups or sects.

"I think that there is a need for an Arab democracy of a special kind!..."[7]

The Egyptian Regime Can Deal with the American Criticism by Instituting Political and Economic Reform

In another article, in the government weekly Al-Musawwar, Shahib wrote that the State Department statement is reminiscent of the Bush administration's statements vis-à-vis Egypt. However, he assessed that the Egyptian regime could "pull the rug out" from under the criticism of its affairs by instituting political and economic reforms. He wrote:

"...The new American position uses expressions similar to those used by Bush administration officials – expressions that officials of the current administration refrain from uttering about Egypt more than once a year. [This restraint] has contributed to the dissipation of the tension in the relations between the two countries that prevailed during the second term of the former American president Bush...

"This American position [as reflected in the statement] was preceded by Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei's criticism of the U.S. and the West for its silence on what he termed the 'tyranny in the Arab region.' [ElBaradei] warned that [this silence] would harm [the U.S.'s and the West's] own interests in the region, and that it encouraged extremism and terrorism...

"Shortly thereafter, the U.S. State Department spokesman criticized the Egyptian security apparatuses' treatment of demonstrators at Al-Tahrir Square, demanding that [Egypt allow] new political players [to join] in the country's political activity...

"The [release] of this new American stance was also preceded by articles, analyses, and reports in all the U.S. newspapers urging the American administration to pressure Egypt... and perhaps the American administration wanted to balance its critical tone against Israel with a critical tone against the Egyptian policy, so as to show inwardly that [the U.S.] was not targeting only Israel...

"We must wait and see what happens in the future – whether Washington will continue with the same approach towards Egypt... The Egyptian regime is capable, using the tools at its disposal... of pulling the rug out from under anyone who wants to interfere in its internal affairs... It can draw up a timetable for a process of political reforms, similar to the timetable for economic reform... and react sharply to cases of corruption."[8]