Over the past couple of weeks, the Media attention given to the revolution in Egypt. Many have compared it to the American Revolution. Many see this as a sign that Democracy is taking a foothold in the Middle East? But is it really?
According to this 2010 Pew Research poll, 59% of Egyptians would prefer a democratic government; however, they were nearly split on whether Islam should play an important roll in the government. Contrast that with this 2010 Zogby poll which states that Egyptians see the US as a threat–interesting since President Obama has been taking a lot of credit for this process, and has pledged that our military will help with the “transition” of the country’s politics. Gallop posted these results, which also show disapproval of the U.S.
So why, then are we Americans seemingly so supportive of this uprising when the Egyptians don’t really want us over there? We have political and economic unrest, unemployment, immigration concerns here within the United States. Would it not make more sense for the Obama administration to quit worrying about the rest of the world and maybe focus on the problems at home?
However this plays out, I am hopeful that this revolution will create an ally for the US in the Middle East. However, I doubt it. Iran’s President Ahmadinejad is already claiming inspiration for Egypt and Tunisia’s uprisings. I for one think that the US and Israel may have a tougher time in that corner of the the world.
Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
