Re: Our 30 Year Mistake

Oh sure...make a mess and then say, it's not my job to clean it up.

regards,
-Lance


> david white
> http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1825:our-
> 30-year-mistake&catid=62:texas-straight-talk&Itemid=1&Itemid=69
>
> Our 30 Year Mistake
>
> The events in Egypt of late have captured the attention of the world, as
> many
> thousands of Egyptians take to the streets both in opposition to and in
> favor
> of the current regime.  We watch from a distance hoping that events do not
> spiral further into violence, which will destroy lives and threaten the
> livelihoods of average Egyptians caught up in the political turmoil.
>
> I hope that Egyptians are able to work toward a more free and just
> society.
> Unfortunately, much of the blame for the unrest in Egypt and the resulting
> instability in the region rests with US foreign policy over the past
> several
> decades. The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian
> regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability,
> including
> more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our
> interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to
> pieces
> with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime
> in
> Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and
> Israel!  We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s
> internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and
> will
> no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but
> I
> am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that while
> the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided
> assistance to groups opposed to the regime.
>
> So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-
> determination of the Egyptian people.  Our double dealing has not endeared
> us
> to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national
> dignity.
>
> “Diplomacy” via foreign aid transfer payments only makes us less safe at
> home
> and less trusted overseas.  But the overriding reality is that we simply
> cannot afford to continue a policy of buying friends.  We face an ongoing
> and
> potentially deepening recession at home-- so how can we justify to the
> unemployed and underemployed in the United States the incredible cost of
> maintaining a global empire?  Moral arguments aside, we must stop sending
> hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign governments when our own
> economy
> is in shambles.
>
> American media and talking heads repeatedly pose the same loaded
> questions:
> Should the administration encourage the Egyptian president to remain or to
> resign? Should the US ensure Mohamed ElBaradei or current vice president
> Omar
> Suleiman succeeds current president Mubarak?  The best answer to these
> questions is that we should just do nothing, as Eisenhower did in 1956.
> We
> should leave Egypt for Egyptians to figure out.  Some may claim that this
> is
> isolationism. Nothing could be further from the truth. We should
> enthusiastically engage in trade and allow travel between countries, but
> we
> should stay out of their internal affairs.  We are in fact more isolated
> from
> Egypt now than ever, because the regime we propped up appears to be
> falling.
> We have isolated ourselves from the Egyptian people by propping up their
> government, as we isolate ourselves from Tunisians, Israelis, and other
> recipients of our foreign aid. Their resentment of our interventionist
> policies makes us less safe, because we lose our authority to conduct
> meaningful diplomacy when unpopular regimes fall overseas.  We also
> radicalize those who resented our support for past regimes.
>
> Let us hope for a more prosperous and peaceful era for the Egyptians, and
> let
> us learn the lessons of our thirty year Egyptian mistake.
>
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regards,
-Lance


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