What began in Tunisia as a modest protest against the lack of socioeconomic mobility has spread quickly throughout the entire Arab world, from Morocco in the West to Yemen in the East. However, the seeds of dissent flourished most in the 80 million-strong country of Egypt.
Honestly, when I first heard of the protesting in Egypt I was reserved; any shake up in the Middle East surely would be bad for us, especially in Egypt. The country is the largest and most influential in the Arab world and has been a fair ally for the past couple decades. Any change to the status quo would be less than ideal.
As time progressed, I realized the protests in Egypt are more than a good thing — they are a necessary thing. Fueled by grassroots activism, social media and a desire for change, the protests have been a game changer. Save for the hired thugs President Mubarak let loose onto the streets, the protests have remained peaceful and secular, with protesters echoing talking points that would make any American patriot proud. Men and women, Christians and Muslims, all marched in solidarity for democracy, hope and a better tomorrow. Among the signs demanding Mubarak to leave is another set of signs: signs calling for President Obama to expedite the removal of Mubarak and for the President to back the people, not the tyrant. Understandably, the president has quite a fine line to walk: encouraging progress and change without creating a power vacuum that would allow less-than-wholesome factions such as the Muslim Brotherhood from gaining power. Too little support for the Egyptian people and too much for Mubarak would lead to a public unforgiving of the United States for years to come.
The sentiment in the country is solely that of self-determination and democracy, and any influencing on either side can prove dangerous. Ironically, it seems keeping with the current course of action and encouraging the progress to free and fair elections is best for Egypt and the current geopolitical climate.
That said, critiques of the president are numerous but not in agreement. It appears the opposition and presidential hopefuls themselves have no true course of action. Former Arkansas governor and Fox News personality Mike Huckabee criticized Obama for not supporting Mubarak enough publicly. Yet he claims, “This would not have required us to approve everything he did or deny the rights of the people of Egypt to demand a change of government.” Exactly how one supports a figure that is truly hated by his citizens and doesn’t support his decisions and actions is beyond me.
On the other hand, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty claimed Obama hasn’t done enough to distance himself from Mubarak and lambasted the administration for early statements that were lukewarm to the Egyptian President. At least House Speaker Boehner and Senate Minority Leader McConnell both concede the President has been handling the situation “pretty well.”
A presidential call for reform in Egypt but stopping short of asking for Mubarak’s departure without the Egyptians having an overarching plan for transition would be detrimental to the world’s political and economic well-being. I am confident if any of the current Republican 2012 contenders were commander in chief they would be shrewd to follow the same path lest we lose our most influential ally in the region.
Chad Mohammed is a second-year chemical engineering major. His column appears on Thursdays.
