It seems that only in the last few hours the reign of Hosni Mubarek, the autocratic leader of the people of Egypt will be stepping down in September. President Obama also recently stated that there should be "free and fair elections."
First do we the United States want Mubarek to leave office? He has been a reliable ally who has stabilized a peace in the region along with supporting the United States on our War Against Terror. We also know that he is a dictator whose human rights record is dismal. Additionally, his policies has created economic chaos. One must say why is Lassen supporting a dictator?
I am not...I deplore those who siphon the rights of others, but what will the future hold for the over 80 million Egyptians?
Will they exchange one devil for another? We know this devil but what about the other devil?
There is a group in Egypt called the Islamic Brotherhood. Many believe this is an extremist group, but are they? Today one of their leaders stated that the people "should be prepared for war with Israel" and also stated that the Suez Canal should be closed. Are we prepared for 4 or 5 dollar per gallon gas? They want to create an Islamic State which would be based on the Koran. Similar to the government in Saudi Arabia. Does the secular country of Egypt ready for such a change? Would this change create extremists who hate America? Many questions need to be still answered.
The United States is in a precarious position when it comes to Egypt. We want democracy to prosper, but we also want stability. What if a government takes control of Egypt that has great disdain for America? Over the years we have sold Egypt Billions of dollars in military weapons and equipment. Does that mean they could use weapons made in America against us?
The Egyptian people seem jubilant on knowing that Mubarek will be leaving office in the near future.
But are they ready to exchange a Devil they know for a Devil they don not know?
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