We all understand that our foreign relations are precarious in the Middle East. The dilemma portrayed throughout the media is do we favor stability over oppression of a people? We do have some allies there, and immediate abandonment of them during a crisis carries risk of losing our credibility with previous agreements and allies not only in the Middle East, but in the Far East, and maybe even in Europe. What should we base our decisions on, and how will those decisions effect our foreign relations in the future? Can the United States be depended upon when the chips are down?
At the risk of violating the fundamental principle that "prediction is very difficult, especially when it involves the future," I will take a stab at it.
Our Government always comes out best, if it tells the truth. Lying only forces the United States to change future stories to meet the demands of previous lies. That undercuts our credibility, and interferes with relationships. But what truth does America have to "tell about?" Well for one, we believe in the IDEAS contained in the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution: freedom of religion, speech and the press( I'm not going to mention the Right to bear arms). We believe that we all have the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. From this perspective, it's pretty clear. That is our Truth.
Historically, we have a difficult time living up to our Truth. The three-fifths compromise in our Constitution is probably our best example, but we did fight a war in 1860 to solve that one, and it seems to be turning out reasonably well. Women voting took quite a long time, but that one was finally settled also. We seem to be on the right track, but there is still room for improvement. We are working on it, and that's the point. Egypt has a long way to go, but they need to begin to work on it. We need to help them begin.
The demonstrations in the streets are a clear signal that the people are ready to change course. They have had enough of oppression, and control. Specific moves are necessary to let them know that things are changing based on their demands. That's just it: BASED ON THEIR DEMANDS!
America is supposed to believe in the rights of the people to abolish a government when it abuses them, and this has occurred in Egypt for the past 30 years. America must recognize that truth, and push Egypt aggressively towards goals of our TRUTH: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The further we deviate from these ideas the less they believe us, and belief in our Nation will carry the day.
The protesters need to hear the equivalent of "Mister Gorbechev, tear down this wall," and it hasn't come from any leaders here as of yet. Foreign countries know what we stand for. It is written clearly in our founding documents. America is an idea. We are not one people, we are many, and we are here because of ideas which are rapidly spreading throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world. The future will be OK if we stick to those simple but sacred ideas.
Admit it Mr. Obama, those are the ideas we see inspiring "six figures" of people standing up to rocks, guns, clubs, horses, camels, and threat of death. These are the same ideas that helped our incipient nation through Valley Forge and, God bless us, the Civil War. It's easy to see and to tell the truth. Mubarak must organize things so he can leave, and leave now. He is not the only person to "lead" Egypt.
Finally, I think our leaders will feel better about themselves if they can tell one story. Is it the people, or the government that should be in charge? The last election in our country answered that question here. The Egyptian people are asking for that power, and the United States should help them find it. Tell them the TRUTH, our truths.
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