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US policy in the middle east needs a small revision

Reader comment on item: Anoush Ehteshami and Democracy in Egypt
in response to reader comment: Democracy takes time to establish

Submitted by Frank Luke (United States), Feb 10, 2011 at 14:50

Joe reminds us that democracies are cultural in nature. That is a correct analysis. There are many Egyptians who are democratic in nature. The problem with a moslem democracy is, the majority being moslems, they can insist on the shaira law, and if the majority want it, then that is what will be enforced. If the majority decide to do injustice to the minorities, under the law, they will not only be permitted to do so, the law will insist that they do so - under the auspices of the law. In such a society, we need to support a benign dictator. Unfortunately Mubarak was unkind to his subjects and allowed injustice to prevail. This is an indication of US foreign policy. We should have appointed an ombudsman for Egypt to oversee his rule - to ensure that justice was done to the common man.

By merely handing out billions of dollars to a man like Mubarak, we may have kept a pro-US ruler in power for a few decades, but we did not try to ensure justice in Egyptian public administration. This is something we need to do this time around.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (18) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Democracy in Egypt [40 words]Lujack SkylarkFeb 11, 2011 23:36182561
1And The Winner is ?????? [164 words]Jay1Feb 11, 2011 23:01182559
More details on my blog [24 words]Solomon2Feb 11, 2011 13:30182544
The "Real" Barrier to Egyptian Democracy [254 words]Freud101Feb 11, 2011 21:39182544
1Fantasyland [159 words]Sonny BoichikFeb 11, 2011 03:35182532
USA robs freedom of people in the Arab world over a 30 year period [455 words]BaklavaFeb 9, 2011 18:30182497
And To Whom Would You Have America Write the Check of Their Deliverance [967 words]M. ToveyFeb 11, 2011 12:34182497
2everybody else's fault but their own. [112 words]the Grand Infidel of KaffiristanFeb 11, 2011 18:15182497
1Israel and neighbors [58 words]UgriFeb 12, 2011 06:07182497
A democratically-elected President of Egypt? I'm still waiting for one here. [190 words]DrRJPFeb 9, 2011 08:49182488
1Democracy takes time to establish [64 words]Joe Six-PackFeb 8, 2011 12:31182442
US policy in the middle east needs a small revision [192 words]Frank LukeFeb 10, 2011 14:50182442
2Egypt's Turmoil is the World'sTurmoil [730 words]M. ToveyFeb 8, 2011 12:16182441
Egypt needs our help - and soon [164 words]Frank LukeFeb 10, 2011 14:16182441
1Democracy is not a rational form of government [169 words]Ralph C Whaley MDFeb 8, 2011 09:01182432
Egypt needs a model [20 words]Don J.Feb 11, 2011 03:42182432
Egypt Needs More Than a Model - Almighty God has Already Seen to That [40 words]M. ToveyFeb 14, 2011 19:36182432
A Democracy Will Not Save Egypt [368 words]M. ToveyFeb 16, 2011 13:29182432

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