US tricks don’t need a rocket scientist to see

Congress makes aid decisions for 2013 if Cairo does not rescind its current action. Cairo is cracking down on some non-governmental organisations accused of engaging in political activities and interfering in its internal affairs.
The NGOs are accused of using foreign funding to foment dissension and, to date the Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 40 NGO workers who are expected to appear in court.
The tipping point in the saga is that among the 43 accused, some of them have been barred from leaving Egypt, and among the accused are 19 US nationals, including the director of IRI, Sam LaHood who is also the son of US Secretary for Transport Ray LaHood.
The White House has voiced “grave concerns” over what they allege to be victimisation of ‘pro-democracy activists’. While we can’t begrudge the US government’s concerns regarding the well-being of its citizens in different parts of the world, we however, note with consternation the use of verbal force in order to achieve their desired goal.
This incident is once again putting the United States and its allies under the spotlight on the illegal regime change agenda using the now tired democracy, human rights and governance excuses. It is foolhardy to use bullying and threatening tactics when the world knows that this pattern has been used and continues to be applied on smaller nations every day in order to protect the US’ permanent interests.
This naked aggression is now an open secret all over the world, with Washington playing the role of a big, but bully brother. The soft power approach that president Obama said he would use has become nothing but political rhetoric to appease the many interest groups that control Washington.
Even Russia is up in arms against some NGOs, which it accuses of receiving funding from the West. The so-called Arab Spring, which is now referred to as the “Twitter revolution” because it was largely driven by social networks is reshaping the socio-cultural and political landscape in North Africa and the Middle East in a manner that many, especially West never anticipated.
It has resulted in Islamisation of these countries. The Islamic states and/or societies that are a culmination of the Arab Spring is not what the West hoped for, considering that they propped some autocratic governments in the Arab states in order to protect their interests. But, as it stands, Egypt’s new leaders after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster are exercising the freedoms that they yearned for, the liberties, which the US and its allies taught them.
Now that they are flushing out undesirable elements, why should we hear these hues and cries?
The threats coming from Washington that if Egypt goes ahead with the trial of the 19 American citizens, this will force them to review their relations with Cairo, especially aid is nothing new.
They are dangling a carrot and stick, and at the same time suggesting that if American citizens commit crimes outside the US, they should not be tried on foreign land, under the laws of that country. What double standards when the US has been in the forefront of ensuring that Africans are sent to The Hague, even though it is not a signatory of the Rome Statute! And, so much also about upholding the rule of the law.
They claim that these were pro-democracy activists. This is also a submission that although the United States worked with the Mubarak regime for more than three decades, and heavily financed it, they were also aware that it was undemocratic.
By assisting Mubarak’s ouster through the protests in Tahrir Square up to February 11, 2011, they were admitting that he was a spend force, thus they needed a new stooge to do their dirty work.
We also ask, under law isn’t it that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law? Under Egyptian law, if there is reasonable evidence that the accused, including the 19 American citizens and other Western nationals have a case to answer, why not allow due process to take its course, instead of the threats that we have heard from the Obama administration, and even some of the US 2012 presidential hopefuls?
These are the double standards that the so-called weaker nations decry about. Why should Egyptians continue to be on a leash when the so-called dictators are out of the picture? As a super power, we are aware that the US could exercise its muscle, but it should do so within the letter and spirit of what it evangelises without unnecessarily affecting their civil liberties.
Since they preach democracy, rule of law and human rights, we expect that it is a gospel they also practice, instead of the apparent impositions and indirect implications that the Egyptians should break their own laws. If they place the rights of their citizens above those of the host nations, then they are not being sincere when they say that they seek change for the people, when those people are bound by the rule of law which they are circumventing by virtue of their international position.
The West has also resorted to using aid as a weapon to make small nations to comply with their interests.
Several African countries last year cried foul when British Prime Minister David Cameron indicated that they will withhold aid if they do not recognise gay rights as human rights.
We also note the approaches used. On face value they look like they are not inter-related, but upon closer scrutiny, you realise that the developing world is dealing with a system that is closely inter-linked and, whose goals and objectives are the same.
Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Zimbabwe, Libya, Syria and now Egypt – they systematically deal with people that are in their way in a similar fashion – as a coalition of the willing. Germany last week warned the Egyptian military council that if they proceed, then they would also review their bilateral relations.
In Egypt’s case, the million dollar question is if it remains resolute about the trials, what does the future hold? Can US interests in North Africa and the Middle East survive without Egypt? We are aware that oil rich Qatar has been filling in the gap, but can it do as well as Egypt under Mubarak did?
How about the future of the state of Israel?
The world cannot afford another Cold War era, let alone moves towards another war, which could turn into a full-scale Third World war.