Make Some Noise!

finally gets a little insight into the ghastly state of democracy in Egypt. Apparently denial(as in river) has been overflowing its banks as far as Washington DC, and Tunis where the reputed US Ambassdor to Tunisia held said country up as a "model for the region." While I love my Tunisan friends, Tunisia, Tunisian movies, this hideously irresponsible statement makes me gag.

Quelles sont vos premières impressions sur la Tunisie ?

Elles sont très positives. Le peuple tunisien est très chaleureux. Le pays est très beau, son histoire est magnifique, je trouve que la Tunisie est un modèle pour les autres pays de la région
(Q: What were your first impressions of Tunisa?
A: They were very positive. The Tunisian people are very welcoming, the country is beautiful, its history is magnificent, and I find that Tunisia is a model for the countries in the region.)

{snip}

Je voudrais ici insister sur l’idéal humaniste de notre politique étrangère pour aider d’autres à réaliser les valeurs universelles auxquelles nous aspirons tous : la liberté, la prospérité et la sécurité.
(I would like to take the opportunity to underline the humanist ideal of our foreign policy of helping others to realise the universal values to which we all aspire: liberty, prosperity and security)

(after which he probably suggested a shopping spree in the souk)

So typical of the tone deafness of this administration in which Rice can stand in Cairo, and with a straight face, say Egypt is a burgeoning democracy, while bloggers and others whom Mubarak's people consider dangerous to the State, get beaten and sodomized by the police. But, then again, she is the mouthpiece of a democratic government which brought us Abu Ghraib, extraordinary rendition, Guantanamo, and other things too delightful to mention. So, maybe in that light, Egypt looks pretty democratic.
Ah, yes, Denial...not just a river in Egypt....

After crackdowns weakened or destroyed so many of Egypt’s independent political organizations, democratic activists are hoping the burgeoning trade union movement will pick up the fight for democratic change. Which is why Mr. Mubarak has ordered the shuttering of the trade union centers.

With so many other things to worry about in the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush also seem to have lost their earlier fervor for Egyptian democracy. Washington must warn Mr. Mubarak clearly about the costs — for Egypt’s long-term stability and its relationship with the United States — of such anti-democratic moves. Happy talk and denial just damage America’s credibility and enable more repression. (read more)
thanks to Issandr of the Arabist.

Labels: democracy, North Africa