Revolt/Revolution in Egypt

[Lemur]

To everyone who's wringing their hands over whether or not a change in power will result in a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government, I say get bent. The Economist did a good job of summing up my thinking:

Obviously, we should all be warily celebrating the possible fall of the Mubarak regime, not bemoaning it. Not because it will lead to any near-term benefits for us, but because it stands a chance of making Egyptians freer. [...]

That doesn't mean that such freedom will be in the interests of the United States, in the near term or really in any term we can envision. We should be cheered when other nations start to "find their voice", not because it is in our interests, but despite the fact that it may not be.

[ICantSpellDawg]

To everyone who's wringing their hands over whether or not a change in power will result in a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government, I say get bent. The Economist did a good job of summing up my thinking:

Obviously, we should all be warily celebrating the possible fall of the Mubarak regime, not bemoaning it. Not because it will lead to any near-term benefits for us, but because it stands a chance of making Egyptians freer. [...]

That doesn't mean that such freedom will be in the interests of the United States, in the near term or really in any term we can envision. We should be cheered when other nations start to "find their voice", not because it is in our interests, but despite the fact that it may not be.

My sentiments exactly.

Our support of these types of regimes is in our benefit in the short term but against our interests in the long term. I have always said; work with them when there is no alternative and be their best friend, but the second a dictator turns his back and there is an opportunity - stick a knife in his back. Dictators are the enemy irrespective of what ideology they pretend to serve. Their ideology is themselves. Our ideology is and always will be the freedom of people. When an oppressed people rise up, they save us trillions in what would otherwise be some varying grade of conflict like an Iraq or an Afghanistan. Our foreign policy goal is the freedom of people, not the aggrandizement of the United States.