Pars Today

The US is notorious for its support of unrepresentative rulers and tyrannical regimes, coupled with its hostility towards popular and democratic systems of government, which it tries to overthrow.

Here we present you an article that appeared on the Truthdig site, titled: “Trump’s America and Egypt’s Dictatorship Deserve Each Other.”

The writer, Major Danny Sjursen, is a retired US Army officer, who after serving combat tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan, taught history at his alma mater, West Point, and became a critical analyst of the Iraq War,

Mohammed Morsi was the first duly elected president in the Arab world and the first in Egyptian history. Now he is dead, collapsing on June 17 in his glass cage during his show trial in Cairo—a victim, it seems, of criminal negligence during a brutal six-year stint in prison. His death only highlights the distinct malevolence of a military junta that (illegally) overthrew Morsi in a coup. He languished in an Egyptian prison system that’s incarcerated thousands of others—critics of the regime, mostly—in a country that Amnesty International has described as an “open air prison.”

As for President Trump, he could care less. Egypt’s police state, perhaps the most repressive in the country’s modern history, remains a bosom buddy of the Donald’s administration. And most Americans hardly notice. Foreign policy isn’t of great interest for most of the citizenry, despite the fact that it’s the one area in which a US president seems to have nearly unlimited power and influence.

Morsi’s demise demonstrates just how far the once-bright hopes for democracy in the Arab Spring have truly fallen. Hardly anyone even thinks about the prospects of democracy in the Arab World. So tight has Washington become with a variety of Arab authoritarians and strongmen that veritable tyranny has been normalized in the region. If Americans don’t notice, I assure you that the people of the region absolutely do.

Trump didn’t start the US on the road to backing dictators; that’s been an American proclivity for decades now. But the president does seem to relish and flaunt his relationships with unsavory characters in that region with particular enthusiasm. General Abdel-Fattah as-Sissi—the butcher of perhaps a thousand peaceful Morsi supporters back in 2013—is one of Trump’s favorites.

Never short on hyperbole, the Donald described as-Sisi as a “great president.” They deserve each other, these two strongmen atop Egypt and the US no longer even feigns interest in promoting human rights or democratic institutions in the areas where it interferes.

How could it? Trump has rather dictatorial designs as well. This is genuinely dangerous and only encourages would-be tyrants in the region and worldwide. Unsurprisingly, as-Sisi has set himself as a perpetual president. The US hypocrisy, it seems, knows no bounds.

Look, this author is by no means a proponent of George W. Bush-style democracy promotion at the end of a gun. A realistic appraisal of US national interests and a healthy dose of restraint ought to inform American foreign policy. Still, Washington certainly must have some values. No, it doesn’t have. It should expect more from its international partners than a vaguely anti-Islamic stance and willingness to purchase American guns and bombs.

We know, by now, that international perceptions of Uncle Sam distinctly affect the potential for terrorism and thereby the safety of the homeland. The scandal-plagued US detention centers at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Gitmo in Cuba, as well as the practice of waterboarding, probably motivated thousands of anti-American fighters.

It’s also vital to consider the paradox that Arab countries with authoritarian regimes that are tight with Washington also tend to produce more anti-American populations.

So it was that all 19 of the supposed 9/11/2001 hijackers hailed from just four countries—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Lebanon—closely allied with Washington. They didn’t come from Syria, Iraq or any other nation-states like Iran, which the US regularly demonized.

This is instructive. Blowback is a thing, and mark my words: The next terror attack in the US will likely emanate from a country Trump considers a “partner.” They usually do.

Morsi may not have been perfect, but his legitimate election to the presidency and championing of the relatively moderate Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt offered an acceptable alternative to secular dictatorships or clan rule in the region.

The populations of Egypt and other Arab countries won’t be able to look to the Washington’s supposed “beacon of democracy” for support. Trump’s America is ever-so-flagrant in its championing of autocrats. It’s somehow refreshing and disturbing all at once.

Nevertheless, expect America’s sins to come home to roost. They tend to do that. When that happens, we’ll have the wannabe authoritarian in the White House to thank.

AS/SS