The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bragged after the Tunisian revolution that she “wasn't worried about Egypt. Egypt is stable,” she said with aplomb. Now the whole Obama administration is befuddled, and in complete disarray on how to handle the revolt of the “have nots” in Egypt. The US started with unequivocal support for Mubarak, but it pretended that it was pressing Mubarak to make a quick transition, but Mubarak refused. Now the US is pressing the opposition to enter into talks with Mubarak's henchmen, and it claims that it wants a quick solution to the Egyptian demonstrators demands. But what the US actually wants it to preserve the Mubarak regime – either with him included in the background or without him – but with his loyalists in control of the most important government positions. That will secure continuing US control of the Egyptian government, which, in return, will provide continuity to the US and Israeli interests in the Middle East. In pure American terms, the US actually sees the Egyptian revolution as a “wild west” cattle stampede in which the cattle owner (Mubarak), and the cowboys and pistoleros (his vicious police apparatus) cannot bring the cattle stampede under control. And rather than losing it, the US tries to corral the cattle (the Egyptian people) into Mubarak's pen (negotiating room) until the bovine beast (the demonstrators) quiet down and become easy to control. And the negotiations – if the opposition is foolish to accept – can go on forever. Do you remember the Oslo Accords of 1993 between the Palestinians and Israel? Well, 18 years later Israel has not given anything in continued negotiations, and it has used the negotiations as “killing time” to expropriate most of the Palestinian land – with US blessing and funding for Israeli construction. There are those supposed gurus in the US that are in the payroll of the so called “Think Tanks.” The Think Tanks are organizations under contract with the US government to employ people who support the US hegemonic policy and global objectives. They are touted as experts and the US media and TV networks use them to offer opinions that are supportive of the US foreign policy. They are media and US propaganda mercenaries – for a hefty salary at the US taxpayers expense. This is what some of them have said about Egypt: “A Devil that you know (Mubarak), is better than the Devil that you don't know.” In other words, most Arabs – and hence most Egyptians – are hostile (Devils) to the US, and the US should stand with Mubarak. He is a “good Devil“ to the US. And that is the “real” behind the scenes US policy. The American proverb: “The Devil is in the details” is now what guides US policy in Egypt. Of course, the US profess publicly to play a “Good Samaritan” role to resolve the Egyptian crisis. But behind the scenes, the “devil” is in full swing to corral the Egyptian revolution into his lair. The founder of the Islamic Republic in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini used to call the US “The Great Satan.” History has it that the US relationship with Muslims has always been “devilish.” We see what the US pursues in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Egyptian people should not expect anything better. They should stand their ground not only to Mubarak's maneuvers, but also to those of the US. Freedom won't come from the Mubarak's camaraderie ordained by the US as democrats, but from their determination to accept nothing less than a clean slate of only new people in an interim government, which, then will hold elections, and adopt a new constitution with a referendum. The stampede must go on until the slaughterhouse of the Mubarak's regime is completely demolished! ** Nikos Retsos, retired professor of Political Sciences and History BM
