".... American diplomats long considered Tunisia among its closest allies in the Middle East. Ben Ali oversaw a police state, but a secular one. ..... If Tunisians could defeat Ben Ali in less than a month, anything was possible. Within days, protests erupted in Egypt, sparking the worst rioting in decades. One out of three Arabs lives in Egypt. ..... But even if Mubarak is not a good ally, can the U.S. say for certain that what comes next will not be worse? Iran's Islamic Revolution scarred American policymakers. The Shah had his faults, but they were mild compared to Ayatollah Khomeini's. Unseating dictators need not bring about an Islamic Republic, however, if the U.S. is proactive.The value of the Egyptian alliance is less than meets the eye. Certainly, Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat deserves praise for accepting peace with Israel, although he did so only after failing to achieve his aims through war..... Mubarak's support was ephemeral at best. Privately, Egypt often backs the American position on Iran, Libya, and Hamas,.... . (and Rubin's interests GO BEYOND Israel & Iran! riiiight!).....
.... That the Muslim Brotherhood presents a real challenge to American policy is undeniable. In neither Tunisia nor Egypt, however, have Islamists led the popular protests, although there is a risk that the Brotherhood may co-opt the protests. The mistake the White House has made in the past--both under Bush and Obama--is that it has accepted the rhetoric of democracy and liberalism without setting tough standards. Militias should never be accepted as political parties, nor should any group that legitimizes terrorism ever have America's imprimatur. (As I said it's ALL ABOUT ISRAEL with the likes of Rubin!) The sooner the White House and State Department engage non-violent opposition groups in the Middle East, the more influence the U.S. will enjoy when the going gets rough and the dictators get going."
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