Unrest In Egypt Will Fundamentally Affect American Interest In Region, Say Experts

 The Obama administration is scrambling to find a way to address the current protests and civil unrest in Egypt without compromising its long standing ties with the government in Cairo, says Steven Cook Middle East Policy expert for the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR). 

 Cook says the Obama administration’s dual track policy towards Egypt, which consists of privately pressuring Egyptian President Mubarak to back reform while publicly supporting his government, is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile given the violence and unrest in the streets.

 “The US needs to signal that ultimately, our values have to kick in. Egyptians have to understand that we are not going to allow them to do just about anything to regain control.” said Cook. 

 Robert Danin, Middle East and African Studies fellow for the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation, says the Obama administration’s statements on Egypt have so far been quite vague and failed to offer any specifics details.

 ” I do not think the administration has handled it as well as it should have. ” said Danin. “My hope is that when President Obama finally does speak, he doesn’t use the word stability and focuses more on the need for, whoever is in charge in Egypt, to respect the rights of people who are demanding freedom.”

 Danin believes that in private conversations,  US officials are pressuring Mubarak to make concessions but that the Egyptian president likely thinks  any such action at this time would be too great a sign of weakness.

Danin says one of the first steps Mubarak can take towards reform and calm the protests would be repealing Egypt’s 30 year old Emergency Law, which allows for indiscriminate arrests, limits freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.  

  “Perhaps there is some sort of roadmap that Mubarak could lay out for the future out of this , to show that this could end in a way that would ultimately not result in his son becoming President.”