Why Egypt’s Holding Americans Hostage and How The Obama Administration Is Destroying America’s Own Credibility
A reader asks: Why is Egypt keeping Americans working with pro-democracy NGOs from leaving the country and threatening to put them on trial as criminals?
Here’s the answer:
1. The military rulers want to show they cannot be pushed around by the United States. This is, of course, also an effective way to muster popularity within Egypt. The resentment of foreign intervention is very high and as I pointed out in a recent article, even a U.S. Navy anti-disease program is being portrayed by a liberal party as a covert operation to spread disease, murder Egyptian children, and weaken Egypt so Israel can defeat it.
2. The armed forces want to weaken the “moderate” parties by blocking foreign aid to them. These forces are the junta’s main critics and are organizing demonstrations against the government.
3. Ironically, the moderates are demanding the military turn over power to the Islamists even faster! Yet there is no reason to believe that the armed forces will not give up power after the presidential elections in June. There have already been a lot of ideas for a deal between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military. For example, a special parliamentary committee could be created to manage the military budget on terms satisfactory to the generals. While the Brotherhood has demanded the government’s resignation, this seems more like a way of building leverage than a serious goal. In just five months there will be a new president and the junta will dissolve.
4. The Islamists, who did get almost 75 percent of the vote in the election, support this tough strategy in order to weaken their moderate rivals and also because they are anti-American and xenophobic. This is only the beginning of the anti-American populism/nationalism/Islamism we are going to be seeing in Egypt from now on.
What’s amazing is that nobody is pointing out that if an Egyptian government is willing to risk U.S. aid and have a confrontation on this small issue, what are they going to do regarding big issues!? What happens when the Egyptian government moves toward Islamism or helps Hamas fight Israel on some level? We have been told that fear of losing U.S. aid will constrain Egypt. But we are now seeing that this simply isn’t true.
Note also that the Obama administration’s bluff is already being called. If trials go forward — and some compromise might be found to save face for both sides — will the Obama administration cut off aid or is it bluffing and will back down? I’ll bet on the latter, and that will send a real message to every radical in the region.
Note, too, the U.S. government has just backed down on past warnings that it will cut aid if the PA and Hamas form a coalition government. Of course, it clings to the hope that the new coalition will break down (which might happen) and state that there is no formal coalition yet or that Hamas might accept Israel’s right to exist and stop violence (fat chance!).
The U.S.-Egypt confrontation might be avoided by some compromise. The Obama administration will conclude that it “won” while everyone in the leaderships of Arab countries, Iran, and Turkey will conclude that America can be pushed around with impunity.
The Obama administration seems to be on the road to proving beyond any doubt that it is a paper tiger. And the consequences will be felt in a dozen countries, promoting more dissing of America and new crises.
Shhh! Not so loud, we don’t want to upset the MSM presentation of Obama as the smartest man ever to be elected President.
Actually….he may be smarter/slimier than we think…
Perhaps the hostages are a ploy for his re-election bid…with the aid of the muslim brotherhood.
Get closer to the actual election this year…and Eqypt will start to “fold” (hahaha) because of its “tremendous ” respect for the Obama administration and it’s efforts in the world..puke.
I think we are in for a rough ride.. i’m already tired of the election process with the republicans and their crap. .
BTW, does anyone think this will be reported as a hostage crisis? As the Onion foretold years ago; the news won’t be in the MSM until a way can be found to spin Obama in a favorable light because of it.
you’re on to it bob from virginia
most “americans” are unaware or uninterested in the state of affairs
vast majorities of those in school would be unable to find egypt on a map
personally, i think obamanation is waiting as long as possible (“election time”)
before deploying seal team 6, i mean, obama’s royal bodyguard, to free the hostages and hasten his re-election
Please refrain from defaming the SEALs!
You said it. No SEAL bashing please. It will be interesting if the Mainstream Media makes much more mention of this. Given that at least one detainee is a family member of someone in the Administration ths is pretty personal stuff.
What I find fascinating is this Administration didn’t do anything about Iranians rising up (and being murdered, tortured etc) in protest, and isn’t doing much on Syria, but allied dictators get turfed quickly, without much competency in working with the people who come up in the aftermath. It isn’t like Egypt doesn’t have some educated, secularist types either.
You may be right, so we should talk about this cynical ploy everywhere we can. Whenever I can I try to put voice to whatever horrific strategy Obama is up to – such as his current strategy to topple all the secular leaders in the Middle East to hasten the creation of a united Islamic republic and the destruction of both Isreal and the U.S.
PERFECT. LET”S DO IT.
February, 1979-With the middle east in turmoil and US foreign policy a distinct and recognizable failure, Jimmy Carter at a loss as to what to do about the hostages in Iran
*fast forward*
February, 2012-With the middle east in turmoil and US foreign policy a distinct and recognizable failure, Barack Obama at a loss to even care about what he’s done. There are now hostages in Egypt, a nation Obama has said needs to become “more democratic” and that he sent a diplomat, in the form of Ginsburg who tells them not to use the US Constitution as a model for constructing their own.
American citizens really don’t like it when foreign nations hold US citizens hostage. But like his predecessor, Obama has no clue as to why this happened, no idea how to solve it, no real desire to and prefers to blame it on the previous president.
A real national-socialist of a “leader”.
Well, the last time this happened, R. Reagan was running for President against J. Carter. Now RR had, he noted in many speeches, a secret plan for getting the hostages back. Apparently, it wasn’t a secret from Iran, who returned our hostages the day before his inauguration. I’ll let you imagine what the ‘secret’ plan must have been, why it distressed the Ayatollah Kohmeini, and whether Mr. Obama has thought of it yet?
Seems to me, if we stopped sending $1.2B to Egypt for them to hate us for the wrong reasons, we could spend an extra $1.2B on JDAMS to have ‘em hate us for the right reasons…..
what’s JDAMS?
it’s a guidance system for bombs— Joint Direct Attack Munitions—i.e., “smart bombs”
Or as I like to call them, “The Rape Train”.
Part of the problem is we are using the wrong leverage. The Generals can fin a billion dollars in the budget, especially if they can tell whoever is getting shorted it’s the Americans fault. Threaten to cut off military supplies, however, and you’ll get their attention. Thumbing their noses at America would be a lot less appealing if it meant their spiffy M1A1′s and F-16′s became so many lawn ornaments.
give ‘em to Israel instead
I too am betting that Obama is bluffing on cutting off aid. And isn’t it interesting that Ray LaHood’s son is one of the detainees. What is the possibility of the Obama people getting him out of there and letting the rest swing in the wind? Also, watch for Bill Richardson to be called into action. He is probably needing money now because the bloodhounds are getting closer to the door in New Mexico.
“How The Obama Administration’s Destroying Its Own Credibility”
The current administration has credibility? Who knew?
I was curious about the title as well. It was pretty easy to size up Obama during the campaign, I suspect his credibility was zero in world diplomatic circles well before he took office.
Of course, his advisers, for example, the State Department, will give him impartial advice. Let’s see, State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which covers Israel, also covers 18 other countries, all of which are trending Islamist. In fact, every geographic bureau at State has one or more countries which have significant problems with Islam and/or a significant and destabilizing Muslim minority.
This shows that the justification for military aid to Egypt has been a fraud.
One begins to suspect that the real reason why the U.S. keeps bankrolling the Egyptian army is to maintain Egypt as a strategic counterweight to Israel, to keep Israel from becoming regionally too powerful and independent of the U.S.
As a wolf in sheep’s clothing, obama is murdering as many sunnis as possible from one middle eastern country to the next for his shiite caliphate. This is the perfect opportunity for the shiite cowards who are the known BARBARIANS always looking for their opportunity for global dominance, to sneak in the backdoor of a highly educated/sophisticated society and set it up. Yes, we have given him that opportuniuty. He happens to be in Syria now with smouldering sparks in Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Iraq (osama bin laden was a SUNNI)all of which previously had the more moderate Sunni leaders who have for decades protected Israel from attack. Look what is happening now, under the guise of democracy.
And you’ve paid for it !~!~!!
And his plan is obviously that we pay for our own demise.
What can an utterly broke country do other than be taken over?
How many muslim brotherhood members, including obama, are in our WhiteHouse?
And look where Van Jones is today. Comin’ up ~
This will drag out until November driven by weakness from Obama and a need to exert authority on the Egyptian side. If a new president with a rigid spine is elected and moves to appoint strength at State and Defense (Bolton and West) there will be an attitude adjustment. This should immediately improve the lot of Israel which might be doubly important if Jordan enters the “problem” category.
You might have it backwards: the military will find it easier to express their displeasure on an insignificant issue rather than take a stand on something very public and important from which they would find it difficult to back away from without losing face.
Everyone, not just the MB, is calling for the army to leave and the Islamists are not at the forefront of this in the streets; in fact they are not among the street protesters at all. Why would they be, they have parliament.
As for handing over power, this would not be to the Islamists but to Parliament and a President. If Parliament happens to be stuffed with Islamists that’s the result of a vote. If I were Egyptian, I’d be most anxious about making the vote honest. These recent elections are believed by many to have been fraudulent and if this is true, the pressure for the Islamists to perform on the economy is much less if they can simply steal more elections in 5 years.
I also wouldn’t be too sure about an alliance between the MB and the army; the army loves having the Islamists out front where they may draw away the heat from the army. This is unlikely since the Islamists were at least “voted” in, something the army cannot ever hide behind.
When I was a kid, I remember hearing updates on Americans held hostage in an emerging Islamo-fascist theocracy every day.
Today, the MSM seems oblivious to another hostage crisis in the Middle East. Is this because the progressive Messiah now occupies the White House, and the MSM will allow nothing to interfere with his goal of tranforming America, or is the indifference to the Egyptian hostage crisis a sad measure of how far we have fallen since Reagan took office?
Very good point.
Actually Carter was President. The crisis lasted 444 days and the original ‘Nightline’ hosted by Ted Koppel became an evening staple, offering the latest news of the crisis.
The hostages were released on the day of Reagan’s innauguration.
They fight us because they want to build their own little cult haven. I suggest we give them exactly that. Spend our foreign aid money instead on containment operations. It doesn’t have to be overt. I’m talking about sonar arrays to know what is going to and from their ports. I’m talking about satellite observation. I’m talking about listening posts.
If they make one wrong move, then a rapid response force will target exactly that behavior. The Israelis seem to have done it very well with the Syrians. I think we can do the same.
You’ve nailed it, MidniteRambler!
(You’re right on both counts.)
Just wondering but do you think Egypt is holding those hostages for ransom, just like Iran did? How many millions could they get for these US citizens.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Obama+attack+religious+freedom+will+cost/6140103/story.html
Let’s hope he not as foolish on this issue with Egypt.
One note. Obama has some leverage at the moment because the MB supports the US going after Assad. The Generals tried to get the public angry with rumors of “meddling”, but the people will replace the US with who? Russia who is supporting Assad to murder Arabs? So Araby and the Generals have found themselves in the corner. How smart are we at poker?
If I may, to be a stone age king is still to be a king. Logic is not part of this equation.
The generals are the same courageous soldiers who in 1967 left their arms on desert floor and ran for their lives. They know they have lost all the power and they are living on a borrowed time. Once the revolution enters into the second face and MB takes total control of Egypt. The Generals know that their end is not going to be any better than Mubarak’s. This fabricated legal theater is Generals last act to try to save themselves from eventual execution. Neither the Generals nor MB can care less about American AID. They know that the hatred toward Israel and America can keep them in power more than few billions in American military aid. They also know that China and Russia are waiting in the wings to fill the void. Sorry Hussein Obama you lost Egypt the same way Jimmy the peanut farmer lost Iran.
Obama is a fool, but our MSM got him elected and they will protect him until he is out of office. He is the worst President I have ever seen and I have seen Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton.
I’m never one to claim the sky is falling but I’m getting a distinct whiff of war here. Nothing makes me sense this more than the very claim of this administration’s own wizardry at foreign policy, which is currently limping along in the desert, out of water and none in sight. At the same time thinking it has done a stellar job. Let’s face it, the US state department has done more to bring about civil war in the middle east than ever.
To one set of eyes, it is a monumental failure. To a different set of eyes, it is the perfect storm. It will cause energy prices to soar, it will lessen the supply of petroleum, it will make the muslims hate us even more and thus, bring about the completely undesirable “need” of alternate energy sources.
In reality, of course, it will cripple the US which, by the national socialists’ point of view is a shoulder-shrug moment. If the people suffer, so what? “Blame it on Bush” has been the mantra and will continue to be so.
Meanwhile, gasoline goes to 6 or 7 dollars a gallon, is rationed (oh how national socialists will just love that) and you can only drive on odd or even days. Well, that’s BS and I need to get to work and I have no alternative ways to get there. I’m an hour away. Both my tags on my vehicles end in an odd number. So I guess I’ll get a lot of tickets.
This, I think, is what the national socialists really want; A ruckus in the middle east that’s so bad, that the oil supply is cut off. They would be so giddy they would pee their pants.
Remember how fast and furious was supposed to be such a deviously clever plan that would result in stricter gun control laws? Well think about the national socialists manipulation in the middle east and try to assess what the end-game would be. That’s right, loss of oil being sold to the US. As long as they don’t get fingered in the blame, they reap all the “benefits” of having government step in for the “alternative solution” IOW: Lots more government control. ie: who can drive what/when and for how long. The ultimate goal being the record sale of hybrids and fully electric POS cars.
The law of unintended consequences matters not to them. That 90% of the citizens in this nation aren’t in a position to simply just buy a new electric car. But it goes deeper than that. It gets into the ability to heat your home, get the kids to school, produce and GET FOOD. How perfect for the left. They can then choose who gets fuel subsidies.
I realize this is something of a stretch but don’t think for a minute there isn’t a plan involved as to why the US state department has only done that which feeds the flames in the middle east, every step of the way. Has to do with more control over the people here than anything else I can think of.
They went after healthcare….now they want the oil to be cut off so that there will be such unrest here that people will be furious and demand that the government “DO SOMETHING” and that will be a day I will weep.
your analysis explains the ‘canadian pipeline debacle’.
not much else does.
You don’t think that the national socialists would absolutely love to make petroleum such a rare commodity here that the government would “have” to ration it?
I’ll admit, like I said, it’s something of a stretch, but three years ago, a president subverting the Constitution and such a radically divided nation was also considered a stretch.
Remember, the decline of nations to socialism is a slow, steady trickle that at some point becomes irreversible. If you think it can’t happen here, then you haven’t been paying attention. I intend absolutely no insult by that remark but I never used to watch politics very closely at all. This whole presidency is a completely different animal with a huge socialist contingent. They are not patriots, nor do they think the United States is viable as a capitalist nation.
And they want power. All of it.
This is bad. Taking American hostages smacks way too much of Jimmy Carter, the absolute bottom of where we were in terms of foreign policy. Perhaps the only way to stop this is by electing a new president in November. Somehow, I don’t think Egypt would be doing this if we had a Republican president.
The Obama administration seems to be on the road to proving beyond any doubt that it is a paper tiger.
I was just going to write something about a Paper Tiger (with some juicy adjectives attached) when I read that sentence.
America has extremely severe financial problems. It is despicable and immoral we give Egypt a single dollar. Every dollar is needed by America! Muslims know they can do ANYTHING and our U.S. government will continue to give them mega dollars. Even more money than before. Disgusting.
What country respects America any more? America has lost respect around the world.
The financial aid will probably continue, which makes this even worse then the 1979 Iran fiasco. But then Obama is worse, much, than even Carter was. There’s more than a tug of islamic sympathy in the O’s twisted heart. We can start to kiss the Middle east goodbye and islam to become even more aggressive.
Meanwhile the Left’s hate is focused on political dissent and criticism of the tiny man in the WH. You can’t fool a leftist.
Grabbing up these Americans in Egypt (for flimsy reasons) seems like an intentional in your face move preparatory to an even bigger in your face move of Egypt withdrawing its agreements with and recognition of Israel.
And/or Egypt’s ruling military is appeasing the rising Muslim Brotherhood.
They’re getting away with it, as Hillary stomps her little foot in indignation and the diplomatic cables fly back and forth. (Did you know that it was just about a year ago that Hillary Clinton declared Bashar al-Assad a “reformer”?)
Tourism in Egypt will and undoubtedly is tanking, so the misery of those who deposed the rather execrable Mubarak a year ago will rise over that and economic dissolution in general.
I’m sick of US foreign policy where we pay out billions to theoretically deter this, or promote that.
In Egypt a purported former friend is intentionally fashioning itself into an enemy, just like that.
I’m with all of you. But here’s a problem I haven’t heard anyone address: Egypt can afford to call our bluff, because the Brotherhood is probably right now engaged in secret negotiations with Russia and China. Both countries would love nothing more than to obtain a stranglehold on the Suez Canal, and they would do ANYTHING to get it. The fact is, no matter what they have to do to obtain such a stranglehold, it would come back to them many times over in strategic value. The problem is that the US is in an untenable position—thanks largely to Obummer, and I am unable to come up with any way for us to retain the allegiance of Egypt—or, frankly, any other Middle East countries, save Israel and Saudi Arabia. Would like to have feedback from this truly intelligent group of thinkers. Would also like to have Mr. Rubin address this issue.
Dear Mr. Rubin,
I’m not sure how this particular reader reached you to ask a question, so I’ll ask one here, and hope that you might take the opportunity to address it in some way. I was born in Israel and am very much in alignment with you on matters that pertain to my homeland. Last night I was out with some friends who are neither Israeli nor Jewish (I live in LA now) and as we started talking about Obama, their constant question – one which I had a hard time answering – was “So what?”
He allowed Egypt to fall to the Brotherhood? So what? What could he have done anyway?
He makes no effort in bringing down Iran or Syria by supporting their demonstrators? So what? Why should America be involved in that part of the world anyway?
He’ll allow Iran to get a nuke? So what? Iran’s not going to nuke the US.
As an Israeli, I could see, of course, the grave consequences of all of Obama’s misadventures, but I had a hard time answering why any of these things should be of great interest or concern to Americans who know that anti-American forces getting power won’t necessarily result in any effect on their lives.
Anyway, your thoughts on why Obama’s foreign policy clumsiness should be just as great a concern to Americans as it is to Israelis would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Actually Nathan, there is a very good chance of the Mullahs sailing nukes into our ports and coastal refineries. For their system of government to survive destroying the US is a necessity, destroying Israel is merely a pleasure.
Most Americans suffer under the persistent delusion that we live in a magical bubble. We possess a kryptonite-coated constitution which protects us and can’t be destroyed, we have inalienable rights, and our president and all branches of government are our public servants who live to protect us. Many, many people truly believe this and so don’t pay attention. They don’t understand that Obamacare is legislation which destroys many, many of our rights and creates and funds a standing army loyal only to the president. They don’t get that the government can now peer into our bank accounts, withdraw funds, and keep tabs on our phone and internet usage. They don’t get the implications of the destruction of the mens rea requirement in criminal law proceedings or the implications of a law which allows American citizens suspected of terrorism (which is so loosely defined as to mean anything the government wants it to)to be detained, and possibly killed, without trial and without notice.
If I may give my two cents as to why Obama’s foreign policy is disastrous to the U.S. it is this; he wishes to destroy our sovereignty by erasing our borders, which will also destroy our system of voting. He also wishes to work with the United Nations to create a global form of governance in which the U.S. will be simply a cog. This is not fantasy – it can easily be proven by reading the policy papers posted online by the UN. They are that brazen – you can check out the Earth Charter of 1992, the Millenium Assembly of 2000, and now Agenda 21. He is working hand in hand with our totalitarian enemies and working to destroy Israel and weaken our other allies. This man is arsenic to the once great representative republic.
I see no difference between Obama and Carter. They both have lost an allies in the the Middle-East, they both destroyed our finances, they both micromanage, they both are supporting the Palestines with the 1967 border reference and while Carter helped Chavez be elected in Venezuela, Obama has copied Chavez in promising the poor to give them everything. Case in point, I will take from the rich to give to them, the cell phones and the Obamacare. Like minds destroying the US!
I understand that this site is a dumping ground for those who dislike Obama and the
Democrats, but just perhaps to imagine a bunch of different groups inside the the US
from a foreign nation trying to shape our political system…how would the pajama folks feel about that?
Uh, pardon me? We already have foreign invaders here in this country, lobbying for changes to our laws and customs, and disregarding our laws and customs in massive ways that threaten the fabric of American life. I’ll leave it as an exercize for yourself to figure out who these groups are. A quick clue, some are not Latino in origin.
But you’re right in your suspicions, PJ Media regulars generally dislike the political leanings of such groups.
The US is assuming that the possbile denial of US aid to Egypt may induce Egypt into releasing the hostages. I wonder if by now the Egyptians have not arranged for alternative sources of financing which make them independent of the US. Since the likelyhood of a theocratic government lead by the Muslim Brotherhood is a very real perhaps Iran or Saudi Arabia have offered to support Egypt financially (even militarily) in exchange for a political alliance. If the denial of US funding does not influence this hostage crisis one has to ask if some fundamental transformation has occurred.