Mostafa Hegazy, an adviser to the Egyptian President, labeled the protesters who support the return of President Morsi “terrorists.” In so doing, he joins many others in the world who dismiss protest with allegations of criminal and immoral behavior. Delegitimizing protest is a stale tactic of those who really have no new ideas to offer. There is little question that all sides in the Egyptian violence have engaged in reprehensible acts, but painting all protesters with the broad brush of “terrorist” is an excuse not to face the genuine issues raised by the military coup in Egypt. But Hegazy is mimicking those who treat dissent as treason, and the US is a prime offender in that diversion as in the case of Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning.
World politics is rife with irony, since realism allows for quickly shifting alliances depending on circumstances. Just two years after Iraq demanded that the US military leave the country, Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari has asked the US for military assistance, including drones, to deal with the security problems associated with the influx of Syrian refugees. It is hard to imagine the US responding favorably to the request since Iraq has allowed Iran to use Iraqi territory and air space to support President Assad in Syria. The likely refusal of the US is unfortunate, since the Syrian refugees deserve much greater support. But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is probably the more appropriate agency for the needed assistance.
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