There are many many opinions on the Egyptian Uprisings...Mine is not Sanguine

This man thinks Egypt is lost.

We are running out of friends in the Middle East. For all of the talk of supporting freedom in the Middle East, the U.S. has usually backed its depots. Given our dependency on Middle East oil, we have had very little choice. That’s what happens when you don’t allow drilling in Alaska’s ANWR, anywhere off our coastlines or domestically where billions of barrels are estimated to exist.

Now, however, we have a President who is VERY different from any that came before him going all the way back to Truman and Eisenhower.

This Pakistani sees it as a wonderful thing

This is the Egyptian street in the strictest sense of the word… the silent majority no longer silent.

Despite the number of tear gas canisters fired at protesters and the number of those who have been beaten and detained, there is a feeling among many Egyptians that a long dormant patriotism and pride has been finally awakened.

Ironically perhaps, the notion of Arab unity, long a running joke in the region, is being felt for the first time as many Arabs pledge solidarity and support for the people of Tunisia and Egypt.

Egypt is the most populous and influential Arab country, a socio-political stalwart. What happens there will resonate in the region and produce a ripple effect much more powerful in magnitude and impact than Tunisia’s. Over the past few days, protests in Yemen have grown in strength and gusto.

For years, Western nations have used the lack of democratic reforms in the Middle East and North Africa as leverage to pressure and manipulate ruling dictatorships to bend to foreign interests.

Now that the Arab street is alive with the power of the people for the people and by the people, will policies in Washington, London and Paris accommodate their pursuit of democratic reform?

This man is not picking sides ..... yet

It can tempting to look at an uprising against an oppressive government and automatically take the side of the protesters — the students in Tiananmen Square or the pro-democracy marchers in Iran for example — but in Egypt, the nature of the uprising is a little different.

Here’s John Bolton on the Muslim Brotherhood that is behind the uprising in Egypt:

I don’t think we have evidence yet that these demonstrations are necessarily about democracy. You know the old saying, “one person, one vote, one time.” The Muslim Brotherhood doesn’t care about democracy, if they get into power you’re not going to have free and fair elections either.

And I think there is substantial reason, for example, to worry the minority Coptic Christian population, about 10% of the population will be very worried if the Muslim Brotherhood came to power.

Let’s be clear what the stakes are for the United States. We have an authoritarian regime in power that has been our ally. We don’t know at this point what the real alternatives are.

In a democracy and freedom sense, that says “the enemy you’re allies with is better than the enemy you don’t know.”

MY OPINION

I think there is some good news in that people are questioning the oppression they have lived under. People who have not self governed leave a vacuum that Islamic Fundamentalism will try to fill. There will be a vacuum when Mubarak steps down, and Tunisia and Yemen. I don't like dictators but I remember the aftermath of the fall of the Shah of Iran under Carter that we are still living with.

My best thought is that the success in Iraq helped lead to justice.

I wish the Body of Christ were strong on the ground in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen to be the light that fills the empty places that will result.

I'm not sanguine about all this. On balance this is not great news. I'm no fan of the corrupt Egyptian government, but I'm less of a fan of Iran Ayatollah types on the southern border of Israel. That's the net result of what will happen if things go south. This COULD BE the king of the South in Prophecy.