I was talking to a young Egyptian politician the other day prior to me meeting a prominent American official, I knew this Egyptian guy for years as a friend and as a doctor, and although our political views differed we managed to be very good friends
the question that I had to ask him and delay his sleep for 90 minutes was: why do you guys in Egypt have it heavy against the Americans in your politics and what does he recommend regarding this big meeting of mine? he simply answered don't meet the man your interests don't match (just like our interests in Egypt don't match with the Americans! I could understand his logic, but I had to dig a little further knowing our situation in Yemen differed a bit, so I went further.. I know your party speaks to the American here and there! and he kept denying and he said it is a core fundamental issue for them not to speak to the Americans unless it s all in the open and very well documented and on Camera.
after 90 minutes of back and forth along those lines, I had to hang up our little chat and let my tired friend go to bed!
That was the starting point for me to think, how did all the parties ended up here, and where to head from here to the future?
my answer to self was (stupid ass governance along with dictatorships from the end of 70s till now) surly did no good from the Arabs side to present themselves to the world in one side.. and overly pragmatic and overly (lets stand with Israel for this time only) policy from the Americans that led to more polarization and to slogans like (American is the greatest devil)
The Arab spring is bringing an unprecedented chance for this polarization to end, however I still see all sides not investing to make it fade, in the contrary one can clearly see how limping the US foreign policy is behaving when it comes to expressing discontent towards their old dictator friends (we know he is a SOB but he is our SOB) to the over blaming of the US role in Arab politics and insisting on the the Americans said not to do this to us ??? ( I thought in your country u should be more relevant than the us (if u wanna play politics) other wise go do some gardening!
I don't like any anti sentiment, anti American or anti Iran for that matter in the Arab world right now, we wasted our chance to alliance with Iran in the 80s with our stupid Iraq/Iran war and we wasted our chance to play it well with the Americans in 50s
I can understand how difficult it was back then, since no1 knew anything about the other rather than orientalist tales and pillars of wisdom of the one and only Lawrence of Arabia (which i hate)
but this is not accepted now! why? because you are reading this!
** picture of the BBC Channel still thinking Tunisia had a crisis (rather than a revolution) on the day Ben Ali departed the country
