Stay classy, SCAF supporters: Clinton met with Lewinsky jeers during recent Cairo visit

It took me awhile to write about this because I have so much to say and no idea how to say it.

It started a few weeks ago when an Egyptian friend posted a photo of Clinton on Facebook captioned, "To Hilary Clinton focus your attention on the Monica Lewinsky scandal!!!"

Ignoring the spelling mistakes and the poor grammar, I almost reached through my computer and strangled my dear Egyptian friend. He's obviously part of the upper class, works for the government, and once defended Omar Suleiman, Egypt's answer to Dick Cheney, as a good man.

Disagree with Clinton's actions as Secretary of State. Whatever, I don't really care.  But Lewinsky? Why define her by her husband being a jerk? What the hell does that have anything to do with her work? Nothing. Don't be such a machismo douche.

He answered that she kept on talking about SCAF and should mind her own business. I told him to mind his.

That was unfortunately a prelude to the Egyptian reaction to Clinton's recent visit to Cairo.  Fed by rumors Clinton is a secret Islamist, protesters gathered outside her hotel and pelted her motorcade with tomatoes, holding signs with similarly poor grammar, taunting, "Monica! Monica!" The protests were led by Tawfiq Okasha, Egypt's answer to Glen Beck. They pointed to information from right-wing nutjob Frank Gaffey, who accused Clinton's rock-star staffer of being a closet Muslim Brotherhood supporter.

Via Ayman Mohyeldin. I don't really know what that's supposed to mean. 

According to Foreign Policy Passport:

 If Hillary Clinton is indeed a covert Islamist, she's not doing a very good job eliminating the tensions between the Muslim Brotherhood and the U.S. government. The list of potential issues goes on and on: The Brotherhood's uncertain guarantees of equal rights to Copts and women, its shaky commitment to inclusive democracy, and its antagonism toward Israel are just a few of the subjects that could trip up relations with the United States. Decades of built-up antagonism and suspicion can sabotage even the most basic cooperation: Just this month, a spokesman for the Brotherhood's political party accused the American NGO workers who were arrested under the former military government of being involved in "intelligence work."

Hillary's response? It was a shameful waste of tomatoes.

I'm not particularly surprised by the lack of class.  But really? Ugh. See. I don't even know how to say what I'm trying to say.

McClatchy: Egypt's former spy chief runs for president, Islamist candidate excluded

Headlines like that give me a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Omar Suleiman, the former head of Egypt's despised intelligence for over 18 years, announced Friday his candidacy for president.  He's like a caricature of an evil boogyman and is responsible for much of the repression and torture of the Mubarak years.

Ooga booga! I'm going to come and kidnap you and take you to an undisclosed location to torture you. 

His election would be a huge slap in the face to the revolutionary movements, including the Islamists, who perhaps suffered most under Mubarak.

His announcement comes after revelations that Salafi frontrunner Hazem Abu Ismail's mother held dual United States-Egyptian nationality, which disqualifies him from running for president.

This dude: Actually more legitimate.

The timing of the disclosure regarding his mother is very convenient for those who want to nip the Islamist surge in the bud.

Honestly, part of me feels for the Islamists. A lot of them, especially the younger ones, really do believe in the hope-y, change-y stuff. And a lot of people voted for Islamists--70 percent, in fact. No, the elections weren't perfect. There were a lot of barriers. But liberals did what liberals (in the United States, especially) do best--they bickered amongst themselves. They didn't have the institutional knowledge the MB had for political organization. They lost. And just because the powers that be--SCAF, the Egyptian intelligencia, the United States--doesn't like where things are going, does not justify the delegitimization of the Egyptian political process.

Besides, imagine what would happen if the thousands of Egyptians, emboldened and heartened after the revolution, saw the elections that followed as proof their vote would never count and democracy will never come.

As Egypt moves toward democratization, it will serve everyone well to keep Islamists in politics. Marginalizing and alienating them will only serve to radicalize them as they simmer with (probably well-founded) disdain.

Update: I got it. Suleiman reminds me of Cheney. Fact. 

Graffiti around Cairo

My favorite part of traveling in Egypt is the graffiti. It acts as an informal opinion survey and gives an idea of what people are thinking. Compared to my trip in the summer of 2011, the graffiti around Cairo right now is explicitly anti-military. That should worry SCAF, who entered into power wildly popular with the Egyptian people, who saw the military as defenders of the revolution. Like politicians everywhere, SCAF saw their popularity plummet as they began their military rule. More so than the anger usually directed toward politicians, many Egyptians are angry with SCAF and see them as simply an extension of the old regime. The regime did not change; it was only decapitated. This is reflected in much of the graffiti I saw around Cairo.

"The revolution continues."

"Liar"

"Son of [something really bad]"

Tantawi, the head of SCAF

"Mohammed [I can't read it], martyr of freedom."

"The street is for us."

"The revolution continues," with Tantawi and Mubarak as the same person.

The regime set up roadblocks around the interior ministry. Street artists painted them to depict the scenes behind the blocks. 

Tantawi does not equal Egypt. Disagreeing with him does not make one a traitor.

Last February, thousands of football fans flooded the field after a game between al-Masry and al-Ahly in Port Said, Egypt. Security forces failed to intervene. Fans were thrown to their deaths off stadium walls and others were killed by explosives.  In the end, at least 74 people were killed.

EThe violence shocked Egypt and embodied the sense of insecurity and state failure that pervades post-revolution.  Many maintained the police deliberately turned a blind eye to the violence to pay back the football fans for their leadership role in the toppling of Mubarak.

Abo Bakr painted the walls of AUC's main campus with a mural depicting the victims of the football violence.

The AUC wall also shows pharonic-inspired graffiti, designed by Alaa Awad, showing a funeral and highlighting the role of women in the revolution. 

"ACAB" = "All cops are bastards"

Suzanne and Hosni Mubarak

These guys are wanted for shooting out the eyes of protestors. 

Thoughts on NGO case

A messy situation inevitably got worse.

For the last few months, the Egyptian and United States governments have been in intense negotiations over the fates of Americans hit with travel bans after the Egyptian government charged them with using improper funding without appropriate government authorization.  First the Egyptian judges hearing the NGO case suddenly resigned, later alleging pressure (a phone call that left him "uncomfortable") from SCAF to kill the case.  The travel ban imposed on the democracy workers was subsequently lifted by an unidentified judge.

That the case was mishandled is one of the only issues uniting Egyptians of all political stripes, from the Muslim Brotherhood (criticizing "clear interference") to liberal favorite Mohamed el-Baradei (criticizing the "fatal blow to democracy").

After I told my roommate what happened, she said, "Well at least they're listening to us." This is either besides the point, or exactly so. These organizations strive to build and legitimize democratic institutions, including independent judiciaries.  Egypt's judiciary was severely undermined by SCAF's interference.  It wasn't democratic at all and reeks of the hypocrisy of which Americans are constantly accused.  We're all for democracy, unless the outcome clashes with our interests (election of Hamas in Gaza is an excellent example of this).

If the employees of NDI, IRI, Freedom House, and the rest are worth a lick, they are also probably quite uncomfortable about the way in which they were allowed to leave the country.  They are there, of course, to assist in the creation of a political system in which just that sort of interference does not occur.  It undermined their work, past, present, and future. Many will find it difficult to believe in their sincerity when their freedom was granted through decidedly un-democratic means and their Egyptian counterparts were left high and dry.

Yes, I am happy the Americans are back home. The way in which the situation has evolved is not their fault.  But the long-term ramifications for their departure are significant.  

Mubarak not military enough for tribunal

The head of Egypt's military judiciary, Adl al-Morsy, said today Mubarak cannot be referred to a military court, as he does not have a current military designation.  According to al-Morsy, his title as chief commander of the armed forces was honorary.

Except, when he was struggling to hang on to power, he pled with his people to remember his service as a pilot in Egypt's Air Force. The military branch of which he served as commander from 1972 to 1975.

Oh, so you have to have a current military designation to be tried before the military court in Egypt?

Like activist Asmaa Mahfouz?

Or blogger Michael Nabil?

Or blogger Alaa abd el-Fattah?

Or any of the other 12,000 Egyptians sentenced before military courts from February to August 2011?

Pucker Up, Buttercup

h/t The Arabist.

SCAF head Hussein Tantawy, kissing Hosni Mubarak, 1980s or early 1990s

Therein lies the problem.

Power struggle in Egypt's ruling class

The NYT had a good piece this morning about the fracturing of the powers that be in Egypt.  As a reader of this blog noted, while SCAF likes to portray itself as all-powerful (and Western media tends to oblige), in reality Egyptian politicians are competing against each other in the newly opened political climate.

Fayza abdul Naga, minister of planning and international cooperation, is leading the charge against foreign-funded democracy organizations. Tensions between Egypt and the United States spiked after various international and local organizations were raided in December 2011.  Forty three individuals have been slapped with travel bans, nineteen of which are Americans.  Washington has urged Cairo in vain to rescind the travel bans.  Various US politicians have threatened to cut US military aid, amounting to $1.3 billion annually, if the situation is not resolved.  

Three Americans have sought refuge at the US embassy in Cairo, including the son of US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.  They will be prosecuted for alleged licensing irregularities.  

Politicians and generals have long accused "foreign hands" of being behind the unrest, and this weekend some reiterated the claim in justifying the crackdown on NGOs.

After a visit by General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, SCAF chief Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi publicly urged "the importance of maintaining the established relationships between the US and Egypt, and strengthening them." He also held a cabinet meeting--of which Naga is a member--urging ministers to "strike a balance" in public statements. 

Naga, a long time politician, bureaucrat, and holdovers from Mubarak's rule, blatantly disregarded the SCAF chief's pleas, escalating her rhetoric this weekend.  As a holdover from Mubarak, her position is obviously tenuous as her old colleagues are purged and even brought to trial.  US funding is an issue that just about unites Egyptians (in opposition to the US).  It's emotional, complex, and a bit understandable.  She once called it humiliating.  

Drumming this issue may make her untouchable.  Perhaps even more, as the NYT notes, it may even make her electable.

Egypt vs. Pakistan, con't

A friend rightly pointed out this morning that Egypt and Pakistan are two different countries, two different cultures, two different societies.  I mentioned this in passing in my previous post highlighting Dunne and Nawaz's piece in the New York Times asking if Egypt can avoid Pakistan's fate. When I initially read the headline of the NYT piece I was a bit skeptical--I hate easy situational comparisons that ignore differences between countries (Egypt is becoming Pakistan! Turkey is becoming Iran! Afghanistan is our Vietnam!). Glosses over too much.  And if it's simplistic enough to be featured on CNN, it's probably wrong.

I think another important thing to mention is the liberals/activists/more Western-oriented individuals, whatever you want to call them, still have faith there is a place for them in Egypt. They're engaging in their communities and politics (although to varying degrees of success) and many are moving back to Egypt to contribute to this new society.  Most people I met from Pakistan, however, that fit this bill have left and never looked back.  A few months ago I met a girl on an airplane from Pakistan and she said there was no space in society for people like her.  To me, Pakistan should be worried about this when the best and brightest feel disassociated and unwelcome.  At the bare minimum, they will be unable to shake their economic stagnation without engaging these sectors of society.

But regarding Egypt's decision to try 19 Americans in a case linked to foreign funding of NGOs, SCAF is obviously playing politics here.  It's easy to divert attention from an economy in the toilet when you're deflecting blame to foreign elements. It's also an easy way to maintain support of an otherwise antsy public--Egypt's under siege by the Americans/Israelis/whoever. Best to maintain unity.

I am torn about whether or not the United States should pull aid funding.  We'd be playing politics right back.  According to Gallup, Egyptians overwhelmingly don't even want the money, but the aid was never about what Egyptians want. It is more for pursuing United States priorities.