|
From your Intermittent Correspondent in Alexandria, Egypt...where I probably read more anti-Bush articles in a week than Americans see in 6 months. And this from a "government-approved" press, no less.
This article appeared in today's Egyptian Gazette, one of the English-language papers. At first glance, it appears to be a straightforward complaint about a trade agreement. But notice how the writer managed to artistically paint with a somewhat broader brush:
PATRONISING POSTURE
Prospects for imminent Egyptian-US free trade links do not look sunny. The US is to blame for this.
Washington has recently thrown into confusion negotiations for a free trade pact with Egypt, a key regional power, apparently on political grounds. Though no final decision has been proclaimed on the fate of these talks, the US has recently been seen using the card of free trade to force Egypt to take certain pro-American stances.
In dimming the prospects for this agreement, the US cites what it sees as the slow pace of democratic reforms in Egypt. Over recent months, Egypt has taken major steps to nurture its political and economic reforms. These steps have been based on a home-grown formula, not dictated by American plans to reshape the political scene in this region.
More than two years after its disastrous conquest of Iraq, the US has yet to perceive the plain fact that democracy cannot be dictated to others. Nor has it grasped that democracy need not be charted along American lines.
The US, it seems, is not pleased with recent Egyptian stands, especially on Syria and Iran.
It must be clear for policy makers in the US that their country stands to benefit from the stalled free trade accord as much as Egypt does. So they should stop giving the impression that such a pact is a boon, which should be got at all costs, even at the expense of national pride.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
