The Egyptian army drove protesters out of Tahrir Square on Monday destroying tents and smashing signs the demonstrators had made. Human rights activists reported that perhaps a total of 150 people had been detained and dozens brutally beaten by military policemen and armed civilians.
Amnesty International quoted one demonstrator in Tahrir Square as saying "While they were hitting me I told them I’m pregnant, they shouted: who’s the father, then hit my stomach with his stick."
Despite the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, protests demanding a faster pace of reform persisted as Egypt’s ruling military council prepares for former President Hosni Mubarak’s criminal trial to begin on Wednesday. Concerns that too much of the pre-revolution power structure remains and that the military-led transitional government may go too easy on the reportedly infirm Mubarak have led to questions about the substance of Egypt’s turn to democracy.
The United States has continued steadfast economic and military support to Egypt’s transitional government, just this month announcing 125 tanks, M256 Armament Systems, M2 .50 caliber machine guns, 7.62mm machine guns, spare parts, maintenance, support equipment, personnel training and other related elements of logistics and program support. Another $1.5 billion in U.S. aid has been allocated to Egypt for fiscal year 2012, as the Obama administration has been silent on such continuing abuses as took place on Monday.
Unbelievable. America is flat broke, but we're bribing, er, "aiding" a thuggish regime in Egypt with borrowed money. All in the name of democracy, of course. This is insane.
What is the best way for the US government (or any other countries gov't) to make sure that any new government (of Egypt or anywhere else) is truly representing their people's will and defending their rights?
Open up (or expand) trade to the country and diplomacy with as many parties as seek it, but give NO aid of any kind whatsoever to any of them. Only those who have public support will gain power, instead of those who can't gain power without outside help.
And about the fear that some other nefarious government will install a despotic regime: if they do, they will be wasting their resources and will eventually have to deal with the retribution of the people for meddling in their affairs.
It's simply not worth the money, trouble and eventual backlash.
It takes more than intelligence, it takes real faith to just stop this madness!