I’m working on a great, long piece finally resolved to make sense of the nature of the light, its impact on us, its significance over the long run, etc. But I wanted to stick my nose in here for a brief moment.
It’s interesting watching the coverage of events in Egypt.
There are those Egyptians who say that Egypt should be for Egyptians, the West should keep their hands off Egypt, and so on. They want Mubarak to go but without Western interference. If I lived in Egypt, I’d probably be saying the same thing.
I remember watching how the so-called “Security and Prosperity Partnership” between the United States and Canada, which for me was really a land grab, horrified me. For many years it seemed as if Bush would have his way and a North American Union, which would see the end of my country, would happen. I therefore have a great deal of sympathy for this Egyptian position.
But there are other activists who also see that Mubarak has a history of eliminating the competition. Given that he has shown himself still willing to use armed goons to attack the demonstrators, the longer he remains in power, the more damage he can do to people who offer to lead the movement.
This second group of activists would not want the West to somehow leave Egypt to her fate.
There are always some in each of these camps who put their positions in terms of complaint and blame. If the West intervenes, it is told to keep its nose out of Egyptian affairs. If the West leaves Egypt alone, and something bad and unforeseen happens, the West is accused of being uncaring and having abandoned Egypt.
I personally trust President Obama, although many don’t. I also sense that he is surrounded by career bureaucrats, some of whom are complicit in 9/11 and the phony “war on terror,” others of whom have sold out to the cabal in connection with other issues, and all of whom could interfere with setting or implementing policy.
Just because the President calls for one policy does not mean that, when it gets translated into action on the ground, it will retain its original flavor or be administered as intended. So for him, until accountability occurs and the dark are removed, leadership remains a sea of snakes. Even if he’s President, he’s still only one person and the cabal is well-versed in spinning or co-opting a Presidential initiative (witness Dwight Eisenhower or John Kennedy).
So there are layers and layers of complication at play here, in Egypt and at home. It becomes a delicate balance for the West.
Nonetheless, the levels to which the incoming light have carried us are gradually altering the landscape, the range of actions possible, our tendencies, and everything else. What the outcome might have been a few years back is no longer a reliable indicator of what it will be now.
The size of the crowds who took to the streets, risking injury or death, should show us how much things have changed in Egypt and I assume as much has changed here as well. But none of the leaders (save perhaps Obama himself) are aware of these developments and probably very few bureaucrats or commentators. Thus added to the complexity of the situation by itself is the fact that few people probably know what variables are now at play here.