America has yet to build an independent democracy free from secular religion or

authoritarian rule by dictators in the Middle East other than Lebanon, Turkey, and

Israel. A shining example of one of the countries in the Middle East, that despite

American foreign aid has resisted intervention from the U.S., and suffered

economically, and politically, is Egypt.

For nearly forty years, the United States has aided Egypt under the pretense that

our assistance will help Egyptians build a democracy. Ironically, democracy is on

the lower end of the spectrum in regards to what Egyptians say they want from

their government. America has bestowed the government of Egypt almost $60

billion during those forty years. Congressman Ron Paul said in 2008 on CNN

regarding foreign aid to Egypt, “we should do a lot less a lot sooner because it tends

to come back and haunt us. It reminds me a little bit about propping up the shah of

Iran, and then we ended up with the ayatollah”, which then resulted in the Iranian

hostage crisis of 1979. It seems as if the words spoken by the presidential candidate

who has been labeled an isolationist by the corporate whore media, was actually

right! Egyptian authorities charged nineteen American NGO workers with working

without proper credentials and exploiting illicit foreign resources to generate discontent,

but the Egyptian prosecutor said those who claim to support democratic change, were

accused of espionage, communicating with the Central Intelligence Agency, and sharing

intelligences on Egypt with America’s State Department. Only those who are directly

involved really know who’s side the workers were supporting. It may very well

have been that there were campers on both sides. Whatever the case may have

been, this is the problem with sticking our nose where it does not belong.

Americans must understand that friendship is something that is earned, not

purchased. How many more lives have to be lost, monies spent, and unexpected

consequences suffered before we understand that our current foreign policy is not

working?

We give over $1.5 billion in welfare to aid the economy and military in Egypt

every year, yet they still detain United States citizens illegally. If the United States

insists on sticking its nose in other countries affairs, then instead of propping up

American puppets like Mubarak, and feeding his finances rather than the peoples,

we should listen to what they want, not what benefits the interests of the elite in the

United States and Israel. The problem with this scenario is we do not know any

more than the Egyptian people do, who should take place of the iron-fisted military

if they are overthrown. Ideally, a benevolent dictator would benefit the Egyptian

people, but America’s implicit and express support of the country will only continue

to burden the people economically, and politically.

America provides the weapons these authoritarian regimes use to kill the

Egyptian people! The Egyptian army was built by the United States military

industrial complex, which profited greatly. The Army was there only to protect

Mubarak. It was not there to help the people. The military being dependent on the

United States will continue to thrive with America’s support. The Egyptian people

will not put up with influence dependent dictators who feel they have a sense of

entitlement. The Egyptian revolt against the dictatorship that imposed a cruel level

of poverty on the Egyptian people was also a revolt against United State imperialism

and a insurgency of opposition to United States neocolonial interests in their lands.

For over thirty years, areas in the Middle East have had bullets from American

guns kill their fellow citizens and family members. They resist independence from

colonialism because American interests’ essentially only create confusion, and fund

authoritarian regimes. The money spent does not help the United States or those

areas economically, nor do they contribute to our securities. Americans need to

return to what our founders set out for America, which was to be friends with the

Middle East and have open trade with them. We should cease getting involved in

internal affairs, treaties, and border quarrels. Are not friendship and diplomacy the

way that we expect to be treated? America says one thing, but does another. Until

the media in America begins to tell the truth about what's really happening in the

Middle East, one can only imagine life will stay the same or inevitably get worse.