The US Senate proposed a bill over a week ago that calls on the United States to pressure the Egyptian government to abolish the state of emergency and provide guarantees for transparency in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
The bill–titled “Support for democracy, human rights and civil liberties in Egypt”–was proposed by prominent members of the Democratic and Republican parties, namely Russel Feingold and John McCain, which means that the bill could be approved by a substantial majority.
Why are the Republicans and Democrats racing to encourage the US administration to pressure Egypt under the pretext of defending democracy and human rights? Will this pressure compel the Egyptian regime to abolish the state of emergency and provide the necessary guarantees for free and fair elections?
Many believe such pressure will eventually bolster reform efforts in Egypt. This impression is fed by a general feeling that the Egyptian regime may rebuff popular demands for reform but will seriously consider calls by the US.
I couldn’t disagree more. The members of Congress who proposed the bill are among the most ardent supporters of Israel. They have not called for pressuring Israel to implement the International Court of Justice's 2006 advisory opinion against the separation wall in the West Bank. Nor have they called on Israel to respond to the United Nations' Goldstone report accusing it of possible war crimes in Gaza.
The people behind this bill are also strong advocates of the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have claimed the lives of tens of thousands. They are hiding their own secret agendas under the veneer of democracy and human rights.
There are no signs the Egyptian regime will respond to these calls, even if they are made at the official level–which I seriously doubt will happen. The Egyptian regime is well-aware that the US administration needs it to safeguard American interests in the region and that no other Arab regime represents an alternative in this regard. Egypt has successfully earned itself an important position within the American-Israeli nexus of power over the region.
The most worrying aspect of the proposed bill is that it provides grounds for the Egyptian government to claim that the opposition relies on the power of foreign countries to press for reform, and that they have an underlying agenda which serves American interests.
I therefore ask opposition and reform movements to publicly reject this bill which represents a form of interference in Egypt’s internal affairs. If the US administration genuinely supports democracy and reform in Egypt, then it must start with itself. The United States must respect all international agreements on human rights, work with other countries through international organizations and stop using double standards against human rights violators.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
