Clinton’s Egypt Visit: Walking on Eggshells in Cairo

July 25, 2012

Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 16 July 2012
by Gudrun Harrer (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Sandra Alexander. Edited by Katya Abazajian.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton not only paid a visit to the Islamic president and the junta chairperson – it was virtually a sightseeing tour of the rubble of America’s Middle East policy. The Americans have never had so little influence in the region and had to jump through hoops to at least preserve the rest.

The U.S. demands, in part quite harsh on the Egyptian military, for the former partner of the U.S. to surrender power completely to civilians in the past weeks were ignored. They know well that the U.S. is basically happy if Egypt’s foreign and security policy is not left completely to the Muslim Brotherhood, even if that might contradict Clinton’s often quoted “will of the people.”

Clinton was mild in Cairo: No more talk of tying U.S. financial aid to any democratic requirements. Mohamed Morsi was, however, treated as the personification of the people’s will (although he was not even patted – there was no official handshake photo, approaching nearly Iranian circumstances). U.S. pragmatism, summarized by Clinton as, “We will cooperate with any Egyptian government,”* is interpreted differently by conspiracy theorists. Anti-U.S. demonstrators asserted this time that the U.S. had brought the Islamists to power.

*Editor’s Note: This quote, while accurately translated, was unable to be verified.

Die US-Außenmnisterin war in Kairo milde: Keine Rede mehr davon, dass die USA ihre Finanzhilfe an irgendwelche Demokratieauflagen knüpfen

US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton hat in Kairo nicht nur dem islamistischen Präsidenten und dem Junta-Vorsitzenden Besuche abgestattet - es war quasi auch eine Besichtigungstour der Trümmer der amerikanischen Nahost-Politik. Noch nie hatten die Amerikaner in der Region weniger Einfluss und mussten sich so verbiegen, um wenigstens den Rest zu bewahren.

Die teils recht scharfen US-Aufforderungen der letzten Wochen an die ägyptischen Militärs, die alten Partner der USA, die Macht völlig an die Zivilisten abzugeben, haben diese ignoriert. Sie wissen genau, dass die USA im Grunde froh sind, wenn Ägyptens Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik nicht ganz den Muslimbrüdern überlassen werden, auch wenn das dem von Clinton vielzitierten "Wunsch des Volkes" widersprechen mag.

Clinton war in Kairo milde: keine Rede mehr davon, dass die USA ihre Finanzhilfe an irgendwelche Demokratie-Auflagen knüpfen. Mohammed Morsi wurde von ihr dennoch als der personifizierte Volkswille gehätschelt (wenn auch nicht getätschelt - es gab kein offizielles Händeschüttel-Foto, beinahe iranische Verhältnisse). Der US-Pragmatismus, den Clinton mit "Wir kooperieren mit jeder ägyptischen Regierung" zusammenfasste, wird von den Verschwörungstheoretikern jedoch anders gedeutet: Die USA hätten die Islamisten an die Macht gebracht, behaupteten diesmal die Anti-USA-Demonstranten.

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