Bitter Harvests and American Threats to Cut Aid

In Mar. 2008, I had a chance to experience one of the conferences organized by international human rights centers in order to spread what is understood by the term “democratic culture.”

The workshop, under the title Investing in the Future, took place in Sharm el Sheikh and was organized by the Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists, the organization established in Jordan to support professional journalism in the Arab world and its conformity with international standards, in cooperation with Dutch media NGO “Free Voice,” which receives the funding necessary to run its programs from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With the contribution from the civil society organizations, this NGO has managed to set up a program of financing special training activities for Arabic journalists, which was initiated at the beginning of 2004.

In the course of this two-day workshop, my intention was to follow on real goals of countries like the Netherlands’ interest in the issue of democracy and in training journalists from six countries, including Egypt. I wasn’t able to hide between the lines what I wrote in the conclusion of my report, published in al-Ahram on Mar. 23, 2008, in which I said: “It is crucial to stay highly sensitive when the financing of certain programs coming from the European countries aims to introduce radical changes in the structure of Arabic society.”

My report continued: “… this kind of journalistic meetings aim to introduce the training system for the Arab media which is based on identical standards for all journalists and media, regardless of differences in environment, culture and historical roots of the social, economic and political development here and there.” I also added: “… no one can deny that these educational sessions are in high demand among the Arab journalists who want to learn how to present a polished picture and rescue their newspapers from the state of deterioration they are in. No one can either deny that professionally organized training requires exorbitant financial resources which most of our press associations and sunk-in-problems governments don’t have. However, as I said before, it is crucial to stay highly sensitive when it is clear that funding comes from the Dutch government through other organizations claiming to be independent and non-governmental. One puzzling question remains: What is their interest in it? Why this rush to push us to the fixed results without allowing us to go through all stages of experience that they went through by themselves?”

Now we are in the prime of the conflict with the United States because of American funding received by many Egyptian and international human rights organizations operating in Egypt without a license. I can only add here that the season of bitter harvests has started, caused by the weakness and humility of the previous regime in dealing with these training programs, whether American or European, which for years have been spreading all over the country totally uncontrolled.

After the January revolution, there were many angry American reactions caused by Egypt and its Ministry of Justice’s behavior toward the organizations hacking the Egyptian national security system and toward Egyptian organizations, which unfortunately were cooperating with them for millions of dollars. However, we don’t hear any American denial of the facts announced by the investigating judge concerning division maps of Egypt that were found. The only American reaction that came was the threat to cut military and economic support, as I described it in my article last week. Washington made mistakes with both Egyptian revolutions of July 1952 and Jan. 2011 because of its arrogant attempts to meddle without trying to understand Egyptians’ true feelings. They have the desire for free and respectable lives far from the guardianship of a corrupted dictatorial regime or of foreign colonial regimes which simply want to have control over Egypt’s interests in the name of international Zionism.

Therefore, American threats of stopping aid, coming either from Congress or from the White House, are welcomed by most of Egyptian society. If implemented, it will exempt Egyptian government from many restrictions attached. In Washington’s opinion, such a decision will damage the Egyptian economic and military situation, while in reality, the analysis of aid in the past years shows that the only damage will be suffered by the United States’ position in the Middle East with loss of Egypt’s friendship and trust — the most important country in the region. I don’t think the American intelligence apparatus has full comprehension that this kind of decision will inflame Egyptian national sentiments and restore the golden age of Egyptian free will.

We warmly welcome stopping the of American aid if its continuation would mean the loss of Egypt’s regional influence, insults to Egyptian dignity and the demolition of the foundations of the strong and respected country that spread its fire to all independence movements in the Third World. We warmly welcome stopping the aid if it will allow the Egyptian spirit to wake from its coma and effectively participate in the race to build freedom and the democratic country that we want — not the one wanted by Washington, which would reflect Washington’s nature and serve the interests of spoiled Israel, which one day will be responsible for global destruction.

Americans have to understand that Egyptians — on the official and popular level — have a strong will to coexist and cooperate with the U.S. as the biggest power in the world. However, Americans have to start recognizing the fact that we are also the biggest power in the region and that we have our interests and national security requirements as well. Are they going to understand?