Sarah Green, Staff Writer-
Throughout history, the United States has been notorious for meddling in overseas affairs. While at times it has been necessary for superpowers like America to step in and help negotiations for the sake of international peace, too often our government does not know where to draw the line. There comes a point when our “assistance” turns into outright governance.
While the protests in Cairo and other Egyptian cities are dangerous and may continue to escalate, I am sure many Americans feel that our administration should focus their attention on the home front.
According to several sources, “officials [have] stressed that the United States isn’t seeking to impose a solution on Egypt.” Yet the American administration has declared that President Hosni Mubarak “has to go.” I do not quite understand how such an opinionated statement could convey a lack of involvement.
Thursday night, Tommy Veitor, White House spokesman, told the Associated Press that U.S. officials “have discussed with the Egyptians a variety of different ways to move the process [of removing Mubarak] forward.” Plus, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton, recently conversed with the Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman as well. The U.S. government is clearly encouraging Egypt to pursue a more democratic process.
Yet despite these clear examples of intended influence, America claims to be “uninvolved.”
Our spending to assist Egypt has averaged $1.3 billion each year, and while this assistance has not yet increased, there is no telling what may happen in the future. Thankfully, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported recently that the U.S. has not currently raised their military readiness or alert status. Let’s hope that America does not try to get more involved. Because the United States can not afford another Iraq.