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U.S. Needs to Show Egypt Some Tough Love

(Washington Post) Robert Kagan and Michele Dunne - Egyptian President Morsi has yet to learn what it means to lead in a democratic society. His Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's strongest political force, but it does not command a majority of public support. It cannot simply force its will on the nation. Morsi can hardly take on urgent tasks, such as the cutting of wasteful fuel subsidies and the reformation of a corrupt interior ministry and police force, when much of the country is against him and ready to take to the streets at the least provocation. It would be better to hold up Morsi's planned trip to Washington until he demonstrates a sincere commitment to working with all of Egyptian society and allowing genuine freedom to all citizens. That means resolving the status of foreign and foreign-funded NGOs. It means ending the persecution of journalists and opposition figures, committing to reform the police and hold them accountable and building a consensus on such critical matters as the constitution. The U.S. made a strategic error for years by coddling Mubarak, and his refusal to carry out reforms produced the revolution of Tahrir Square. We repeat the error by coddling Morsi at this critical moment. Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Michele Dunne is director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council.
2013-02-21 00:00:00
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