Egypt's New Place In The World

Egypt, when run by a dictator who was our friend (Mubarak), was America's ally. But when the citizens rose up in revolt, they overthrew the oppressive regime to implement democracy. Some worry that this democracy will invite a group like the Muslim Brotherhood to rise to power, but they are only a small portion of the populace and have but a minor influence on politics, being more of a humanitarian organization. Bush's administration believed that a free Iraq would inspire others in that region of the world to adopt Democracy. We are seeing that happening, but seeing that the change is quicker and more popular when developed from grassroots protests and homegrown activism springing from unrest with poor living conditions. Egypt moved toward Democracy after the Obama administration cut aid to democracy organizations within Egypt. So it seems the best approach to getting a dictator overthrown is to have the desire spring from within the populace. This might even happen with America's allies, which America should embrace and seek to help the new government gain legitimacy. Terrorists thrive when the Arab and Muslim world see their dictatorial governments propped up by the United States. So working toward a freer, more democratic world is best accomplished with a hands-off approach, one that can be encouraged by limiting our support of dictatorial regimes, and showing more favoritism to a Democracy like Egypt, Iraq and potentially Libya, provided Gadaphi steps down. We need to find sensible places to cut the budget, and 3 billion dollars to a despot seems like a place to start.