Interview "The Takeaway" 10 February 2011

http://www.thetakeaway.org/2011/feb/10/getting-know-egypts-vice-president-omar-suleiman/

 pl

Comments

[William R. Cumming]

Okay PL OS has your stamp of approval and seems reasonable based on what I know. Let's see how this plays out?
I keep getting rumors that many in the leadership positions in Egypt are busy night and day getting assets out of the country! Whether true or not voting with their feet or assets or both could be some indication that the situation remains extremely unstable.

[Jake]

This coming from the Director of the Central Incompetence Agency...

"CIA Director Leon Panetta, in testimony before a House intelligence committee Thursday, said, "There is a strong likelihood that Mubarak will step down this evening," referring to the Egyptian president."

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/6041ZA/S3LED3/LNLY69/NV63P2/5SQB4/MQ/h

Hopefully this squawk did not come from the South American Desk as part of the CIA 2015 Reorganization....

[Clifford Kiracofe]

Excellent comments.

The radio he/she duo come off as lightweight as almost all US media "entertainer" types appear to. In contrast, the BBC fellow had a serious presence and sophisticated approach to his profession.

It appears, so far, this crisis is beyond the ability of the US media to cover meaningfully. Superficialities and sound bites by blow dried talking head entertainers and dutiful self-censoring stenographers are fed to the US masses by the pro-Israel MSM.

If the issue is a democratic transition, then some serious consideration and analysis of the process in Egypt is in order.

Additionally, some serious analysis of what is transpiring at the White House and in Congress is in order.

This is a very complex situation with great implications for the United States. Yet it is being treated breathlessly and in semi-hysteria like some sports event.

[jr786]

It appears, may it please G-d, that the hour of liberation of the people of Egypt is near.

Men of discernment will stand and consider the events of the past few months, the seeming impossibility of it all. Let's pray that our own leaders open themselves to clear thinking and wisdom.

To the gallant people of Egypt.

[Clifford Kiracofe]

Much speculation as to what Mubarak will say shortly in the coming hours.

Friday prayer day is looming, so...?

If he steps down from the office of the President the issue will be under what modality. Will the forms of the present constitution be followed? Or, will the constitution be suspended and a direct military junta established? Or......?

[Norbert M. Salamon]

interesting news:
possibly Mubarak will resign tonight: see Al jezera breaking news

[zanzibar]

"This is a very complex situation with great implications for the United States. Yet it is being treated breathlessly and in semi-hysteria like some sports event." Clifford

So true. Our corporate media has devolved to as you say "blow dried talking head entertainers". Unfortunately, the vast majority of the American people as a consequence do not have real information and analysis from experienced and knowledgeable folks. So we get nonsense spouted by Glenn Beck with the conspiracy of the Islamic Caliphate and the Communists and Nazis all collaborating on a New World Order of Sharia law or something like that. Just craziness - and this kind of stuff is being lapped up by large segments of our population.

I really despair for our country when we have successfully dumbed down large numbers of the people that they no longer have much ability to discern fact from fiction.

[Jake]

Cliff,

"This is a very complex situation with great implications for the United States. Yet it is being treated breathlessly and in semi-hysteria like some sports event."

Do we in the States know how to react any better these days? Everything is treated like a drama and circus by a very ill-informed media (take the two turkeys who interviewed PL), a bunch of policy wonks who rather debate egos than good policy and a intelligence community on the verge of revolt itself.

I fear for the future of the republic...

[Jake]

jr786,

We better pray that God has something to do with this. Otherwise we are in for a world of hurt.

Lets not count the chickens until the eggs hatch or we shoot the fox before there are no chickens.

[jon]

The press and demonstrators seem to think that Mubarak is about to step down. This may be the dawning of liberation. But it might also be the moment when martial law is declared. I hope the future honors the efforts and sacrifices of the demonstrators.

[William R. Cumming]

Single biggest impact of a Mubarak resignation IMO is UNCERTAINTY which is exactly what the WH cannot deal with. It is an ambiguous world but Obama and company wish to pretend they are in control. Let's just see.

[The beaver]

Will the handover of power be to the Military or Sulayman?
we will know in a few minutes.

[The beaver]

FWIW: James Steinberg, the deputy secretary of state, said Washington was committed to ensuring that political changes in the Middle East did not threaten Israel and that any Egyptian government honours the treaty with the Jewish state.

israel more important than the citizens of Egypt !!!and then we are surprised by the anti-Americanism amongst the ordinary people of the ME.

[Jake]

"UNCERTAINTY" and the White House... That is right now even more scarier than the what is happening in Egypt. Hopefully the E-Ring has a real good handle on this.

[Cloned_Poster]

Methinks the Obama machine is in overdrive to make Egypt the @Star@ for 2012.

Maybe US Troops play some war games in Sinai, etc

[Thomas]

An interesting analysis posted by Joshua Landis on his Syria Comment blog:

"This is a note from Chas Freeman.

It seems to me that one way to interpret what is happening in the Middle East is that it marks the belated passing of the residual elements of a colonial order that had never really been transcended despite the hard knock it received thirty years ago from the Islamic revolution in Iran.
This order derived its legitimacy from a peculiar mixture of imperial dispensations of territory (the Balfour Declaration was, after all, colonialist in origin, tone, and inspiration) and linkages between local elites and their former colonial masters (the favored position of Lebanese Christians being only one of many examples) or foreign kin (Israel). Cold War maneuvering between the contending superpowers fostered neo-colonial relationships of dependency on one or the other of them by countries like Israel (whose prosperity and hegemony have depended on U.S. and Diaspora subventions and subsidies), Egypt (which switched sides to call off the fight with Israel and go on a better payroll), Syria (which failed to maneuver successfully and was orphaned when the USSR imploded), and Iraq (which mistakenly gambled on its judgment that the end of superpower rivalry meant an end to U.S. interest in the region). The degree of dependence on foreign backing by both Israeli and Arab elites (as well as Iranian elites before 1979) vastly exceeds that in any other region of the world. It’s been a good deal for them, if not for those over whom they rule, but I sense it is now coming to an end.
What may also be ending is the fatalistic passivity and groveling to power that have made the Arab world stand out among the world’s great civilizations as the only one not to have seen a rebirth of intellect, wealth, and power. (Iran’s attempt at achieving this has so far largely failed but at least Iran made the effort.) The contrast with renewed Chinese, Indian, and Turkish vigor and self-confidence (not to mention the Japanese in an earlier era) has been striking. It is too early to say whether the energy of the Tunisian and Egyptian streets heralds a turn toward Arabs similarly taking charge of their own destiny, but I think it is a possibility worth watching — whatever the immediate outcome in terms of quality of governance.
Leon Hadar has made the useful point that, if the relevant analogy to Egypt and its Revolution is Poland and Solidarity, then the United States stands in the position of the Soviet Union and Obama in the role of Gorbachev. That is not encouraging in terms of either choices or outcomes. Whatever happens, the ebb of U.S. power in the Middle East is now at riptide."

* [Chas Freedman worked as the interpreter for Richard Nixon in his 1972 China visit and as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 1992, where he dealt with issues related to the Persian Gulf War. He is a past president of the Middle East Policy Council, co-chair of the U.S. China Policy Foundation, and vice-chair of the Atlantic Council.]

[Patrick Lang]

DaveGood

Like, what? pl

[steve]

Apparently, Mubarak will not resign as per his speech.

I think this puts him in a very precarious position. Events have overtaken him and he doesn't seem to realize that.

[walrus]

Mubarak not resigning, will stay to September.

Patronising speech and minor amendments to the Constitution.

Powers(?) to be transferred to VP Sulieman.

Noises about Sovereignty, not bowing to foreign pressure, etc. etc.

This is not good. Tweets suggesting march on Presidential Palace.

[Patrick Lang]

walrus et al

Mubarak's speech and Suleiman's clarification indicate that the military regime is digging itself in and will not yield much.

I would say that the stage is set for a tragedy of unpredictable size and nature. pl

[Jake]

"I would say that the stage is set for a tragedy of unpredictable size and nature."

Indeed, we (the US) now can either stabilize the situation or push it out of control.

[DaveGood]

Colonel,

You have removed from this site a thread you started , because I obliquely challenged you about USA involvement in the use of torture to extract "Actionable Intelligence " known to the rest of us as Torture in Egypt.

What do y0u know about this?

[Nancy K]

Jake, i don't think we, the US can do anything. It is not our country. Neither side in the revolution seem to want or care about our opinions.
Mabarak's speech just shows what a tyrant he is and how little he does care for his people.
I'm afraid that there will be a tragedy, but unlike Tinneman Square, I hope and pray that the Egyptian people will prevail in the long run.

[Mark]

Any chance of the army generals throwing both Mubarak and Suleiman out and ruling themselves? Mubarak seems clueless of the anger of the street.

[Patrick Lang]

DaveGood

I didn't delete anything like that and I did not write such a post. pl