In the past few days, I experienced two different situations concerning relationship between America and Egypt. First, an Egyptian writer visited America asking the Coptic Diaspora in America and Europe to make some pressure on their governments to help the Egyptian economy. Later, another Egyptian writer wrote an article to complain about American insult to Egypt, describing it as impudent insult.
I wonder how come highly educated people still believe that the Coptic Diaspora is able to change policies of the United States or the European countries concerning helping the Egyptian economy. It's known that such decisions are taken by the government in respond to many considerations after long discussions between the government and the Congress. Such decisions can only be taken after fixing relations between the counties through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our embassies abroad.
On the other hand, describing American statement as impudent is also rude. American foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mary Harvey, said that the American relations with Israel are much stronger than similar relations with Egypt. Aid money was used by the Egyptian government against its own people through repression against peaceful demonstrators, but Israel used it to fight terrorist organizations. In fact, she was right concerning the repression of the Egyptian government and the special relationship between America and Israel.
The writer also doesn't like describing Hamas as terrorist organization after Egypt had struggled for long to name the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas terrorist organizations. He also didn't like how Egyptian Foreign Ministry responded to America. He must have expected it to insult America like he did. However, diplomats use precise language that's different from our casual talks, especially as Egypt recognizes it may need American help soon.
The writer also mentioned the diary of Ahmed Aboul Gheit, former Egyptian Foreign Minister, who said that Egypt refused to send its troops to Afghanistan to fight with the American troops. Yet, Egypt had the right to decide its own interests including the American aid.
Moreover, the writer blames America for the problems of Egypt over the past ten years. Political aid is different from humanitarian one. It aims to force the other party to achieve political goals of whoever pays for them.
Humanitarian aid is offered by the generous American people to other people suffering from natural disasters or unusual crises.
The American Administration should be blamed for cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood. It decided to use the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on the radical Islamists to accept the American view. Thus, the revolution of June 30 was the best moments in Egypt's modern history, but great moments of failure for the American Administration and its new allies in the Middle East. However, America has changed its mind soon concerning the Egyptian revolution and decided to support the new government announcing it's more able to achieve goals of the Egyptian people, after Morsy proved he was unable to meet the aspirations of the broad sector of the Egyptian people.
In short, America is not the Great Satan or even an angel. It's a state of human beings working to achieve their own interests, which may agree or conflict with our own. We only have to learn the rules of the game of politics.
