Obama: 'Cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed, rights rolled back'

[bigtree]

Published on Aug 15, 2013

After security forces attempted to forcibly shut down Pro-Morsi sit-ins, the country erupted into chaotic violence that has left hundreds dead and thousands injured. President Barack Obama addressed press from Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good morning, everybody.

I just finished a discussion with my national security team about the situation in Egypt, and I wanted to provide an update about our response to the events of the last several days.

Let me begin by stepping back for a moment. The relationship between the United States and Egypt goes back decades. It's rooted in our respect of Egypt as a nation, an ancient center of civilization and a cornerstone for peace in the Middle East. It's also rooted in our ties to the Egyptian people, forged through a long-standing partnership.

Just over two years ago, America was inspired by the Egyptians' -- people desire for change as millions of Egyptians took to the streets to defend their dignity and demand a government that was responsive to their aspirations for political freedom and economic opportunity. And we said at the time that change would not come quickly or easily, but we did align ourselves with a set of principles: nonviolence, a respect for universal rights, and a process for political and economic reform. In doing so, we were guided by values but also by interests, because we believe nations are more stable and more successful when they're guided by those principles as well.

And that's why we're so concerned by recent events. We appreciate the complexity of the situation. While Mohammed Morsi was elected president in a democratic election, his government was not inclusive and did not respect the views of all Egyptians.

We know that many Egyptians, millions of Egyptians, perhaps even a majority of Egyptians were calling for a change in course. And while we do not believe that force is the way to resolve political differences, after the military's intervention several weeks ago, there remained a chance for reconciliation and an opportunity to pursue a democratic path. Instead, we've seen a more dangerous path taken, through arbitrary arrests, a broad crackdown on Mr. Morsi's associations and supporters and now, tragically, violence that's taken the lives of hundreds of people and wounded thousands more.

The United States strongly condemns the steps that have been taken by Egypt's interim government and security forces. We deplore violence against civilians. We support universal rights essential to human dignity, including the right to peaceful protest. We oppose the pursuit of martial law, which denies those rights to citizens under the principle that security trumps individual freedom or that might makes right. And today the United States extends its condolences to the families or those who were killed and those who were wounded.

Given the depths of our partnership with Egypt, our national security interest in this pivotal part of the world and our belief that engagement can support a transition back to a democratically elected civilian government, we've sustained our commitment to Egypt and its people. But while we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back.

As a result, this morning we notified the Egyptian government that we are canceling our biannual joint military exercise, which was scheduled for next month.

Going forward, I've asked my national security team to assess the implications of the actions taken by the interim government and further steps that we may take as necessary with respect to the U.S.- Egyptian relationship.

Let me say that the Egyptian people deserve better than what we've seen over the last several days. And to the Egyptian people, let me say the cycle of violence and escalation needs to stop. We call on the Egyptian authorities to respect the universal rights of the people. We call on those who are protesting to do so peacefully and condemn the attacks that we've seen by protesters, including on churches. We believe that the state of emergency should be lifted, that a process of national reconciliation should begin, that all parties need to have a voice in Egypt's future, that the rights of women and religious minorities should be respected and that commitments must be kept to pursue transparent reforms to the constitution and democratic elections of a parliament and a president.

And pursuing that path will help Egypt meet the democratic aspirations of its people while attracting the investment, tourism and international support that can help it deliver opportunities to its citizens. Violence, on the other hand, will only feed the cycle of polarization that isolates Egyptians from one another and from the world and that continues to hamper the opportunity for Egypt to get back on the path of economic growth.

Let me make one final point. America cannot determine the future of Egypt. That's a task for the Egyptian people. We don't take sides with any particular party or political figure. I know it's tempting inside of Egypt to blame the United States or the West or some other outside actor for what's gone wrong.

We've been blamed by supporters of Morsi; we've been blamed by the other side as if we are supporters of Morsi. That kind of approach will do nothing to help Egyptians achieve the future that they deserve. We want Egypt to succeed. We want a peaceful, democratic, prosperous Egypt. That's our interest. But to achieve that, the Egyptians are going to have to do the work.

We recognize that change takes time and that a process like this is never guaranteed. There are examples in recent history of countries that are transitioned out of a military government towards a democratic government. And it did not always go in a straight line and the process was not always smooth.

There are going to be false starts. There will be difficult days. America's democratic journey took us through some mighty struggles to perfect our union. From Asia to the Americas, we know that democratic transitions are measured not in months or even years but sometimes in generations.

So in the spirit of mutual interest and mutual respect, I want to be clear that America wants to partner in Egyptian people's pursuit of a better future. And we are guided by our national interest in this long-standing relationship. But our partnership must also advance the principles that we believe in and that so many Egyptians have sacrificed for these last several years, no matter what party or faction they belong to.

So America will work with all those in Egypt and around the world who support a future of stability that rests on a foundation of justice and peace and dignity. Thank you very much.

President Barack Obama speaks by phone with his National Security Staff regarding the situation in Egypt, while in Chilmark, Mass., Aug. 15, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

[Aerows]

1. Is it just me

or is it getting difficult to keep track of who we should be supporting in Egypt?

[bigtree]

2. it's never been a clear or easy choice

. . .but, at risk of trivializing the relationship, I believe the US has sought to maintain the appearance of even handedness in our relationship with Israel in the providing of aid and assistance to Egypt. There's also a nebulous goal of 'stability' and 'security' that the US tries to manage through the influence of the money we provide Egypt.

That effort has come at the expense of supporting dictatorships with a decidedly less democratic hold on power there.

[Aerows]

8. It looks like a mess. n/t

[KittyWampus]

5. It's shades of gray and been that way, IMO.

[Aerows]

7. Looks like that to me too. n/t

[Rex]

12. It's a total mess.

I'm not feeling really well on military generals 'restoring' democracy. Seems like they can restore and take it away at any given time, which really is not very democratic at all imo.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

25. We should not be supporting any of the main groups in Egypt.

It's a question of which is the least evil.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Damn! I thought he might be talking about his drone wars and the NSA.

[bigtree]

6. no, he's focusing here on someone else's autocratic violence

[tblue37]

26. Or the (often violent!) suppression of peaceful Occupy protests

by local and state police, in cooperation with federal authorities!

[hughee99]

4. But we're still sending them money, right? n/t

[bigtree]

9. I think he's signaling some sort of cutoff here

"Going forward, I've asked my national security team to assess the implications of the actions taken by the interim government and further steps that we may take as necessary with respect to the U.S.- Egyptian relationship."

[hughee99]

10. I didn't read this the same way.

That statement sounded to me like something a politician says when they aren't planning to make changes, but want to threaten the possibility of one. If he was signaling an actual financial cutoff, it would have been blunt.

[bigtree]

15. I don't think that the WH has that clear a view of the future

. . . and, actions by the interim rule there may well place their US money in jeopardy.

A lot of the statement is a warning - intended to be coercive - encouraging the interim regime to put these other interests before their pursuit of ultimate power.

Of course, Egypt's aid is more than just an incentive toward good government there. That aid and assistance is weighed in the region against our support for Israel. I'd expect that consideration to preclude any 'blunt' action, at least in the short term.

Still, our legislature and presidency is going to be challenged to measure the support they're providing against Egypt's will or ability to put a lid on the violence. I don't get the sense that Pres. Obama is going to have unlimited patience or tolerance in the face of continued violence.

[hughee99]

16. I don't think the president will have unlimited patience either,

but will he wait until Egypt's military has cracked down on all opposition sufficiently that the violence (and opposition) effectively ends? This speech isn't to send a message to Egypt, though. We have people who can get them a message. This is to send a message to the American people.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. The aid is basically due to the Camp David Accords treaty

signed by former President Carter, so the current administration has to tip toe around that to deal with this flare-up. Mubarak ended up getting in not long after that treaty was signed and Sadat was assasinated, so this is sortof new territory for everyone with Morsi in and then out.

[bigtree]

19. new territory is right, BRDS

. . . same sort of anti-democratic actors, though.

I could actually see one or both of these factions spurn the money and solicit it elsewhere. That might be a WH fear . . .

[BumRushDaShow]

24. The one factor that I rarely see discussed

is the fact that this country has a very strong merchant class that has evolved over the centuries and every time there are mass protests and national instability, the "small business" folks suddenly rise up because their livelihoods are majorly impacted.

When I was in Egypt a little over 20 years ago, when you go along the main streets of Cairo, you see alley after alley after alley filled with vendors. This isn't counting all the tourist cities like Luxor and Aswan, and Abu Simbel, and others in between, up and down the country. I.e., all the media shows is Cairo, but few talk about the rest of the country, other than a few tossed out comments about some unrest in the other cities.

Don't know how this will play out but the last couple times (after 9/11 & the "Arab Spring" periods), the merchants started rearing up and things started settling down in an uneasy truce. We shall see.

[Brigid]

11. Um, Mr. President . . .

You might want to take a look at some of the things that are going on here. NSA spying and the militarization of our police forces are just two that come to mind.

[Rex]

14. He has to put a stop to the militarization of our police forces.

Otherwise, just admit to the govt wanting a police state. Also, I think that is why cops are so out of control today. They are pretend commandos and should be gum shoes.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Give it a rest. nt

[dtom67]

13. Doesn't matter who runs the Egyptian government....

we will still send them "aid ", and will, therefore have the leverage we need to subjugate Egypt under American hegemony.

Not much of that "aid" will go toward helping the Egyptian People.

Of course, it isn't intended to .......

[Fire Walk With Me]

20. Says the clown who twice signed the NDAA section 1021 which provides for the indefinite detention

of US citizens with neither trial nor representation; who sent lawyers when Chis Hedges et al. sued and got it overturned as unConstitutional...said Obama lawyers managed to reinstate it.

Doesn't that destroy the 4th and 6th Amendments in a single blow? Much less the end of the 1st and 5th Amendments on his watch?

[JoePhilly]

28. Between your posts and the Tea Party House members ...

... apparently Obama is going to kill every Amendment to the Constitution.

There really should be no obstacles to his impeachment.

Contact this guy ... he thinks he might have enough votes in the House ... he just needs to figure out the crimes.

http://www.teaparty.org/congressman-we-could-impeach-obama-27383/

[countingbluecars]

29. Is the clown part really necessary?

[Scuba]

21. Egypt? I thought he was talking about Florida.

[tblue37]

27. Or Wisconsin, Texas, or North Carolina! nt

[freshwest]

22. K & R. Hands off is best, self-determination is the goal since FDR among progressives.

Too often foreign aid has been misused for one faction or another or for business interests. Still, some people with the best of intentions benefit from things in those countries, but we should tend to our own resources and peace at home before involving ourselves in others. The pursuit of wealth has tainted principles that do not need money to stand on their own.

[freshwest]

23. Thanks bigtree for the transcript and video.

[peace13]

30. I have a hard time with this.

They are nice words Mr. President but what about the people of your own country? Look back just a few months ago and think OWS. I grieve that you do not see that your words are hollow to the world and those of us who have been watching.

If you are powerless here then just say so, and I will try to understand. If you know that you are powerless here how, in the name of sanity can you think that your words have any weight across the globe?