Kerry is in Eqypt

[karynnj]

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/542276

The US welcomes the results of Egypt’s parliamentary election, which was characterized by transparency and integrity, said John Kerry of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a meeting with Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri on Saturday.
<snip>
Following his meeting with Ganzouri, Kerry headed off to a meeting with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

MENA added that Kerry hailed the election’s high voter turnout.

On Saturday, Kerry is scheduled to meet officials from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party.

Though it looks like he met the major players, as would be expected, I wonder if the right will explode that he visited the Muslim Brotherhood.

[karynnj]

1. AP account (in both WP and BG) of Kerry meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood

U.S. Sen. John Kerry met with members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group set to dominate the new parliament, as well as the country’s military ruler and prime minister on Saturday.

The Muslim Brotherhood said in a statement three of its top officials attended the meeting with Kerry, who was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson.

In their meeting with the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, Brotherhood officials vowed to respect civil rights and international treaties that have been signed in the past, possibly an attempt to allay fears that the group may try to re-examine Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel.

The Brotherhood, which was banned under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, has so far won about 47 percent of the vote for the lower house of parliament. Two-thirds of the country have yet to vote in the staggered process that finishes in January, but the outcome is not expected to dramatically change.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/us-senator-kerry-meets-with-egypts-brotherhood-and-military-chief-in-visit/2011/12/10/gIQAedAClO_story.html

[karynnj]

2. Interesting analysis on Kerry's trip

There is much anger among many Egyptian secular liberals about Senator John Kerry’s meeting with leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo on Saturday. Soon, in Washington, DC, Republican lawmakers will chide Senator Kerry too. I am no friend of the Muslim Brotherhood, but old policies of isolating the Muslim Brotherhood are no longer viable in the new Middle East.

Meeting only with secular Egyptian leaders such as presidential candidates Mohamed ElBaradei or Amr Moussa yields very little political profit for the United States, and results in a net loss of remaining credibility for Egypt’s secularists. By meeting with Islamists, the United States ensures political gains for the short to medium term.
<snip>
However unpalatable, and whatever the disagreements and complaints, the Muslim Brotherhood has won roughly 40 percent of the vote in the first round of parliamentary elections. As such, they are an elected, legitimate political force. Soon, we will hear howls of anger from some in the U.S. Congress, media, and think tank circles about why the Muslim Brotherhood should be shunned. They will argue that the Brotherhood supported the Nazis (so did former Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat, who later made peace with Israel); that it is anti-American (true, but all the more reason to love-bomb them); and that it created Hamas (it did, but it does not control Hamas and closer ties with Egypt’s Brotherhood can result in greater influence over Hamas terrorism).

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior U.S. statesman, Senator Kerry’s words and cautions are important. In meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood, he sets a new and brave precedent.

http://blogs.cfr.org/husain/2011/12/11/was-senator-kerry-right-to-meet-the-muslim-brotherhood/

The article is worth reading. The first paragraph is also likely true - and I'm sure it was the first thing many of us thought. But, it has never worked when the US puts a strongman of our choosing in office - as we did Saddam Husein.