Strong anti-American sentiment in Egypt

[ProudDad]

Egyptians are deeply skeptical about the United States and its role in their country . . . according a poll released Monday by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. Most Egyptians distrust the United States and want to renegotiate their peace treaty with Israel, the poll found. . . .

The poll found that 39 percent of Egyptians believe the U.S. response to the upheaval in Egypt was negative, almost double the 22 percent who said it was positive. . . .

Egyptian attitudes toward the United States more generally stayed about the same between 2010 and 2011 -- with just 20 percent holding a favorable opinion of the United States this year, an increase of three percentage points from 2010, and 79 percent holding an unfavorable opinion, a decrease of three percentage points.

More Egyptians -- 64 percent -- said they had low or no confidence in President Obama in 2011 than they did last year, up five percentage points.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/04/26/egypt/index.html

--------------------------

It's what happens when you choose wars over Peace...

[FrenchieCat]

1. Pres. Obama didn't intervene in Egypt's revolution with war.....

So whatever Egyptians think about us or President Obama,
at least it is now their choice.

You can blame Obama if you must, since that is all that you ever do.

[ProudDad]

15. I don't blame Obama for the evils perpetrated by the USAmerican Empire

any more than I would blame Lloyd Blankfein for Goldman Sachs' history...

or Scott Walker in Wisconsin for the Koch Bros. evil machinations...

They're just the employees in a corrupt system...

[tabatha]

2. Actually, the influence of the US prevented

a bloodbath as happened/is happening in Libya and is happening in Syria.

The US influence prevented the Egyptian military from firing on protesters.

That is one thing for which they should be grateful.

Possibly there are other issues.

But a bloodbath and crack-down was avoided, and the US persuaded Mubarak to step down.


Opinion: The Man Who Told Mubarak His Time Was Up
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/02/opinion-frank-wisner-the-man-who-told-mubarak-his-time-was-u/

[Cali_Democrat]

3. "That is one thing for which they should be grateful"

Well apparently they aren't grateful and these poll results can attest to that.

The Iraqis aren't very grateful for our intervention there and the Afghans want us out. Also, Libya is still in chaos. I suspect that if we polled the Libyan people 1 year from now, they would have a negative impression of the US if they don't already.

Perhaps foreign intervention is not the best thing.

[tabatha]

4. The intervention prevented a bloodbath.

Would you have preferred to have seen a bloodbath?

Btw, I credit the fact that the US had influence to Carter's peace between Israel and Egypt, and the close cooperation thereafter between the two militaries.

[jenmito]

10. You're comparing our invasion of Iraq, based on lies, with our honest humanitarian

help in Libya? WOW! :rofl:

[Cali_Democrat]

11. No two wars/interventions are the same, whether it's Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt or Libya......

When did I say that? Many foreign interventions, especially of late, don't produce real results and benefits and we end up angering the native populations even more and making them even more anti-American.

Our constant backing of dictators in the Arab world as well as our unquestioning support for Israel has shot our credibility.

The USA is a dying nation with waning credibility in the eyes of the world thanks to our imperialistic wars and interventions. Pro-imperialistic propaganda is thick and we need to cut through it. Our intervention in Libya isn't as honest and benevolent as the corporate media would lead us to believe.

[jenmito]

12. You called our invasion of Iraq an "intervention." No-it was a war based on false pretenses.

The Libyans WANTED our help and are begging for MORE. They're thanking Obama and waving U.S. flags. And we only helped once the Arab League and several countries asked us to.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. The Libyan opposition and their supporters wanted our help, not all Libyans

With regard to Libya, how do we know that the oppositions faction won't establish a dictatorship that is just as brutal as Gaddafi's? There have already been reports that some of the fighters in the opposition are linked to Al-Qaeda and fought US troops in Iraq.

There are many civil wars going on throughout the world and certain parties could use our help. I'm sure the waring factions in places like Sudan would be more than pleased if the US backed them. It's surely wouldn't mean we have the full support of the entire population of those countries. We certainly don't have the support of all Libyans, just the Libyans linked to the opposition.

However, it should not be the role of the United States to play global cop IMO. Foreign entanglements only make our foreign policy more complicated and they typically result in more anti-American sentiment. This is why it's best to just stay out of the affairs of other countries unless the US is directly under threat.

I'm sorry if I'm a little too isolationist and anti-war for your tastes. These are my beliefs and our current foreign wars and interventions are only serve to strengthen my beliefs.

[ProudDad]

17. The USAmerican Corporate State never does ANYTHING

for "honest humanitarian" purposes...

[ProudDad]

16. Gee, I thought it was the masses of Egyptian working class folk

who forced Mubarak to step down...

It was Obama and his predecessors who propped Mubarak up and who made sure that the current military dictatorship took over...

Stability (and protection for Israel) ubber alles...

[ProSense]

5. Hmmm?

"More Egyptians -- 64 percent -- said they had low or no confidence in President Obama in 2011 than they did last year, up five percentage points."

From the PDF



So favorable goes up 3 points, confidence in Obama goes up 2 points and the focus is on the negative?

<...>

Ratings for U.S. President Barack Obama are also basically unchanged from last year – currently, 35% of Egyptians express confidence
in Obama to do the right thing in world affairs, compared with 33% in 2010. The American president gets more negative than positive
reviews for how he is handling the political changes sweeping through the Middle East: 52% disapprove of how Obama is dealing with
the calls for political change in nations such as Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Libya. A plurality of those who disapprove say Obama has
shown too little support for those who are calling for change.

When asked specifically about the U.S. response to the political situation in Egypt, 39% say the U.S. has had a negative impact, while just 22% say it has had a positive effect, and 35% volunteer that the U.S. has neither positively nor negatively influenced the situation in their country.

Looking to the future, few Egyptians (15%) want closer ties with the U.S., while 43% would prefer a more distant relationship, and 40% would like the relationship between the two countries to remain about as close as it has been in recent years.

<...>

That's 55 percent who want ties to remain the same or become closer.

[ProudDad]

18. "A plurality of those who disapprove say Obama

has shown too little support for those who are calling for change."

Because Obama and the National Security State(tm) have stood by (and aided and abetted) the MILITARY TAKE OVER OF EGYPT!!!

Geez, what part of military dictatorship don't you recognize?

[MercuryRepeater]

6. every single Egyptian, right????

you really need to let go of the hate.

[ProudDad]

19. You need to step outside and get some fresh air...

"you really need to let go of the hate."

What hate?

You mean my hatred for oppressive regimes of all stripes that fuck over working folk?

You mean my hatred for the fact that USAmerica can't feed, house, cloth and care for a majority of her people because it's more important to pay for a huge war machine to help the rich get richer?

You mean my hatred for the powers that be who are destroying our Earth as a viable habitat for most of her creatures...including humans...?

That "hatred"?

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. Unrec for dishonesty & the civil "libertarian" who penned it.

:rofl:

[ProudDad]

20. Can't handle the truth, eh?

[Ikonoklast]

8. Oh, it's Greenwald again.

Hey, his pick for president finally declared today, you now, the Republican that Greenwald gushes over!

Unrec for libertarian claptrap.

[ProudDad]

21. Wow!

Are you ever far off...

Hardly libertarian...

Just not the democan or republicrat horseshit you prefer...

[lunatica]

9. Mubarak got stinking rich off the money the US gave Egypt for peace with Israel

What does anyone expect? The Egyptian people didn't benefit. Why should they have a favorable opinion of the US?

[ProudDad]

22. Indeed... (n/t)

[dionysus]

13. well, that's a creative way to do it....

:rofl:

[woolldog]

23. This is why I was against any intervention in Libya

as well as Egypt.

No matter what the US does, we will be in the wrong. The people there aren't worth any sacrifice of American lives.

[lunatica]

24. LOL!

Yeah sure. You think the American government 'sacrifices' it's military for the benefit of humanity? And people who aren't Americans are not worth that 'sacrifice'?

[woolldog]

25. Well some on DU were calling for just that in Libya

Absurd I know.