Obama promotes democracy in Egypt. Cairo 2009 speech.

[Radical Activist]

From a speech delivered in Cairo, June 4, 2009.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-cairo-university-6-04-09

The fourth issue that I will address is democracy. (Applause.)

I know -- I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear: No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any other.

That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. These are not just American ideas; they are human rights. And that is why we will support them everywhere. (Applause.)

Now, there is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: Governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments -- provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they're out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. (Applause.) So no matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who would hold power: You must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Barack Obama, we love you!

[upi402]

1. he says great words

hope he walks the talk wrt Egypt

[Radical Activist]

2. Words have consequences.

We're seeing that right now.

[upi402]

3. i wish

if half of his campaign promises weren't utter bullshit we'd have some hope

[Radical Activist]

6. And back to the knee-jerk cynical cliches.

That's OK. I wasn't expecting a real conversation here. Those don't happen at DU anymore.

[upi402]

7. when your premise supports your conclusion

you will being making a valid claim.

until then, please pay attention this could get messy. Radical Activist? Supporting Obama blindly... really?

[Radical Activist]

8. And yet another knee-jerk cliche.

I posted a speech that puts things in context. How is that blindly supporting Obama? Why do you hate facts? Is it so hard to admit that Obama spoke out to promote democracy in Egypt and that those words may have had an impact? That looks like blind hate to me.

[upi402]

10. you're accusing others of your own sin

you do a great immitation of a republican

[Radical Activist]

11. When someone says something good about Obama to a talk radio conservative

they come up with some completely random complaint to negate it even if it has nothing to do with the conversation. That's what you just did. You sound exactly like them.

[upi402]

16. not so

the convrse is true. we are done i guess

[Radical Activist]

17. Really? Could you point that out?

When exactly did I act like a talk radio conservative by bringing up irrelevant cliche talking points against Obama? Because it looks like you're just pulling random accusations out of your ass.

[Marr]

22. You're giving the credit for the Egyptian people's uprising to... Barrack Obama?

lol... okay...

[snagglepuss]

4. Flash: Obama says one thing, does another. nt

[Radical Activist]

5. Could you explain how that's relevant to him encouraging democracy around the world

both in this speech and during the SOTU address? That in itself is an action.

[Dokkie]

9. financially supporting

a dictator while supporting democracy in his speeches is what he means. If he was serious about promoting democracy, he could first start by holding back the $1.3b we give Egypt every year until they introduce reforms that lead to democracy but we all know what he did or should i say didn't do

[Radical Activist]

12. Obviously that wasn't necessary.

The current revolution is happening after Obama did exactly what he did.

But for the sake of argument, what else do you suppose would have happened had Obama suddenly cut off aid to Egypt? Do you know why we give so much to them?

[Dokkie]

15. i sure do know why

its the same reason why we have supported the dictatorship for 30yrs. Its all about keeping control and a stable middle east

[Radical Activist]

19. Do you disagree with the goal of having a stable middle east?

To me, the ideal approach would be to encourage democratic revolutions/reform, but at the same time, not have the kind of instability that would lead to new wars between neighbors. That's what we have right now, so it looks like Obama is doing a good job with that balancing act.

[BOG PERSON]

13. when you say one thing and do the opposite

it is commonly known as "hypocrisy"

[Fumesucker]

14. Except for politicians..

For them it's known as "Tuesday".. or any other day of the week that ends in "day"..

[Radical Activist]

18. Using the bully pulpit to promote democracy is doing something.

People on this site are always arguing that Obama needs to use the bully pulpit. Here's a good example of him doing so and it may have helped to encourage what we're seeing in multiple countries today. So no, I don't see how Obama is "doing the opposite."

[Raine1967]

20. K&R Also: He's been promoting it since 2008.

EGYPT UPDATE: US Knew of Regime Change Plan in 2008, Obama Confronted Mubarak Repeatedly
{snip}

AXELROD: Obviously these are the challenges of the presidency in a very difficult world. And, but the way he’s confronted it, is he went to Cairo and talked about the need, the universal human rights of people. He’s -- on several occasions directly confronted Pres. Mubarak on it. And pushed him on the need for political reform --

TAPPER: To get ahead of this.

AXELROD: -- in his country. Exactly to get ahead of this. This is a project he’s been working on for 2 years and today the president is working hard to encourage restraint and a cessation of violence against the people of Egypt.

and this:


Axelrod also reiterated that should the existing Egyptian government continue to practice infractions against its people, the US will potentially revoke its aid. However, according to the Huffington Post, the Obama Administration has been doing just that, but on the pro-democracy side -- cutting budgets for NGOs and civil society programs and evoking mixed reactions from human rights activists.

In its first year, the Obama administration cut funding for democracy and governance programming in Egypt by more than half, from $50 million in 2008 to $20 million in 2009 (Congress later appropriated another $5 million). The level of funding for civil society programs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was cut disproportionately, from $32 million to only $7 million. Though funding levels for 2010 are not yet available, they are expected to show an increase to $14 million, says Stephen McInerny, the director of advocacy at the Project on Middle East Democracy. He notes that the Bush administration slashed economic aid to Egypt in the 2009 budget but kept the funding for democracy and governance programs constant, while Obama cut funding to those programs in an effort to make the cuts more proportional and under pressure from the American embassy in Cairo.

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/454295/egypt_update:_us_knew_of_regime_change_plan_in_2008,_obama_confronted_mubarak_repeatedly/#paragraph2

From Alternet, well known Obama apologist site.... :sarcasm:

[Scurrilous]

21. Thanks.

K & R :thumbsup: