Egypt

I do not pretend to understand the ins and outs of global politics. I've spent time in Palestine/Israel, however you refer to it. It's a volatile region. I've visited Egypt also. There are a lot of poor people there. The fact that demonstrations there are going on and have not degenerated into absolute carnage is impressive. There are a lot of people there that are entitled to be very angry.

Suffice it to say, important things are afoot. I understand the necessity of my government to show restraint. However, it's a little embarassing. As it should be? With diplomatic cables leaked, it's obvious that diplomacy is a little more like a soap opera than anything else. The Bush administration ran around cramming Western Style democracy down people's throats. I'm not sure invading countries to spread democracy is the right approach. I'm also not sure waiting to see if the protestors will be successful before we support them is the most prudent action either.

In the end it's weighing short-term stability against long term stability. Or maybe it's not. It's easy to use an ally with a terrible human rights record and throw them under the bus when it becomes convenient or necessary. The real difficulty is building a relationship with a country with different intersts and goals than yours, and having to stick it out, because they are not easilly dismissed because of inconvenient aspects of their national character.

I pray for stability in the region however. As easy as it is to cheer revolution; instability in the Middle East, or anywhere for that matter breeds violence. As the saying goes, You've gotta break a couple eggs . . . You can make omelets now with egg whites, from a carton. Oh that countries could evolve as fast as kitchens.