Washington did not want Egypt’s revolution: Obama advisor

The United States did not want a revolution in Egypt, and only when it was evident Hosni Mubarak had lost control did the Obama administration then started supporting the revolutionaries, said Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and an advisor to President Barack Obama.

“Even now, many in the United States still think that Mubarak’s presence was better for American interests, since he did everything they asked for,” she told Egyptian newspaper al-Akhbar.

Mogahed added that the same applied to Israel, whose officials described Mubarak as the best person they could deal with.

“When the revolution took place, they found a new regime which they cannot control and in which they have no role.”

Mogahed explained that U.S. officials don’t know who the next president of Egypt will be, while in the past they dealt with a stable situation under Mubarak and which they expected would continue when his son Gamal assumed power.

The relationship, Mogahed said, is easy to understand: Mubarak never acted against Israel, which is why the U.S. was reluctant to see him leave power.

Regarding the trial of the former president and his aides, Mogahed said it does have several drawbacks, but is also historic.

“For the first time in Egyptian and Arab history, a country tries its former president instead of killing him or instead of him running away. This is an honor for every Egyptian,” she said.

Mogahed cited the example of Saddam Hussein, who was tried while Iraq was under American occupation, comparing that to Mubarak’s trial in a liberated Egypt.

“This is the highest degree of justice and civilization,” she said.

Mogahed added that the entire world was proud of Egyptians during the revolution and that everyone is now watching.

“We have to believe that our success is not only important for Egyptians, but also for the entire region. The trial sets a model for dealing with an ousted president according to the law.”

When asked if she was requested by Omar Abdul Rahman’s family to mediate with the Obama administration to gain the release of the blind sheikh, who was arrested on terrorism charges, Mogahed replied that she was indeed approached.

“After a lecture I gave in Cairo someone gave me a letter about this case, but naturally I cannot interfere in such a thing,” she said.

According to Mogahed, any stance the United States takes on Egypt will be a reaction, rather than an action.

“Egypt’s future is in the hands of Egyptians and no one else; the Americans or anybody else can control it. Many countries will try to play a role in Egypt, but only Egyptians will determine their fate.”

Mogahed said she would like to address the people who are skeptical about the revolution and ask them what the case would have been had the revolution happened in another country.

“For example, in the Indonesian revolution, people took their money out of the country, banks deteriorated, and the economy collapsed. This did not happen in Egypt. On the contrary, Egyptians are trying to boost investment.”

Mogahed also cited the example of Britain and the theft and vandalism that took place during the riots, even though the government is stable and the security situation is much better than in Egypt.

Egypt, she added, could have also fallen prey to terrorism because of the security vacuum, but this did not happen.

As for the performance of the transitional government, Mogahed said she believed it is not bad under the circumstances.

“We all know that we’re going through a tough time, but compared to other cases the revolution is relatively successful. Things will get better because Egypt is a civilization that dates back to thousands of years.”

(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid)