Neglecting Egyptian Political Reform

In an op-ed in today's Washington Post, Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace does a great job reminding us -- and, more importantly, Obama's White House -- of the need to resuscitate the push for more democracy and human rights in Egypt. She says Obama is mistaken to have set aside these concerns in the hope that doing so will win Egyptian support for other U.S. priorities -- namely, the peace process and Iranian nukes:

But Obama can have Mubarak's help without having to pay for it with his silence. Mubarak shares Washington's interests in preventing the emergence of a permanent Hamas state in Gaza, in promoting a peace agreement between Palestinians and Israel, and in containing Iranian nuclear ambitions. He will work toward those ends for his own reasons and cooperate with the United States accordingly -- as he did even at the height of the Bush administration's democracy promotion rhetoric in 2004 and 2005.

Editorial Urges Pressure on Egypt's Mubarak

Kudos to the Washington Post for today's editorial calling upon President Obama not to invite Egyptian President Mubarak to Washington unconditionally.

If he does, the administration will send the region the message that the corrupt old status quo -- in which the United States backed Arab dictators in exchange for help with U.S. strategic interests -- has been restored. That would inflict crippling damage on Mr. Obama's attempt to restore U.S. credibility and prestige, particularly with the millions of secular, middle-class Arabs who chafe under corrupt autocracies.

With Bush gone, it is important that Washington continue to call for political reform in Arab countries. Not that Bush was so successful in this regard, but at least he raised the issue for at least a while. Obama, too, needs to recognize that Middle East stability and the fight against terrorism depend upon spreading freedom in the Arab world. U.S. relations with the Arabs need to be conditioned on measurable progress in this regard.

Vote McCain Because Arabs Fear Him

The continued existence of non-democratic Arab regimes encourages radicalism and terror and perpetuates the depravation of many of the Arab people, who derserve the political and economic freedoms enjoyed by much of the rest of the world. Now, leaders of those Arab regimes are coming out against John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States because he has expressed support for Israel, concern about Iran's nuclear program, and generally supports continued US political and military involvement in helping transform the Middle East. Because of Arab leaders' opposition, our choice for President this November is easier. Vote McCain! It's simple -- if he is the candidate Arab leaders want the least, then he is the candidate we need the most, to fight radicalism and promote Arab reform.