UPDATE: This fits with a piece in today's Washington Post by Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian sociologist and democracy activist living in exile:
Obama is too friendly with tyrants
When a billboard appeared outside a small Minnesota town early this year showing a picture of George W. Bush and the words "Miss me yet?" the irony was not lost on many in the Arab world. Most Americans may not miss Bush, but a growing number of people in the Middle East do. Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remain unpopular in the region, but his ardent support for democracy was heartening to Arabs living under stalled autocracies. Reform activists in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait and elsewhere felt empowered to press for greater freedoms during the Bush years. Unfortunately, Bush's strong support for democracy contrasts sharply with President Obama's retreat on this critical issue.Somehow, for Obama, favoring stability seems to come at the expense of allies--and Israel is just one of many.
...Despite his promises of change when speaking in Cairo last June, Obama has retreated to Cold War policies of favoring stability and even support for "friendly tyrants."
Technorati Tag: Obama.
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