The U.S. And Its Un-Democratic Allies

Choosing allies and enemies seems so easy until one is faced with a true moral dilemma. Then like a philosophical question it becomes difficult if not impossible to judge what is right and what is wrong. George W. Bush thought that he could do what no leader before him could. Without any introspection he believed that choosing between what is right and what is wrong would be as easy as turning off a light. He was wrong. He also thought that one could choose allies the same way. Again, he was wrong. If one were looking for the moral high ground in the Global War on Terror why one would chose Pakistan and Egypt as allies in this fight is beyond my comprehension.

Pakistan has been an on again off again ally of the United States since the 1980 invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. Even though the Red Army captured and controlled all of Afghanistan’s major cities they were never able to fully control the country. Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan came through its Inter-Services Intelligence agency somewhat like America’s CIA. It was through the ISI that the CIA funneled weapons to the Mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan. With the withdrawal of Soviet forces Pakistan’s ISI involvement in the internal affairs of Afghanistan didn’t end. It was the ISI that helped bring the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 1993. Also in that same year the United States placed Pakistan on a watch list of countries which it suspected were involved international in terrorism because Lt. Gen. Nasir then heading the ISI was preventing the U.S. from buying back Stinger missiles used by the Afghan Mujahideen and of supporting Harkat ul-Ansar a group accused by the U.S. of being terrorists. On May 28, 1998 Pakistan detonated a nuclear device just a few weeks after India and conducted tests of its own. This would lead to a nuclear stand-off between India and Pakistan in 2001 and 2002 over Kashmir the disputed territory of which each side controls half.

Pakistan’s current President General Pervez Musharraf came to power in 1999 through a bloodless coup. After the attacks of September 11, 2001 Pakistan once again became a useful ally as front line state in the War on Terror. So useful in fact that Pakistan has become the number one recipient of U.S. military funding through the Coalition Support Fund which reimburses countries for military spending. More than 10 times higher than number two Poland.
To suggest that Pakistan is now a Democratic country would be misleading. Since Musharraf sized power there have been elections: Its just lie to say they were free and fair considering that Gen. Pervez Musharraf was the only candidate for president and he his trying to remain president even though his term is to end this year with an election. Pakistan has done little to contain or control either the Taliban or Al-Qaeda both of which have a large presence in Western Pakistan. Last year the Pakistani army negotiated a settlement with tribes in North and South Waziristan which in effect allowed the tribal groups in those states to operate freely while the army remained in its barracks.

Egypt has had three presidents since the 1950’s. Gamal Abdel Nasser became president in 1954 and would remain in office until his death in 1970. Anwar Sadat succeeded him and would remain in office until his assassination by soldier during a military parade in 1981. Hosni Mubarak was chosen to succeed Sadat continuing to hold office today.

Since taking office there have been five presidential elections in Egypt with Mubarak of course winning every election by a landslide not that the outcome was ever in doubt even though opposition parties were allowed to field candidates for the first time. The ruling National Democratic party was able, as shown below to control the electoral process. This is what free and fair elections look like in Egypt:

• The National Democratic Party’s (NDP) use of violence
• The interference of Egyptian security forces, particularly in the second and third rounds of voting
• The arrest of MB members after the first round of elections
• Vote buying
• Low voter turnout
• The poor success rate of the NDP, and its cooption of independents who had left the party before the elections, and rejoined it after their election

Hosni Mubarak heads The National Democratic Party
The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest and most popular opposition party in Egypt.
Elections will be held June 15 to seat members for Egypt's Upper House of Parliament known as the Shura Council and the government is working diligently to maintain its grip on power.

Mahmoud's release came amid a continued government crackdown against the Brotherhood in the lead up to June elections for the upper house of Parliament, known as the Shura Council, that will include candidates from the group.

Police said 51 Brotherhood members and supporters had been arrested since Thursday, including seven Saturday in the province of Ismailia, located 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Cairo.

Hosni Mubarak was elected to a fifth term in office in an election which took pace on September 7, 2005. The official results show Mubarak receiving 88.6% of the vote with the next highest percentage going to Ayman Nour of the Tomorrow Party getting 12%. Its estimated that only 40% of all voters are registered to vote and that the actual turnout for all elections is between 30% and 40%. Because the Presidential Election Commission controls whose name or names can appear on the ballot they are able to marginalize the opposition parties. The commission is of course controlled my Hosni Mubarak's ruling party. To suggest that Egypt is moving towards a more democratic state is far from the truth when it appears that Gamal Mubarak, Mr Mubarak's son is being groomed as his successor. Pluralism doesn't begin at the home of the current president who has ruled Egypt under an emergency decree since taking office in 1981. Dynastic and authoritarian would better describe the current political situation in Egypt a country which is the second largest recipient of American foreign aid after Israel.

According to the Christian Science Monitor up to 2004 Egypt had received $50 billion dollars in aid with an average of $1.3 billion a year in military aid and an average of $815 million a year in economic aid.