Egypt

"I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things:  the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose.  These are not just American ideas; they are human rights.  And that is why we will support them everywhere." Barack Obama, Cairo, Egypt, June 2009

And that is why I know that the Obama Administration is working night and day behind the scenes to convince Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step aside. His day has passed. Because Obama certainly knows that Mubarak does not govern with the consent of the governed, because he knows that it has now become impossible for Mubarak to hold onto power without brutal suppression of his opponents, it is now time to stand on the right side of history in the bright light of the sun. By continuing to appear neutral, we appear to support Mubarak, and that brings more problems than its alternative. When will we ever learn that when we support or appear to support dictators, their victims hate us and seek revenge when they become free? But when we stand with the oppressed and support their efforts to be free, we have a chance at having a relationship with the succeeding regime, maybe even influence.

There is little doubt how this protest will end. There are only two possible endings. There will be either a Velvet Revolution or a Tiananmen Square massacre. If there is a Velvet Revolution, Mubarak will be gone from power and replaced hopefully by an elected democratic government. If there is a massacre, we must withdraw all support from Mubarak immediately, we must shun him and do everything in our power to see that he does not profit from such an action. Either way, our relationship with Mubarak is over.

It is time to move on to the next questions. What happens to the Egypt-Israel peace agreement brokered by the United States? And, as American University Professor Mustafa Aksakal says, "Egypt has been at the center of U.S. strategy to maintain stable relations between Israel and its neighbors." He adds that a more democratic Egypt will mean that the U.S. will have to deal with a much wider range of views, including those that argue we should more quickly make life better for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. And Egypt controls the Suez Canal, where oil destined for Europe and the United States must pass, and I've read that the situation has already caused oil prices to rise. Although most experts whom I have read do not believe that we lose Egypt as an ally, things will certainly be different.

Samer Shehata of Georgetown University points out that there are many factions behind the demonstrations, that it's not driven by radical religious group. The Muslim Brotherhood is part of, but not all of, the crowd of protesters. Tomorrow is the March of Millions. I want us to stand with those who love democracy, but I do not want to see another radical Islamist state take its place. This moment in human history is an exciting, if scary, moment. This is Egypt's moment.