Joshua Hersh: Egyptians 'Suffering' From Meek U.S. Response To Violence (VIDEO)

As the Egyptian military cracks down on Muslim Brotherhood protests, the United States has called for restraint while condemning the escalating violence. HuffPost Middle East Correspondent Joshua Hersh joined HuffPost Live to report the situation on the ground and the Egyptian reaction to the United States' involvement.

"Anywhere you go in Cairo right now, [the U.S.] is being accused of befriending the other side to the detriment of the nation," he told HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin. "It's fine being an American citizen here, but you sure get an earful about your country."

Hersh said that Egyptians certainly haven't abided by the U.S. call for restraint, and criticized the "meekness" of the U.S. response.

"The most decisive thing the State Department is capable of doing is decide they don't have to make decisions," Hersh said. "Their policies are floating in the wind here with Egypt, and the people here are suffering from it. I don't want to overstate that, because I don't actually think that if Barack Obama made a strong statement it might necessarily change things one way or another. But it certainly doesn't look good for the United States."