Sunday Roundup

In response to Mubarak stepping down, President Obama delivered a pitch perfect speech calling for "nothing less than genuine democracy," not just a government aligned with U.S. interests. There will be many foreign policy takeaways from Egypt, but here's an obvious one: invading a country, toppling its regime, destroying civil society, and then trying to put all the pieces back together with a ten-year occupation and a few trillion dollars turns out not to be the only way to increase the spread of democracy in the Middle East. Wired was more effective than warred. People can now connect to each other faster than any government can connect with its people. And while governments may be able to shut down the hardware, they can't shut off the social effects of digital networks. Any leader who doesn't understand this dynamic should book a room next to wherever Mubarak is heading.

 

 

 

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[driftythree]

09:23 PM on 02/27/2011

I think President Obama needs to either get behind all of the peoples backs and try to save the economy by quit spending our money on the same equipment that are destroying thousands of good people around the world, also he needs to stop the NASA programs instead of the programs that help the schools stay open and jobs over here. He needs to bring back all ofour men and women in uniform back home and stop sending our money over to them!! We need to quit telling other countries what they can do and not do when its not are problem, he needs to deal with all the problems that we have here, and here only!! We are no longer the number one country in the world anymore thanks to Bush!! I hate to say that I helped campaigning for him, and Im a disabled Veteran, but he has very much dissapointed me.. Us Americans need to start having rallys after ralleys until he heres us loud and clear and same with that Wisconsin so called Governor!! I am all for those 14 congressmen and women who have stood their ground! Horray Hooray for them!!

[SDLee]

01:11 AM on 02/14/2011

Hey everyone, is this the new AOL chat site? Hope I made it to the right place.

[JacksonAndy78]

10:37 PM on 02/13/2011

New Competing Networks must be setup to insure America never has a chance of losing its communications between citizens.

[way2old]

10:13 PM on 02/13/2011

With the Middle East chants of freedom and democracy,,,,,,, just how will American politics turn this into a failure on our part

[Snerdgronk]

10:16 PM on 02/13/2011

... with the (R)ight na(R)(R)ative, how else!?

Snerd

[CommonWealth-SinglePayer]

09:58 PM on 02/13/2011

"nothing less than genuine democracy,"
Why just now is he calling for the above, could have turned the taps. 1.3 Billion U$ Aid, off a long time ago.

[OneLiberalLady]

09:16 PM on 02/13/2011

"Wire, not war" is as good a slogan as any. The truth shall set you free.
Thanks for a nice post , Arianna.

[The Knocker]

09:14 PM on 02/13/2011

Not only wired was more effective than warred, but it also proves to the skeptic that Muslims has the same basic inherit desire for freedom and social equality like everyone else.
What happened in Egypt and Tunisia clearly demonstrate that it is not ancient tribal customs that, some claim Muslim only desire, but a government free of corruption, elected by the people.

[zdubchi]

09:05 PM on 02/13/2011

And yet we're poised ready to vote the same party of recklessness and ignorance back into power in less than two years from now. The error of our ways is so perfectly obvious and yet we are so collectively powerless to right our own ship. We seem so set on steering toward the rocks. Its really sad how this recent bit of history has shown the utter foolishness of our actions. Mr President it is time to bring our troops home.

[Snerdgronk]

09:14 PM on 02/13/2011

Steering national governance onto the rocks is not a disaster for co(R)po(R)ations ... It's the objective!

Snerd

[zdubchi]

09:21 PM on 02/13/2011

of course it is.

[Jack Canuckski]

10:50 PM on 02/13/2011

off topic, but Snerdgronk seems to have an image of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau up and I was wondering why.

[The Knocker]

09:17 PM on 02/13/2011

Couldn't agree more.

[Elijah A Alexander Jr]

07:51 PM on 02/13/2011

If Obama said that then he should be doing the same thing as Mubarak. He has violated his oath of office and done everything contrary to the Constitution so why hasn't he already resigned after requiring everyone elected as a member of a party to do the same? I suppose he is a hypocrite like most politicians, speak flowery words of peace but conduct war.

[popfolly]

07:30 PM on 02/13/2011

"invading a country, toppling its regime, destroying civil society, and then trying to put all the pieces back together with a ten-year occupation and a few trillion dollars turns out not to be the only way to increase the spread of democracy in the Middle East. Wired was more effective than warred." - the ever beautifully articulate Arianna

Glad to find you in top form.

[Snerdgronk]

09:20 PM on 02/13/2011

'Top form' except for missing the point that all "W"'z $$$, death and destruction, handed Iraq to the Iranians

Snerd

[Al Farran]

06:53 PM on 02/13/2011

Did Obama miss out on his reagan moment? During his heated battle for the democratic nomination,sen.Obama observed that reagan had changed the trajectory of american politics the way that bill clinton did not.Reagan did stick to his right wing politics against all odds.Bill clinton settled for his THIRD WAY blue dog theories.Obama now is moving to the center peparing for his second term instead of sticking to his true lefty identity.Obama is not changing the trajectory of america,he is becoming the new BILL clinton!

[ManyTimes]

07:04 PM on 02/13/2011

Nah. . he's just trying to fool people, again!

[vippy]

08:23 PM on 02/13/2011

And what has Bill Clinton done for this country but open the floodgates of credit which sort of convoluted the whole picture how well we were doing. 

[Snerdgronk]

08:28 PM on 02/13/2011

... 'convoluted' ... A fitting term, eh!?

Snerd

[kritiktwee]

06:04 PM on 02/13/2011

President Obama has given his true sentiment and a clear cut expectations from Egypt. Whether any Government lasts 30 years or 30 days is not important. It is important for Egypt than any one else, how to shape democracy, USA wants friends and allies, but what does Egypt want. Does it want internal peace and the regional peace. Egypt has seen how in the last several days, the nation could suffer economically if the nation internally does not find stability. The nation of Egypt suffered a set back but is not crippled and can continue with its own nation building. Like USA, or any other country, Egypt needs to define the partnerships, peace, and an international policy based on what worked previously and what did not work. USA can extend the hand of friendship but it is the ultimate choice of Egypt to reciprocate.

[vippy]

08:24 PM on 02/13/2011

Let them find their way without the USA interferring in their business. 

[Jack Canuckski]

11:20 PM on 02/13/2011

I personally believe that this revolution will be somewhat successful in establishing a certain baseline criteria in terms of their demands for the recognition of basic human rights and legitimately elected Parliaments and Presidents.
The reason I believe so is because there is a connection between means and ends. The heros and leaders of this revolution weren't battle hardened street fighters, they weren't guerrillas. Their martyrs hadn't killed anyone. They had been murdered by the ancien regime.
It was a civilian uprising of people demanding a democratic and civil society. They are demanding an end to torture in Egyptian jails and prisons, and end to the "emergency law" that has been in effect since the assassination of Anwar Sadat more that 30 years ago.
The slogan that they chanted in the streets called for "bread, freedom, and social justice".

[Totto]

04:17 PM on 02/13/2011

The "vested interests", like the candle makers and buggy whip manufacturers of the precious two centuries, prefer the old ways. So do the politicians that profit.

[Totto]

04:41 PM on 02/13/2011

"Previous" not "precious", and just the first few years of the 20th.

[publiuswarmac9999]

03:53 PM on 02/13/2011

That is quite an assumption.  If Egypt turns out like Iran, a few trillion will be nothing compared to the cost of a World War.

[FunctionOfTheCrisp]

04:51 PM on 02/13/2011

I had a similar reaction.

[publiuswarmac9999]

07:33 PM on 02/13/2011

In WW-II, somewhere between 25 and 50 million people died.  WW-III would kill quite a bit more.  My guess is the equivalent portion of the world population - or an order of magnitude.  Try to imagine 250 to 500 million dead.  It is so horrific as to nearly unspeakable until you realize that Mao accounted for over 70 million during his reign and Stalin about 55 million.

[NoMercy]

06:07 PM on 02/13/2011

Saddam was never a World War threat.

[publiuswarmac9999]

07:31 PM on 02/13/2011

YOu realize, of course, that Saddam had something like 550 tons of uranium which was shipped to Canada to be processed into useable fuel.  But, of course, he wasn't a problem even though his idea was to do what Iran is now doing.

[maxhnb]

03:49 PM on 02/13/2011

Nice speech Mr. President but Egypt has not done the right thing since Ptolemy betrayed the the world empire of Alexander. It is well known that the generation that starts a revolution rarely lives to complete it, They are fighting 100 years ir more of monarchistic totalitarianism. No experience in living in a free society where liberty has a life span.

The military was supposed to meet with the demonstrators an set a schedule and framework for constitutional revision...They have not even met with demonstrators once. Egypt will be lucky not to be

[Jack Canuckski]

11:41 PM on 02/13/2011

What you are missing is that there is a new, widespread demand in the middle east for civil societies.

They have been living in fear in security states, and they have overcome the fear and they have awoken.

As one Egyptian blogger wrote during the height of the violence on Jan.28th, the fear that had enveloped the entire country had evaporated, and any effort by Mubarak to re-instill the fear will only raise the level of anger.