Egypt protests: America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising

[kpete]

Source: Telegraph UK

Egypt protests: America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising
The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

By Tim Ross, Matthew Moore and Steven Swinford 9:23PM GMT 28 Jan 2011


The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.

On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.

The secret document in full
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8289698/Egypt-protests-secret-US-document-discloses-support-for-protesters.html

He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.

................

The documents released by WikiLeaks reveal US Embassy officials were in regular contact with the activist throughout 2008 and 2009, considering him one of their most reliable sources for information about human rights abuses

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8289686/Egypt-protests-Americas-secret-backing-for-rebel-leaders-behind-uprising.html

[yurbud]

1. is that more encouraging or more depressing?

[kster]

3. Encouraging the world and its leaders now know what the US is capable of

the people hit the streets to get rid of a dictator, that was their goal.


The US has a deer in the head lights look. US got the people in another country to rise up and the world and its leaders know how US operates.

OUCH!!!

[bhikkhu]

8. Its more of a concern that we first armed their military to the teeth

before we encouraged the people to rise up against it...

Of course that's not quite fair as the whole set of intentions is complex, but its just the kind of idiotic situation we wind up in - meddling on both sides of a foreign power's internal politics, and throwing in billions of dollars of weaponry and training to make things really interesting.

[naaman fletcher]

10. yep. great post. nt.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

16. See "Why We Fight"? Weapons are all we have to sell that anybody wants.

[SkyDaddy7]

17. Lets hope we are turning the page...

on long history of supporting dictators...Can't hurt to hope!

[laborinvain]

20. This Story Is Obviously Bullshit

We didn't encourage these protests. This article is complete disinformation. This document looks exactly like a Wikileaks cable. Except there's no Wikileaks. Where did they get it. Are classified diplomatic cable still being leaked? By who. I can't comprehend how people can be so gullible.

The reason Mubarak has been in power so long is because he is a security asset for Israel. Do you really think the US State Dept. is going to completely destabilize the region and screw up the best Mid East ally Israel has?

Right now, Hillary is pressuring Mubarak to shut this thing down as quickly as possible. Regardless of what the WH is saying publicly, it is clear that Operation Save Mubarak's Ass is fully underway.

The Telegraph is a right wing tabloid. Just like the NY Post. The idea that these protests are the result of US intervention is black propaganda.

[bhikkhu]

21. ...so all the people and events in the article are invented?

and the whole fabric of the text, written by three investigative reporters who were there, talked to the individuals involved, and satisfied themselves that their journalism was sound enough to publish, is phony?

If you have read very much about our record of involvement in the region, you can't really ever say that because something would be illogical it didn't happen, or because some action would contradict some other action, it didn't happen, or that one governmental entity wouldn't pursue a goal at cross-purposes to another governmental entity. If fact, it happens all the time, and that is one reason that the middle east is the way it is.

[RichGirl]

23. Nothing in the article says that...

The U.S. GOT THEM TO. That's a ridiculous statement to make.

Backing someone when they are doing the right thing is the moral thing to do. You are implying that Egypt was doing fine until the U.S. came along and made them rebel.

I also didn't notice at anytime during this whole thing when the U.S. had a "deer in the head lights look". That's your negative intepretation.

I saw intelligent, thoughtful statements made. They've shown a flexible attitude that will allow the Egyptians to do whatever they do on their own.

[Zhade]

13. Neither. This is from the Torygraph, remember.

I'd tell you to take it with a grain of salt, but you'd probably need an entire cellar for this source!

[gateley]

2. Fascinating. nt

[hootinholler]

4. Someone at the Embassy wasn't paying attention.

On December 23, April 6 activist xxxxxxxxxxxx expressed

satisfaction with his participation in the December 3-5 \"Alliance of

Youth Movements Summit,\" and with his subsequent meetings with USG

officials, on Capitol Hill, and with think tanks. He described how

State Security (SSIS) detained him at the Cairo airport upon his

return and confiscated his notes for his summit presentation calling

for democratic change in Egypt, and his schedule for his Congressional

meetings. xxxxxxxxxxxx contended that the GOE will never undertake

significant reform, and therefore, Egyptians need to replace the

current regime with a parliamentary democracy. He alleged that

several opposition parties and movements have accepted an unwritten

plan for democratic transition by 2011; we are doubtful of this claim.

xxxxxxxxxxxx said that although SSIS recently released two April 6

activists, it also arrested three additional group members. We have

pressed the MFA for the release of these April 6 activists. April 6's

stated goal of replacing the current regime with a parliamentary

democracy prior to the 2011 presidential elections is highly

unrealistic, and is not supported by the mainstream opposition.

They were told. They wouldn't listen and apparently didn't investigate.

-Hoot

[gateley]

7. Or wasn't in the loop. nt

[glinda]

5. Very. Just hope it was not a Republican Think Tank.

[gateley]

6. Series. nt

[Turborama]

9. Errr "unrealistic plan" "no feasible plans" "highly unrealistic goal"

Also:

"Most opposition parties and
independent NGOs work toward achieving tangible, incremental
reform within the current political context, even if they may
be pessimistic about their chances of success. XXXXXXXXXXXX's
wholesale rejection of such an approach places him outside
this mainstream of opposition politicians and activists. "

All from http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/12/08CAIRO2572.html">this cable?

Doesn't sound like "America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising" in the slightest.

They're just repeating what some activist had told them.

[Duppers]

11. CNN reporting

CNN 360, Anderson Cooper reporting that Obama is taking a new hard stance against Mubarak and is threatening to cut off the $1 Billion aid which supports Egypt's military. Says firing staff is not enough.

[JCMach1]

12. Bring two dogs to a two dog fight and you will win every time...

Seems like we were hedging our bets.

[elleng]

14. Kind of old 'news,' eh? Rebel leaders, eh? Whats wrong w this picture???

[SleeplessinSoCal]

15. did this come care of Julian?

[NashVegas]

18. How Can Anyone Be Surprised?

After the "Velvet revolution," Bosnia, and "I stand with Neda"?

The Neda wankers with their green avatars were especially entertaining.

[RichGirl]

19. Back when the war in Iraq started...

Many a right-wing friend argued that we need to save the people from Saddam. My side of the arguement was that it's THE PEOPLE who need to oust Saddam if that's what they want.

The people rising up against a dictatorship is a good thing. If our government helped in "behind the scenes" way...that's a much better way to go. Support them without taking on their battle.

[jakeXT]

22. Otpor symbol recycling

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/the-otpor-connection-in-egypt
Florian Bieber

When I was following some tweets on Egypt, I was struck when I came across the symbol of Otpor. Subsequently I noticed that a number of protesters also using the Otpor symbol.