More than a few commentators, conservative and liberal alike, are whining about how “messy” Egypt’s democratic throes are. Oh, “what should we do?” they ask.
Allow me to remind those commentators of the neat and tidy route to democracy of this nation. Here are just a few highlights:
March 5, 1770 The Boston Massacre
December 16, 1773 The Boston Tea Party
Sept-Oct, 1774 The First Continental Congress Meets
April 18, 1775 The Ride of Paul Revere
April 19, 1775 Lexington and Concord Clash
June 17, 1775 The Battle of Bunker Hill
March 17, 1776 The British Evacuate Boston
July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence Adopted
September 15, 1776 The British Occupy New York City
December 26, 1776 Washington Crosses the Delaware
September 11, 1777 The British Win the Battle of Brandywine
September 26, 1777 British Occupy Philadelphia
February 6, 1778 The U.S. and France Sign an Alliance
June 19, 1778 Washington’s Army Leaves Valley Forge
December 29, 1778 The British Occupy Savannah, GA
June 21, 1779 Spain Declares War on Britain
May 12, 1779 British Occupy Charleston, SC
March 2, 1781 Articles of Confederation Adopted
June 6, 1781 U.S. Recaptures Augusta, GA
October 19, 1781 Cornwallis Surrenders at Yorktown, VA
November 30, 1782 British Sign Articles of Peace
April 19, 1783 Congress Ratifies Articles of Peace
September 3, 1783 The U.S. and Britain Sign Treaty of Paris
September 17, 1787 U.S. Constitution Signed
June 21, 1788 Constitution Ratified
Actually, I left out the messy bits. So, starting with a somewhat democratic system (albeit locally, all Americans were Subjects of the British Crown), it took us oh, about 20 years to get it right, and that was just the beginning. We didn’t have a religious divide, like the Sunnis and Shias have, but we did have to have a Civil War eighty years later to settle the question left unsettled by the Constitution: slavery.
“What to do about the Egyptian struggles to create a stable government is simple: nothing. It is called self-determination.”
What to do about the Egyptian struggles to create a stable government is simple: nothing. It is called self-determination. Consider how much we liked it when England told us how to run our affairs. Consider how much we liked it when they “intervened.”
Give Egyptions some time and freedom from interference and let them determine what kind of government they want. If you have to intervene, intervene against those who want to inject themselves into Egypt without Egypt’s permission.
