February 12, 2011 — On February 11, 2011, the heroic and united people of Egypt spearheaded by the deeply disenchanted youth of that country — dealt a serious blow to the interests and policies of the imperialist powers, especially that of the United States, in Africa and the Middle East. With this victory, Hosni Mubarak joined the rest of the deposed imperialist puppets, in the dustbin of history.
The US Peace Council congratulates the people of Egypt for this tremendous victory and expresses its deepest solidarity and support for their continuing struggles for independence, peace, freedom and social justice.
Yet, despite this great victory, the people’s struggle is far from over. Although Mubarak has departed, the entrenched military and security apparatus of the Egyptian police state is still intact. Power has been transferred to the Egyptian armed forces, which has had 30 years of subservient ties to the US military and which is charged with defending the interests of the United States and Israel in the Middle East.
However, with this popular victory, the US imperialism and the Egyptian military are now faced with an irreconcilable dilemma: respecting the genuine democratic rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people, or continuing to protect the repressive imperialist policies of United States, its European allies, and Israel in the region. With the transfer of power to the Egyptian armed forces, the period of pretence to neutrality has come to an end for the Egyptian Army. The Army must now decide which side it is on: US imperialism or the Egyptian people. Either way, the Middle East will not remain the same.
At present, the US is following a policy of containment of the people’s movement. The plan is to create a façade of democratic state while preserving the existing imperialistic military, security and economic arrangements. Clearly, such containment is contrary to the interests and demands of the Egyptian people and can only lead to additional confrontations and bloodshed. It can only spread the movement to the rest of the region.
Alternatively, the establishment of a genuinely democratic state in Egypt, based on the true national interests and aspirations of the Egyptian people, will undoubtedly lead to a loss of total US and Israeli control over the region. It will mark the beginning of the end for the imperialist domination of the Middle East.
It is for this reason that the US Peace Council, along with all freedom- and peace-loving people of the world, follows the events in Egypt with great concern. The first phase of struggle has ended in the victory of the Egyptian people, but their struggle for genuine democracy continues.
A concerted effort in support of the anti-imperialist struggles of the peoples of Egypt and the Middle East is needed. The US Peace Council calls upon its allies in the peace movement to redouble their organized efforts in support of the rightful struggles of the people of Egypt and the Middle East and demand the following:
- The US stop interfering in the internal affairs of Egypt, including use of direct military threats, manipulating the political process through funding or otherwise lending support to pro-US “opposition” figures, groups, NGOs and parties whose objective is to undermine the people’s revolution.
- President Obama immediately issue an executive order to stop all financial aid to the Egyptian military.
- Mubarak’s bank accounts be immediately frozen and all the monies taken from the country be returned.
- Trials be held for those who have committed crimes against the Egyptian people, including those who are still in power.
- An end to the US-endorsed blockage of peaceful exchange between Egypt and the Palestinian people.
- The United Nations guarantee the integrity, impartiality and freedom of the upcoming elections in Egypt.
For a genuine democracy to be established in Egypt, the people must be able to exercise their will through a truly free and impartial election. Undoubtedly, such an election cannot be carried out by a government that is controlled by the military and the officials of the Mubarak regime. This makes the immediate transfer of power to a new pro-people interim civilian government necessary. The US Peace Council declares its full support for the struggles of the Egyptian people to achieve true democracy in their country.
US Peace Council
P.O. Box 3105
New Haven, Connecticut 06515 USA
Telephone 203 387-0370
Fax 203 297-2539
E-mail Amistad.nai@rcn.com
