Commentary: No more tightrope walking for U.S. on Egypt

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Commentary: No more tightrope walking for U.S. on Egypt

By Lu Yu (Xinhua) 18:38, August 21, 2013

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BEIJING, Aug. 21 -- The ongoing political impasse and bloody social chaos in Egypt has proved the U.S. "tightrope walking" policy on the country has largely failed.

Since the Egyptian security forces began last week to forcibly disperse sit-ins staged by supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, the ensuing violence has claimed some 1,000 lives.

Despite condemning the Egyptian interim government's actions and canceling joint military exercises, the United States has not halted its 1.5-billion-U.S. dollar annual aid to Egypt.

In fact, when Washington pulled the strings behind the January 2011 upheaval that overthrew then Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, it might never have envisaged the Middle East country would only to embrace another round of turmoil.

The reason the United States has encountered such embarrassing circumstances is that the so-called example of democracy it wanted to establish cannot guarantee its interests in the region.

The United States believes it has a lot at stake in Egypt, which controls the passageway for U.S. military aircraft and aircraft carriers to the Middle East.

It is also worth mentioning that Cairo has for decades maintained a close relationship with Israel, and can help Washington forge peace and reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians.

Thus, the United States has been walking a tightrope in seeking to maintain a Washington-friendly government in Egypt, while allowing the growth of Western-style democracy, which may not necessarily elect a government that is sympathetic to U.S. interests.

Therefore, it is easy to understand why the Obama administration has always been sitting on the fence on the issue of Egypt.

As Egyptians are still bleeding on the street, the United States has to swallow the bitter fruit. It has to endeavor to help restore peace and order in Egypt and clear up the mess to which it has contributed.

Washington has to truly learn from its past lessons of failed nation-building and democracy-breeding missions, not only in Egypt but in other countries in the region.

Moreover, it also has to remember that, despite being the sole superpower in the world, intervening in domestic affairs of other nations will always backfire.