Get to the meat!

By Salama A Salama

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The past few days witnessed a silent battle in Egyptian-US relations, a battle about democracy and political reform. One thing that became critical was whether Hosni Mubarak's recent proposal of a constitutional amendment would live up to US expectations, irrespective of what Egyptians think. The US has called its big guns to the scene, unleashing a barrage of newspaper articles and official statements in what looked like a broadside of "friendly fire", except that the collateral damage was always intentional.

The American intentions were clear to those who attended the international events held in Cairo last week. One event involved an international gathering of human rights groups. Acute differences emerged during the gathering, culminating in the withdrawal of some Arab delegations, with some delegates accusing the event organisers of trying to impose a Western agenda that defies Arab norms. Other delegates suggested that some of the recommendations involve an unacceptable interference in internal affairs, for they introduce concepts that are alien to Arab society, such as women's and homosexual's rights.

A meeting of the Mediterranean parliamentarians also offered ample opportunity for discord. When the participants demanded the release of Ayman Nour, Egypt's Kamal Al-Shazli reacted by announcing Nour's release on the spot. Then the matter of European supervision of legislative elections came up, followed by debates over the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Lebanese-Syrian crisis. The Arab delegations, especially the Egyptian one, were overwhelmed. They had nothing to offer more than the conventional arguments concerning Arab norms, national sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs, arguments that are at best controversial, at worst ineffective.

Except for a few reporters approved by the organisers, the media was largely absent from both events. Quite interesting, considering that both events coincided with an intense debate about whether reform should be domestically generated or foreign- induced. This was the same topic discussed by President Mubarak in his recent speech at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the same topic addressed by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit in an interview with The Washington Post. In that interview, Abul- Gheit was adamant that Iraqi and Palestinian elections, and the demonstrations in Lebanon, were anything but US- induced.

Arab regimes have no excuse for not moving ahead with comprehensive reform programmes. Their half- hearted approach to reform is intolerable and has earned them nothing but US and EU contempt. America, mind you, looks ridiculous too when it talks about democracy. Democracy is much more than elections held under occupation. Democracy mustn't be separated from the people's right for freedom and sovereignty. Democracy does not mean that we should endorse US domination of poor and small nations. The US has pressed for the implementation of a UN Security Council resolution against Syria, and yet it continues to ignore all UN resolutions against Israel. America is taking sides in Lebanon in a way that threatens the unity of that country.

History is full of examples of the US acting against democracy. In Venezuela, the US tried to unseat an elected government just because the latter stood against US corporations trying to exploit the country's oil wealth. The democracy advocated by US neo-cons is a skewed, self- serving affair.

Let's not waste more time on discussing whether democracy should be self- induced or externally-inspired. Reform in our situation is a necessity, not a reaction. We need a democracy that provides us with freedom and justice. We need the people to have their say. And we don't need those who monopolise power at home or who brandish power abroad to tell us right from wrong.