*e f l e c t i o n s o f F i d e l C a s t r o* *Havana. **February 3**, 2011 *
*Reflections of Fidel The die is cast for Mubarak (Taken from CubaDebate)* THE die is cast for Mubarak and not even the support of the United States can save his government. An intelligent people, with a glorious history which left its mark on human civilization, live in Egypt. "From the height of these pyramids 40 centuries contemplate you," Bonaparte exclaimed, it is said, in a moment of passion when the encyclopedists’ revolution took him to that extraordinary crossroad of civilizations. At the end of World War II, Egypt was under the brilliant leadership of Abdel Nasser who, in conjunction with Jawaharlal Nehru – heir to Mahatma Gandhi – African leaders Kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed Sekou Toure and Sukarno, president of the recently liberated Indonesia, created the Non-Aligned Movement and promoted the struggle for the independence of former colonies. The nations of South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa, such as Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Western Sahara, the Congo, Angola, Mozambique and others, immersed in the battle against French, British, Belgian and Portuguese colonialism backed by the United States, were fighting for their independence with support from the USSR and China. After the triumph of our Revolution, Cuba joined that movement which was on the march. In 1956, Britain, France and Israel launched a surprise attack on Egypt, which had nationalized the Suez Canal. The bold act of solidarity on the part of the USSR, which even threatened to deploy its strategic missiles, paralyzed the aggressors. The death of Abdel Nasser on September 28, 1970, was an irreparable blow for Egypt. The United States continued to conspire against the Arab world, which holds the largest oil reserves on the planet. It is not necessary to put forward many arguments, suffice it to read the news cables on what is inevitably occurring. Let’s see the news: January 28: "(DPA) – More than 100,000 Egyptians took to the streets today to protest against the government of President Hosni Mubarak, despite a ban on demonstrations issued by authorities…" "The demonstrators set fire to Mubarak’s National Democratic Party offices and police surveillance posts, while in central Cairo they threw stones at police who were attempting to disperse them with teargas and rubber bullets." "American President Barack Obama met today with a committee of experts to assess the situation, while White House spokesman Robert Gibbs warned that the United States is to reevaluate the multimillion-dollar aid it gives to Egypt in line with the development of events. "The United Nations also issued a strong message from Davos, where Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was present this Friday." "(Reuters) – President Mubarak orders curfew in Egypt and the deployment of army troops backed by armored vehicles in Cairo and other cities. Violent clashes reported between demonstrators and police. "Egyptian forces, backed up by armored vehicles, were deployed on Friday in Cairo and other large cities in the country to end huge popular protests demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. "At least 410 people were wounded during Friday's protests, some in a serious condition with bullet wounds, medical sources said, while state television announced a curfew in all cities." "The events represent a dilemma for the United States, which has expressed its wish for democracy being extended throughout the region. However, Mubarak has been Washington’s close ally for a number of years and the recipient of much military aid." "(DPA) – Thousands of Jordanians demonstrated throughout the country today after Friday prayers calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai and political and economic reforms." In the midst of the political disaster striking the Arab world, leaders meeting in Switzerland considered the causes which gave rise to the phenomenon, which they even described as collective suicide. "(EFE) – Various political leaders at the Davos Economic Forum are asking for a change in the growth model." "The current economic growth model, based on consumerism and without taking environmental consequences into account, cannot be maintained for much longer because the survival of the planet goes along with it, various political leaders in Davos warned today." "The current model is collective suicide. We need revolutionary thinking. Revolutionary action," Ban warned. "Natural resources are constantly more scarce," he added, during a debate on how to redefine sustainable growth in the framework of the World Economic Forum. "Climate change is showing us that the old model is more than obsolete," insisted the UN leader. "The Secretary General added that, in addition to basic resources for survival such as water and food, ‘another resource is running out, time to tackle climate change.’" January 29: "Washington (AP) – President Barack Obama tried the impossible: winning the hearts and minds of Egyptians furious with their autocratic ruler while assuring a vital ally that the United States has his backing. "The four-minute speech Friday evening represented a careful balancing act for Obama. He had a lot to lose by choosing between protesters demanding that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak step down from a government violently clinging to its three-decade grip on the country. "Obama didn't endorse regime change. Nor did he say that Mubarak's announcement was insufficient." "Obama's address was the most forceful of the day, but it stuck largely to the script already set by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs." "(NTX) – *The Washington Post* today asked the Obama government to use its political and economic influence in order to persuade President Mubarak to step down in Egypt." "The United States should use all its influence, including the aid of $1 billion-plus which it provides for the Egyptian army every year, to ensure the final result (Mubarak’s resignation), stated the editorial." "…In his message on Friday night Obama said that he would continue working with President Mubarak and lamented the fact that he has not mentioned possible elections." "The daily described as ‘unrealistic’ the positions of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who informed a radio station that he would not call the Egyptian president a dictator and that he did not think that he should resign." "(AFP) – American-Arab organizations have called on the government of President Barack Obama to stop supporting the Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt." "(ANSA) – The U.S. once again stated that it was ‘concerned’ about the violence in Egypt and warned the Mubarak government that it cannot act as if nothing has happened. Fox News says that Obama is left with two bad options in relation to Egypt. "…he warned the Cairo government that it cannot go back to ‘shuffling the cards’ and acting as if nothing had happened in the country. "The White House and the Department of State are closely following the situation in Egypt, one of Washington’s principal allies in the world, and the annual recipient of $1.5 billion in civil and military aid." "The U.S. media is giving extremely wide coverage to the disturbances in Egypt and noting that, in whichever way they are resolved, the situation could result in a headache for Washington." "If Mubarak goes down, Fox stated, the United States and Israel, its other main ally in the Middle east, could have to face a government of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, and an anti-Western swing in the North African country." "We have backed the wrong horse for 50 years," former CIA officer Michael Scheuer told Fox. "To think that the Egyptian people are going to forget that we backed dictators for 50 years, I think is a pipe dream." "(AFP) – The international community has increased its calls on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to undertake political reforms and end the repression of demonstrations against his government, which continue this Saturday for the fifth day." "For their part, in a joint statement on Saturday, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and David Cameron asked the president ‘to initiate a process of change’ in response to his people’s ‘legitimate demands’ and ‘at all costs to avoid the use of violence against civilians.’ "Iran has also called on the Egyptian authorities to respond to demands from the streets." "On the other hand, King Abdala of Saudi Arabia considered the protests as ‘attacks on the security and stability’ of Egypt, perpetrated by ‘infiltrated individuals’ in the name of ‘freedom of expression.’ "The monarch made a telephone call to Mubarak to express his solidarity, according to the official SPA news agency." January 31: "(EFE) – Netanyahu fears that chaos in Egypt could give rise to Islamist access to power. "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today expressed his fear that the situation in Egypt could give rise to Islamist access to power, a concern which he said is shared by leaders with whom he has talked in the last few days." "…the Prime Minister declined to make any reference to national news reports noting that Israel today authorized Egypt to deploy troops in the Sinai Peninsula for the first time in three decades, which is considered as a violation of the 1979 peace agreement between the two nations." "For her part and in response to criticisms of the Western powers such as the U.S. or Germany, which have maintained close ties with totalitarian Arab regimes, the German Chancellor affirmed: ‘We have not abandoned Egypt.’" "The peace process between Israelis and Palestinians has been paralyzed since last September, principally because of the Israeli refusal to halt the construction of Jewish settlements in Palestinian occupied territory." "Jerusalem (EFE) – Israel is leaning toward keeping in power Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whom the Israeli head of state, Shimon Peres, backed today on the understanding that ‘a religious fanatical oligarchy is no better than the lack of democracy.’" "The statement by the President of the State of Israel coincides with national media reports of Israeli pressure on its Western partners to lower the tone of their criticisms of the Mubarak regime which the Egyptian people and the opposition are trying to overthrow. "Unidentified official sources quoted by the *Haaretz* newspaper stated that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a communiqué on Saturday to its embassies in the U.S, Canada, China, Russia and various European countries to ask ambassadors to emphasize to their respective national authorities the importance for Israel of stability in Egypt." "Israeli analysts are noting that Mubarak’s fall could endanger the Camp David Agreements which Egypt signed with Israel in 1978 and the subsequent signing of the bilateral Peace Treaty in 1979, above all if the consequence should be the rise to power of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which enjoys broad social support." "Israel sees Mubarak as the guarantor of peace on its southern border, in addition to being a key support in maintaining the blockade of the Gaza Strip and isolating the Hamas Palestinian Islamist movement." "One of Israel’s greatest fears is that the Egyptian revolts, following in the wake of the Tunisian ones, could also reach Jordan, thus weakening the regime of King Abdala II, whose country and Egypt are the only Arab nations to recognize Israel." "The recent appointment of General Omar Suleiman as Egyptian vice president and thus, a potential presidential successor, has been welcomed in Israel, which has maintained close cooperative relations with the general in the context of defense." "But the direction being taken by the Egyptian protests does not allow the continuity of the regime being taken for granted, or that Israel can continue to have in Cairo its principal regional ally in the future." As can be observed, the world is simultaneously and for the first time confronting three problems: Climate crises, food crises, and political crises. Other grave dangers can be added to these. The constantly more destructive risks of war are very much present. Will the political leaders have sufficient serenity and equanimity to face up to them? The future of our species will depend on that. *Fidel Castro Ruz February 1, 2011 7:15 p.m.* -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
