In Egypt, U.S. draws ire from both sides

A banner screaming “Wake Up America” hung Thursday in Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 revolution and center of much of the latest unrest that has erupted across the capital this week.

“Obama supports terrorism,” says another massive sign — again underscoring widespread anger and blame directed at the U.S. president as Egypt staggers through a troubled change of leadership.

It was a frantic day in Cairo that saw Egypt’s top judge sworn in as the nation’s interim president. Military leaders pressed a crackdown on leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist party of deposed leader Mohammed Morsi. Both sides accused the U.S. of having a hand in the turmoil rocking the country.

The widespread perception rumbling through anti-Morsi crowds is that Obama has been in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood, said Shadi Hamid, director of research for the Brookings Doha Center.

“Some of it was inevitable,” Hamid said, because the U.S. must to work with elected governments and wanted to have a productive relationship with Morsi. “That’s standard U.S. policy.”

Moreover, anyone who came out vocally in support of the electoral process here was accused of backing the Brotherhood, because the organization typically did so well in elections, he said.

The belief that Obama has backed Morsi is obvious at Tahrir Square, just one meeting place for Morsi opponents who flooded the streets over the past four days, demanding his resignation and calling for new elections.

“We really feel so bad because of Obama,” said Adly Hassan, 60. “He supports Morsi and the Egyptian people are really upset.”

U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson is also drawing ire in the square, where posters feature a huge red “X” over her face.

In the lead-up to massive demonstrations that kicked off June 30, Patterson gave a speech that intensified anger at Washington, analysts said. Patterson said she sought “to set the record straight” and that she and the U.S. government are “deeply skeptical” that “street action will produce better results than elections.”

“Egypt needs stability to get its economic house in order, and more violence on the streets will do little more than add new names to the lists of martyrs,” she said in a June 18 speech. “Instead, I recommend Egyptians get organized.

Join or start a political party that reflects your values and aspirations. Egyptians need to know a better path forward.”
But Egyptians rose up across the country starting Sunday, with millions rallying in the streets and effectively ousting Morsi when the nation’s military imposed a transitional plan Wednesday.

On Thursday, Adly Mansour was sworn in as the nation’s interim president after Egypt’s army suspended the nation’s constitution, called for fresh elections and arrested Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders.

“Obama should listen to us and understand the Egyptian people,” said protester Noha El Amroussi. “Obama should learn from the Egyptians.”

In a statement Wednesday, Obama said the U.S. is “deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution” – words likely to spur more anger among the opposition.

“I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters,” he said.

Obama also said that relevant departments and agencies will review implications for U.S. assistance to Egypt, which totals $1.6 million in annual aid, the bulk of which goes to the military.

Morsi supporters also had issues with U.S. involvement. Outside a Cairo mosque, Morsi backer Mohamed Ibrahim denounced what he called “American intervention” in Egypt’s affairs and said the “military coup” was supported by the US, which wanted the old regime back in power because of Israeli interests.

“It’s because of the Zionists and the Israelis, that is why America is supporting this coup,” Ibrahim said.

Salah Abdallah, a supporter of Morsi who lives in the Nile Delta, said Obama should have done more to keep Morsi in power, given that Morsi came to power through the polls.

“They are supposed to defend the democratic regime,” Abdallah said. “We are not extremists. We respect all kinds of people.”

For all the controversy, don’t expect the new leadership to push the U.S. away, some experts said.

Egyptian military leaders “need to be allied with this superpower because the economy isn’t strong enough for Egypt to be fully independent in its foreign policy,” said Firas Abi Ali, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at IHS in London. “They find themselves reliant on the Gulf, aid from the American allies, and the support of the U.S. and the IMF.”