Tuesday, August 19, 2014

On Scoring Points Rather than Solving Problems

I just saw an article on Al Jazeera English with the headline:
Egypt calls for US restraint over Ferguson
At the very least, this makes for a fascinating case study in foreign relations. Egypt clearly saw an opportunity to tell the United States to put their own domestic house in order before interfering with Egypt's. This has nothing to do with how well or poorly Egypt has dealt with its own rounds of mass protests (or of journalists covering those protests). It is simply a way to score points by telling the United States to mind its own business. By now most of the world is aware of what happened in Missouri and of the almost studied ineptitude of those in charge to deal with the situation appropriately. The fact that Egypt is using this to promote their own questionable interests and policies is just one of the many unanticipated consequences that have arisen from the mishandling of the Ferguson crisis on all levels from municipal to federal.

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