Questions on Obama’s Middle East Policy

This week we have learned several disturbing facts that lead to more questions for the Obama Administration.

First, we learned that requests by our Ambassador for additional security in Libya were denied. Why? Second, with violent attacks on our embassies in Libya and in Muslim Brotherhood controlled Egypt, why do we continue to send hundreds of millions of dollars to radical nations without any conditions?

Obama Administration’s refusal to provide security in Benghazi

It is logical to ask why the Obama Administration did not provide the additional security sought for the US Consulate in Benghazi. The answer is that the Administration simply assumed that the Arab Spring revolution in Libya had overthrown the previous dictatorship and replaced it with a stable regime enjoying wide popular support and dedicated to democratic values. In such societies, the host nation is responsible to provide security to foreign embassies and consulates.

That was wishful thinking in Libya, a country with no democratic tradition and no government capable of imposing its will nationwide. In truth, the Obama Administration imposed its fantasy on the reality in Libya with the result that our ambassador and three other Americans were murdered.

Providing additional aid to Egypt without conditions

There are major problems with sending additional aid with no conditions to the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) regime in Egypt.

First, the aid will be used to consolidate MB power throughout Egypt. Second, the aid will be used to isolate and attack moderate Muslims and Coptic Christians. Third, once the MB has achieved total political control, it will turn against Israel. None of these results is in our interests.

The entire argument about giving additional aid without conditions is based on the false assumption that our aid will curry favor with the MB. That is pure fantasy. The MB is composed of radical Islamists committed to the extreme Islamic view that seeks to dominate the world. Our money will not change that goal. If we provide such aid, we will be subsidizing attacks against ourselves and our allies.