A few days ago we came out of the metro station in the main square downtown to discover cops everywhere. They were directing pedestrians. We were herded across a street we didn’t want to cross and prevented from walking down one we wanted. This had never happened before. Police are everywhere in this country, but they never do anything. They’re asleep at their posts almost as often as not. So this was surprising.
Apparently there had been a protest earlier in the day. People were not happy that President Bush was visiting. Our friend Annie had been there earlier that day, discovered what was going on, and immediately left. Probably not the safest place for Americans just then. Protests are not common events here; allowing freedom of speech is not a priority for Mubarak’s government. When they do happen, we hear there are usually more police than protestors.
As is probably the case in many countries across the world, views toward our country are complicated. Though sometimes I’m a little hesitant to introduce myself as an American, the admission never inspires an antagonist response among Egyptians I’ve met -- especially once they learn we’re not fans of our president. Some people don’t like how beholden the Egyptian government is to the States and want to become more independent. And they obviously don’t like the Iraq war and its repercussions across the region. At the same time, almost every educated person we’ve met wants to immigrate to the United States (except for one woman who favors the UK). Many of them have family there already.
By the way, Bush's tour of the Middle East which aimed to inspire a tougher line against Iran and encourage the new Israel/Palestine talks, did not go so well. The New York Times reports on Bush's soft words toward Egypt, which largely avoided looming human rights and rule of law issues. Also see the Economist and the Middle East Times.
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