For days after protests started in Cairo, the Obama administration struggled to find its voice about the “revolution” in Egypt. When the O-Team eventually decided Hosni Mubarak had to go, the White House and the State Department began chattering about a “democratic outcome.” In the end, they settled for a military coup while proclaiming a “victory for the people.” Now, with violent anti-government protests in the streets of Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Iran, President Obama’s moral ambiguity is increasingly evident — and dangerous.
The current predicament of what to do and say about the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East is the direct consequence of totally inadequate intelligence and Obama’s own vague Utopian goals for the region. It has been that way since the beginning of his tenure.
