The Arab Spring is the violent, pro-democracy movement in the Middle East where protests have overthrown governments in Yemen, Egypt, and Libya, to name a few.
CPAC panel members expressed their opinions on the Arab Spring, its implications for the United States, and whether its consequences are positive or negative.
Zalmay Khalilzad, Former U.S. Ambassador in Iraq and Afghanistan, repeatedly advocated a change in Syria, stating, “it will have immediate positive effect.” He asserted that “we cannot wait and see… we must make decisions now.”
Khalilzad recognizes our influence in the world, and realizes we need to use this influence to shape the events in the Middle East. Their possession of nuclear weapons and hatred for the U.S. should not be taken lightly.
David French, Senior Counsel of American Center for Law and Justice, stated, “we have to be prepared for any negative implications” in regards to the Arab Spring and the collapse of governments to terrorism all over the Middle East, particularly in Egypt. In 2009, 100,000 Egyptians rallied and chanted “one nation, another holocaust” due to the explosion of the Arab Spring in that area. French says, “we just can’t be naïve.
Jim Gilmore, President of Free Congress Foundation, had a different take on the U.S. foreign policy in regards to the Arab Spring, stating, “intervention can create overreaction.” This nation needs to “spend time thinking and discussing what national interest is” before acting in another country.
Gilmore says we should “repair our economy” before dealing with international issues. Gilmore had a different spin on foreign policy than most conservatives exemplified in his statement, “there is danger in American arrogance,” in reference to the U.S. intervening overseas.
The U.S. sending aid to these countries to fight against the Arab Spring is not arrogance, but justice. Revolutionaries claim to stand for the freedoms we hold in the United States, but they openly associate with the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islamic terrorists.
These protests led the way for the Brotherhood’s infiltration of their respective governments, and they are only a few steps away from seriously threatening the safety of the United States if we continue to adopt a passive attitude toward national defense.
