U.S. fares poorly in first modern polling of Egyptian views

[EFerrari]

Source: McClatchy

By Hannah Allam | McClatchy Newspapers

CAIRO — Egyptians largely reject U.S. involvement in Egypt and appear split on whether to extend the longstanding peace treaty with neighboring Israel. They overwhelmingly support the revolution and are eager to vote without delay, but haven't yet identified a trusted party or politician to steer the nation toward their vision of an Islam-compatible democracy.

That's the portrait emerging of Egypt's millions-strong electorate as the country prepares for the first vote since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, according to survey results released in recent weeks by U.S. polling firms. With no single group garnering more than 15 percent of public support and the majority of voters still undecided, the poll results augur a closely contested parliamentary election this fall.

Until this year, such detailed polling was unheard of here — the government strictly controlled what questions outside pollsters could ask. Anything that might have exposed Mubarak's deep unpopularity and Egyptians' pent-up rage over rampant corruption, police brutality and poverty was strictly off limits.

Now, however, polling firms have a mostly free hand to ask what they will — though they apparently still aren't allowed to probe whether the Egyptian military, which runs the country, should continue receiving billions of dollars in aid from the United States. Surveyors have rushed in to take advantage, some even setting up permanent offices in Cairo. Poll workers are crisscrossing the country, popping up in urban slums and rural villages with questions on once-taboo topics.



Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/06/25/116485/us-fares-poorly-in-first-modern.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=news

[dipsydoodle]

1. K & R

Hardly surprising.

[No Elephants]

2. Maybe they'll change their minds.

Egypt is a poor country and would be even poorer without the U$.

[Judi Lynn]

3. The article mentioned interesting details of Egyptian perception of US aid:

For the latest Gallup poll, "Egypt from Tahrir to Transition," the government agency banned only a couple of questions, including one about whether Egyptians support U.S. military aid, Mogahed said. The matter is an especially prickly one for the typically reclusive generals who, as the interim rulers of Egypt, are forced to respond to the revolutionaries' demand to wean the nation from a longtime reliance on foreign aid. Egypt receives an annual U.S. aid package of up to $2 billion, the second highest after Israel.

The Gallup poll found that 75 percent of Egyptians oppose U.S. aid to political groups, and 68 percent think the United States will try to exert direct influence over Egypt's political future. Two-thirds of Egyptians disagreed that the United States is serious about encouraging democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, according to Gallup, perhaps an indication of public frustration over the U.S. government's perceived muted or belated support for Arab Spring uprisings.

How much foreign aid ever really reaches the people of the countries getting "aid", anyway, instead of the militaries and politicians?

[pampango]

7. As I read "an indication of public frustration over the U.S. government's perceived muted or belated

support for Arab Spring uprisings", their frustration is that we provided too little support to the popular uprising to be considered "serious about encouraging democracy in the Middle East and North Africa" rather than that we have intervened too much.

It is difficult to know how to support popular uprisings. The Egyptian people may feel that we should have done more to support them in their opposition to Mubarak and to support uprisings in other Arab Spring countries. That is a useful insight into the thinking of Arab people who have recently overthrown a long-time dictator, but it is hard to use that insight as a guide to supporting other uprisings when there are so many factors to consider.

[plumbob]

8. Two whole billion a year in aid, wow.

That's about 1 days worth of interest on our national debt.

Yeah, probably not the entire support for the Egyptian economy, since Texas just cut $27 billion from its own state budget...

[JI7]

4. no, Egypt could do well through Tourism without US aid, the problem is corrupt leaders

the money we give them is mostly stolen byt he corrupt leaders nayways. but the same would be true of tourism dollars also.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pampango]

6. "You can have either Islam or democracy, the two aren't exactly compatible." Turkey, Indonesia and

Malaysia, among others, would beg to differ. n/t

[CJvR]

11. Turkey...

...secularized itself at gunpoint, and the army is still tasked with restraining the islamists.

Naturally you can have a muslim population practicing a democratic form of goverment, although it is rare.
However how can you have any form of Islamic democracy when Islam specificly contradicts some fundamental requirements for democracy?

[ieoeja]

13. The same is true of Judaism, Christianity and most other religions as well.

God is the ultimate dictator.

Consider the Garden of Eden story. The Serpent gives us knowledge prompting God to kick us out before we challenge his power. Based on that story, which is evil and which is good: God versus Serpent?

[CJvR]

14. Sure...

...but few functioning democracies have shackled themselves to a religion. I hope the Arabs are smart enough not to try and drag their ancient superstitions into a modern goverment.

[plumbob]

9. You can have capitalism or democracy, too. Which do you prefer?

Just checking.

[CJvR]

10. There is...

...nothing in either that prohibits the other.

[plumbob]

12. Regulatory capture, concentration of power, money power, exceptions.

Not much in either that promotes the other, either.