US Succeeds in Alienating All Parties in Egypt

It is proving to be difficult enough for the Obama administration to maneuver in the dangerous revolutionary environment that is Egypt today without inventing problems for itself. Yet that is exactly what Washington is doing, achieving the unenviable objective of alienating virtually everyone — the besieged Muslim Brotherhood, conflicted Salafis, angry yet exhilarated liberals and a diffident army command, not to mention the majority of exhausted and frightened Egyptians for whom the experiment in democracy has meant chaos and a turn to General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as savior.

The most recent US policy statement on deposed president Mohammed Morsi's ouster is a case in point. Once again, Washington distinguished itself by being pushed from behind. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a July 12 press release that "It's not only an expression of our commitment to the rule of law, but it's also our political conviction, that any form of political repression will damage Egypt's future. We demand an end to the restrictions placed upon Mr. Morsi's freedom of movement."

Following the German lead, and ending its silence on the subject of Morsi's detention, the US State Department spokeswoman on the same day announced that Washington wanted "an end to restrictions on Mr. Morsi's whereabouts."

Now Germany is an important country without a doubt, but it has never distinguished itself as a major player in Egypt's affairs. Not so for the United States. Berlin can afford to take the high road — to be right without being smart. The United States, in contrast, can ill afford setting high-sounding markers — such as the call for Morsi's unconditional release — only to see its preferences ignored, or worse, ridiculed.