24 February 2011

Clinton Says U.S. Inspired by Nonviolent Egyptian Protests

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Egyptians that they have inspired Americans through their “extraordinary example of nonviolent, peaceful protest,” and urged them to remain vigilant, since building and sustaining a democracy is long and difficult work, but said the United States stands ready to help them.

Clinton answered questions from Washington February 23 that were posed by Dr. Ahmed Ghanim of Masrawy.com, Egypt’s oldest and largest online portal. The site had invited Egyptians to address questions to her in a social media dialogue through outlets including Masrawy.com, Twitter and Facebook. Ghanim reported that in only two days, Egyptians had submitted more than 6,500 questions, which he said was “another reminder of the power of the Internet.”

The secretary said the United States asked for nonviolence and supported the aspirations of the Egyptian people. After nearly three weeks of anti-government protests in Egypt, “what we hoped for is what happened,” she said.

“We wanted to see no violence against the protesters. … We wanted to see the aspirations of the Egyptian people, particularly young people, realized. And then we advocated from the very beginning for a reform process that would lead to an Egyptian model of democracy,” Clinton said.

During the unrest, the United States was “walking a balance … because we wanted to be sure that our messages did not push anyone into doing something that we disagreed with, namely violence, which we tried to, in every way possible, prevent,” she said.

The secretary said the relationship between the former Egyptian government and the United States had helped U.S. officials convey messages to Egyptian leaders not to use violence, to allow peaceful protests to continue, and that it was time to make political changes.

“I think some of those messages had an impact. It was behind the scenes, but it was part of our effort to see a peaceful outcome here. So there was something that we could rely on coming from the past that I think was important in the moment of the demonstrations,” she said.

During the past 30 years, the United States spoke publicly and privately to the Egyptian government in favor of democratic reforms and supported civil society groups inside the country, sometimes against the wishes of the government. Despite this, Clinton said, the United States was not able to bring about change.

“But the Egyptian people were, and that is as it should be, because it is the future of Egypt that should be led by the Egyptian people themselves,” she said.

“The United States had nothing to do with the uprising, the revolution that we are now witnessing in Egypt. That was led by, organized by, run by Egyptians themselves, starting with young people,” Clinton said.

She compared Egypt’s achievement with what Martin Luther King Jr. was able to accomplish for African Americans and what Mahatma Gandhi was able to achieve for India through peaceful protests.

“I have always believed that nonviolent protest, well-organized and disciplined as I saw in Egypt, will bring down dictators, will change laws, will change the future,” she said.

Now that Egyptians have succeeded in bringing down their former regime, Clinton said she hopes they will “stay engaged and involved” as the country begins “the hard work of creating and keeping a democracy” where “everyone will have a place at the table.”

Democracy is more than just free elections, she said. It is also a system that protects the rights of women and minorities, and allows an independent judiciary, a free media and an open economic system that is free from corruption.

Based on their own 220-year history, Americans understand that “it takes real effort to implement a democracy that is sustainable,” she said.

“Your country needs you more than ever. And we will stand with you,” Clinton told her Egyptian audience. “We want to be your partners. We are inspired by you and we believe in you. And the United States is ready to assist in any way that would be appropriate.”

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)