Egyptian pro-democracy workers wait in a holding cell before the hearing.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/02/27/egypt.html

This article shows pretty starkly how democracy assistance can be viewed by its recipient nations. Despite the fact that Egypt has undergone a liberation from the tyranny of Mubarak, it is still resentful of those who “stirred unrest” in the regime. These people, most of whom are members of various democracy promoting NGOs who were operating in the area, are on trial for the use of illegal foreign funds to foment unrest.

This shows how democracy assistance and promotion efforts are often resented by those who receive it. It can often seem like a sort of ethical/political paternalism, where the foreign powers are trying the effect the moral revolution to pluralism because the locals obviously can’t do it themselves. But this got me thinking….

Just because Mubarak is gone, and there is a semblance of parliament doesn’t mean that this is a democracy. Military rulers still have power. Perhaps the negative reaction towards the democracy promoters isn’t because of their success at inciting the revolution which ousted Mubarak. Perhaps the military rulers wish to crack down on these NGOs because of the fact they are demonstrably well situated to pressure the current rulers to enact a more democratic form of governance. Civil society groups tend to agree.

“they are part of an orchestrated effort by the generals to silence critics and cripple pro-democracy organizations critical of their handling of what was supposed to be a transition to democracy.”

Posted: 02|27|12 at 9:49 pm. Filed under: Uncategorized.
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