Michael Meacher MP

Fuelling the worst suspicions I voiced a week ago (29 January, ‘It is US and UK policy in the Middle East that’s being upended, not just Mubarak’), yesterday’s violence in Cairo has all the hallmarks of a Western-inspired  counter-attack to provide a pretext for the army’s intervention.   It follows closely on the visit to Cairo of Frank Wisner, Obama’s envoy and a paid lobbyist of the Egyptian regime, and the earlier consultations of Egyptioan army commanders in Washington.   It also no doubt reflects the growing influence of Omar Suleiman, confidant of Mubarak and newly appointed Vice-President, who is known to be extremely close to the US and Israel, as well as champion of force to smash the Muslim Brotherhood opposition and overseer of the Egyptian rendition and torture project.   This is almost exactly what happened in Iran in 1978-9 when US-UK officials scurried to shore up the Shah’s brutal regime whilst a populist rebellion raged on the streets against the Western-backed Savak security forces. (more…)