by Cinda Smaagaard

Created on: January 28, 2011   Last Updated: February 01, 2011

Twitter blocked as a result of unrest in Egypt should come as no surprise to Reporters Without Borders, who had placed Egypt high on their list of countries with a bad track record of freedom of speech and the press.  Twitter is often seen as the go-to social media resource for current news worldwide as it is instantaneous and reports can come in from anyone and any region.  Now that those lines of communication are down, we may want to reflect upon Egypt's instability in the region and why this is so important to the U.S.

l.  Egypt has historically been a U.S. ally and it has cost Pres. Mubarak dearly.  He supported the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and as a result was suspended from the Arab League membership.  Mubarak has been in power since 1981 and had at least 8 assassination attempts upon his life, so he is no stranger to danger within his own borders.  His failed attempts to request Saudi Arabia and the Syrian governments to disengage with Israel were met with a cold shoulder in September 1975.  As a former member of the Air Force trained apparently in Russia, Mubarak understands the nature of unrest in his region.  Any loss of a U.S. ally would be detrimental to our interests.

2.  Many terrorists including those from the 9/11 disaster, claimed Cairo, Egypt as their primary place of residence.  The fall of Lebanon to Hezbollah and the ouster of the Syrian President which caused Ambassador Margaret Scobey (TN) to be appointed to Egypt instead around 2003 should also not go unnoticed.  President Obama, by use of a Congressional recess was able to successfully bypass Republican senators who had been blocking the current appointment of Robert Ford to Syria (Reuters 1/27/2011).   Although Obama was in Cairo, Egypt as recently as July 2010, he was at that time asking that we engage Syria and forget about Lebanon apparently (see AOL, Paul Wachter 7/7/2010).  Lebanon sits adjacent to Israel and both Egyptian and Syrian conflict directly reflect upon the security of the U.S. in those regions.

3.  There is a Biblical interest to the area.  Egypt was not only home to Jesus Christ for two years when his family was displaced from Israel by the edict of Herod, but Moses and Joseph were major players there.  We are told at First Kings 14:25, that King Rehoboam of Egypt invaded Jerusalem (Palestine) after the death of Solomon, King David's son.  We can also find Biblical prophecies such as Isaiah chapter 19 where the Lord calls Israel "third" among the nations of importance alongside Egypt and Assyria.  You can also find references at Jeremiah 43, 44 and 46 as well as Ezek 29:21.

Although Twitter communications have broken down from within Egyptian borders, make no mistake that the U.S. is well aware of the turmoil and changes taking place.  There may very well be solid reasons why the U.S. is waiting for the dust to settle.

Learn more about this author, Cinda Smaagaard.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.