here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cThis roundtable is at the same time part of a conscientious effort here at UConn to practice responsible global citizenship ourselves, and to inspire global thinking and global responsibility among students, faculty, staff, and administrators,\u201d said Katharina von Hammerstein, professor of German and director of global citizenship curriculum development, in her opening remarks.<\/p>\n
The panel consisted of Adria Lawrence, assistant professor of political science at Yale University; Reda Ammar, professor and head of UConn\u2019s computer science and engineering department; and Abdelkader Cheref, post-doctoral researcher in the modern and classical languages department in UConn\u2019s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Pressman, the Alan R. Bennett Honors Professor of Political Science in CLAS, served as moderator.<\/p>\n
Although the panel members agreed that recent events in Egypt have been inspiring not only to other Arab countries but to the entire world, they said the revolution may not necessarily bring a democratic state to the traditionally monarchistic country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to need a much longer attention span to see how this all unfolds,\u201d said Lawrence. \u201cTrue revolution is an exceedingly rare phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democracy has an inherent amount of uncertainty associated with it, especially in poor countries like Egypt, the panelists said. In addition, said Lawrence, militaries are traditionally bad partners in creating democracies. This could complicate efforts in Egypt, where the military has currently taken over rule.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we know that this will become a democracy?\u201d asked Cheref, a native of Algeria. \u201cThey have weak democratic values and economic poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experts also asserted that the United States has played a pivotal role in Egypt\u2019s uprising so far, and could continue to do so. The U.S.\u2019s stance on the protests during their development was unclear, with American public officials giving different opinions on the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning, the U.S. flip-flopped in its position,\u201d said Ammar, who comes from Egypt. This indecisiveness may have been interpreted by the protestors as support for their cause, and in turn boosted their energy.<\/p>\n
Despite their agreement that U.S. decisions could affect the country\u2019s fate, the panelists disagreed about the role this country should play in building a new government.<\/p>\n
Cheref believes that the U.S and other wealthy countries supporting democracy have now been given the opportunity in Egypt to, so to speak, put their money where their mouth is.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need the people who have been telling us for years we need to democratize to now help us in a real way,\u201d he said. If not, that could mean that the developed world\u2019s intentions are not so selfless, he suggested: \u201cDemocracy on the lips \u2013 but pure economic interest in the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Lawrence agreed that the U.S.\u2019s role will be important, she expressed her desire for the U.S. to take less of a leadership role in the Middle East. The U.S. is not a welcome guest in the region, she says, and the best way to win back trust is to allow countries to lead themselves.<\/p>\n
No matter how the U.S. aids this situation, said Lawrence, once any small thing goes awry, the U.S. will be blamed, further tarnishing its reputation in the area. And that\u2019s a risk she doesn\u2019t think the U.S. should take.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s only so much we can reasonably expect the U.S. to do,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are limits to what large amounts of aid can buy you. Withdrawing U.S. money might not matter as much as people think it does.\u201d<\/p>\n
However the U.S. proceeds, the panel agreed that the road would be a long one for Egyptian citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe events in the Middle East are continuing to unfold,\u201d said Pressman, \u201cand we\u2019re right in the midst of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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