275 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
275 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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worldnews
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africaandindianocean
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egypt
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8323684
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-----
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# Egypt domino effect: US closely monitoring Middle East
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## Washington is closely monitoring other countries in the Middle East that
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could become the next focal points for protests after popular uprisings
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deposed rulers in Tunisia and Egypt in a matter of weeks.
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![Hosni Mubarak resigns: US closely monitoring Middle East ][1]
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Experts said that Hosni Mubarak's resignation demonstrated that any of the
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region's autocratic regimes were now vulnerable to popular pressure Photo:
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REUTERS
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[![Alex Spillius][2]][3]
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By [Alex Spillius][4], Washington 4:06PM GMT 14 Feb 2011
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[Follow Alex Spillius on Twitter][5]
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Popular dissent has already been emboldened in several other countries in
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north Africa and the Middle East. A large anti-government march was staged in
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Algeria on Saturday and will be repeated next weekend, according to
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organisers.
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President Barack Obama spoke on Saturday to King Abdullah II of Jordan, who
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early in the [Egypt][6] crisis took some steps towards reform following
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demonstrations in his country.
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Experts said that Hosni Mubarak's resignation has been a "game-changer" for US
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foreign policy as it demonstrated that any of the region's autocratic regimes
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were now vulnerable to popular pressure.
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The White House will have to walk a fine line between being true to America's
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principles by encouraging democracy and being faithful to reliable allies
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whose style is anything but democratic. It tried to perform a similar
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balancing act vis a vis the Mubarak regime, but sent distinctly mixed
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messages.
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Robert Danin, a former State Department official, said the administration
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needed to warn other governments they could well experience the same fate as
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Mr Mubarak unless they met the demands of their people.
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## Related Articles
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* [Clinton calls on Iran to follow Egypt's example][7]
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15 Feb 2011
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* [US backs protests in Iran][8]
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15 Feb 2011
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* [Iranian police clash with protesters][9]
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15 Feb 2011
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* [Amateur footage of clashes in Tehran][10]
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14 Feb 2011
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* [Egypt domino effect: Hosni Mubarak 'very sick'][11]
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14 Feb 2011
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* [Middle East unrest spreads to the streets of Iran][12]
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14 Feb 2011
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"We owe it to tell them that we are your friend, but that there are limits to
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how far we can stand by them," said Mr Danin, now a Middle Eastern specialist
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with the Council on Foreign Relations. "They don't have a blank cheque."
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Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer who advised three US presidents on the
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Middle East and Central Asia, said: "The genie is out of the box and the smart
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play now is to try to keep up with history, not hold it back, but not try to
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get too far in front of it either."
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The deeply conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made clear its disapproval
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of the US for being too supportive of the anti-Mubarak protests.
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Edward Walker, a former US ambassador to Egypt, told CNN: "King Abdullah is
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quite unsettled. He genuinely thought that we pushed Mubarak off the cliff.
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These guys are concerned about what will happen if their people start to get
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anxious and what our position will be. So obviously there is some mending of
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fences that will have to take place."
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In the short term, US officials are especially concerned with how popular
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unrest could affect Yemen, where al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has gained
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a strong foothold and the central government's remit is weak. Faced with
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street marches recently, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has already agreed to
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not seek office again.
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But events in Egypt could also work in Washington's favour if they inspired
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the pro-democracy Green movement in Iran to take to the streets again and
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pressurise the theocratic regime in Tehran, which is regarded as an enemy of
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Western interests.
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Hours after Mr Mubarak had resigned on Friday Robert Gibbs, the White House
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spokesman, said the repressive actions taken by the leadership in Tehran in
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response to the Egyptian revolt showed it was "scared of the will of its
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people".
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[X][13] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][14]
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* Share: [Share][13] [ ][15] [ ][16]
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[Tweet][17]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8323684
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/Egypt-domino-effect-US-closely-monitoring-Middle-East.html
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Telegraph
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## [Egypt][6]
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* ### [News »][18]
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* ### [World News »][19]
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* ### [Africa and Indian Ocean »][20]
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* ### [Middle East »][21]
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* ### [Iran »][22]
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In news
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[![Yemeni soldiers who joined sides with anti-regime protesters wave their
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rifles and chant slogans during a demonstration calling for the ouster of
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President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa ][23] ][24]
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### [Arab Spring: protests and fighting][24]
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[![US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Hillary Clinton vows to stay into
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second Obama term ][25] ][26]
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### [Clinton urges Arab states to embrace reform][26]
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[![A rebel fighter fires his rifle at a military aircraft loyal to Libyan
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leader Muammar Gaddafi at a checkpoint in Ras Lanuf][27] ][28]
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### [The battle for Libya][28]
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[![Unrest in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Morocco in pictures][29]
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][30]
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### [Middle East protests][30]
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[![Tens of thousands of Egyptians gather to pray and celebrate the fall of the
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regime of former President Hosni Mubarak, and to maintain pressure on the
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current military rulers, in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, Egypt ][31]
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][32]
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### [Prayer and festivities in Tahrir Square][32]
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[X][13] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][14]
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Share:
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* [ ][13]
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* [ ][15]
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* [ ][16]
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* [Tweet][17]
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* Advertisement
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![][33]
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Advertisement
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[Follow The Telegraph on Social Media »][34]
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