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