In These New Times

PressTV

2nd February, 2011

Egyptian protests continue across the country as pro-Mubarak allies Israel and the United States struggle to determine the outcome of Egypt’s popular uprising.

The following is the transcript of Journalist Allen Roland’s interview with Press TV regarding the popular Egyptian uprising and its implications for the US and Israel.

Press TV: Well for more on what is going on in Egypt we are now joined by Mr. Allen Roland, author and journalist, who is on the line with us from Sonoma, California. Sir, welcome to the program. First of all what do you make of President Obama’s speech?

Roland: The big spend is out. I just wrote a column yesterday and it was called the “Two-Minute Warning for Old World Order.” The old world order is based on control and manipulation. So Egypt’s current uprising is a two-minute warning for the old world order which controlled the populous by force and US military aid.

It is now being crushed by growing public dissent. And a long desire for true change and individual liberty and political freedom. The times are changing and it’s big; it’s like a tsunami. Note by the way … the Jordanian cabinet … the two countries that are very tied in to peace treaties with Israelis are shaking in their boots. And so is Israel. This is really big. It’s big over here and right now Obama is in a position of trying to straddle the situation but the events are overtaking him. This is a big deal.

Press TV: Mr. Roland, let’s look at the situation a little deeper. What is at stake for the United States in Egypt?

Roland: The stakes for us is in regards to what we have done in Egypt. Egypt is a game changer because the truth of Egypt’s role as a key post for US military action and imperialistic desires in the Middle East is now becoming known to the world. There is clear evidence from international human rights groups that countless suspects rendered by US forces in various territories performing criminal operations were secretly dumped in Egypt for deep interrogation.

In other words, Egypt would be serving as a giant Guantanamo in the Middle East. All of this is like Pandora’s Box opening up. The Bush Administration and Obama Administration do not trust the people and they certainly do not trust the truth because if people knew the truth they would take to the streets particularly here in the United States.

That is exactly what is happening in Egypt. This is why this is so big. It’s why so many other countries are jumping in to take advantage of this opportunity. Mr. Mubarak has shown unspeakable callousness in his willingness to collaborate with the criminal US-Israeli policy of collective punishment of the Palestinians. That is the key underlining issue. It has always been that. It’s backfiring now. The kindling has been struck. The tsunami is growing and it’s growing big.

Press TV: Mr. Roland, I’ve been asking this question from our other guests and analysts and I would like to hear your response as well. Let’s say if you were in the US State Department and the Secretary of State asks you what’s going on in the Arab world, what would you say?

Roland: It’s a tsunami of rightful indignation from the Egyptian people. The people are rising and there is nothing we can do to stop it. We can either get on that train or try to stop it. Spending is not going to work because we are talking about the poor and disenfranchised people who have nothing to lose.

I like to compare it to a tsunami. These are edgy times in the Middle East as the people of Egypt seize their moment on the world stage and present their demands and grievances to a Middle East audience that is continuing to experience oppression from the West and the corrupt, secular, puppet-governments like Egypt. So what goes around comes around.

The Bush and Obama Administrations should have halted the obvious ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by Israel, the murder of tens of thousands of innocent Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan has rightfully infuriated Muslims throughout the Middle East.

This is bigger than Egypt and does not sit well for Israel and the West. These are dangerous times and you cannot afford to take this lightly or disqualify this. These people are not going to leave the streets.

Press TV: Well ultimately is the US going to jump on as you mentioned and are they going to leave it to the Egyptian people to decide their fate?

Roland: Put it this way. President Obama is not a change agent. Obama is a figure, for the status quo, who answers to the financial elite and the old world order which includes AIPAC, the Israeli Lobby.

Right now Obama’s only choice is to embrace change or be overrun by it. There is obvious pressure coming from Israel and AIPAC. The key player here is Israel. Mubarak will probably try an attempt to keep his office by force.

Obama will talk out both sides of his mouth which is his normal stance but it won’t work this time. Now why? It’s because this is striking back here in the United States and you have to ask what are we really talking about here? We are talking about this powerful tsunami, which is fueled by the poor, the youth and the disenfranchised of Egypt who have nothing to lose. Quite simply the masses of the poor have been left behind in Egypt.

The middle class has virtually gone backwards leaving a small financial elite at the top benefiting from whatever economic progress there is. Doesn’t that sound familiar? It’s the unholy marriage of power and capital. It fits the description of the whole capitalist world and in particular the United States where we are in somewhat in the same situation. Eventually the tsunami will reach us.

Remember when election time comes next year, this is the type of stuff that will catch fire. There are a lot of very unhappy people over here also in somewhat the same situation.

One thing the administration and the global elite are afraid of is not only the people but the people with the truth. That’s why the media is suppressing the truth. But because of Wikileaks and various other organizations have been able to get that truth through to the people–the emperor is naked.

So basically the truth is there. That’s what’s fueling these people. They have nothing to lose. Obama is between a rock and a hard place, and I don’t know what he’s going to do.