"Time for the U.S. to put its money where its mouth is"

In an article for Foreign Policy magazine, Vickie Langohr, associate professor of political science at the College of the Holy Cross, calls for the U.S. to support free and fair elections amid the current turmoil in Egypt.  She criticizes prior efforts to protect stability in the region by rejecting democracy, but explains that a choice between the two no longer exists.

Langohr argues that embattled president Hosni Mubarak does not have the credibility to retake power, and the fears that a transition to a new government would hurt U.S. foreign policy interests are unfounded.  She writes that Mubarak’s contributions to stability in the Middle East are greatly exaggerated and that his loss of power will not negatively affect peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians or threaten Israel’s position in the region.

Langohr contends that the Obama administration must support an end to the widespread repression in Egypt, and writes that “aid should also be conditioned on immediate changes to the political situation that credibly signal intent to hold free and fair presidential elections”.

An expert on Eqyptian politics, Langohr has also provided insight about the situation there to several news outlets, including international radio and print outlets, WJR Radio (Detroit), and Wisconsin Public Radio.

See the coverage by Foreign Policy Magazine and Wisconsin Public Radio.



This 'Holy Cross in the News' item by Thomas Van Grinsven '11.