Egyptian Riots

The idea of choosing your leader through a democratic process is a distinctly European concept. Starting in the Greek city states and spreading throughout Europe, freeman citizens voting on who should lead them was markedly different from the leader selection of other people-groups. The concept of the democratic process is far from perfect and a pure democracy is unbiblical, but in a republican or parliamentarian context it can provide a good system to check the government’s power and peacefully remove bad men from office. Yet, however well democratic elements have worked for Europeans, when it has been attempted to be transferred to non-Europeans, the results have usually been disastrous. These concepts are completely alien to people-groups who are used to tribal rule or more collectivist societies. The voting usually falls down to tribal lines or popularity contests rather than policy at best, or simply being for show at worst. This is especially true in those countries whose political lines don’t reflect ethnic or religious boundaries.

The current situation in Egypt is a perfect example of this.¹ The U.S. government has been pushing the Egyptian government to become more “democratic” for decades. Well, “democracy” has finally come to Egypt. Mr. Obama is now faced with the difficult decision of (1) going back on his encouragement for democratic reforms and supporting the current authoritarian Egyptian government, which is moderately pro-U.S. and moderately secular, and which has been the recipient of millions in our military aid; or (2) supporting the rioters and running the real risk of a hard-line, militant Muslim Sharia law regime taking its place, similar to what happened with Hamas in the Gaza Strip elections. This is a classic post-WWII U.S. predicament. On the one hand, they are committed to their god Democracy, but on the other, when they attempt to force this god on others, the people often vote in leaders whom the U.S. government dislikes. Events like those in Egypt will continue to occur as long as the U.S. government continues to meddle in others’ affairs. If true liberty and freedom is ever to come to places like Egypt, it must be built from the ground up with a foundation of Christianity – not imposed by an “all-powerful” U.S. government from the top down.

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