The tidal wave of public anger against the Egyptian regime that engulfed the country in recent days has transfixed governments and people the world over.
Egypt’s staunchest ally, the United States, has called on President Mubarak to go, and to go ‘now’ (see AFP's report).
But amid the sustained mass protests by Egypt’s people and their defiance of its terror tactics, what seems to bother the regime most is international criticism.
Unsurprisingly, its logic is … ‘internal affairs’.
This is what Vice President Omar Suleiman had to say Thursday:
"There are some abnormal ways by which foreign countries have intervened through press declarations and statements. This was very strange, given the friendly relations between us and them."
"The interference in our internal affairs is a weird thing. Yes to their advice ... yes to their support but to intervene in our affairs and to tell us: 'do this or do that', this is unacceptable and we will not allow it at all."
See Reuters' report here.
Interestingly, one country to initially echo this logic was ... India, the world’s largest democracy.
This is what External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said Tuesday:
"It is the internal affairs of Egypt, and as a friendly country to Egypt, we hope that a resolution could be found which would be acceptable to those who are demonstrating and agitating."
However, as the demonstrations continue and the US pushes for Mubarak's departure, India wavered (see IANS's report).
"India goes along with the democratic aspirations for reforms in Egypt, which is being urged by the people,” Krishna said Friday.
"The govt should see its way to understand the democratic aspirations of the people and I think they should come to terms with that and it is better for them, better for the region and better for everybody.”
See here what President Obama said during his visit to Delhi last November about India's reticence on criticising repressive regimes.
