As I see it, America has always had a big issue with cults of personality since WWII and will do close to anything to get rid of them, including the 'democratically' elected, whatever that actually means.
While the public foreign policy statement is something like 'oh, if your people elect you, you're a-ok' it's much more like 'if you're a friend of the U.S. and don't do anything we find objectionable, you're a-ok'. Objectionable being, basically murdering your own people enmasse and or giving signs that you're not going to be a benevolent dictator, or trying to get more than conventional weapons.
>As I see it, America has always had a big issue with cults of personality since WWII
Where exactly have you seen this?
>While the public foreign policy statement is something like 'oh, if your people elect you, you're a-ok' it's much more like 'if you're a friend of the U.S. and don't do anything we find objectionable, you're a-ok'. Objectionable being, basically murdering your own people enmasse and or giving signs that you're not going to be a benevolent dictator, or trying to get more than conventional weapons.
How exactly did Mossadegh, Allende, or Arbenz fall under this rule of thumb? The US has a history of overthrowing democratically elected leaders and installing mass murdering despots who were friendly to gigantic US businesses.
Has the US ever overthrown a dictator in favor of democratic elections?
Geopolitics is complicated, now as much as any time in history.
The US has been doing "OK" with regard to Egypt lately but there's really no good way to handle what's going on there. On the face of it Morsi was democratically elected but he also gave himself unlimited powers and was on his way to becoming just as much a tyrant as Mubarak ever was. He was deposed by a military coup which has its own problems and now Egypt is devolving into what seems to be an inevitable sectarian war (just as is happening in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Pakistan/Afghanistan).
Calling the Egyptian army "backed by the US government" is a bit of a stretch. Prior to the coup the US shipped 12 F-16 fighters and millions in aid to Egypt under Morsi, since the coup the US has delayed further scheduled deliveries of F-16s and aid, largely as a protest for the harsh actions of the government against dissident groups. Nevertheless, there isn't exactly a good side to back in Egypt at present. It's not as though there's a nice, peaceful secular organization dedicated to democracy and individual liberty just quietly growing in the shadows. Instead there are a bunch of folks who want to seize power to further their own interests.
Removing Qaddafi in Libya was almost certainly a good move though the followup there has been lacking. And the failure to engage in a meaningful way in the middle east in general has been frustrating. It's a hard problem, but sitting back and fucking around when there's serious shit going down isn't really the best alternative. The middle east is going to be hugely different over the next decade, but how much influence the US will have over that shape (to guide it away from islamic fundamentalism and totalitarianism specifically) is very much in doubt at present.
>Calling the Egyptian army "backed by the US government" is a bit of a stretch
No, it's literally true. Although I've heard that an end to US military aid to Egypt would simply mean an end to US influence in Egypt, as they could easily secure support elsewhere without the restrictions that the US imposes on who they can deal with.
>It's not as though there's a nice, peaceful secular organization dedicated to democracy and individual liberty just quietly growing in the shadows.
This is the result of US support to the Egyptian government. As elsewhere in the Middle East, the US propped up a dictator and assisted him in exterminating all secular opposition. There's no way to do that to the religious opposition, so when the dictator leaves, all you have to fill the vacuum are fundamentalists.
The idea that the current Egyptian regime is "US backed" or that it is significantly more "US backed" than Morsi's regime, is frankly not supported by reality.
US support for Mubarak's regime was always problematic but it was theoretically in service to the greater good of maintaining peace between Egypt and Israel (which lasted for decades). When Mubarak started murdering protesters the support of the US government for him evaporated rather quickly.
> Is it just me or has the US foreign policy been upside down the last 5-8 years??
If you think opposing democratizing movements in areas where Islamist movements are popular favor of friendly authoritarians is upside down, then, even if you are just talking about Middle East policy, its pretty crazy to say that's a distinct feature of the last 5-8 years.
For example, we were great buddies with Mubarak for a couple of decades before he was deposed.
And that's just one tiny example. US foreign policy is frequently, well, evil.
Edit: OK, I'm not normally one to complain or even care about downvotes, but really? At least reply to explain your disagreement. Do you disagree that we were friends with Mubarak for decades before he was overthrown? Do you disagree that we have routinely and for ages propped up evil dictatorships in other countries, or even overthrown democratic governments and replaced them with dictatorships?
[IMAGE of front of hand. Thumb to palm, 4 fingers outstretched]
5 years in prison for Egyptians who publish Cairo square massacre sign “Rabea” on social media
When the Egyptian army which is baked by the US government launched a coupe against a democratically elected president , opposition to the coupe gathered on one of Cairo’s squares called Rabea but after around a month of gathering the army along with the police stormed the strike and killed around 3 thousand peaceful protesters. Including this geek[1].
And since the police and army started to clash with the opposition ,killing many, then opposition of the coupe started to use a sign that symbolize Rabea massacre and the resistance for the coupe (picture above).
2 days ago the Egyptian government has decided[2] to declare unjustly that Muslim brotherhood is a terrorist organization and declared that anyone who is a member of the organization will be sent to prison. Yesterday to further things the police declared that anyone posting Rabea sign will be put in prison for 5 years.
This decision further proof that the country in Egypt is now a police state that does not respect freedom and free speech.
Who is the terrorist?
The definition of terrorism means killing innocent civilians, and Muslim brotherhood is a peaceful organization that does not use force in the contrary it has many charity organizations that provide food medication and other important life saving help to millions of poor Egyptians. While the Egyptian army killed thousands of Egyptian since the coup which makes them the real terrorists. And those who sponsor them are terrorists: the American and “Israeli” government.
Unfortunately there is a slice of the Egyptian population who support the army and the coupe, this is because of the Egyptian private media, which is biased and unethical, by beaming lies against Muslim brotherhood and all Islamic moment or anyone who who wants to make the government Islamic.
Muslim brotherhood had mistakes but this is a war against Islam ladies and gentleman. By the orders of the US government which can not declare Muslim brotherhood as a terrorists organization in its soil since it wont be backed legally but orders its spies at the army in Egypt to do so.
The American government is the head of international tyranny and terrorism it only believes that freedom is only for Americans and western citizens but plot to take the basic rights for Muslim and non Muslims in the so called third world countries.
While the public foreign policy statement is something like 'oh, if your people elect you, you're a-ok' it's much more like 'if you're a friend of the U.S. and don't do anything we find objectionable, you're a-ok'. Objectionable being, basically murdering your own people enmasse and or giving signs that you're not going to be a benevolent dictator, or trying to get more than conventional weapons.