When a political drama unfolds internationally like it has in the past week, a majority of Americans still tune into CNN as their go-to U.S. cable news source for breaking news.
Christiane Amanpour made her reputation in the 1990s covering such conflicts as are happening now in Egypt, but she was always a curious choice by ABC News last year to be the permanent successor to George Stephanopoulous as the host of that network’s Sunday morning public affairs show, This Week.
Presumably that excellence in international reporting was a factor in ABC hiring her (and not just the fact that she apparently opted to reside permanently in the U.S. and settle down from shuttle reporting), because it certainly wasn’t her coverage of domestic politics. In any event, Amanpour was the only Sunday morning host today to leave Washington and go to the heart of the story, in Cairo, as she began her show with footage of the many stranded people at the Cairo airport, and her own crew’s journey into Egypt Saturday night, before speaking with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who made the rounds of all five such shows Sunday.
A player who may become bigger in the ongoing drama in the next few days and weeks is Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the United Nations Nuclear watchdog group, who parachuted back to his home country last week. Amanpour spoke to him on Sunday:
AMANPOUR: You think the army will turn on the people, if they get the order?
ELBARADEI: I don’t think it would ever turn on the people. I think the army is very much on the people’s side, and the army is put in then impossible situation. I mean, normally, what should happen is that the police should be in the city to protect people and infrastructure. Somebody gives the order to the police to disband. And then what you have right now is thugs. You know, thugs are looting. And, you know — and it’s — it’s — it’s a horrible situation right now.
AMANPOUR: How do you assess the reaction of the U.S. administration?
ELBARADEI: Well, I think it’s — it’s — it — it came here like — like lead. You know, people expected the U.S. to be on the side of the people, you know, who are — legitimate needs for democracy, social justice, it’s — and to let go of a dictator, you know?
AMANPOUR: But now President Obama is saying that the rights of the people need to be protected and reforms need to happen.
ELBARADEI: Sure. But, Christiane, he’s also saying, I look to the government, you know, i.e., Mubarak, you know, to implement democracy. I mean, to ask a dictator to implement democratic measure after 30 years in power is an oxymoron. So they need to let go of Mubarak. They need to side with the people. They need to go for, you know, transition, smooth transition, through a government of national salvation. This is only way out.
AMANPOUR: As you know, the administration is very concerned that if Mubarak goes, the inevitable replacement is the Muslim Brotherhood or some kind of Islamic fundamentalism.
ELBARADEI: This is total bogus that the (ph) Muslim Brotherhood are religiously conservative. They are no way extremists. They are no way using violence. They are not a majority of the Egyptian people. They will not be more than maybe 20 percent of the Egyptian people. You have to include them like, you know, new evangelical, you know, groups in the U.S., like the orthodox Jews in Jerusalem.
I mean, that is — you — they are not. This is — this is what the regime used to — sold to the — to the West and to the U.S. “It’s either us, repression, or — or — or Al Qaida-type Islamists.” That is — that’s not — this is not Egypt.
AMANPOUR: Are the Islamists behind this uprising?
ELBARADEI: Not at all. I mean, what — what you saw is the young people. I mean, it’s all 30 and below. It is organized plan, implemented by people who are 30 and below who are — absolutely have no ideology other than they want to see future hope, a respect for their dignity, and — and basic needs.
This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2011.
