US tightrope walk : Arab autocrats try to redefine terrorism

• Main Author: James M. Dorsey
• Other Authors: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
• Format: Commentary
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Terrorism
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/104066; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/20119
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The United States is walking a tightrope with US Secretary of State John Kerry’s controversial endorsement of the toppling of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi as a “restoration of democracy”. The endorsement is likely to be seen by Islamist and non-Islamist anti-government protesters as backing for conservative Arab autocrats who project their crackdowns on opposition forces as a ‘struggle against terrorism’.That perception will gain currency as Egyptian security forces prepare to crack down on mass pro-Morsi demonstrations in Cairo.