Republican Congress: Back to the USSR

„Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan. Indeed, GOP types are doubtless hoping that a cake and ice cream sugar high will vault them over an awkward ideological split that's the size of the river Nile. What would Reagan say about Egypt today? His presidential track record on security policy seems confusing: progressive on arms control, appalling on Central American human rights. His actions as president illustrate the belief of his era - that larger than life individuals define events - something called the »strong man« theory of history.

True or not, the curtains closed on that theory in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. What Egypt shows us is that for twenty years we have needed a new explanation of how the world is - one that includes the small actions of common people who have information, who believe in destiny, and who force events and responses from the powerful.

If Ronald Reagan was the knight in shining armor on security policy, his conservative heirs are more like ideological cross-dressers. The revolution in Egypt has different Republican factions putting two primary security ingredients - stability and freedom - at odds. In so doing, they miss the point and are losing a great opportunity to grasp an entirely new system. In today's world, security is about people - across borders, within borders and at the same time. »Stability« doesn't look the same anymore. It's an evolving relationship. »Freedom« is a condition, not a choice.”