Ellison: US Must 'Get on the Right Side' of Middle East Democracy Wave

Congressman Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) is one of the few elected officials to clearly and consistently stand up for the princple of democracy in the Middle East.  From The Nation: 

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have been at times embarrassingly cautious in the remarks regarding the Egyptian street protests that may yet topple Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—one of the more unsavory of the US government's many unsavory clients—while Vice President Biden has actually gone around claiming that Mubarak is not a dictator.

Congressional leaders on both sides of the partisan aisle have not been much better.

But Ellison—who because of his "first Muslim in Congress" status is a better-known figure on the international stage than in the US—has emerged as an unblinking champion of the best of America's historic ideals: democracy, self-determination and freedom.

His messages in official statements, interviews and Twitter have been consistent and clear. The message is summed up by a tweet the congressman sent: " Ppl of Egypt DESERVE freedom; I stand w/ them."

After Mubarak's forces arrested Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize–winning former head of the United Nations' nuclear monitoring agency, was detained, Ellison urged Americans to tell President Obama to put more pressure on the Egyptian leader. "Let's do something," Ellison tweeted. “10k ltrs [letters] to WH urging pressure on Egyptian govt to release of M. El-Baradei, stop violence against protestors. C'mon!"

Ellison's message, for domestic and international consumption, boils down to an argument that the Mubarak government should accept calls for reform and democracy, and just as importantly that the United States government should signal its strong support for protests against authoritarian regimes—rather than shoring them up.

"The Middle East would be a much more powerful and dynamic place if there were less authoritarian regimes, and historically the U.S. has supported all of them,” argues Ellison. “We’re always on the side of 'stability' rather than justice. So let’s get on the right side this time.”

Minneapolis should be proud of Keith Ellison, who is one of the best members of Congress in my view, and as the newly elected Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives hopefully the volume of his megaphone will increase in this new Congress.