US Arab Spring policy oscillated between co-opting and counterrevolution, never democracy

Evidence

In the context of the Arab uprisings of 2011, the Obama administration at first supported its dictatorial allies (such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, a personal friend of the Clinton family). When it became clear that they were going to be swept from power, Obama embraced the Arab Spring, at least in public, while at the same time supporting counterrevolutionary forces around the region. The United States continued to fund the Egyptian military, the key source of counterrevolution in that country. Elsewhere the Obama White House stayed silent—such as when Saudi Arabia not only repressed its Shi’a rebellion but also sent troops to Bahrain to crush the uprising in that country. Had Obama wanted to intervene on the side of the prodemocracy demonstrators in Bahrain, he could have used the Fifth Fleet, which is stationed there. Instead, he opted to support pro-Western forces in Libya and Syria as a means of replacing inconsistent allies and deflating movements demanding real democracy and social change. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 580 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Meanwhile it is not sufficiently realized that a major change is taking place in American government policy and more profoundly in American national at­ titudes towards the Middle East. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1678 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Obama rhetorically embraced the Arab Spring while funding its counterrevolutionaries — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 506; The US backed counterrevolution during the Arab Spring while professing support — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 506; US Arab Spring response co-opted opposition or backed counterrevolution to limit change — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 381 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• US policy backed dictators and counterrevolution against the Arab Spring #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 580
• A major shift in US policy and attitudes toward the Middle East is underway #complicates (0.76) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1678