US policy backed dictators and counterrevolution against the Arab Spring

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

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reader’s question about connecting the imperial project to specific wars and policies in the region. — connects to: Supporting repressive regimes gives the U.S. military incentive to block democratization.; Maintaining bases in undemocratic nations makes the United States complicit in their abuses; The US backed absolute monarchies while the USSR backed Arab nationalists. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 246 (+17 more)

Broader Connections

• The US responded to 2011 uprisings by backing counterrevolution #corroborates (0.90) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 210
• US imperial interests, not Islamist actions, determine Islamist ally or enemy status #expands (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 278