In the wake of Mohameed Morsi’s ouster, the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Anne Patterson, is under fire.
According to Foreign Policy, Patterson resisted opportunities to criticize Morsi during his reign and in a recent speech she discouraged street protests against him:
The tip of the spear for U.S.-Egypt diplomacy, Patterson’s June 18 speech discouraging street protests has come to symbolize the administration’s inability to recognize the potency of Egypt’s liberal opposition. “Some say that street action will produce better results than elections,” Patterson said. “To be honest, my government and I are deeply skeptical.”
Now, with the Egyptian military’s take over of the country, observers fear the outbreak of widespread violence between Morsy’s Islamist supporters and moderate critics, and many wonder if the U.S. could’ve taken a harder line on the Brotherhood during its 10-month rule.
Patterson in particular resisted opportunities to criticize the Morsy government as it implemented increasingly authoritarian policies. In a memorable May interview with the Egyptian English-language news [site] Ahram Online, she repeatedly dodged pointed questions about Morsy’s leadership. “The fact is they ran in a legitimate election and won,” she said. “Of course it is challenging to be dealing with any new government. However, at the state institutional level, we are for instance still liaising with the same military and civil service personnel, and thus have retained the same long-established relations.”
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On Twitter, the anger toward Patterson is palpable:
RT @AJELive Crowd jeers Muslim Brotherhood and US Ambassador to #Egypt Anne Patterson http://t.co/vBcVj6geAA pic.twitter.com/mLj0NWza41
— Prakash K Ray (@pkray11) July 4, 2013
https://twitter.com/inhuggermugger/status/352211086600175617
https://twitter.com/MagdaHamed15/status/352762581691273216
Anne Patterson go to hell #MindYourBusinessUS
— M.F (@mostafafaysal) July 4, 2013
@BarackObama btw .. Anne Patterson is no longer welcomed here
— Eva Masias (@Evamasias) July 4, 2013
#MindYourBusinessUS get ur fuckin' anne patterson out of egypt ,that bitch is supporting terrorism and tried to divide the egyptian people..
— SharX (@HossamSharkas) July 3, 2013
I hope H.E. Ambassador Ann Patterson is on the next plane out of here, preferably via Pakistan. #Egypt
— X-cessive Ninja (@NSharara) July 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/ReemEltahway/status/352605636799893504
@BarackObama and his state department are unbelievably misinformed on #Egypt ..thanks to fanatics lover Ann Patterson @USEmbassyCairo
— 3nkaboot (@3nkaboot) July 3, 2013
https://twitter.com/92_ahmedreda/status/352554627608231937
https://twitter.com/haidy1994/status/352700550233600000
#Anne_Patterson the #USA ambassador in Egypt needs to get the Fu*k out of Egypt because she is trying to create a… http://t.co/2Ugdm2eKCM
— Halle Berry (@MavericEgyptian) July 4, 2013
Bye bye Ann Patterson
— Mohamed Wt (@mwtosson) July 3, 2013
go to hell Anne Patterson you're "7ayzabona " #MindYourBusinessUS #EgyptianRevolutionNotMilitaryCoup
— SalMa Magdy (@limo251) July 4, 2013
Ann Patterson …. Teery inty. #Egypt is ours not yours to toy with.
— Neveen Salib (@NivnivSalib) July 3, 2013
And this:
I think the US needs to replace the Pro-Morsi Anne Patterson with someone else
— Amr Zaki (@EgyptianNerd) July 4, 2013
Indeed.
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