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Source: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110006853
Condi in Cairo
(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - On Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to Cairo and then Riyadh and, in soft tones, delivered a stark message: America would no longer pursue "stability at the expense of democracy." The U.S. will now notice when peaceful Egyptian protestors are brutalized by government security goons, or when Saudi citizens are imprisoned for "peacefully petitioning the government"; and the future of both countries as American allies rests on the seriousness of their commitment to democratic reform. Egypt's economy is underwritten by $1.8 billion in annual American aid, while its military is supplied with advanced U.S. weaponry. We do not see that continuing if the Mubarak regime attempts to steal or subvert September's presidential elections. Nor do we see the relatively indulgent line pursued by the administration so far toward the House of Saud carrying on forever.