How Did the U.S. Lose the Egyptian People?

July 2 (Bloomberg) -- So here’s a question that’s naggingat me as we watch millions of Egyptians express their loathingfor Mohamed Mursi, their hapless, power-grabbing president, andfor his Muslim Brotherhood movement: How exactly did the U.S.come to be seen by Egyptian secularists and liberals as thehandmaiden of a cultish fundamentalist political party whosemotto includes this heartening sentiment: “Jihad is our way, anddying in the way of Allah is our highest hope”?

I mean, how did the U.S. fail to formulate a strategy thatwould advance both American interests and American values in thelargest and most crucial Arab state? Within a span of just a fewyears, Egyptians have somehow convinced themselves that the U.S.has been an ally of both Egypt’s former dictator, Hosni Mubarak,and Mubarak’s main enemy, the Muslim Brotherhood.