By David Myers
The opinions included in “On the Record” (Feb. 8) revealed an interesting diversity of viewpoints on the events in Egypt. But there was also a striking overlap in the pieces of professors Gabriel Piterberg and Ismail Poonawala ““ both pointed to the lurking presence of Israel as a factor in shaping U.S. policy in this episode.
While I certainly believe that Israel has been a preoccupation of American policy-making in the region, and while I also believe that Israel’s occupation is both immoral and destructive to the cause of peace, I do not subscribe to the view that the Egypt crisis can or should be explained largely by reference to it. That kind of claim seems reductionist.
Better, it seems to me, to accord agency to the young women and men who have been breathing the first breaths of freedom in Tahrir Square ““ and to assess soberly the tottering steps of an American empire that has lost a key foothold in Egypt. Adding Israel to the equation ““ and as a prime factor ““ seems too predictable and gratuitous.
Myers is the chair of the history department and professor of Jewish history.