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Amb. John Bolton on the latest anti-American violence in the Middle East and Thursday's protests in Yemen, Iraq, and Iran
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And right now you are looking live at Cairo Egypt protesters clashing nonstop with the police and in just minutes we're gonna have a live report from Cairo but first.
Korean investor John Bolton joins good evening -- Good evening -- do it.
In lesson just 2436.
Hours Libya Egypt Yemen Amman Jordan Gaza Iran where there are shouting death to America.
What happened.
Well I think getting -- in the next 24 hours what we're gonna see is the the risk that after Friday prayers violence will break -- all throughout the region and I think what.
We've seen in the past two days ignite is this wave of radical ideology.
In the region coming to the four.
I think they sense weakness on the part of the administration they've seen that being.
Governments of Libya and Egypt had failed to provide adequate protection for our.
Diplomats and our embassies -- -- replicated today in Yemen where the demonstrators were on the gates of the embassy.
I think our personnel are at risk and not just our official diplomats.
Private Americans who do business or.
On tourism in the region -- where we are in a very dangerous period and there is no sense that there's anybody on the bridge of the ship of state.
What even isn't very well orchestrated where everyone got together in the weeks and months leading up to and said that this you know this is what we're going to this is gonna happen because it happened almost simultaneously in all this -- at least within about eight to 1024 hours of each other.
Far we have so don't miss the simmering hostility.
Against United States -- cities.
That one event could trigger in multiple countries in and almost set -- yes -- similar almost identical event.
Well for all those who think that the FaceBook Twitter -- social media revolution is a wonderful thing this is how evil spreads as well.
I feared something though even worse people said Libya was different from Egypt because.
Libya was obviously a terrorist attack an assassination attempt.
Plus if you can do it in Ben -- you can do it in Cairo to if that was al-Qaeda.
In that -- guys -- they could be.
In Egypt they are certainly in Yemen they could be another Middle Eastern capitals to.
To take advantage.
The cover provided by rioters and mobs all across the region.
And as we sit here it is just a little after 4 AM in Cairo in the Middle East and those are live pictures of what's going now we're waiting for the sun to come up.
I'm curious in light of where we are in this with all these multiple countries multiple protests including the four murders of -- in Libya I'm curious.
Is there anything -- Obama can do right now to try to contain this and that doesn't get worse in the next few hours.
Yes I think he should have been much clearer than he apparently has been to every government in the region that we expect that our diplomats and our private personnel in the region will be protected and that.
If they're not we will not take it lying downward we won't just expressed sympathy for the families of the deceased.
We're gonna cut off assistance -- we're gonna take stronger steps as well.
The palpable.
Feeling in the region is that the United States.
Views this is not with indifference at least without any clear plan in mind what to do -- cast Israel adrift.
And the sense of American -- strong decline and indecisiveness.
Is spreading rapidly.
You know it's so disheartening I remembered June of 2009 we went to Egypt where President Obama spoke in Cairo and spoke to the Muslim world and you know it was the -- he hoped we hope.
That would somehow put the lid on simmering problems.
But we now fast forward to now and we see an absolutely explosive situation that's not getting any better right now by the minute has -- -- it -- everyone is indeed nervous and for good reason to party had four murders.
Well I think when people sense weakness on the part of the United States they take advantage of the argument the president made in the Cairo speech.
-- were not against Islam and and that that makes us different from the Bush Administration the fact is.
We've never bet against -- nobody -- America really is there against radical Islam and Islamic.
Terrorism and you know the people who are hurt the most by Islamic terrorism other Muslims they understand it very well and when they don't see.
The United States standing up against the terrorist.
They fear for their own safety as well and that is the consequence of a weak American leadership role in the region.
Well what is so -- -- about this if you look at the trailer online the original YouTube.
And what what -- understanding is that then version was then translated into Arabic and I can't read air but I don't know how do you know what happened when it got the -- -- And then is now been three translate back in the English.
And what has inflamed some.
And yet to -- we have -- slow standing in these regions said.
No and we need denies his government doesn't get the benefit of the doubt that supposedly was done by one or two people in -- -- think yet the -- -- -- government and the American people.
Are being tarnished and blame for this video.
But this video has nothing to do with what's going on it is a pretext if it weren't for the film it would be something else and yet our administration has made a grave error in highlighting the film itself.
I tried to distance the administration from the film by having the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
For God's -- call this.
Pastor in Florida who's been flogging the film around.
It gives them the dignity that they don't deserve to have we we should not be.
Operating under the belief that the film is the real problem the problem is the religious fanaticism.
And -- hatred for the United States that motivates.
The leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood -- -- al-Qaeda and other terrorist.
That's what we've got to deal with not a blame America first.
Response.
I wasn't suggesting that in fact I actually do not think.
After watching the video I watched that the people who are now making comments about -- watch the same video that's number one I'll leave it -- that let people would look at them.
But sadly the fact that it was used as a pretext I'd really -- was a pretext.
But then there's so that they're so quick to grab the pretext and the runway that and -- -- -- protest in the murder.
Because we have such low standing in those areas that we are so on influential that would then be -- their such a willingness to -- they hate that so many people hate us that they grabbed that Enron whether it.
Well we have helped precipitate this crisis in Egypt in particular.
-- as you move Barrick said for decades.
If I go the Muslim Brotherhood will follow and yet we threw him under the bus and there they are there were people who said.
-- that the Muslim Brotherhood is moderate the Muslim Brotherhood won't run for the parliament Muslim Brotherhood won't run a presidential candidate Mohamed morsi we'll just be a figurehead.
All of this has been proven wrong and now the question that experts are debating is are these protests the instigation of the Muslim Brotherhood over or of this a -- -- -- even more radical.
Forces inside Egypt.
I think the fact that we have so.
Poorly understood what really motivates many of these people.
Has led to this problem I think -- guide for American foreign policy has been not some abstraction but what's an American national interest.
And for three and a half years we've seen that sacrifice.
Against an ideological spectrum and I think we're suffering for that today.
What -- -- -- no respect for Americans.
By these protesters and they are insulting in the putting our people at risk.
They're destroying our property and in terms of -- mud and -- to the brotherhood they are the ones who at least it's reported of the ones calling for this protest.
To happen in Cairo that we -- -- in the very beginnings -- so.
The Muslim Brotherhood.
At least tonight he seems to be up to their eyeballs in this protest ambassador thank you sir thank you.
