Egyptian blogger Big Pharaoh is excited by what he says is the first use of the word “terrorist” by Egypt’s leading newspaper to describe an attack on Iraqi civilians by the insurgents. Still he thinks it’s a typo, not a change of heart. (Via Iraq the Model.)
I would add the possibility that Egypt is trying to regain some goodwill with America by changing their words if not their actions. Look at how Vladimir Putin has managed to keep a mostly cordial relationship with President Bush even as he undermines freedom of the press, goes after Russian businessmen and uses more thuggery than a million Abu Ghraibs in Chechnya. But he’s repeatedly said Russia stands against terrorism with the West…and it’s worked pretty well for his own domestic purposes.
Another prospect is that Egypt is wary of what Syria is going through and doesn’t want to give any pretext for American intervention, or to suddenly become the world poster child for authoritarian crackdowns. It’s probably not the domino effect that was proposed by some supporters of the Iraq war; a better analogy might be the Middle East as a creaky old house that becomes more structurally unsound with each passing year. The basement leaks (post-Saddam Iraq); the wiring shorts out (post-assassination Syria); rats periodically flood the kitchen (Iranian cyber-dissidents vs. the mullahs). The edifice isn’t in “imminent” danger…but you know it’s only a matter of time if events proceed logically.
I’m a tech journalist who’s making a TV show about a college newspaper.