Is it Time for a Travel Advisory on Egypt?

Normally, when a certain country becomes dangerous, especially for foreign travelers, and especially for Americans, the State Department issues a travel advisory to Americans planning to visit that country. It warns them of the possible dangers they face and may actually advise them not to go. Below is the current list of countries so designated. You will note that Egypt is not on that list. It should be.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html


This week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Egypt, and while visiting Alexandria, had her motorcade hit with tomatoes, eggs and shoes from anti-American protesters. Also, this week, a handful of American tourists were kidnapped and since released. Over the past year or so, during the revolution, Western females have been sexually assaulted by gangs of men on Cairo's Tahrir Square. Finally, the situatuion for Coptic Christians in Egypt is become more dire.

It would seem to me that what is going on in Egypt should prompt a travel advisory from the State Department, especially given the demonstration against our secretary of state. I seriously doubt it will happen, however. Clinton is in full "support the Egyptian people" mode, no matter what happens. In spite of her statement in Alexandria that the US is not taking sides in the democratic process, she has made it clear that our position is that the military should turn over all power to the Muslim Brotherhood. She has also committed more money to Egypt. To issue a travel advisory in the face of all that would not only be offensive to the country and the Egyptian government, but fly in the face of all this support the US administration  is giving out. Keep in mind that Mohammed Morsi will be visiting Washington soon.

Hopefully, he will not return home with the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman, currently doing life in a US prison for plotting terror attacks on New York City. Morsi has vowed to win his release.

At any rate, a travel advisory decision should be based not just on geo-politics, but actual safety considerations for American citizens.