Yesterday, four Georgetown academics–Samer Shehata, Steven Heydemann, Hesham Sallam, and John Voll–encouraged President Barack Obama to throw his support behind a week-long uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
“As political scientists, historians, and researchers in related fields who have studied the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping over Egypt,” the letter, which was signed by 101 professors from around the country, read. “As citizens, we expect our president to uphold those values.”
Both Shehata and Voll work within the School of Foreign Service, while Sallam is a PhD student in Georgetown College. Heydemann is an associate professor who mainly works in the Georgetown Public Policy Institute.
After urging Obama support the revolution, the letter goes on to suggest a new era of diplomacy between the United States and Egypt.
“In order for the United States to stand with the Egyptian people it must approach Egypt through a framework of shared values and hopes, not the prism of geostrategy,” it added. “For that reason we urge your administration to seize this chance, turn away from the policies that brought us here, and embark on a new course toward peace, democracy and prosperity for the people of the Middle East.”
After the jump, we’ve republished the letter.