Former CIA head on Egypt: US response ‘uncertain'

In an interview on the sidelines of the Herzliya Conference, R. James Woolsey tells JPost.com, "it's not clear how one ought to behave."

Former CIA director R. James Woolsey 311 (photo credit: JPost.com)
Former CIA director R. James Woolsey 311
(photo credit: JPost.com)
Former CIA director R. James Woolsey characterized the United States' response to the ongoing crisis in Egypt as “uncertain” and “varied,” in an interview with JPost.com while attending the 11th annual Herzliya Conference.
Woosley told JPost.com: “It’s difficult to characterize, because it’s been, I think, somewhat uncertain and varied. It’s a difficult situation. It’s not nearly as clear exactly how one ought to behave, as it was, for example, for [former US president] Ronald Reagan with the Philippines, where you had a democratic movement on the other side and a candidate, and you had to persuade Marcos to step down.”
“Here,” he continued, “figuring out in Egypt what’s on the other side – whether it could be a group under [Egyptian Vice President Omar] Suleiman or working with him that would build a sound transition to a stable state, or whether, somehow, the [Muslim] Brotherhood is going to get involved and push things toward having Egypt look like Gaza.”
Woolsey served as CIA director from 1993-1995.