The allocated budget was just $29 million, but its rapid death can also be ascribed to its short-sighted design – and to Barack Obama, who has shown little interest in the issue. Obama’s praise of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak as a man with whom one could do business demoralized Egyptian opposition groups, which have been struggling against the long-serving autocrat and his efforts to ensure that his son, Gamal Mubarak, succeeds him.
当美国前总统小布什在2002年启动有关民主的“中东伙伴关系提案”时，这项提案已经太微不足道，太迟缓——也夭折得太快了。提案区区2900万美元的预算是一个方面，而其短视的政策设计也是令到提案速朽的原因——到了奥巴马时代，新总统对此也不感兴趣。奥巴马还盛赞埃及总统穆巴拉克是可以跟国内民主反对派和平相处的人，但此人却一直在努力维护自己的长期专制，并尽力确保其子迦玛尔·穆巴拉克能接掌自己的权位。