“Getting rid of an old world is different politics from the politics of creating a new world. Both are a kind of revolution, but shaping the new world isn’t as sudden or dramatic as overthrowing a king. It’s slower, less obvious to people, and unfortunately is often accomplished by little seizures made at night.”
Her father sounded angry. They walked under the Zamalek Bridge and its thundering traffic. “You know, there used to be a tramway, a trolley car that went across this bridge from the center of Cairo out to the Pyramids, best ride for a nickel this side of the Staten Island Ferry.”
“Daddy,” Lily said, wanting to return to the subject that was so obviously bothering him, “you said that diplomats wanted to keep a consistency, ‘stay the course.’ But what if things change, like a revolution or a war, what’s happening here. How do you stay the same?”
“Well, when sudden change occurs, as it does in the Middle East, the good diplomat is as fast on his feet as Fred Astaire. The consistency is our country. No matter what happens in the field, we stand for what our country stands for, no matter the consequences. That’s where the fancy dancing comes in.”