America's role in the Egyptian turmoil, the Muslim Brotherhood and George Soros connections

It has been suggested that Mohamed ElBaredei, who has emerged as the de facto leader of the opposition to embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is the man of certain outside interests.

The International Crisis Group is a foreign affairs think tank partly funded by, and on whose Executive Committee sits billionaire currency speculator George Soros. One of the group's Board members is Mohamed ElBaredei.

ElBaredei himself has been making conciliatory statements about the Muslim Brotherhood since his return to Egypt. This should come as no surprise, since in 2008, the International Crisis Group produced a report proposing the integration of the Brotherhood into Egypt's political framework.

The following year, US President Obama held secret meetings with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group which is linked to terrorism throughout the Middle East. The Muslim Brotherhood, which opposes the full political rights for women and religious minorities, has been making friends in influential places recently.

But the NDP, Egypt's ruling party, despite the recent demonstrations of opposition to Mubarak, still commands a great deal of support in North Africa's most populous and influential country.

What is seeming increasingly apparent is that the US is trying to play both sides of the fight in Egypt right now. It's a dangerous game in which it could emerge the loser no matter who in Egypt triumphs.

UPDATE: A fascinating first-hand account from an Egyptian blogger: