America's influence in Egypt?

If this is any indication.....

Egyptians who are part of the street demonstrations told ABC News that the evidence of the U.S.-made tear gas sends a powerful signal.

"The way I see it the U.S. administration supports dictators," said Aly Eltayeb, 26, who has participated in the protests since Tuesday.

"The way tear gas works is by spreading panic," he said. "Your eyes tear up a lot so you can't see, and you feel like your suffocating. You can actually breathe but you feel like you are suffocating so you try to run, but when you run you inhale more."

If these reports are any indication, then the way America is being seen right now by the Egyptian people? Well let's just say that it isn't good. Perceptions are being created there as each day passes and those perceptions of America are the ones that we should be concerned about.

And in most every corner of the world, perceptions are realities. How we are portrayed is who we are. The good and the bad and everything that we do to influence those perceptions has a lasting effect.

So combined with the leaked information that America has been secretly behind bringing down Egypt's president, the reality of how stories like this one are played up, will ultimately be how most young Egyptians will see America for many years to come.

America? The country that was only trying to give us democracy? America, the country that was truly behind the fall of the authoritarian Mubarek regime? Or, America....the nation that sided with a tyrant and provided him with the military means and material to oppress the people.