Egypt’s Elections: Titanic of Western Interests, Meet Iceberg of Islamist Revolutionary Zeal

by Barry Rubin

Egypt will hold its presidential election May 23-24 with a possible run-off on June 16-17. It is impossible at this point to predict what’s going to happen but I can make a good guess. Eight weeks from now Egypt will be led by either a radical anti-American Islamist who wants to wipe Israel off the map or by a radical anti-American nationalist who just hates Israel passionately.

Let’s review the background and then analyze the likely events to come.

Since Egypt’s revolution began a year ago five propositions have monopolized the Western debate and coverage, all of which were wrong:

–That Egypt would become a real democratic state in which human rights and civil liberties would be respected.

–That this state would be dominated by moderate and modernist secular groups.

–That the Muslim Brotherhood is moderate and a bulwark against the really radical Islamists.

–That the army is simultaneously the main enemy of democracy in Egypt that should be opposed and yet also the force that would keep Egypt stable and pro-Western.

–That the new Egypt would remain an ally of the United States or at peace with Israel.

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Barry Rubin

Source: http://www.gloria-center.org/2012/04/egypt%E2%80%99s-elections-titanic-of-western-interests-meet-iceberg-of-islamist-revolutionary-zeal/

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