An Immediate Exit For Mubarak?

{
  "authors": [
    "Michele Dunne"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North Africa",
    "Egypt"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
  ]
}

In The Media

An Immediate Exit For Mubarak?

Mubarak’s continued unwillingness to acknowledge his complicity in the recent violence sharply undermines his ability to play a role in a peaceful transition toward democracy.

By Michele Dunne

Published on Feb 4, 2011

Source: Politico

An Immediate Exit For Mubarak?Mubarak’s argument for staying in power for more than 30 years — reiterated to Christiane Amanpour in a Feb. 3 interview — was that he was the only bulwark against chaos in Egypt. Paradoxically, Mubarak himself put the final nail in the coffin of the stability argument last week, when he unleashed violence against peaceful protesters, journalists and human rights activists. Egyptians have long been familiar with the security services’ use of agent provocateurs, and it took the international media only a few hours to catch on that these were not really “pro-Mubarak demonstrators” but paid thugs.

Mubarak made a fatal error in using such tactics. His Feb. 2 offer to step down at the end of his term and carry out political reforms in the interim had a reasonable chance of taking the air out of demonstrations and splitting the opposition. But accompanying the offer with brutal coercion — and continuing to lie about his complicity in the violence — completely discredited him in terms of playing a role in a peaceful transition toward democracy.

It also raises serious questions about the reliability of Vice President Omar Suleiman. In light of this, Mubarak should step aside now.

About the Author

Michele Dunne

Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Recent Work

Research
Islamic Institutions in Arab States: Mapping the Dynamics of Control, Co-option, and Contention
- +6
  Yasmine Farouk, Nathan J. Brown, Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, …
Research
From Hardware to Holism: Rebalancing America’s Security Engagement With Arab States
- +8
  Robert Springborg, Emile Hokayem, Becca Wasser, …

Political Reform North Africa Egypt

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
EU Enlargement Forgets Europeans
Preparing candidate countries for EU membership is no longer enough. As the enlargement process becomes a reality, the union must also prepare its own societies.
Iliriana Gjoni
Article
EU Integration Without Ratification?
Countries face several hurdles in joining the EU, including the final stage of ratifying their accession treaties. Procedural reforms and substantive adjustments could help move the process forward.
Stefan Lehne
Commentary
Strategic Europe
There Is No Shortcut for Europe in Armenia
Europe has an interest in supporting Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan as he tries to make peace with neighbors and loosen ties with Russia. But it is depersonalized support in the long term, not quickfire flash, that will win the day.
Thomas de Waal
Commentary
Strategic Europe
How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps
Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.
Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni
Commentary
Strategic Europe
The EU Needs a Third Way in Iran
European reactions to the war in Iran have lost sight of wider political dynamics. The EU must position itself for the next phase of the crisis without giving up on its principles.
Richard Youngs

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

EU Enlargement Forgets Europeans

Preparing candidate countries for EU membership is no longer enough. As the enlargement process becomes a reality, the union must also prepare its own societies.

Iliriana Gjoni

Article

EU Integration Without Ratification?

Countries face several hurdles in joining the EU, including the final stage of ratifying their accession treaties. Procedural reforms and substantive adjustments could help move the process forward.

Stefan Lehne

Commentary

Strategic Europe

There Is No Shortcut for Europe in Armenia

Europe has an interest in supporting Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan as he tries to make peace with neighbors and loosen ties with Russia. But it is depersonalized support in the long term, not quickfire flash, that will win the day.

Thomas de Waal

Commentary

Strategic Europe

How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps

Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.

Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni

Commentary

Strategic Europe

The EU Needs a Third Way in Iran

European reactions to the war in Iran have lost sight of wider political dynamics. The EU must position itself for the next phase of the crisis without giving up on its principles.

Richard Youngs