• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Amr Hamzawy"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Egypt"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Will ElBaradei Run in Egypt's Elections?

Mohammed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Association, has injected a new dynamism into the Egyptian political scene, but he is unlikely to be able to mobilize enough people to effect any real change in Egypt.

Link Copied
By Amr Hamzawy
Published on Mar 5, 2010

Source: Chicago Public Radio

Mohammed Elbaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Association, has injected a new dynamism into the Egyptian political scene. He enters the political arena ahead of a difficult political calendar. With parliamentary elections scheduled for late 2010 and presidential elections in 2011, Egypt is heading towards an important period.

Many signs point to the maintenance of the power of the Mubarak regime and the National Democratic Party. ElBaradei has expressed interest in running for the presidency, but that would erquire a constitutional change, and there is no indication that the regime will make that change.

While ElBaradei has garnered significant enthusiasm, and his popularity continues to grow, he is so far incapable of moving the masses. According to Amr Hamzawy, “the opposition spectrum’s most striking feature is stagnation. The parties are weak, losing their constituency, and have aging leaderships. They are also sharply divided between secularists, Islamists, and the domesticated opposition that has worked with the regime.” Despite the hope fostered by Elbaradei, the future portends only more stagnation.

 

About the Author

Amr Hamzawy

Director, Middle East Program

Amr Hamzawy is a senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program. His research and writings focus on Egypt’s and other middle powers’ involvement in regional security in the Middle East, particularly through collective diplomacy and multilateral conflict resolution

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    The Two Key Takeaways From Xi’s Egypt Visit

      Amr Hamzawy

  • Commentary
    The Drone Attack on Egypt and the Widening Middle East War

      Amr Hamzawy

Amr Hamzawy
Director, Middle East Program
Amr Hamzawy
Political ReformEgypt

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 Endowment for International Peace

  • People dancing in the foreground, with a group of people in suites watching and an Air China plane in the background
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Two Key Takeaways From Xi’s Egypt Visit

    Amid celebrations of bilateral ties was a deeper focus on stability in the Middle East.

      Amr Hamzawy

  • Commentary
    Sada
    Gas and Peace: Can Energy Trade Contain Egypt-Israel Conflict?

    Can economic ties help contain conflict between Egypt and Israel, or do they simply postpone confrontation? Drawing on the German-Russian experience, the article examines how the gas deal creates mutual dependence, keeps channels of cooperation open, and raises the cost of conflict, without necessarily delivering lasting peace.

      Nourhan Hefzy

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    As a Former Defense Minister Revolts in Ukraine, Is Zelensky’s System Fracturing?

    The greater threat to Zelensky comes not from Fedorov alone, but from the convergence between the former defense minister’s political campaign and the anti-corruption investigations moving ever closer to the presidential administration.

      Balázs Jarábik

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Fedorov’s Challenge to Zelensky Could Upend Ukrainian Politics

    With his public call for new elections in Ukraine, ex-defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov has opened Pandora’s box.

      Konstantin Skorkin

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Russia’s Rubber-Stamp Duma Elections Are Exposing Schisms in Putin's Regime

    In the discussions made possible by the State Duma election campaign, one question is being asked more and more loudly. “What next?”

      Andrey Pertsev

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.