The current unrest in the Arab world caught most people by surprise—both inside and outside the region—and has fundamentally upended several conventional beliefs about the Arab world.
In many of Egypt's economic and religious institutions, mini-revolutions seem to be brewing against leaders who had been co-opted into serving the Mubarak regime.
Egypt’s growing middle class, large civil society, and well-developed state institutions may enable it to achieve a successful democratic transition.
If Egypt can make the transition to democracy, it will lead the way to a new era for the Arab world. If Cairo falls back to dictatorship of one variety or another, it is unlikely the rest of the region will move on without it.
Proposed amendments to Egypt’s constitution meet some longstanding opposition and civil society demands but may also create new uncertainties.
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood faces the challenge of converting selected parts of a movement with a broad social, religious, and political set of agendas into a more narrowly focused political party.
In spite of the massive popular protests that have swept away two Arab strongmen and shaken half a dozen monarchies and republics, the Arab world has yet to witness any fundamental change in ruling elites and even less in the nature of governance.
The Egyptian public must recognize that freedom from authority and corruption requires citizens who follow through with the measures needed for reconstruction and institutional reform, not merely the removal of individual personalities from power.
If the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood cannot manage the tensions within the organization between young members with new energy and the old guard, they may not be able to position themselves as central to Egypt’s political transition.
If the United States offers assistance for the development of political parties to Egypt, such aid should go to all legal parties, potentially including the Muslim Brotherhood, or Washington risks undermining U.S. credibility as a pro-democratic actor.