Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Regardless of who takes over after Egyptian President Mubarak's resignation, the United States should do what it can to support a transition to genuine democracy and free and fair elections.
President Mubarak’s speech on February 10 disappointed Egyptian protesters and was out of touch with the situation facing Egypt.
The protesters in Egypt must look beyond the issue of whether and when President Mubarak will step down and begin to consider what it will take to engage in an orderly transition to democracy in Egypt.
The long-standing U.S. relationship with Egypt makes it problematic for the Obama administration to remain silent on violence committed by the regime as the protests continue.
The Egyptian constitution does not give citizens the means to challenge the state and thus could help the Mubarak regime maintain the status quo in Egypt.
While the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia might been triggered by the economy, issues of governance and the need for political reform are at the heart of the demonstrations.
The gap between Egyptian society, particularly the younger element, and the government has been widening over the past several years and has greatly contributed to the current protests in Egypt.
As demonstrators continue calls for President Hosni Mubarak's immediate resignation, the United States faces diplomatic challenges in its relationship with Egypt.
The growing gap between Egypt’s extremely young population and the Mubarak regime, combined with the regime’s inability to recognize that gap, helped catalyze the unrest in Egypt.
The United States should not allow apprehensions about a democratic Egypt’s potential foreign policy to hinder its support for free and fair elections.