The fall of the Mubarak regime marks the end of an inglorious chapter in the history of the West. The decision to back a dictator in Egypt in exchange for stability has proved to be as flawed strategically as it was morally. The challenge for the West now is to get itself on the right side of history in this part of the world. Something that not been helped by the Obama administration’s short-sighted slashing of the US’s democracy promotion budget for Egypt.
There are understandable concerns about whether or not the Egyptian military will ever hand over power. The New York Times reports that neither the field marshal nor the lieutenant general who are now effectively running the country are instinctive reformers or democrats. But because of the extremely close links between the Egyptian military and the US, including huge amounts of American military aid to Egypt, we can expect them to be prepared to listen to Washington’s advice.
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