The WSJ:
"... As next year's Egyptian elections approach, some in Washington say the U.S. isn't doing enough to make sure Egypt's coming vote will be free and fair.
President George W. Bush's administration often butted heads with Cairo... Mr. Obama has been less outspoken in calling for political openness across the Mideast. In the case of Egypt, the State Department has reduced funding targeted solely at democracy promotion. It also agreed last year to Cairo's demands that the Egyptian government decide which local groups qualify as nongovernmental organizations and can receive foreign aid...."
If elections result in instability in Egypt, a U.S. ally that long has served as a linchpin for Washington's Middle East policies, it could cause headaches for Washington. And the Obama administration could come under criticism in the Middle East if it is seen as helping extend the Mubarak family's hold on power.
Many Middle East analysts believe Mr. Mubarak is preparing to pass power to his 47-year-old son, Gamal Mubarak, in a move that critics say would imperil democratic development in a key Arab state... Mubarak's son is accompanying him to Washington, an Egyptian official said Tuesday. The official said the younger Mr. Mubarak wouldn't be participating in any formal meetings connected with the peace process.
"Will the U.S. sit back and simply allow Mubarak to fix his transition?" asked Robert Kagan, a security analyst at Washington's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "We're living on borrowed time with Mubarak."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 10:59 AM
Uprooted Palestinian
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