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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned today after heavy popular and international pressure and most likely, an ultimatum from his own military. A new Egypt is being formed but it is unclear what it will look like, though the Muslim Brotherhood is certain to play a major role. The balance of power in the Middle East may soon dramatically change as the Obama administration appears indecisive and confused about the true nature of the Brotherhood.
On Thursday, senior Egyptian officials told the press that Mubarak would announce his resignation later that day. The military commander in Cairo told the protestors that “All your demands will be met today” and following a day’s worth of meetings between the members of the Supreme Military Council that excluded Mubarak, it declared its support “for the legitimate demands on the people.” It seemed certain that the military had told Mubarak that his time was up.
Mubarak’s defiant speech later that day offered no concessions and brought the rage of the Egyptian people to a whole new level. He only said that some powers would be transferred to Vice President Omar Suleiman without offering any detail. Today, the protestors marched on his presidential palaces in Cairo and Alexandria and the state television building. He was forced to flee Cairo and shortly after, it was announced that he was resigning and the Supreme Military Council would take over.
The military was probably compelled to finally kick Mubarak out because of the deteriorating security situation. The institution is tasked with protecting the nation and it had to take action as violent clashes erupted, riots broke out in the area of the Suez Canal and spreading labor strikes paralyzed the economy, especially its crucial tourism sector. Soldiers are being photographed with protestors and were seen smiling when the news broke.
The Supreme Military Council is claiming it will guide a democratic transition and will honor “the legitimate demands of the people.” It is now being reported that the Council will fire the entire government, suspend both houses of parliament and jointly rule with the chief of the Supreme Constitutional Court.
In the short-term, the military takeover benefits Western interests because it will bring stability that could prevent a governmental collapse that permits the Muslim Brotherhood to immediately take power. The economic crisis caused by the unrest would also be exploited by the Islamists. The change in power also ensures that a leadership hostile to radical Islam is in power that understands the threat of the Brotherhood.
Omar Suleiman is a friend of the U.S. who despises the Islamists. A 2006 cable said that the working relationship with Suleiman is “now probably the most successful element” of the American-Egyptian alliance. The released documents show that he refers to the Iranians as “devils” and warned the U.S. in 2006 that the Brotherhood had inspired “11 different Islamist extremist organizations,” which the State Department thought was an effort to make the Brotherhood a “bogey man.” A U.S. diplomat wrote in an August 2008 cable that “there is no question that Israel is most comfortable” with Suleiman taking power in Egypt instead of Mubarak’s son.
However, the Supreme Military Council won’t be in power forever. Islam scholar Robert Spencer, director of JihadWatch.org, told FrontPage that “This is the Muslim Brotherhood’s big chance. They are in the best position they ever have been in to take power in Egypt.” He suggested that the Brotherhood won’t immediately seize the country, but will dominate a coalition government and later begin ousting rival parties.
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