The great land of Pharaohs is all set for a political showdown. The powerful political edifice built over a period of more than three decades by one of the most influential leaders of Arab World seems to be crumbling with the pitch of political dissent getting louder and louder.
Reports from Egypt suggest that the protests against the authoritarian regime of Hosni Mubarak had been simmering from quite a long time, given the magnitude of public participation, throughout the country. The immediate spark was, supplied by neighbouring Tunisia, where the dictatorial regime of Ben Ali was toppled in the wake of massive public protests.
The expression of repressed anger and frustration on the streets of Cairo and other major cities is indicative of the serious structural crisis, the economy and polity of the country is going through. Declining oil production, rising food prices, swelling military budgets, lack of spending in developmental initiatives, especially in infrastructure besides low wages, burgeoning employment and corruption are believed to be the known causes of widespread anger. The unknown reasons could be a multitude of torture and detention centers and secret courts.
Hosni Mubarak, in the latest televised speech as a last moment conciliatory effort to pacify the common Egyptians, made a series of promises which include the offer of talks with all shades of opinions, the transfer of power in a constitutional and peaceful manner after the coming elections, and a crusade against corruption. However the dissenting public is in no mood to listen, who want his immediate ouster even when he made his intentions of not running for presidency again, quite clear. Whatever be the fate of Hosni Mubarak and the internal political scenario, only time will tell. However there is an external dimension to the Egyptian imbroglio.
The US considers Egypt is a strategic pivot and a vital ally in the ‘war on terror’. Egypt has been a trusted ally of US as part of its Israel policy and equally important is the fact it is the reliable neighbour of Israel and probably the only friend in the Arab world. Significantly Egypt is the single largest market worldwide for American wheat and corn. What makes the situation further grim for US and Israel is the fear of Ikhwan-ul-Muslimoon gaining political control of Egypt.
So far the response of the US has been very cautious and what remains to be seen is whether the Superpower is on the side of democracy and freedom of expression or a mere savior of its self-interests.
