Pharaoh's End
Protests rocked Egypt, calling into question whether President Hosni Mubarak's regime can survive. FP asked five top experts how Barack Obama should respond to the growing signs of revolt on Egypt's streets.
JANUARY 28, 2011
View the FP photo essay on Egypt's "Day of Rage."
Shadi Hamid: How Obama Got Egypt Wrong
Sherif Mansour: It's Freedom, Stupid
Emad Shahin: Obama Still Doesn't Know What To Do About Arab Autocrats
Daniel Brumberg: Mubarak Is Prepared to Fight
Nathan Brown: Speak Softly, But Sweet Talk Them Out of Using a Big Stick
Egypt's regime is teetering. Most of those out on the streets have known only one president; over nearly six decades, Egypt has known only three. At this point almost any outcome is possible --return to stagnation, continued unrest, a gentle retirement for President Hosni Mubarak when his term ends later this year, even regime collapse. U.S. interests in Egypt are many and they are long term in nature. The United States needs to make policy with an eye on the future without knowing what tomorrow will bring. But it is therefore especially important to remember that while this is a critical moment, it is primarily an Egyptian moment with primarily Egyptian players.
Placing Egypt at the center of U.S. thinking does not mean writing America out. The United States is neither a totally innocent bystander nor a totally powerless actor.
The U.S. government is not innocent as it has closely associated itself with the regime, supplied it with generous assistance, and closely knitted the two countries' regional policies together in many areas. Tension in the relationship has been steady, but most Egyptians regard their regime as overly solicitous of American concerns. America is not a major issue in events yet, and the Obama team should strive to keep the United States from becoming one.
But if U.S. policymakers are operating a bit in the dark and unable to drive events, they are not totally powerless. The demonstrators on the streets will likely heed few of Obama's words, but Egypt's rulers will want to know something about their international position and reputation. If Obama signals clearly that he would be horrified if they lean toward a brutal response, his stand will figure into their calculations.
Obama's tone should be polite and focus on Egypt's long-term future. He need not endorse the protests but should make clear that a regime that rules only on the basis of brute force is not a promising long-term partner. The Untied States need not disassociate itself entirely from Egypt's rulers, but can gently suggest that some of their methods give pause.
And as Americans, all of us should keep reminding ourselves that if this is an Egyptian moment, we need to resist the temptation to understand it only in terms of U.S. domestic politics. The Obama administration has sensibly refrained from taking credit for events; its supporters should do the same even if the outcome is ultimately positive. And if Obama's critics react (as some have begun to do) by bouncing between blaming him for allowing Islamists to glimpse power and excoriating his timidity in the face of an autocrat, we should tune them out.
Nor is this a time to succumb to Ikwanophobia. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is a player in events, but not the primary one. If it emerges as a more savvy and influential political player, that is a positive development for Egypt -- so long as it is one player among many others. Egypt's rulers missed an opportunity to build a healthier political system that incorporated more actors earlier in this decade. They decided to shore up cronyism and autocracy rather than embrace pluralism and democracy. They may now be given a second chance. We cannot make them take it, but we can sweetly suggest they resist the urge to smash it.
Nathan J. Brown is professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.
Shadi Hamid: How Obama Got Egypt Wrong
The Obama administration's initial response to the ongoing Egyptian revolt was disappointing, but not surprising. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, perhaps unwittingly, conveyed the essential thrust of U.S. policy Tuesday when she called the Egyptian regime "stable." For decades, the United States has prioritized a now clearly illusory stability over American ideals. It appears the administration, slowly, is realizing its mistake -- and that of its predecessors. President Obama's remarks earlier today -- in which he spoke of the universal rights of the Egyptian people - suggested a possible shift in tone. This, however, may prove a perfect example of "too little, too late."
Those who propose the United States somehow adopt an approach of "noninterference" should remember that silence will be interpreted as complicity by Egyptians. America, after all, far from a bystander, is the Egyptian regime's primary benefactor. The billions it has given Egypt in economic and military aid means that the United States, more than any other country, enjoys significant leverage with Egypt. Now is the time to use it.
For starters, stronger rhetoric is necessary. This is not the time for expressions of "concern." The gravity of the situation, and the sacrifices of the protesters, requires a more appropriate language. It is worth looking back at the "color revolutions" of Eastern Europe for inspiration. During Ukraine's second round of (fraudulent) elections in 2004, then Secretary of State Colin Powell said the following: "If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly, there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration, and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud." [Open to something else instead]
What should the goal of U.S. pressure be? First, to prevent the Egyptian regime from using excessive force, to permit protesters the right to peacefully assemble, and to ensure that what happened Friday -- an unprecedented blockage of Internet and mobile services-- does not happen again. It should then be made clear that the U.S.-Egypt relationship will suffer if those expectations are not met. This, for example, may include cutting military aid.
America was rightly credited for playing a significant role in facilitating democratic transitions in Ukraine as well as Georgia and Serbia (though the follow-through may have been lacking). If the United States is seen as helping make another transition possible, this time in Egypt, it will give Americans much-needed credibility in the region. Successful transitions in Egypt and Tunisia could herald a reimagined relationship between the United States and the Arab world, as Obama promised in his 2009 Cairo address, titled "A New Beginning."
Lastly, no one should underestimate the crucial role of international actors. Rarely do successful democratic transitions occur without constructive engagement from Western governments and organizations.
Of course, a major question remains: does the United States, in fact, want real democracy in Egypt? Or would it prefer that the current regime -- perhaps after agreeing to reforms -- somehow stay in power? Answering that may be one of the most important things President Obama does this year.
Shadi Hamid is director of research at the Brookings Doha Center and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.
Sherif Mansour: It's Freedom, Stupid
There's only one lesson that American foreign policymakers should take from recent events in Tunisia and Egypt: freedom matters. The United States has continually supported Mubarak and other oppressive regimes in the region, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The Obama administration it finds itself between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose whether to support the ideals of freedom and democracy it espouses and run the risk that in the aftermath, the United States will have lost its allies in the region, or stick with the devil it knows.
If the administration is smart, it will see the writing on the wall and realize that the old order in Egypt, and conceivably the rest of the Middle East, is gone forever. When the smoke clears, Washington will want to be on the right side of history. The United States must now withdraw its support, both financial and symbolic, from the Mubarak regime and avoid any further ties to its oppression.
The retreat of the police force in the major cities Friday indicates the end of the oldest and most repressive police state in the Middle East region. Obama should publicly acknowledge this fact. The Egyptian people have spoken, and the Egyptian regime should follow the police into the dustbin of history. The Egyptian army shouldn't replace police's role in repressing demonstrators, but rather ensure that the Egyptian people's aspirations for freedom and democracy and dignity are met.
Most of all, Obama should make his actions speak louder than words. In these moments of truth, the United States should always take the side of the people. It should offer its help in building democratic institutions while refraining from endorsing any particular candidate or party. It should freeze its foreign-aid package to Egypt until a more just, transparent, and accountable government is in place.
Moreover, Obama should move before it is too late. More important than what the U.S. president says is when he says it. For two years, Egypt experts have urged Obama to put greater pressure on the Egyptian regime, but their words fall on deaf ears. It is time for Obama to respond like he did in Tunisia and hail the courage of the Egyptian people -- but before Mubarak's regime utterly collapses, because at that point it will be too late.
Sherif Mansour is senior programs officer at Freedom House.
Emad Shahin: Obama Still Doesn't Know What To Do About Arab Autocrats
President Obama, in his State of the Union address this week, assured Tunisians and the people of the Middle East of America's support of their democratic aspirations. Yet, on her statement on the same day on the popular protests in Egypt, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Hosni Mubarak's government as "stable" and said it was "looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people." This apparent contradiction clearly demonstrates that when it comes to aspiration of democratic changes in the Arab world, the U.S. administration is completely out of touch with reality.
The reality is that Mubarak's government seems stable thanks only to massive repression, his disempowering of civil society, and the financial and security support of his Western allies. This is not a different reality from the one shared by other U.S. allies in the region, such as Jordan, Tunisia, and Yemen, all of which are now challenged by massive demonstrations.
It is clear that the United States has been taken by surprise by the extent of the popular anger. To catch up with the quickly unfolding events, it has been sending mixed messages to close allies and their angry populations alike. With rhetoric oscillating between pragmatic realism and Jeffersonian idealism, the Obama administration has expressed willingness to help the regimes carry out necessary reforms; urged all parties to refrain from violence; and acknowledge the "universal" rights of the people. The real story is that the United States, and, for that matter the European Union, is still conducting business as usual and wants to see social, economic, and political reform take place from within the existing regime.
But how about what the people want? And can the United States afford to ignore, or underestimate the message these angry citizens are trying to send? The people of the region are fed up with decades of repression, corruption, and humiliation. Their demands are clear: a total break with an authoritarian past and a new beginning of freedom, social justice, and dignity.
The Obama administration needs to realize that it cannot thread the needle. The status quo is hard -- if not impossible -- to sustain. These protests are unprecedented in intensity and in the unyielding nature of their agenda. Driven by frustrated youth, they involve a wider swath of society and embrace economic and political goals that cannot easily be separated, as in past protests.
U.S. support for Middle East dictators has spawned deep anti-American sentiments in the Arab world, and chaotic Iraq and Afghanistan hardly present an attractive model. The best thing the United States can do now is to back off and let the peoples of the region chart their own course. Shoring up repressive rulers and denying citizens their legitimate democratic rights out of fear of change or an Islamist takeover will no longer work, if it ever did. The popular uprisings across the Arab world go beyond ideology and religion. They are about freedom, social justice and democracy. That's what America is supposed to stand for. Why should the Middle East be any different?
Emad Shahin is the Henry R. Luce associate professor of religion at the University of Notre Dame.
Daniel Brumberg: Mubarak Is Prepared to Fight
President Hosni Mubarak is not going anywhere: that's the message of his late night televised statement. And it is hardly surprising. Whatever we may think of him, he is not going to grab the gold and head for the hills (or sands), Ben Ali style. There is no reason to assume that he doesn't believe what he said: Mubarak views himself as a loyal Egyptian citizen who has steered a difficult course between the quest for stability and economic modernization and the exigencies of democracy. He believes that the quest for safety, jobs and security must bound the limits of freedom, or there will be chaos (fawda). He has spent his life striking this difficult balance, he told us, and thus he is not about to give up now.
That this reasoning will fall on deaf ears is something Mubarak either doesn't understand or will not tolerate. This action presages a more severe crackdown, but one that might be followed by an effort to heal wounds. Indeed, when a severe-looking Mubarak promised a "dialogue," he may have been signaling his desire to emulate previous Egyptian leaders by reaching out to the opposition after a period of discontent and renewed repression.
This cycle goes back to 1974, when Anwar Sadat initiated his "Infitah" policy. Seven years later, following his efforts to repress dissent, he was gunned down by a radical Islamist and member of the military, who proudly declared, "I have shot the Pharaoh." The man sitting next to Sadat, Vice President Mubarak, took the mantle of the presidency and then declared a new day of political reconciliation and openness.
Is it back to the future? Can Mubarak -- or indeed anyone from the top echelons of the political pyramid -- distance themselves from the very system over which they have presided for thirty years?
I have my doubts. What I am sure of is that the mass protests of the last days have revealed a new social landscape -- one that could help turn a popular rebellion into a democratic revolution. Whether this happens through a prolonged struggle to recast liberalized autocracy from within, or a shorter street battle that topples the regime, is hard to say. But one thing is clear: Egypt's new social landscape is defined by an alliance of angry youth whose political identities cannot be reduced to religion or faith.
In making this assertion, I am not embracing the "post-Islamist" thesis that has received renewed attention since Tunisia's revolution burst on the scene. Indeed, rumors of the inevitable irrelevance of Islamists have been greatly exaggerated. But what we do have in today's Egypt, and in Tunisia as well, is the growing desire of a vulnerable urban middle class youth to bridge the gap between Islamist and non-Islamist identities and agendas.
If Islamists and non-Islamists, as well as Muslims and Copts, can join together, they will undercut the fear-mongering strategies that autocrats throughout the Arab world have long used to secure support from those groups that fear an "Islamist" takeover. This is reason enough for veteran Islamists to set aside the ambiguities that characterize their ideologies, and in so doing, fully embrace the premises and rules of democratic pluralism.
Daniel Brumberg is a senior advisor to the Center for Conflict Management at the United States Institute of Peace and co-director of Democracy and Governance Studies at Georgetown University.
JANUARY 28, 2011
View the FP photo essay on Egypt's "Day of Rage."
Shadi Hamid: How Obama Got Egypt Wrong
Sherif Mansour: It's Freedom, Stupid
Emad Shahin: Obama Still Doesn't Know What To Do About Arab Autocrats
Daniel Brumberg: Mubarak Is Prepared to Fight
Nathan Brown: Speak Softly, But Sweet Talk Them Out of Using a Big Stick
Egypt's regime is teetering. Most of those out on the streets have known only one president; over nearly six decades, Egypt has known only three. At this point almost any outcome is possible --return to stagnation, continued unrest, a gentle retirement for President Hosni Mubarak when his term ends later this year, even regime collapse. U.S. interests in Egypt are many and they are long term in nature. The United States needs to make policy with an eye on the future without knowing what tomorrow will bring. But it is therefore especially important to remember that while this is a critical moment, it is primarily an Egyptian moment with primarily Egyptian players.
Placing Egypt at the center of U.S. thinking does not mean writing America out. The United States is neither a totally innocent bystander nor a totally powerless actor.
The U.S. government is not innocent as it has closely associated itself with the regime, supplied it with generous assistance, and closely knitted the two countries' regional policies together in many areas. Tension in the relationship has been steady, but most Egyptians regard their regime as overly solicitous of American concerns. America is not a major issue in events yet, and the Obama team should strive to keep the United States from becoming one.
But if U.S. policymakers are operating a bit in the dark and unable to drive events, they are not totally powerless. The demonstrators on the streets will likely heed few of Obama's words, but Egypt's rulers will want to know something about their international position and reputation. If Obama signals clearly that he would be horrified if they lean toward a brutal response, his stand will figure into their calculations.
Obama's tone should be polite and focus on Egypt's long-term future. He need not endorse the protests but should make clear that a regime that rules only on the basis of brute force is not a promising long-term partner. The Untied States need not disassociate itself entirely from Egypt's rulers, but can gently suggest that some of their methods give pause.
And as Americans, all of us should keep reminding ourselves that if this is an Egyptian moment, we need to resist the temptation to understand it only in terms of U.S. domestic politics. The Obama administration has sensibly refrained from taking credit for events; its supporters should do the same even if the outcome is ultimately positive. And if Obama's critics react (as some have begun to do) by bouncing between blaming him for allowing Islamists to glimpse power and excoriating his timidity in the face of an autocrat, we should tune them out.
Nor is this a time to succumb to Ikwanophobia. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is a player in events, but not the primary one. If it emerges as a more savvy and influential political player, that is a positive development for Egypt -- so long as it is one player among many others. Egypt's rulers missed an opportunity to build a healthier political system that incorporated more actors earlier in this decade. They decided to shore up cronyism and autocracy rather than embrace pluralism and democracy. They may now be given a second chance. We cannot make them take it, but we can sweetly suggest they resist the urge to smash it.
Nathan J. Brown is professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.
Shadi Hamid: How Obama Got Egypt Wrong
The Obama administration's initial response to the ongoing Egyptian revolt was disappointing, but not surprising. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, perhaps unwittingly, conveyed the essential thrust of U.S. policy Tuesday when she called the Egyptian regime "stable." For decades, the United States has prioritized a now clearly illusory stability over American ideals. It appears the administration, slowly, is realizing its mistake -- and that of its predecessors. President Obama's remarks earlier today -- in which he spoke of the universal rights of the Egyptian people - suggested a possible shift in tone. This, however, may prove a perfect example of "too little, too late."
Those who propose the United States somehow adopt an approach of "noninterference" should remember that silence will be interpreted as complicity by Egyptians. America, after all, far from a bystander, is the Egyptian regime's primary benefactor. The billions it has given Egypt in economic and military aid means that the United States, more than any other country, enjoys significant leverage with Egypt. Now is the time to use it.
For starters, stronger rhetoric is necessary. This is not the time for expressions of "concern." The gravity of the situation, and the sacrifices of the protesters, requires a more appropriate language. It is worth looking back at the "color revolutions" of Eastern Europe for inspiration. During Ukraine's second round of (fraudulent) elections in 2004, then Secretary of State Colin Powell said the following: "If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly, there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration, and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud." [Open to something else instead]
What should the goal of U.S. pressure be? First, to prevent the Egyptian regime from using excessive force, to permit protesters the right to peacefully assemble, and to ensure that what happened Friday -- an unprecedented blockage of Internet and mobile services-- does not happen again. It should then be made clear that the U.S.-Egypt relationship will suffer if those expectations are not met. This, for example, may include cutting military aid.
America was rightly credited for playing a significant role in facilitating democratic transitions in Ukraine as well as Georgia and Serbia (though the follow-through may have been lacking). If the United States is seen as helping make another transition possible, this time in Egypt, it will give Americans much-needed credibility in the region. Successful transitions in Egypt and Tunisia could herald a reimagined relationship between the United States and the Arab world, as Obama promised in his 2009 Cairo address, titled "A New Beginning."
Lastly, no one should underestimate the crucial role of international actors. Rarely do successful democratic transitions occur without constructive engagement from Western governments and organizations.
Of course, a major question remains: does the United States, in fact, want real democracy in Egypt? Or would it prefer that the current regime -- perhaps after agreeing to reforms -- somehow stay in power? Answering that may be one of the most important things President Obama does this year.
Shadi Hamid is director of research at the Brookings Doha Center and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.
Sherif Mansour: It's Freedom, Stupid
There's only one lesson that American foreign policymakers should take from recent events in Tunisia and Egypt: freedom matters. The United States has continually supported Mubarak and other oppressive regimes in the region, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The Obama administration it finds itself between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose whether to support the ideals of freedom and democracy it espouses and run the risk that in the aftermath, the United States will have lost its allies in the region, or stick with the devil it knows.
If the administration is smart, it will see the writing on the wall and realize that the old order in Egypt, and conceivably the rest of the Middle East, is gone forever. When the smoke clears, Washington will want to be on the right side of history. The United States must now withdraw its support, both financial and symbolic, from the Mubarak regime and avoid any further ties to its oppression.
The retreat of the police force in the major cities Friday indicates the end of the oldest and most repressive police state in the Middle East region. Obama should publicly acknowledge this fact. The Egyptian people have spoken, and the Egyptian regime should follow the police into the dustbin of history. The Egyptian army shouldn't replace police's role in repressing demonstrators, but rather ensure that the Egyptian people's aspirations for freedom and democracy and dignity are met.
Most of all, Obama should make his actions speak louder than words. In these moments of truth, the United States should always take the side of the people. It should offer its help in building democratic institutions while refraining from endorsing any particular candidate or party. It should freeze its foreign-aid package to Egypt until a more just, transparent, and accountable government is in place.
Moreover, Obama should move before it is too late. More important than what the U.S. president says is when he says it. For two years, Egypt experts have urged Obama to put greater pressure on the Egyptian regime, but their words fall on deaf ears. It is time for Obama to respond like he did in Tunisia and hail the courage of the Egyptian people -- but before Mubarak's regime utterly collapses, because at that point it will be too late.
Sherif Mansour is senior programs officer at Freedom House.
Emad Shahin: Obama Still Doesn't Know What To Do About Arab Autocrats
President Obama, in his State of the Union address this week, assured Tunisians and the people of the Middle East of America's support of their democratic aspirations. Yet, on her statement on the same day on the popular protests in Egypt, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Hosni Mubarak's government as "stable" and said it was "looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people." This apparent contradiction clearly demonstrates that when it comes to aspiration of democratic changes in the Arab world, the U.S. administration is completely out of touch with reality.
The reality is that Mubarak's government seems stable thanks only to massive repression, his disempowering of civil society, and the financial and security support of his Western allies. This is not a different reality from the one shared by other U.S. allies in the region, such as Jordan, Tunisia, and Yemen, all of which are now challenged by massive demonstrations.
It is clear that the United States has been taken by surprise by the extent of the popular anger. To catch up with the quickly unfolding events, it has been sending mixed messages to close allies and their angry populations alike. With rhetoric oscillating between pragmatic realism and Jeffersonian idealism, the Obama administration has expressed willingness to help the regimes carry out necessary reforms; urged all parties to refrain from violence; and acknowledge the "universal" rights of the people. The real story is that the United States, and, for that matter the European Union, is still conducting business as usual and wants to see social, economic, and political reform take place from within the existing regime.
But how about what the people want? And can the United States afford to ignore, or underestimate the message these angry citizens are trying to send? The people of the region are fed up with decades of repression, corruption, and humiliation. Their demands are clear: a total break with an authoritarian past and a new beginning of freedom, social justice, and dignity.
The Obama administration needs to realize that it cannot thread the needle. The status quo is hard -- if not impossible -- to sustain. These protests are unprecedented in intensity and in the unyielding nature of their agenda. Driven by frustrated youth, they involve a wider swath of society and embrace economic and political goals that cannot easily be separated, as in past protests.
U.S. support for Middle East dictators has spawned deep anti-American sentiments in the Arab world, and chaotic Iraq and Afghanistan hardly present an attractive model. The best thing the United States can do now is to back off and let the peoples of the region chart their own course. Shoring up repressive rulers and denying citizens their legitimate democratic rights out of fear of change or an Islamist takeover will no longer work, if it ever did. The popular uprisings across the Arab world go beyond ideology and religion. They are about freedom, social justice and democracy. That's what America is supposed to stand for. Why should the Middle East be any different?
Emad Shahin is the Henry R. Luce associate professor of religion at the University of Notre Dame.
Daniel Brumberg: Mubarak Is Prepared to Fight
President Hosni Mubarak is not going anywhere: that's the message of his late night televised statement. And it is hardly surprising. Whatever we may think of him, he is not going to grab the gold and head for the hills (or sands), Ben Ali style. There is no reason to assume that he doesn't believe what he said: Mubarak views himself as a loyal Egyptian citizen who has steered a difficult course between the quest for stability and economic modernization and the exigencies of democracy. He believes that the quest for safety, jobs and security must bound the limits of freedom, or there will be chaos (fawda). He has spent his life striking this difficult balance, he told us, and thus he is not about to give up now.
That this reasoning will fall on deaf ears is something Mubarak either doesn't understand or will not tolerate. This action presages a more severe crackdown, but one that might be followed by an effort to heal wounds. Indeed, when a severe-looking Mubarak promised a "dialogue," he may have been signaling his desire to emulate previous Egyptian leaders by reaching out to the opposition after a period of discontent and renewed repression.
This cycle goes back to 1974, when Anwar Sadat initiated his "Infitah" policy. Seven years later, following his efforts to repress dissent, he was gunned down by a radical Islamist and member of the military, who proudly declared, "I have shot the Pharaoh." The man sitting next to Sadat, Vice President Mubarak, took the mantle of the presidency and then declared a new day of political reconciliation and openness.
Is it back to the future? Can Mubarak -- or indeed anyone from the top echelons of the political pyramid -- distance themselves from the very system over which they have presided for thirty years?
I have my doubts. What I am sure of is that the mass protests of the last days have revealed a new social landscape -- one that could help turn a popular rebellion into a democratic revolution. Whether this happens through a prolonged struggle to recast liberalized autocracy from within, or a shorter street battle that topples the regime, is hard to say. But one thing is clear: Egypt's new social landscape is defined by an alliance of angry youth whose political identities cannot be reduced to religion or faith.
In making this assertion, I am not embracing the "post-Islamist" thesis that has received renewed attention since Tunisia's revolution burst on the scene. Indeed, rumors of the inevitable irrelevance of Islamists have been greatly exaggerated. But what we do have in today's Egypt, and in Tunisia as well, is the growing desire of a vulnerable urban middle class youth to bridge the gap between Islamist and non-Islamist identities and agendas.
If Islamists and non-Islamists, as well as Muslims and Copts, can join together, they will undercut the fear-mongering strategies that autocrats throughout the Arab world have long used to secure support from those groups that fear an "Islamist" takeover. This is reason enough for veteran Islamists to set aside the ambiguities that characterize their ideologies, and in so doing, fully embrace the premises and rules of democratic pluralism.
Daniel Brumberg is a senior advisor to the Center for Conflict Management at the United States Institute of Peace and co-director of Democracy and Governance Studies at Georgetown University.
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