While the recent turmoil in Egypt has focused on President Hosni Mubarak as a corrupt autocrat, it wasn't always that way. In the early days of his presidency, Mubarak was celebrated at home and abroad as a progressive, pro-western ruler who could be a unifying force in Egypt and throughout the middle east.
Hosni Mubarak (b. May 4, 1928) was a distinguished bomber pilot who over several decades rose through the ranks of the Egyptian Air Force, eventually becoming its commander-in-chief. Known as a manager, organizer and arbiter, he was appointed vice president by Anwar El-Sadat in 1975; in 1978, he became vice chairman of the National Democratic Party, the leading political party of the time. Mubarak became the fourth president of the Arab Republic of Egypt and chairman of the NDP when Sadat was assassinated, October 14, 1981.
When he first came to power, Mubarak was considered a man of the people, a person of humble birth who had risen on his own power to a position of prominence. But over the years Mubarak turned to more and more oppressive tactics to retain his grip on the presidency. Because of Mubarak's fairly progressive, modernist leadership in the eyes of the world, Egypt has been a relatively stable centerpiece in an often unstable middle east. But his domestic policies have, ultimately, led to massive street protests and calls for his departure.
Mubarak as a Western Ally
For nearly 3 decades as president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak has been America's steadiest ally in the Arab world. Through two gulf wars and numerous crises and skirmishes, he has toed the line as a supporter of western, secular, moderate policies in the middle east:
- As Vice President, Mubarak was Anwar El-Sadat's hand-picked emissary to many mid-eastern countries in support of the Camp David Accords. In those accords of 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize Israel.
- After becoming president, Mubarak continued Egypt's support for the Arab-Israeli peace accords, despite the fact that his predecessor Sadat had been assassinated (many think) for his part in arranging them.
- Under Mubarak, Egypt stood firmly against Iraq in the first Gulf War and for Saudi Arabia's decision to invite the US-led coalition onto its soil to defend Kuwait's sovereignty. Egyptian forces were, in fact, among the first on the ground. (After the war, Egypt was forgiven $14 billion dollars of debt by America, Europe, and other Arab countries.)
- Mubarak has consistently called for an equitable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to restore peace and stability to the region. He mediated the agreement signed between Israel and the PLO in 1993.
- In the mid-90s, Mubarak took a stance against radical Muslim fundamentalists, especially the Islamic Group, a faction responsible for the deaths of over 60 tourists in Luxor in 1997.
- He has for years kept the Muslim Brotherhood from a position of dominance, though this may have hurt his position, as many view the Brotherhood as a non-clerical, benign alternative to radical Islam.
Mubarak as Domestic Despot
Throughout his "reign," Mubarak has kept a close watch on his opposition, speaking like a populist while ruling with an iron fist in the style of a traditional strong man. In fact, the state of emergency declared when Sadat was murdered was never officially lifted, and Mubarak's rule has been described as a near-dictatorship. But because of his relatively moderate profile in the volatile middle east, Mubarak - like many autocrats before him - has retained the support of Europe and the US. Some examples:
- Despite ruling since 1981, Mubarak was never actually elected, at least not in an internationally-recognized fair democratic contest.
- Dissidents and political activists have been arbitrarily jailed without trial, often for merely speaking ill of the administration's policies. Many have been held at illegal detention centers.
- Political opposition parties been quashed, and multiple elections over 20 years have been rigged.
- Corruption and venality have spread through the government and the police over the years as the costs of keeping Mubarak in power against popular opinion have grown, enriching government functionaries even as the national economy has declined and unemployment risen.
- After supposedly revising the electoral process in the 2005 election, Mubarak had his opponent, dissident politician Ayman Nour, jailed for 5 years on what many considered trumped-up corruption charges.
US Interests and Alternatives in Egypt
In a radio interview on February 1, 2011, Senator John McCain characterized the Egyptian transition of power as a "critical point in the history of the mid-east." While it is evident that the time for change has come, all concerned parties hope that a stable, pro-western government emerges.
Whether that happens remains to be seen. Barack Obama was quick to send an emissary to Egypt asking Mubarak to accede to the wishes of the people, but events on the ground will ultimately have more of an influence than any outside advice or exhortations. Marches throughout Cairo have been described as "festival-like," but that many not continue. If the situation deteriorates, with violent clashes between various factions and pro-government supporters, chaos could follow.
When the Shah of Iran was ousted after similar demonstrations in 1979, many competing forces were in play, but the ensuing power struggle was won by Islamic clerics, and the moderate, pro-western forces in Iran were subjugated to the will of the Islamic fundamentalists. No one - not the US, not Europe, not Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Israel or other Mediterranean countries - wants to see the same thing happen in Egypt.
Sources and Further Reading
"Hosni Mubarak" in The New York Times, February 2, 2011. A full page of informative articles and links related to Mubarak and the Egyptian situation.
"Profile: Hosni Mubarak" Aljazeera.net. January 26, 2011. A concise synopsis of Mubarak's career as president.
"Egypt's Mubarak: From Poverty to the Presidency," by Christopher Torchia, AOL News, February 1, 2011.
"Mubarak's quarter of a century," by Martin Asser, BBC News, October 16, 2006.
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