Egypt has taken a baby step toward democracy, said the London Guardian in an editorial. For the first time in 24 years, Hosni Mubarak was not the only name on the presidential ballot when Egyptians went to the polls last week. It was still a foregone conclusion that the longtime Egyptian dictator would be re-elected. But this time he had to go through the motions of waging a campaign against eight other candidates. Even such a 'œpartial, caricatured' exercise of democracy is a meaningful concession in authoritarian Egypt. And it was certainly not Mubarak's idea. 'œIt has to be said that this would not have happened without U.S. pressure on its closest Arab ally.' George W. Bush's vision of 'œa wave of democratic reform rippling' across the Arab world may still be naive, but it is not entirely impossible.
The election was nothing but a public relations stunt, said Haroon Siddiqui in the Toronto Star. The U.S., which props up its 'œclient state' with nearly $2 billion in annual aid, has the leverage to demand real reform and a real election. It declined to do so. It allowed Mubarak, the 'œpharaoh in power since 1981,' to pass election laws that effectively rigged the vote in his favor. Voter registration, for example, was closed before Mubarak announced that he would allow rival candidates. That meant the millions of Egyptians who'd never bothered to vote in the staged, single-candidate elections of the past—but who might cast a ballot if it actually meant something—were barred from the polls. And the country's strongest opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, was banned from fielding a candidate. No wonder more than 70 percent of Egyptians stayed home. The U.S. cannot claim Mubarak's re-election as a success in its quest to spread democracy.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Is the death penalty racist? Of course it is.'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Today's political cartoons - May 8, 2024Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - social media guilt, gag orders, and more
-
Boy Scouts changes name to Scouting AmericaSpeed Read The organization is rebranding, citing inclusivity
-
No equipment for Afghanistanfeature The U.S. has reportedly decided to hand over to Pakistan some $7 billion worth of American military hardware currently in Afghanistan.
-
How they see us: Crudely insulting our allies
feature Well, at least we know now what the Americans really think of us.
-
Spied-upon Germans are not mollified
feature In the wake of revelations last year about the NSA's spying activities, relations between Germany and the U.S. have been at an all-time low.
-
Is a deal with the U.S. in Iran’s interest?
feature The “unprecedented enthusiasm” of Western diplomats after the talks in Geneva suggests they received unexpected concessions from the Iranians.
-
How they see us: Sowing chaos in Libya
feature The kidnapping of Abu Anas al-Libi is an outrage committed against Libyan sovereignty—and it will have repercussions.
-
Europe is complicit in spying
feature It’s not just the Americans who have developed a gigantic spying apparatus.
-
Protecting Snowden
feature American whistle-blower Edward Snowden has proved a master spy with his “meticulously timed operation.”
-
Listening in on Europeans
feature Europeans are apoplectic over the U.S. National Security Agency's massive PRISM surveillance program.