Few comments by Elijah Zarwan, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations
President Morsy will struggle to control the levers of state. He will likely face foot-dragging and perhaps outright attempts to undermine his initiatives from key institutions. Faced with such resistance, frustration may tempt him fall into the trap of attempting to throw his new weight around. This would be a mistake. His challenge is to lead a bitterly divided, fearful, and angry population toward a peaceful democratic outcome, without becoming a reviled scapegoat for continued military rule.
Filed under: Middle East, Politics Tagged: | Arab Spring, Egypt, Middle East, Mohammad Mursi
Egypt’s new President Morsy must be allowed time to find his feet. Of course every policy statement he makes re. foreign policy and especially relations with Iran will be analysed through a microscope. Egypt is entitled to seek peaceful relations with all nations. This includes Israel of course as well. The Middle East jigsaw puzzle is a multifaceted and interesting one.
This period of time is a test for all Egyptians. I believe the younger generation is not as easy to manipulate as those of the Nasser era. The Egyptian Actor of “The Kite Runner” fame, 31 y.o. Khalid Abdalla spoke eloquently from Tahrir Square in late January 2011 on the BBC World Service.
A common chant of the children in Tahrir Square then was “Hold your head up high. We are Egyptians”. This current democratic election process is the first time in 5,000 years the Land of the Pharaohs has witnessed a free election of a government. So yes these are momentous times.
Prayers for Egypt.