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Democracy in Egypt?
By Micah Halpern

Saturday August 27, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

September 7th. The first presidential election in Egyptian history.
Ten candidates will vie for the position.
Ten candidates who have no chance at all of winning.
The # 1 spot will certainly remain with the incumbent, Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president for the last 24 years.
But it's a start, a step in the right direction, for Egypt's 72 million citizens.

This election does not mean that Egypt will suddenly become a Western democracy. It does not mean that Egypt will embrace the values of debate and freedom and cast off a long history of dictatorship.
This election signals that change is happening. Slow change. And that is the best way to accomplish true reform in the Arab world.

If you are hoping for success, introduce change in the Arab world through internal reforms created and initiated by the leaders themselves, not by ousting the leaders.
As time goes on the dictator "moves on" in a natural non-violent way and the country inherits a better, freer society.
Then and only then will changes be internalized by the people and integrated into the fabric and values of Arab culture.
True and lasting change in the Arab world will not be due to America's intervention but to internal local transformations.

Marx was wrong.
Revolutions create crisis and catastrophe, never better societies.

4 June 2017 12:14 PM in Thoughts


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