Egyptians go to the polls today for the first Presidential election in ... well, ever. There are 13 candidates, and since it's highly unlikely that any one candidate will get a majority there will be a runoff election between the top two candidates in June.
The candidates range from Mubarak era figures to Islamicists, too soon to tell who looks likely to win. But I think the question for Americans is whether we actually believe the position the government has publicly stated over the years - that a democratic votre for a leader is a good thing, even if the leader who's chosen is one we disagree with.
My position is yes, the benefit of free elections supersede the problems that can occur with elected leaders who disagree with us or are ebven explicitly anti-American. At least with elections we actually know what the population's views are, rather than having them suppressed by an elite who may or may not represent the country at large.
But I'm sure some of you will disagree ...
The Muslim Brotherhood vs. Mubaratchiks?
(#281086)Really not the choices I'd hope to see rise to the top, but evidently the ground game is everything in Egypt right now...the two groups with the strongest organizations are fighting it out, and other choices (there's a leftist candidate, a more moderate Muslim, a more orthodox Muslim, and a few others) don't really seem to have a chance.
One item of concern is that the giant Mubarak security state is still mostly intact, albeit now in control of elements who are somewhat more open to input from the public.
M Aurelius was probably right.
Yeah, you have to wonder
(#281094)if the Army will actually allow just anyone to take office. My guess is no, and that would be really, really bad, like civil war bad.
I blame it all on the Internet
Elections are better than
(#281105)no elections, but it takes a lot more than that to be a democracy. Even so I'd agree that in general we at least ought to issue a statement that we respect the results even if don't like them.
The exception to that would be if the winners are in the category of "one man one vote one time", or plan to ethnically cleanse the losers. I wouldn't claim that any of the Egyptian parties are in these categories but there isn't 100% confidence either.
Is it really surprising
(#281107)that only the most ruthless would survive decades of a police state? Throw in a distinctly non-western religio-cultural background and literally anything could happen.
I blame it all on the Internet
Well not anything. Farewell intercourse laws
(#281118)seem to be pretty much off the table at this point, much to the chagrin of the "long goodbye" movement, not to mention American & British conservatives eager to believe secret police propaganda.
M Aurelius was probably right.
Isamicists?
(#281204)I actually agree with your 3rd paragraph. The real question is the extent of the military's involvement and control. Time will tell whether the newly elected president has real authority or is a figurehead.
Government is merely a servant – merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.