February 8th, 2011 by Kyle

Marc Lynch, writing at Foreign Policy, addresses the growing concerns over the Obama administration’s seemingly tacit support of Omar Suleiman, and fears that the administration has “abandoned its push for democratic change, and succumbed to short-sighted pragmatism.” Lynch notes the successes of the administration in dealing with Egypt, but states that the hope for Mubarak’s quick flight from the country has passed and attention has shifted to the “much messier terrain of negotiations over the terms of Egypt’s transition.” Lynch believes the administration must carefully analyze how it will use its influence to gain concrete reforms and outlines some initiatives he believes are essential to this: “I would focus on the lifting of the Emergency Law, the dissolution of Parliament, and the creation of a credible, non-biased commission to oversee the transition.  I would also focus on exacting a firm, public commitment from any leader managing the transition — including Suleiman –  that he will not stand for election in September.” Lynch believes an effective way to begin achieving these goals is by creating a special envoy that can closely watch the entire transition process and help to ensure its success in creating democratic reforms.

Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, US foreign policy |