Mubarak steps down. Now comes the tricky bit.
Egypt is not even close to being a democracy. It is a military dictatorship and Hosni Mubarak was a figurehead. Now, the military will be in the position of either continuing to govern through surrogates, in which case a number of powerful generals are liable to start jockying for power, or the military will realize its actual situation and start preparing for democracy. Everything depends on a genuinely honest election in September. But will it be honest? And, if it is, will Islamists gain inordinate power in a country that is ruled–so far–by the pious and the elderly, but mostly populated by a secular, educated youth? It cannot be forgotten that Egypt gave its young people good educations, so they are well capable of self-government.read more