Ambassador John Bolton On The Egyptian Events

By Semperpapa

Worrisome is probably the best way to describe the succession of events in Egypt in the last few days.
Demonstrations in the streets have pinned the people against the police and the military, deployed by Hosny Mubarek, the Egyptian president whose ousting is part of the demands of the population.

Regardless of VP Joe Biden’s remarks, Mubarek has been a dictatorial figure in Egyptian politics for the last three decades, and his son, who fled to London, was slated by his father to succeed in the presidential position.

When it comes to analyzing a situation like the one shaping up in Cairo and other cities, there is no person more qualified than former UN Ambassador John Bolton.

During an interview on Fox News, Amb. Bolton made some interesting points, involving the Muslim Brotherhood.
This is a radical Islamic organization native of Egypt and whose tentacles have been spanning the rest of the globe, including the United States.
There is no doubt that MB is considered, including by Bolton, as a tangible force of radicalism in the current events. From the interview on Fox:

I think what's clearly happened today [in Egypt] is that the Muslim Brotherhood, the radical Islamist party in Egypt has called it's supporters into the street. I don't think it was present on the first two or three days.

Mr. Bolton is of the opinion that the MB called its supporters to take to the streets, a direct threat to the Egyptian military. According to Bolton, the military is the real government in the country and has been since the days of Nasser. Mubarek is the president as long as the military is willing to let him be.
This means that the evolvement that must be carefully considered is the infiltration that the Muslim Brotherhood has been able to achieve within the military. Bolton adds:

I don't think we have evidence yet that these demonstrations are necessarily about democracy. You know the old saying, "one person, one vote, one time." The Muslim Brotherhood doesn't care about democracy, if they get into power you're not going to have free and fair elections either.

And as far as the way the US should conduct itself right now, Bolton

Let's be clear what the stakes are for the United States.. We have an authoritarian regime in power that has been our ally. We don't know at this point what the real alternatives are.

John Bolton is also of the opinion that the demonstrations came so quickly and high in intensity that even the Muslim Brotherhood got taken by surprise. That explains the delay in MB participation in the protests. Now that the events have become self-feeding, MB is sure to seek positioning in what may be the after-Mubarek Egypt.

That is where the danger of the situation lays, because a country under Muslim Brotherhood’s control would be one that completely opposed to any democratic approach and in tune with strict Sharia law.
Moreover, John Bolton continues, the idea of the Suez Canal in the hand of radical Islamists is of great concern for the whole globe.

At this time the news from Egypt are of great chaos in the streets. Thousands of protesters defy the curfew to take to the streets and clash with the police and military forces. Some of the latest tell us that, while violence is still occurring, some police officers and military members shed their uniforms to join the protesters.

Mubarek went on Egyptian TV and called for the government to resign, but did not include himself in the mist of those who he wants gone. This will most likely not quell the protesters.

The best case scenario is for a moderate individual emerging from the smoke and chaos of the unrest. A moderate that would still keep the Muslim Brotherhood at bay and out of the political scene, maintaining an open connection with the West and continuing to be at peace with Israel.

The worst case scenario is the radical Islamists gain power in Egypt, squeezing through the chaos of the moment to place themselves in control of the nation. If the military has been infected by Islamic radicalism enough, the result would be devastating for the entire region.

And Iran has been hailing the unrest in Egypt.
Is it just a smoke screen that the Teheran government is putting up because they may be preoccupied by the epidemic of popular revolt? Or is Iran somehow involved in the spark of the events and in the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood?

Regardless, the situation in Egypt, just as much as the one in Lebanon, should be monitored by our intelligence services, because the stakes are very high for the United States, for Israel and Europe.

Just my thoughts!