Endgame in Egypt

After ten days of protests in Cairo — and other cities — badly disrupting life, everyone seems ready for President Hosni Mubarak to quit. With the exception of the president himself, who insists there will be chaos if he steps down now. This argument ignores the fact that there is a situation close to anarchy already. People struggle to buy groceries, fear prevails on the streets and it seems quite obvious that things will continue to worsen unless the situation is resolved. It seems that even Washington, which ranks as one of Mubarak’s most ardent supporters, may have recognised that there is now no real choice but for the man who has reigned over affairs in Egypt for over three decades to call it a day. Still more worrying for the US is the fact that the unrest is spreading, with Yemen now feeling similar waves of upheaval.

It is always fascinating to see the manner in which dictators attempt to cling on to power. We have seen the reluctance to make an exit with grace in our own country — most recently in the case of former president Musharraf. Perhaps Mubarak has persuaded himself that he is truly needed by his people. Egoistical thinking is, after all, often a key characteristic of dictators. But the Egyptian leader needs to face up to the truth. He must step down, or see his country crumble into still greater disarray. All those who count themselves as friends of Mubarak must persuade him to do so. There is a lesson here for other dictators, across the region and elsewhere. There is a limit to the time people will accept coercive rule. The deaths that have occurred on the streets in Egypt have only added to the anger and the determination of the people that the aging Mubarak quit office. One hopes that he has the good sense to quit as soon as possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2011.