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Africa: North
Mubarak Cancels Trip To U.S.
2005-05-17
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has canceled his annual visit to the United States.
Worried about coming home and finding somebody else living in his room, huh?
Officials said Mubarak would not fly to the United States this spring. Instead, the president would send Prime Minister Ahmed Nazief to present Egypt in talks with the Bush administration. They did not rule out a Mubarak visit to the United States in late 2005. On May 18, Nazief was scheduled to meet President George Bush and senior administration officials in Washington. This was the first time that Mubarak has canceled his annual trip to the United States and comes amid unprecedented opposition to his rule.
Posted by:Fred

#4  Perv and Mubarak are totally different situations. Perv has only been around a little while, has little stability, has a demonstrated secular opposition which unfortunately was very corrupt, and a quasi alliance with Islamists - as well as a virtual civil war with more extreme Islamists.

Mubarak OTOH has a VERY stable regime - Egypt has had only 3 presidents in the last 50 years, and each of the last 2 was promoted from VP. And Egypt crushed the violent Islamists soundly in the 90's. So it might appear there is no threat to stability. OTOH keeping stable has been done at the price of some really nasty antisemitic propaganda, and has been associated with Egyptians going into AQ and messing around abroad. So there is real motive from the US POV to democratize Egypt. How strong the secular opposition is vs the Muslim Brotherhood, and the MB vs more overtly radical Islamists (the MB is wahabi, but doesnt advocate violence)is not clear, and wont be till theres a real election.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2005-05-17 09:55  

#3  Not our tyrants -- their own people's, who choose not to become better citizens and require better from those who would be their leaders.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-05-17 08:37  

#2  The alternative to Mubarak ain't pretty. Egypt is definitely not a place we want to hold democratic elections just yet. Maybe in another decade or four. Sticking with the despot known is a better bet than what the Egyptian voters would elect to office. Mubarak is like Mousharef in Pakistan -both are our little tyrants.
Posted by: Grique Omuter7633   2005-05-17 02:53  

#1  Perhaps he just doesn't want to personally hear what he knows George Bush will say.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-05-17 01:39  

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