Revolution in the Arab World - Observation of a lost soul Blog

foreign policy • revolution in the arab world • winners, losers
The Tyrant Is Dead,
But What About His Tyranny
By Mohammed Ayoob
Hosni Mubarak has gone and the military high command in Egypt has
taken over power in his stead. In hindsight it appears that the military top
brass very cleverly choreographed Mubarak’s removal in order to achieve
two ends. First, by distancing itself from the crumbling authority of the
president it aimed to demonstrate to the protesters that the military was not
opposed to their demands and aspirations. Second, by permitting a certain
amount of anarchy in Cairo and elsewhere it intended to create enough fear
of chaos among the general public that the latter would come to appreciate
the Army’s role as the keeper of order in the last resort.
The crowds in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt have a right to be euphoric;
after all, they have done the unthinkable and brought down the pharaoh
in just 18 days. However, it will be a tragedy if such euphoria turns into
complacency. Despite the conciliatory rhetoric emanating from the military
brass, the officer corps as an institution continues to have a vested interest
in the political and economic power structure created and preserved by the
regime under Anwar Sadat and Mubarak. To expect the military to relinquish
its corporate interests for the sake of popular welfare is likely to turn
out to be delusion.
The hard task of bringing the military under civilian and democratic
control begins now with the departure of Mubarak. One should not underestimate
either the staying power of the military or its capacity to seek
revenge on those who attempt to force it out of the political arena. It took
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