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Egypt's revolution "overturn(ed) the established order of the Arab world. (Mubarak) was toppled by a radically new force in regional politics - a largely secular, nonviolent, youth-led democracy movement that brought Egypt's liberal and Islamist opposition groups together for the first time under its banner....Mr. Mubarak's fall removed a bulwark of American foreign policy in the region."
In fact, he became a major obstacle to Washington's Greater Middle East Project (renamed the New Middle East) and had to go. Notably, the day Cairo protests erupted, January 25, key Egyptian military commanders, including Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Enan, were in Washington. For years, State Department and Pentagon officials wanted him out because he opposed key US policies, including Iran's nuclear program and Bush's 2003 Iraq war.
Egypt's New Leader
Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi is new head of state as chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt, ruling with its Supreme Constitutional Council - effective February 11. He also served as Minister of Defense, Military Production, Deputy Prime Minister, Commander of the Presidential Guard, and chief of the Operations Authority of the Armed Forces.
He's a powerful old regime stalwart closely aligned with Washington, though US diplomats call him "aged and change-resistant.... "Charming and courtly, he is nonetheless mired in a post-Camp David military paradigm that has served his cohorts' narrow interests for the last three decades. (He's also) opposed both economic and political reform that he perceives as eroding central government power."
Whether he'll cooperate or conflict with Washington remains to be seen. If not, he'll go next, the same anti- Mubarak process resurrected against him and others less than fully compliant.
Earlier, he participated in Egypt's 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars as well as in America's Gulf War "coalition." As part of Egypt's old guard, he'll most likely become president, installed, of course by military coup d' etat.
His mission: preserving the status quo, serving global monied interests, supporting Washington's imperial agenda, and making few substantive constitutional and other old order changes, including little in the way of jobs, independent unions, higher wages, and other essential services - social, economic and political.
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