Middle East Focus: The Decline and Fall of Egypt, the Rise of Las Vegas……………

Arabia Deserta

The Decline and Fall of Egypt, the Rise of Las Vegas……………

“Mubarak’s accession would bring an abrupt end to Egypt’s preeminence. Cautious and unimaginative, the former air force commander has never in his 29-year reign come close to filling the shoes of his predecessors. Afflicted by health problems, he will turn 82 in May and is not expected to reign much longer. Cairo is awash with speculation about who will replace him. Its discontented intelligentsia is debating intensely whether Egypt any longer has the wherewithal, or vision, to shape Arab policies toward an immovable Israel, a belligerent Iran, fractious Palestinians, or an imposing America, much less grapple with the Islamist challenge to secular governments. During the Mubarak years, other voices and centers have arisen, particularly on the western shores of the Persian Gulf………….. As the Mubarak era nears its end, Egyptians are not alone in wondering whether a new and more dynamic leader will restore the nation to its central role and take the lead in giving the Arabs a stronger and more united voice in global affairs. Whether any Egyptian leader, or for that matter any Arab leader, can rise to lead this fragmented world will be a central issue in the years ahead.………”

Mubarak’s rule converted Egypt from “the leader” of the Arab world under Nasser and Sadat into a sidekick for the petro-oligarchy across the Red Sea. Cairo, a thousand years old in its Islamic Arab incarnation and several thousand years old as ancient Heliopolis, has given its leadership place to the new Las Vegases of Arabia.
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