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Presidential Race Reveals Egypt's Lunge Toward Islamism

Egypt's next president may be an Islamist extremist backed by the Muslim Brotherhood. When Hosni Mubarak was ousted last February, the formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood quickly emerged as Egypt's best-organized power bloc. To soothe those who were worried about extremism, the Brotherhood promised repeatedly that it would not field a candidate for the presidency. In recent weeks, the Brotherhood has not only broken that promise but has also taken aggressive steps to crush the competition. The most recent example appeared on Monday, when an Egyptian parliamentary committee approved a new law that prevents former members of the Mubarak regime from running in presidential elections. The Muslim Brotherhood, which controls parliament, designed the law to terminate the presidential bid of former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Suleiman is viewed as an enemy of extreme Islamists, a supporter of military action against Iran's nuclear program, and a friend of the U.S. and Israel. He stepped forward for Egypt's presidential race in response to the Brotherhood's decision to field a candidate, and he was counting on winning the vote of those who fear Islamist rule. The new law means Suleiman will not even be permitted to run. This law comes just days after another presidential contender was disqualified because of accusations that his mother is an American citizen. The candidate called the ruling an "elaborate plot" by the Muslim Brotherhood, saying that in reality his mother only has a U.S. Green Card. Some analysts are alarmed that Egypt is lunging toward Islamism and are afraid of the Brotherhood's growing power. Mona Makram Ebeid, Egyptian politician and professor of political science, said, "I think that Egypt today is at a crossroads and I believe that this is the most serious and dangerous period that we going through in all of Egypt's history, in all of Egypt's modern history since Muhammad Ali (founder of modern Egypt). Today it is the personality of Egypt that is at stake. We must fight for it to keep a secular, civil, modern democratic state." Western champions of the "Arab Spring" did not expect Hosni Mubarak to be replaced by such an extremely Islamist, anti-democratic regime. They assumed that the revolution meant Egypt was bound for democracy—a victory for freedom. But not everyone was convinced. Shortly after Mubarak was toppled, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry said that "many of the Western world's leaders [saw] what [was] happening in Egypt as good news." But he warned that such world leaders "fail[ed] to see the strength of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood." Now, with presidential elections only weeks away, it is clear that Egypt's revolution was not the democratic triumph many mistook it for—and that post-Mubarak Egypt is racing toward the Islamist camp.

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Channels: Politics 

Added: 431 days ago by Deek

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Adstravaganza: Battle of ads as Russia prepares to elect president

In just two weeks Russians will vote for a new president. The candidates are doing all they can to woo the electorate. From intense debates to controversial tv-adverts - RT's Daria Pushkova takes a closer look at the tools contenders are using to win support. RT on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com RT on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews

RT  Daria  Pushkova  Vladimir  Putin  election  2012  Russia  protest  Presidential  Opposition  Parliamentary  Fair  rally  march  Prokhorov  Zhirinovsky  Zyuganov  Mironov  ads  выборы  Путин  реклама  Жириновский  Прохоров  Moscow  Commercial 

Channels: N America 

Added: 485 days ago by DeekJackson

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Discussion with Robert Fisk at Diwan

Discussion with Robert Fisk on the current parliamentary elections in Egypt, in Diwan Zamalek, on 1st December, 2011.

robert  fisk  parliamentary  elections  egyptian  diwan  bookstore 

Channels: Middle East 

Added: 485 days ago by DeekJackson

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Discussion with Robert Fisk at Diwan

Discussion with Robert Fisk on the current parliamentary elections in Egypt, in Diwan Zamalek, on 1st December, 2011. Part 4.

robert  fisk  diwan  bookstore  egyptian  parliamentary  elections 

Channels: Middle East 

Added: 485 days ago by DeekJackson

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Escobar: US can't launch Arab Spring in Russia

The Russian Foreign Ministry shot back at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her criticism that Russia's elections were neither free nor fair. Pointing out that the US electoral system is "far from perfect," the foreign ministry continued that only the Russian people "can determine the future of our country -- regardless of anyone's partial judgments and politicized recipes." Clinton, who had previously chastised Russia's State Duma elections, stepped up the rhetoric while speaking at an Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) ministerial meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania Tuesday. Pepe Escobatr, who is "The Asia Times" correspondent in Sao Paolo, says US-Russia reset in relations is dead because of Washington's pressure on Moscow. RT on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com RT on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews

RT  Pepe  Escobar  Hillary  Clinton  Russia  elections  Arab  Spring  missile  defense  Foreign  Ministry  Россия  МИД  Клинтон  выборы  election  State  Duma  госдуму  Единая  parliamentary  ЦИК  Moscow  Medvedev  parties  arrests  United 

Channels: Middle East 

Added: 485 days ago by Deek

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