Georgy Gounev: Egypt, the United States, and the Ghost of Khomeini
[Georgy Gounev teaches Contemporary Mid-East History and International Relations at two California colleges. He and authored the book The Dark Side of the Crescent Moon. The Islamization of Europe and its Impact on American-Russian Relations, scheduled for publication in March or April.]
Are there any similarities between Iran of 1978 and Egypt of 2011? Sadly, yes.
To start with, autocratic leaders who gradually managed to alienate the majority of their populations ruled both countries for thirty years. Both statesmen suppressed the activities of the democratically inclined and secular political forces -- a huge mistake that brought about the fatal narrowing of the social base of their regimes. Undoubtedly, Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi was a dependable American ally, who for the duration of his domination over Iran was able to bring stability into a volatile, very important, and permanently explosive region. The same characteristic is valid for President Mubarak of Egypt. Last but not least, both secular leaders and the regimes created by them faced the opposition of the Islamic fundamentalists.
It is obvious that there are also important differences between the situations in Iran and Egypt. The most important one is the status of both leaders with regard to the army. Given the military credentials of President Mubarak, his relationship with the officer corps of the Egyptian army, and the degree of his control over it, he continues to exercise at least a certain degree of influence even in the midst of the crisis. An important fact that should not be ignored is the far more important role played by the Egyptian army, which since July 1952 has the status of a guarantor of the political system of the country -- a fact that provides Mubarak with leverage the shah didn't have....
Read entire article at American Thinker
Are there any similarities between Iran of 1978 and Egypt of 2011? Sadly, yes.
To start with, autocratic leaders who gradually managed to alienate the majority of their populations ruled both countries for thirty years. Both statesmen suppressed the activities of the democratically inclined and secular political forces -- a huge mistake that brought about the fatal narrowing of the social base of their regimes. Undoubtedly, Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi was a dependable American ally, who for the duration of his domination over Iran was able to bring stability into a volatile, very important, and permanently explosive region. The same characteristic is valid for President Mubarak of Egypt. Last but not least, both secular leaders and the regimes created by them faced the opposition of the Islamic fundamentalists.
It is obvious that there are also important differences between the situations in Iran and Egypt. The most important one is the status of both leaders with regard to the army. Given the military credentials of President Mubarak, his relationship with the officer corps of the Egyptian army, and the degree of his control over it, he continues to exercise at least a certain degree of influence even in the midst of the crisis. An important fact that should not be ignored is the far more important role played by the Egyptian army, which since July 1952 has the status of a guarantor of the political system of the country -- a fact that provides Mubarak with leverage the shah didn't have....