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U.S. Catiously Congratualates Egyptian President |
26 June 2012by Audrey Stevens, JTW
The U.S. officially congratulated Egyptian President-elect Mohammed Morsi Sunday, after a suspenseful wait for the announcement of the election results. In the United States, Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood backing raised concerns about future relations with Israel and the role Islam will play in the future Egyptian government. Ahmed Shafiq, the other presidential candidate, brought a different set of worries to U.S. policymakers. As the last prime minister under the Mubarak government, Shafiq’s presidential bid raised questions of how much post-Mubarak Egypt would change.
The United States expressed no public preference between Shafiq and Morsi, although some hoped Shafiq could offer the stable relations with Israel and sympathy towards American interests that the United States enjoyed under Mubarak. However, the explicit American commitment to support democratic change and the “desires of the Arab street” ensured the public support of the election outcomes and, therefore, Morsi. Obama’s public stance of supporting Egyptian-defined democratic transitions indirectly bolsters support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a risky stance according to some Realist observers who see sharp contrasts between the security interests of the United States and the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood. President Obama telephoned both Morsi and Shafiq following the announcement of Morsi’s victory.
The White House urged Morsi to “advance national unity by reaching out to all parties and constituencies in consultations about the formation of a new government” while the United States looks “forward to [Egypt’s] completion of a transition to a democratically elected government.” Defense secretary Leon Panetta did not comment on specific candidates or outcomes in the Egyptian election but also emphasized the most important characteristics of Egypt’s transition would be stability, peace, and democracy.
American diplomats highlight that the United States has an interest in but no influence over Egyptian elections. American ambassador to Egypt, Anne W. Patterson, explicitly hopes the United States will step aside from the current debates in Egypt in order to avoid adding to current chaos in Egypt, according to the New York Times.
The announcement of Morsi’s victory eased fears the Egyptian electoral commission would make Shafiq president, regardless of electoral results. Waiting for the announcement of the winner, there was widespread fear that Egypt would slip back into old habits of military rule or violence. Any interference in the election could easily transform into renewed protests, riots, and even armed conflict. The numbers and agitation of those already gathered in Tahrir Square emphasized that the backlash to any military intervention could quickly turn bloody. The United States maintained that the more than one billion dollars in aid and the historic partnership with the Egyptian military could be jeopardized by military intervention. Combined with other international pressure and public opinion, any external “adjustments” to the election results were unfeasible.
While pleased the military did not intervene and hopeful that Morsi will continue a peaceful, stable, transition, the United States remained cautious. The military’s interim constitution, which limits the power of the president, is still in effect and there is no guarantee Egypt will transition to a fully civilian government.
Going forward, the best role for the United States to play could be no role at all. While Realist security interests are at play, if there is any honesty in Obama’s support for the “Arab Street” the United States will patiently observe developments in Egypt without interfering. American worries persist as Egypt lurches towards democracy, but the less American involvement in Egypt’s development, the more authentically Egyptian and democratic Egypt can become. |
26 June 2012
Journal of Turkish Weekly
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