Epstein Secrets

was a "transition to democracy." That was never in the cards. What happened in Egypt was that the military came to believe that an aging President Hosni Mubarak was attempting to engineer the succession of his son, turning Egypt from a military EFTA_R1_00441463 EFTA01964624 republic to a dynastic state.

ry EFTA_R1_00441463 EFTA01964624 republic to a dynastic state. The generals fought back; when unrest surged, the military stood back and let Mr. Mubarak fall. The military, incomparably more powerful than either the twittering liberals or the bumbling Brotherhood, has now acted to restore the form

ing democracy; the so- called Deauville Partnership never got much beyond the stage of rhetoric. I'm told a more ambitious proposal for a concerted Arab Spring initiative was debated within the Obama administration in 2012 but was rejected because it might have been a distraction from President Obama's all

olitical reconciliation and economic growth. There was a halfhearted effort led by France in 2011 to create a sort of collective support system for Arab Spring democracy; the so- called Deauville Partnership never got much beyond the stage of rhetoric. I'm told a more ambitious proposal for a concerted Ara

ians facing military trial has been a key grievance of activists and the subject of many protests against the country's leaders since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Shahin asserted that "citizens should know that there is no difference between military and civilian courts and this should be included in the new

the country's leaders since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Shahin asserted that "citizens should know that

t (although less so in neighboring countries), but Washington would be wise to ramp up operations gradually and invest now in developing a cadre of Arab Spring hands. Fifth, Washington should leave logos behind. When you do a good deed for a friend but insist that your friend wear a sign advertising your v

or investment, and should reflect collaboration with the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), both active in Arab Spring countries, on helping countries with labor, tax, and competitive reforms they so desperately need. Fourth, Washington should have lower expectatio

broad, where everyone obtains a share of power and wealth. Perhaps the reformists' aims were too ambitious. For example, in Egypt, after many years Mubarak finally agreed to the idea of amending the constitution; however, by the time the amendments were done, little had changed. The conservatives had

h Abu Ismail, others described a broader reason for the protests: a rising fear that the military council which has ruled Egypt since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak more than a year ago will refuse to cede power to civilian leaders next month. The council, known by its acronym SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Fo

on has taken. Said Sadek, a political sociologist who participated in the protests that brought down Mubarak last year, says in retrospect, Egypt's Arab Spring was "a mix of a popular revolution and a military coup." "Egypt is in the surgery room at the moment, and in surgery you see ugly things," said Sa

il to improve its effectiveness dramatically. 10. Keeping the United States relevant to the Arab Spring. By choosing to ease out Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, play a key enabling role in the Libya intervention, and work hard if not so successfully behind the scenes in Bahrain and Yemen, Washington kept i

By choosing to ease out Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, play a key enabling role in the Libya intervent

es that neoconservatives were right all along Elliott Abrams EFTA00660812 January 23, 2012 -- There is a sour mood nowadays about the so-called Arab Spring. Armed gangs roam in Libya, Salafists win votes in Egypt, and minorities like the Egyptian Copts live in fear -- as does the Shiite majority in Bah

last month, some rights activists say, the authorities are acting with a sense of impunity exceeding even the period before the 2011 revolt against Hosni Mubarak. The government installed by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi has renewed the Mubarak-era state of emergency removing all rights to due process or protec

nity exceeding even the period before the 2011 revolt against Hosni Mubarak. The government installed by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi has renewed the Mubarak-era state of emergency removing all rights to due process or protections against police abuse. And police officials have pronounced themselves "vin

py about the current state of affairs. U.S. credibility and its image in the Middle East have taken a real beating. And our policy on the so-called Arab Spring, or what's left of it, is pretty much at sea, largely because we can't shape the internal dynamics of these societies. Still, on many things that