Unwillingly, and with his tin ear almost petulantly on display, Hosni Mubarak has bowed to the courageous protesters who in 18 days have brought him down after nearly 30 years of iron rule.
In Egypt, and across the Arab world, there is now no reason why western principles and pragmatism should be aligned – at long last.
Stunned by the vigour of the youthful protests that toppled the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia and have now unravelled the Mubarak dictatorship, Washington, London, Paris and Berlin have all wobbled and waffled. Barack Obama’s administration began by describing Egypt, and its alliance with President Mubarak, as “stable”. After 10 days of turmoil, it called for an “orderly transition”.
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