Careful what you wish for

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak took to the airwaves to publicly state he will
not seek the office of the presidency anymore, thus ending over three decades of
rule. There is a reason Mubarak enjoyed such a lengthy tenure, and he has the United
States to thank in some small measure.
 
Let’s not kid ourselves. It was in our national interest to have Mubarak in power.
His government, no matter how flawed and sometimes oppressive, was predictable,
which is a rare commodity in the Middle East. In many respects, Egypt was an oasis
of calm in an otherwise tumultuous part of the world. And we have Mubarak to thank,
in part, for that relative peace.
 
Now a greater force is calling — one of democracy. And the American president and
parties on both sides are applauding these protests.
 
But who exactly will fill this political vacuum created by Mubarak’s departure?
Are we so sure? Does the State Department know who can and will capably step in
and restore some semblance of order? More importantly, will the people of Egypt
recognize this new leader, or will we be back to square one, with more riots in
the streets and more unrest?
 
The answers to these questions are less clear. But one thing is certain, the world
must be wary of the Muslim Brotherhood. This faction is a radical, extremist group
that is both well-organized in the country and has many followers. No one is alleging
they have terrorist tendencies … yet. But should they somehow ascend one of their
own to power, we could be facing a “democratic solution” with dire consequences.

 
Now the Obama administration’s job becomes even tougher. They must in some small
way engage in a little bit of nation-building to ensure peace is restored. This
president has done a nice job of walking the line of diplomacy in this complicated
part of the world. And he has done so with grace — American-style.
 
It’s reassuring that some parts of the world still look to the U.S. as a voice of
reason. We should leverage that respect and use it as an opportunity to sow even
stronger ties within the region.
 
But first things first — make sure the Muslim Brotherhood is not the head of this
new government.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.