(Daily Beast) Leslie H. Gelb - Washington should think hard about fostering a Mubarak-led transition rather than one led by protesters. The devil we know is President Mubarak. The other "devil," now being proclaimed as misunderstood Islamic democrats, is the Muslim Brotherhood. Outside of the government, the MB is the only organized political force, the only group capable of taking power. Wishful thinking aside, the MB would be calamitous for U.S. security. The MB supports Hamas and other terrorist groups, makes friendly noises to Iranian dictators and torturers, would be uncertain landlords of the critical Suez Canal, and opposes the Egyptian-Israeli agreement of 1979, widely regarded as the foundation of peace in the Mideast. Above all, the MB would endanger counterterrorism efforts in the region and worldwide. The writer is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.
2011-01-31 11:47:57Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive