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"Enough" in Egypt

(Washington Post) Editorial - An Egyptian official has said that the ruling party intended to nominate President Hosni Mubarak to run unopposed this fall for a sixth consecutive term. That would mean the perpetuation of the dictatorship that has ruled Egypt for more than 50 years, nearly half of them under Mubarak, who is now 76. Egyptians can only be frustrated by Mubarak's refusal to liberalize a political system that has brought them decades of economic stagnation and rampant corruption while nourishing Islamic extremists, including many of the leaders of al-Qaeda. Mubarak's renomination would be a serious blow to the Bush administration's project for promoting democratic change in the Middle East. Mubarak has received more than $50 billion in U.S. aid over the years even as he ruthlessly suppressed Egyptian civil society and democratic movements and encouraged anti-Israeli and anti-American incitement in his state-controlled media.
2005-01-18 00:00:00
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