For all the favorable talk about the military and its restraint, it should not be forgotten that the military supported Mubark for the past 30 years and more importantly, that the military has huge economic interests and control of big sectors of the economy which they have garnered under Mubarak rule. A military with independent economic ownership interests sounds like a corrupt institution, because when push comes to shove, they will put those interests before the people. Even with Mubarak gone, I think the Egyptians at the end of the day will not have anything near what we in the West would consider representative government. The elements of Egyptian society that benefited under Mubarak will retain control of the economy and levers of power, though how power is shared may likely change now that he has been forced out. The military earlier today issued a statement that the emergency law will not be lifted until the protesters go home. Even with Mubark turned out of office, the Egyptian people’s gains toward more democratic government will be very limited. Perhaps this is only a beginning stage in the slow turn to a more democratic mid east, but I doubt it.
