Egypt's Presidential Choice Stirs Deep Concerns in Washington
The Obama administration is decidedly undecided about Egypt's presidential election, publicly promising to work with the Egyptian people's choice, amid a sense that anything officials say could be irrelevant or backfire. But Barbara Slavin reports on deep concerns in Washington about Egypt’s choice between an Islamist and Mubarak’s last prime minister.
The Barack Obama administration is firmly not taking sides in Egypt’s presidential elections.
Speaking Wednesday at the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough stressed that “the choice in Egypt’s presidential election is for Egyptians alone. We’re committed to working with whomever is elected.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was equally noncommittal last week promising only to work with “Egypt’s democratically elected government.”
US reticence reflects a sense that anything the Barack Obama administration might say now would either be irrelevant or backfire. Yet clearly, there is deep concern in Washington about Egypt’s upcoming choice between an Islamist – the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi – and Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister – Ahmad Shafiq.
