By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
Two telling events took place simultaneously in Egypt today. Protesters met with Egypt's new vice president and a few thousand protesters gathered in Tahrir Square.
The meeting/summit/negotiation/bone to placate the masses with the vice president was a resounding success. The protest was, at best, weak and a sure sign that the momentum of the protesters has diminished almost to the point of disappearing. There were more soldiers in the square than there were protesters.
Transitions and reform will continue in Egypt, but at a slow place. We, the West, must take our cues from the people who know Egypt best -It's a hard pill for the West to swallow.
Egypt cannot make huge changes. Mubarak and Suleiman have heard the message. The timetable they are setting is for the fall. Mubarak said he will not run in September.
The earliest we can expect Mubarak to step down is summertime and it might be as late as after the September elections. The next leader will be a more moderate - type leader. The Parliament will change some elements of the ruling parameters permitting themselves, and by extension the people, more power. And that is how the slow process of reform in Egypt will get underway.
To rush reforms would be tantamount to creating a powder keg situation and a terribly unstable country. The opposite of what we want and Egypt needs.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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