End of an Era - The Tyrant is Gone

          After 18 days of largely peaceful protest, with his people nearly universal in their demand that he leave, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt resigned on February 11, 2011.  Thus ends 30 years of autocratic rule in a nation which has been, during that time, a friend of the United States.  The people of Egypt deserve and deserved better.
          Alas, this is another case of the United States putting its national interest ahead of the interests of world peace, and indeed, that of ultimately the United States, by aligning itself with a despot who showed little interest in true democratic reform, despite years of interest by the people of Egypt.  The United States, more specifically,  in the current matter, has been especially spineless.  The "leadership" of President Obama has not helped the situation, and indeed, it may come back to haunt us.  Mr. Obama apparently would not or could not see the writing on the walls, that as clearly as a hieroglyph, said that Mubarak would be leaving.  The question was not if, but when.
          Fortunately, Egypt is not Iran.  The demonstrators were not led by religious fanatics, but by largely secular individuals who wanted an end to the corruption, economic malaise, and the brutal treatment by Egyptian security forces.   Although the Muslim Brotherhood has taken a tangential role in the protests, they are not a majority, and their influence has been heavily discredited by their willingness to engage in negotiations with the Mubarak regime.  Other parties will form coalitions, but none of the major parties in Egypt are driven by the same religious fervor which was prevalent in Iran in 1978.
          Part of this is the religious difference.  The majority of Egyptians are Sunni.  The majority of Iranians are Shi'ite.  The these two sects of Islam have different views, and more importantly, different leadership structures.  The Sunni sect tends to have religious councils and meetings, and lacks a hierarchical system which would be inclined to cause the problems that have happened under Shi'ite revoluations.  The Shii'a, on the other hand, have a hierarchical system where their Grand Ayatollah governs and as we can see in Iran, governs with an iron fist.  It is unlikely that this will take place in Egypt.
          The United States should not waste this opportunity to offer our help to the people of Egypt, as they remake their government in a way which will benefit them all.  However, our help should not be to tell them how to do it, but rather, to help them build consensus and learn of the options, so that the people of Egypt decide how they will be governed.  For too many years, the United States has imposed its view of democracy on other countries, and we should have learned to regret it.  Let's hope that this time, the United States learns and stands in solidarity with the people of Egypt as they embark on the great adventure of rebuilding their grand and glorious nation.