“In Egypt the president does not leave, he negotiates with the opposition and slowly prepares the ground for his successors. Stepping down “immediately” would mean chaos. Eventually Clinton realized this. On Sunday she conceded that Egypt’s constitution required new elections within 60 days after Mubarak stepped down – not enough time to organize a fair vote. Washington wants Egypt to achieve democracy, but in an organized manner. Above all, it wants to insure that Cairo will continue to be an ally. But it’s impossible to want democracy and also oppose the Muslim Brotherhood, to want Mubarak’s swift departure and also insure that the next presidential candidate won’t be from the left.”

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