CAIRO: A publication by the US military has underlined grave concern at the succession process in Egypt, describing it as a “key strategic issue.
A report by the US Army War College entitled “Key Strategic Issues List claims the uncertainty surrounding who will succeed President Hosni Mubarak must be considered a major concern by the Defense Department.
The report predicts that the succession process in Egypt will be a troubled one according to Middle East Newsline.
The President’s son Gamal Mubarak, leader of the ruling National Democratic Party’s policies committee, is still considered the front runner to succeed his father despite numerous denials on his part in the past.
The main opposition bloc in Egypt is the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed and has been on the receiving end of a sustained crackdown in the past year and a half.
The publication stated, “With the coming uncertainty in Egypt, what are the possible scenarios in a post-Mubarak Egypt, and what can be done to help shape and contain the uncertainty?
Mubarak has never appointed a vice-president in the almost three decades since he assumed power after the assassination of Anwar Sadat in October 1980. Mubarak himself was the vice-president of Egypt under Sadat.
The upcoming presidential elections are in 2011. The 2005 presidential election was the first to include rival candidates, prior to that a referendum on Mubarak took place.
Mubarak’s main rival in 2005, Ayman Nour, is currently in prison on charges of fraud, his incarceration a sticking point between the US and Egypt. Democracy advocates contend that his case was politically motivated and that the charges against Nour are trumped up.
Released last July, the publication is intended to be a guideline for researchers in proposed areas of study that are considered of “particular interest to the American Defense Department.
