Gamal Mubarak: the man who would succeed his father

March 8, 7:24 PMForeign Policy ExaminerAimee Kligman

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By BEN CURTIS,  AP Photo

At first glance, Gamal Mubarak is a strikingly handsome man. When he speaks, his education at the American University in Cairo where he obtained an MBA betrays his roots. He is the son of current  Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and by all accounts, is expected to succeed his father though he has denied interest in leading the country.

He was on GPS this afternoon, as Fareed Zakaria's guest. Before introducing his guest, Zakaria indicated that of all the Arab states in the region, he thought Egypt would be the greatest hope for democracy. I happen to disagree completely with that stance, as Mubarak is a ruthless dictator that does not rub elbow with democracy in his country. Zakaria reminds us that the masterminds of 9/11 were all Egyptians (Al Zawahiri was a prominent doctor, and Mohammed Atta was studying
urban planning, first in Egypt, then in Germany.

Gamal Mubarak serves in his father's government as Assistant Secretary General of his party.

Zakaria's first question to him is about the increased religiosity of the country, including the veiling of women which has become almost de rigueur.

Mubarak chooses his words carefully; he talks about a peak in tensions between the West and Muslims, and diplomatically decides that blame for the Islamization of his country should be shared. He explains that religion has in some ways replaced a gap in society as more people feel helpless. He speaks about those that have hijacked the religion, using violence to justify their frustration. He is unable to hide his disdain for former President Bush; he refers to the 'war on terror' which has created more hatred and more terror in the Arab world.

He makes a specific point, which he will come back to over and over, that the central issue which divides Muslims and the West is Palestine. He boasts that Egypt has always been a beacon for culture and coexistence in the history of the region. He never mentions that this beacon dimmed considerably after the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the forced expulsion of nearly 100,000 Jews from Egypt in the years that followed.

He indicates a willigness to deal with problems in region in cooperation with the West. He calls the Obama election historic, and expresses surprise that some in America saw Obama's interview on Al Arabiya as a sign of weakness. He judges Obama to be committed, and has shown that commitment with the very first things he did when he became president. He referred to the calls he made to the leaders in the Mid-East region, appearing on Al Arabiya, and appointing George Mitchell as special envoy to the region. Again, mentioning the last 8 years, Mubarak tells Zakaria that tension and disrespect for the US peaked in the region.

When asked if he thought Clinton was pro-Israeli, he felt that when she was at  Sharm el Sheikh, though he was not in attendance, he said her words hit the mark in the sense of looking at the broader issue of what is the peace process, and rather than focusing on just Gaza, pressing for a two state solution.

He had a stern message for Israel: 'Enough is enough; the window for a two state solution is closing quickly'.

Did he view Bush as failure?

He echoes what many have said who opposed the Iraq war: the world was very supportive of the US after 9/11; however, he felt that the shift in focus missed the boat, and that the 'war on terror' created more friction, more tension and more confrontation. He intimated that the road to Jerusalem was never through Baghdad, and that the core issue in the region had absolutely nothing to do with Baghdad. Additionally, he pointed out that Iraq not only sucked up a lot of resources, it created intense hatred toward the Americans. It's hard not to mention McCain's foolish assessment that the US could win in Iraq and that the "surge" had worked.

When asked about their peace treaty with Israel being more cosmetic than real, and the antisemitism expressed by Egyptians, Mubarak counters that statements from politicians and leaders in Israel toward the rest of the Arab world were not helpful. And that no progress has been made in Gaza. He does not mention that his own country keeps its own border with Gaza closed.

Mubarak falls in line with Obama's thinking in that the issues in the area of the Middle East are all interconnected. He rhetorically asked why we were in such a deep hole. Again, pointing to last 8 years he cites no progress nor any serious commitment, but he expect that with Obama it may change.

All Palestinian factions were in Egypt 10 days ago and they are on the road to forming a unity government.

Then came the question about the leadership of Al Qaeda and the ideology (from writer Sayyid Qutb who became Ben Laden's guru) sprouted in Egypt.

Mubarak indicated that Egypt faced terrorism before the United States (read Muslim Brotherhood), and that he recalls that his father had sent warnings to the US about such terror. In turn these claims had been underestimated by the US and seen as excuses.

There is no hiding the intense dislike for Iran in Gamal Mubarak. Their ideologies are 'miles apart' and there are deep differences in the region between Iran and the Arab States.

He speaks proudly of Sadat, that he understood what had to be done, and create a two-state solution and paid for his historic trip to Israel with his life. He continues by saying that his father stayed the course on that solution.

What about the possibility of a military strike on Iran?

The answer comes quite easily: the region, the world nor the US have the stomach to rush to conclusion and military conflicts. Diplomacy must be explored, and he's hopeful that the US is seen as engaging. He urges that we learn from our mistakes, and that though Iraq was tough, it is not over yet. The Iraq war unquestionably radicalized the area, and complicated the core issue (Israel/Palestine). He ended on a very upbeat note, and that was that politicians should never lose hope. That the road ahead was not easy but that Egypt was ready to join hands to work for the peace process.

For more on Mubarak's Egypt, see:

Mubarak proposes immediate cease-fire

Is US Foreign Policy responsible for the carnage in Gaza?

Foreign Policy: what the Iraqi election means for the region

Understanding the Gaza donor conference in Egypt