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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14819-2005Mar31.html
Egypt in Grip of Political Uncertainty
(AP/Washington Post) Hamza Hendawi - Egypt has slipped into an unusual state of political uncertainty in recent weeks, with increasingly bold street protests and rampant speculation over who will succeed President Hosni Mubarak. The new climate could pose risks for a nation that has gone 50 years or more without genuine democratic rule. "Too much has been set loose," said Rosemary Hollis, the top Middle East expert at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. "The regime believes people need a strong leadership and will rally behind Mubarak when things get messy. But it may be too late to clamp down and go back to how things were." Sustained U.S. pressure on Mubarak and the Egyptian leader's subsequent decision to open presidential elections in September to other candidates are at the heart of the country's new climate. "I believe we've entered a very dangerous phase," Mohammed Heikal, Egypt's most prominent analyst, warned on al-Jazeera. "An opening has been made and it will lead to much bigger things."