John Bolton talked to the Gandy Group this morning saying that a rush toward elections would be misguided because it could give the upper hand to a group like the Muslim Brotherhood. He notes that there is much more to Democracy than just elections and that those elements don’t yet exist in Egypt. Having elections at the earliest possible moment because we believe in democracy could yield in a result that is not in our best interest. And as he also points out, in a time of chaos it’s typically the most organized and the most ruthless that tend to prevail. Elections are already planned in September and if the military can stabilize the situation and allow Mubarak to finish his term, there’s a better chance that this turns out in our favor.
When asked if he thought the Muslim Brotherhood could win elections, he said that it is too difficult to predict. He made reference to the elections in Gaza that yielded a Hamas victory, noting that the reason Bush agreed to the elections in Gaza was because of very reliable polling that said that there was no way Hamas could win. Given that experience he says we just don’t know what would happen.
Great interview:
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