ONTD: Politics

It is still very early, but day one of the post-Mubarak Egypt has already yielded some positive signs for the future of the country and the Middle East.  Those who are fearful of the revolution have said that the country could fall into the hands of radical Islamists and that Israel may be threatened by the new government of Egypt.  However, according to early reports some of these fears may have been overblown.

In place of the Mubarak regime the Supreme Council of the armed forces has been put in power.  Today the Supreme Council announced that they intend to honor all of Egypt's international treaties, including the 1979 treaty with Israel.  The Egyptian-Israeli treaty is considered a key piece in maintaining what little stability remains in the Middle East.  Israeli Primi Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement from Egypt's military saying,

"The long-standing peace treaty between Israel and Egypt has greatly contributed to both countries and is the cornerstone for peace and stability in the entire Middle East."

In addition to this positive news, the Muslim Brotherhood has announced that they will not seek the presidency in Egypt in the next election.  Conservative commentators have warned that the revolution in Egypt would allow the Brotherhood, considered a threat by some, to take over the country.  However, in the following statement the Muslim Brotherhood announce their intention to abide by the temporary military government and not to seek the highest office in the Egypt,

"The Muslim Brotherhood ... are not seeking personal gains, so they announce they will not run for the presidency and will not seek to get a majority in the parliament and that they consider themselves servants of these decent people. We support and value the sound direction that the Higher Military Council is taking on the way to transfer power peacefully to create a civilian government in line with the will of the people."

Finally, many critics were concerned that the military in Egypt would try to stay in power permanently rather than handing over control to a civilian authority.  Today the Egyptian military tried to allay those concerns by releasing a statement saying they are "looking forward to a peaceful transition, for a free democratic system, to permit an elected civil authority to be in charge of the country, to build a democratic free nation."

Of course, actions ultimately mean a lot more than words.  The best test of the Egypt's democracy will be time, not statements released by various parties.  Still, the initial steps of the new government in Egypt have to be at least a bit heartening to those who hope for the best.