Signs of Change in Egypt

The surprise release of Ayman Nour, the head of the al-Ghad party and the only opposition candidate to run against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in presidential elections in 2005, is a positive development.

Nour was jailed three years ago on charges that the opposition leader claims were politically motivated. The detention of Nour and other opposition leaders has invited repeated criticism from the Western media and human rights groups.

However, the Bush administration that claimed to champion political freedom and democratic reforms in the Middle East chose to ignore these concerns as Egypt remains one of the key of Washington and recipient of US aid in the region.

Even though his release, among that of eight other dissidents, is supposedly for health reasons, the real purpose behind their freedom appears to be the government’s decision to adopt a softer approach towards political opposition and democratic reforms and human rights. It could also be part of efforts by the Mubarak government to strengthen relations with the new administration in Washington.

Amid heightened tensions over the Iraq war in 2003, Egypt and Washington also did not see eye to eye over Egyptian government’s treatment of dissidents. Receiving almost $2 billion in US aid including almost $1.3 billion in military assistance, Egypt faced possible risk of curtailment of this money in 2008 following curbs set by the US Congress that pushed for judicial and political reforms by the regime.

President Mubarak is expected to visit Washington in April. So it’s believed that the Egyptian government may have taken this significant step to improve its image abroad and strengthen its ties with the Obama administration. Whatever the explanation, Egypt’s moves towards reforms and greater political freedom deserve to be welcomed by the international community.