Rousing speech by Mubarak's son raises issue of succession

Speculation is growing about whether Gamal Mubarak is positioning himself to succeed his ageing father as Egypt's president, after he stole the limelight at the ruling National Democratic party's annual conference.

The 42-year-old son of Hosni Mubarak, who has always denied presidential ambitions and dodged the question again this week, was centre of attention at the NDP gathering, which ended last night.

Kha.

Pity, in some ways, the way the theatre is being arranged as I had thought a few years back that Ibn Mubarek might actually make a decent political successor in a normal sense (that is not direct succession, but with time, in the context of a genuine semi-democratic environment).

In an hour-long speech he criticised US policy in the Middle East and said Egypt should consider developing nuclear power. He attempted to speak to Egypt's poor, saying it was the job of the conference to "air the hardships and grievances suffered by ordinary Egyptians".

The Nuclear angle is interesting but what it really means requires a deeper connexion with Egyptian politics than I have currently.

That he felt he could tweak the pay masters' nose and raise the nuclear issue in such a setting rather underlines the low stock of the Empire at present.

"We reject foreign initiatives that daily attempt to dissolve the identity of the Arab world through what is called the Middle East Initiative Project," he told cheering delegates in a reference to Washington, which provides nearly $2bn (£1.1bn) a year in military and economic aid to Egypt.

Well, the current American administration is succeeding so very, very brilliantly in winning enemies and losing friends, isn't it?

Indeed, this paragraph rather captures things:

But he has rarely attempted to appeal to a broader audience. His jibe at the US appeared calculated to do so at a time when Washington's backing is important to the survival of some of the region's most entrenched autocracies, but is also an increasing liability as anti-US sentiment rises.

You recall my agency friend who summarised in early 2004 as I recall why he thought Iraq was lost: the very whores of the Americans didn't want to be seen with them, and you ain't no kinda pimp if your own whores don't want to be seen with you.