The New York Times' Roger Cohen, in an Israel-Gaza post-mortem, gives a major shout-out to Egypt's Mohamed Morsi, who proved his weight to the United States in the current conflict.

shortformblog:

Speaking of facts, the chief mediator in stopping the latest round of killing was Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian president who emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent of Hamas. Until the Arab Spring, the United States shunned the Brotherhood, deemed a band of Islamist extremists. Now Hillary Clinton thanks Morsi for “assuming the responsibility and leadership” that makes Egypt “a cornerstone of regional stability and peace.”

It is amazing what happens when you start talking to people. The beginning of the end of conflict is discovering the humanity that lies behind slogans and barriers.

Pretty much. As the recent conflict was loaded with both slogans and barriers, Cohen’s words resonate.

President Morsi will struggle to control the levers of state. He will likely face foot-dragging and perhaps outright attempts to undermine his initiatives from key institutions. Faced with such resistance, frustration may tempt him fall into the trap of attempting to throw his new weight around. This would be a mistake. His challenge is to lead a bitterly divided, fearful, and angry population toward a peaceful democratic outcome, without becoming a reviled scapegoat for continued military rule.
European Council on Foreign Relations Senior Policy Fellow Elijah Zarwan • Analyzing the challenges Mohamed Morsi will face in leading Egypt in the coming months and years. Morsi won the election on Sunday, with 52 percent of the vote. (via shortformblog)

(via shortformblog)