U.S. officials acted rather calmly last week after Gamal Mubarak, son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, proposed that his country pursue a nuclear program to generate power. The younger Mubarak’s proposal was echoed later in the week by his father.
Indeed, U.S. ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardone said the United States had no problem with the nuclear proposal and is ready to help by supplying technology to Egypt if it develops a peaceful nuclear program.
That was the official reaction.
Behind the scenes, Mubarak’s announcement could not have been received so casually, coming as it did on the same day President Bush addressed world leaders at the United Nations, criticizing Iranian nuclear ambitions while Iran’s defiant President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended his country’s intentions.
Even though Egypt is an ally of the United States, many saw the Mubarak announcement as a jab that could pose problems for the White House.
Mubarak is his father’s heir apparent, yet the United States has been pushing for Egypt to evolve into a more democratic nation. His decision to discuss Egypt’s nuclear ambitions at a time of heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear activity could not have been mere coincidence. Some observers believe the timing was a calculated move to introduce the younger Mubarak to the world and to garner public support through a show of defiance toward Washington.
There is no reason to believe that Egypt’s ambitions pose a threat to the West, at least as long as Mubarak is in power. What is worrisome, of course, is that a radical leader could follow him and use nuclear technology for military purposes, further destabilizing a region that hardly needs that.
In his speech to the United Nations, Bush mentioned Egypt as a country willing to contribute the diplomatic and financial assistance necessary to help the peace efforts between Israel and Palestine. The president has treaded lightly in his efforts to encourage democracy in Egypt. Recently, observers say the country has reversed earlier gains, arresting political opposition figures, beating street demonstrators and locking up bloggers.
Egypt currently has no nuclear reactors, and perhaps its interest is natural enough. But any hint that the Mubaraks might be looking to play a military card would stir up a hornet’s nest.
