Introduction:

Muhammad Hosni Mubarak has been the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt since 14 October 1981, succeeding to that office following the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Mubarak was trained as a pilot and rose in the ranks of Egypt's air force during the 1960s and '70s. President Sadat named Mubarak Vice President in 1975, and in 1978 Mubarak became the vice chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP), the governing political party in Egypt. When Mubarak succeeded Sadat, he also became the chairman of the NDP. With control of the government and uncontested in subsequent elections, Mubarak won the presidency in national referenda in 1987, 1993 and 1999. During his presidency he focused on economic growth and inched toward political reform, but economic gains in the 1990s were off-set by criticisms that Egypt was a near-dictatorship (Mubarak never lifted the state of emergency imposed after Sadat's assassination). In February of 2005 Mubarak announced plans for a September 2005 election that would be Egypt's first-ever multi-candidate contest for the presidency. On 7 September 2005 he handily won his fifth consecutive term, but it was a victory clouded by low voter turnout, reports of fraud and the imprisonment of his political rival, Ayman Nour. Since then his presidency has been dominated by pressures for political reform and his love/hate relationship with the United States. Mubarak has been rebuked by President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for his lack of "commitment" to democracy, but he is an important ally in keeping Egypt as a base of U.S. operations in Iraq. Egypt's First Lady is Suzanne Thabet Mubarak

Problems:

The point to be noted is that he is president since last 30 years. On the other hand, they said that our system is democratic. They said that people elect me for the president. How is it possible that the thinking of civilians remained same for 30 years? In July 2004 Mubarak accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Atef Ebeid and most of the cabinet. He then appointed Ahmed Nazif as the new Prime Minister. The new cabinet was generally viewed with optimism. Economic conditions are starting to improve considerably after a period of stagnation. The new cabinet headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif was somewhat successful in overcoming the grim economic situation. The Egyptian stock market came in first place out of all emerging markets in terms of percentage increase for the fiscal year 2004/2005. However, unemployment still persists and Mubarak has come under criticism for favoring big business and privatization as opposed to workers' rights. All this was a consequence of the wide use of privatization policy, by selling shares in most public sector companies, but it is widely believed that this reserve of previously nationalized capitals will end soon, leaving Nazif's government broke. A dramatic drop in support for Mubarak occurred with the news that his son Alaa was favoured in government tenders and privatization. With both of his sons directly and indirectly owning shares in a large number of companies and minor projects, Mubarak's corruption is leading a series of corruption cases among his cabinet of minor governmental employees. While in office, political corruption in the Mubarak administration's Ministry of Interior has risen dramatically, due to the increased power over the institutional system that is necessary to secure the prolonged presidency. Such corruption has led to the frequent imprisonment of political figures and young activists without trials, illegal undocumented hidden detention facilities, and rejecting universities, mosques, newspapers staff members based on political inclination. On a personnel level, each individual officer can and will violate citizens' privacy in his area, using unconditioned arrests, common torture and abuse of power, depending on simply brute force, rather than law, to enforce order in the officer's designated area. This has resulted in the common belief that "A policeman is more dangerous than a criminal".

The rise to power of powerful business men in the NDP in the federal government and People's Assembly led to massive waves of anger during the years of Ahmed Nazif's government. As a result, frequent laws and bills are passed, with undergiant monopolists (such as Ahmed Ezz's) influence serving personal and corporational financial interests rather than public's. Transparency International (TI) is an international organisation addressing corruption, including, but not limited to, political corruption. In 2008, TI's Corruption Perceptions Index report assessed Egypt with a CPI score of 2.8, based on perceptions of the degree of corruption from business people and country analysts, with 10 being highly clean and 0 being highly corrupt. Egypt ranked 115th out of the 180 countries included in the report. Mubarak has come under criticism for extending Egypt's Emergency Law (the country has been under a state of emergency since Sadat's assassination in 1981). Under that "state of emergency", the government has the right to imprison individuals for any period of time, and for virtually no reason, thus keeping them in prisons without trials for any period. The government continues the claim that opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood could come into power in Egypt if the current government did not forgo parliamentary elections, confiscate the group's main financiers' possessions, and detain group figureheads, actions which are virtually impossible without emergency law and judicial-system independence prevention. However, critics argue that this goes against the principles of democracy, which include a citizen's right to a fair trial and their right to vote for whichever candidate and/or party they deem fit to run their country. Mubarak is generally supportive of Israel. As he has been involved intensely in the Arab League, he has supported Arab efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region. The current position of the League is that which was endorsed at the Beirut Summit, on 28 March 2002. At the summit the league adopted the Arab Peace Initiative,[16] a Saudi-inspired peace plan for the ArabIsraeli conflict. The initiative offered full normalization of the relations with Israel. In exchange, Israel was demanded to withdraw from all occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, to recognize an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a "just solution" for the Palestinian refugees. The Peace Initiative was again endorsed at 2007 in the Riyadh Summit. In July 2007, the Arab League sent a mission, consisting of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers, to Israel to promote the initiative. The mission was welcomed with reservations by Israel.

Cairo is burning -- in installments. It is a distinctively Egyptian joke, resonant as it is with politics, history and resignation. Last year, several of the city's landmark buildings burned under mysterious circumstances. In August, the top floor of the Parliament's Shura Council went up in flames as firemen, apparently short of adequate water supplies, looked on. A month later, the National Theatre was gutted. In November, thugs attacked the offices of the opposition El Ghad party with blowtorches while party members huddled inside and riot police stood by.

Cairo's immolation, the quip suggests, is a parody of the January 1952 blaze that consumed much of the city's commercial district and sparked a revolution. It is a tribute to the past and a morsel of wry humor from a people laid low by President Hosni Mubarak and his sclerotic, oppressive regime. As the country prepares for national elections in 2011, which Mubarak may or may not contest, the suspicious combustions have yet to kindle a popular uprising. But dissatisfaction with his rule and the prospect of a dynastic succession in a country that long ago overthrew a monarchy could make for a messy transfer of power in the Arab world's political epicenter.

The 80-year-old Mubarak has long depended on Egyptians' passivity -- not to mention the implicit green light from Washington to persecute and incarcerate with impunity and the billions of dollars in annual subsidies guaranteed by the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty. But the former air force chief, who came to power after Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981, is stretching the limits of his nation's good humor. His estrangement from the citizenry widened with his declaration of war on Hamas during Israel's winter assault on Gaza, and his circle of advisers, like a noose, has drawn tighter.

Significance/ Importance :
Egypt's ancient past and the fact that it was one of the first Middle Eastern countries to open up to the West following Napoleon's invasion have given it a claim to be the intellectual and cultural leader in the region. The head of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque is one of the highest authorities in Sunni Islam. But the historic step by President Anwar Sadat to make peace with Israel in the 1979 Camp David agreement led to Egypt being expelled from the Arab League until 1989, and in 1981 Mr Sadat was assassinated by Islamic extremists angry at his moves to clamp down on their activities. Since then, President Hosni Mubarak has taken a more moderate line, but Islamic groups have continued their campaigns sporadically. They have been responsible for deadly attacks that have often targeted tourists and resort areas, and more recently have begun to target Egypt's Coptic Christian community.

Campaigners for political reform have become more vocal in recent times and have taken to the streets in defiance of an emergency law, in force since 1981. Activists say the law restricts political expression. Although Egypt has changed its constitution to allow the opposition to contest presidential polls, potential candidates must meet strict criteria for participation. A ban remains on religious political parties.Egypt's teeming cities - and almost all agricultural activity are concentrated along the banks of the Nile, and on the river's delta. Deserts occupy most of the country.The economy depends heavily on agriculture, tourism and cash remittances from Egyptians working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. However, rapid population growth and the limited amount of arable land is straining the country's resources and economy.

Here are the three important roles of the government ; Politics: President Hosni Mubarak has been in power since 1981; his strongest challenger is the Muslim Brotherhood which is tolerated but officially banned Economy: The Egyptian economy is the second largest in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia

International: Egypt has played a key role in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; its prestige as a broker is said to have suffered after its indecisive response to the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon

Egypt is a major regional media player. Its press is one of the most influential and widely-read in the region, and its TV and film industry supplies much of the Arab-speaking world with shows from its Media Production City. Press laws allow prison sentences for libelling the president, state institutions and foreign heads of state. Nevertheless, journalists openly express their views on political and social issues, including vigorous criticism of government officials and policies and direct criticism of the president. Television is the most popular source for news. There are two state-run national TVs and six regional channels, but many viewers turn to pan-Arab stations for news. Egypt is a big force in satellite TV. Most leading Arab pay TV networks have a presence at Media Production City in Cairo. Egypt was the first Arab nation to have its own satellite, Nilesat. State radio's monopoly was broken with the arrival of private music stations in 2003.

Around 16.7 million Egyptians were online by December 2009 (InternetWorldStats.com). In recent years, bloggers have uploaded videos showing human rights violations and activists have embraced Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Open Net Initiative has found no evidence of general internet filtering. The authorities have, however, pursued online writers and bloggers over their activities online and offline. Egypt was listed by the Committee to Protect Journalists in 2009 as one of the 10 worst countries to be a blogger.

Mr. Mubarak is routinely referred to as Egypt's modern pharaoh, though usually in a cautious whisper. Government critics are routinely jailed and freedom of expression and assembly are restricted. As he prepared to visit Cairo in June 2009, President Obama signaled that while he would mention American concerns about human rights in Egypt, he would not challenge Mr. Mubarak too sharply, calling him a "force for stability and good" in the Middle East. Mr. Obama said he did not regard Mr. Mubarak as an authoritarian leader.

Egypt has long been a leader of the Arab world, and Mr. Mubarak, has successfully negotiated the complicated issues of regional security, solidifying a relationship with Washington, maintaining cool but correct ties with Israel and sharply suppressing Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. But this is a difficult balancing act. Egypt has an important Islamic opposition that can create significant domestic unrest. When Israel carried out large-scale military operations in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009, Egypt was charged with being complicit in Palestinian deaths.

What to do Mubarak?
Modernizing its workforce to compete in todays knowledge-based global economy has been a challenge for the Egyptian government. Egyptian businesses historically have trailed other countries in the use of information and communications technology (ICT), impeding the growth and development of the countrys private sector. With few qualified IT teachers and little available content for business and IT education, the level of management and ICT skills among Egyptian businesses especially small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) is limited. Recognizing the need to improve education and skills among businesses and students, Egyptian leaders, in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other multinational private and public organizations, launched the Egyptian Education Initiative (EEI) in 2005. The EEI contains four education tracks: preuniversity education, higher education, lifelong learning, and e-learning industry development the latter supports the first three tracks. Given the initiatives scope and ambitious goals, delivering the governments vision posed a monumental task. EEIs leaders needed to encourage cooperation among private organizations and public institutions, as well as create a framework to coordinate activities and deliver the desired results. The lifelong learning and e-learning industry development tracks in particular required a business management and IT curriculum to meet the needs of students and SMEs. Most Egyptians cannot remember a time when Hosni Mubarak wasn't their president. After 29 years in office, he is the longest serving ruler of Egypt since the mid-19th century.Even though

he is 82, with rumors swirling about his failing health, senior members of his ruling party are adamant that Mubarak will run again in next year's presidential election. But not all Egyptians are in favor of Mubarak staying in power. A growing number of them are fed up living in what they see as a police state under his iron-fisted rule and in a country whose economy has failed to lift enough people out of poverty According to Egyptian figures, unemployment is in the single digits, and the economy was growing at a healthy rate of 7 percent until the global economic crisis hit. On the ground, the economic picture is far more dismal. A growing majority of Egypt's population is scraping by on less than $100 a month. And with a disappearing government safety net, even Egyptians who have steady jobs and pensions are increasingly living in shantytowns and tents because they can't afford anything else. Government corruption is also a significant problem. At the highest levels, there are conflicts of interest. Several top government ministers are linked to businesses their ministries regulate. The courts are full of cases attacking shady land deals that benefit developers and politicians, and strip Egyptians of public land. There is also lack of impunity. While the situation is troubling, there's little anyone outside the government can do about it, says Gasser Abdel Razek, who is on the board of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights. "The impunity would be challenged by one of two things: Either the regime itself correcting the problems and it's not under serious pressure to do that, keeping in mind that it only survives because of that security apparatus," he says. But allegations of police intimidation have increased in recent days in the run-up to Sunday's parliamentary polls what many Egyptians see as an orchestrated effort by Mubarak's ruling party to sway the vote. His National Democratic Party controls 70 percent of the seats in parliament and is expected to continue the long grip on power. In Alexandria, Said Hussein is campaigning for an independent candidate backed by the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Hussein says many shopkeepers in the neighborhood complained to him that police officers came to their places of work weeks ago and forced them to display banners and posters of ruling party candidates.

Some opposition party candidates complain about being harassed or stopped from campaigning outdoors. Campaign workers are sometimes arrested, as happened in Cairo recently. Two staffers for independent candidate Gameela Ismail were arrested for handing out her fliers before the official two-week campaign period began never mind that some ruling party candidates have had their posters and banners up for weeks

Conclusion :
This must be a common stance that puts an end to the shedding of Palestinian and Israeli blood as well as violence on both sides and creates an atmosphere for returning to the negotiation table, on the basis of a clear-cut political vista conducive to the final status issues, away from unilateral procedures and interim solutions; thus realizing just and durable peace.Such peace should be based on power of right and principle and foundations of international legitimacy and should realize the aspirations of the Palestinian people for establishing their independent state.

This should be a Palestinian-Israeli peace that opens the door to a comprehensive peace on both the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and opens new vistas to address remaining crises and centres of tension in the Middle East, besides wide prospects for constructive cooperation between all its states and peoples, without exception.

Egypt had opened the road to the Middle East peace and has spared no effort to push it forward over the past three decades. Today, our summit revives hope for peace and provides new grounds for serious pursuit of such peace.

Egypt will further pursue its efforts, contacts and offices and will always, as ever, present and participating, through effective and active role, in achieving peace, security and stability in the Middle East.

According to my point of view, the era of Mubarak is beneficent for the Egypt. However, he is a dictator, but his steps are in favour for civilians. He is also playing optimistic role in international politics. For example, he is trying to solve the conflictual situation of Palestine. Moreover, he has take a lot of steps for the improvement in education, business, health and to secure the human rights for his people.

Bibliography :

www.google.com www.answer.com www.newyorktimes.com www.bbcarticles.com Egypt after Mubarak: Liberalism, Islam, and Democracy in the Arab World (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics), Bruce K. Rutherford
B001JSECUG

Hosni Mubarak (Modern World Leaders) , Susan Muaddi Darraj Egypt in the Era of Hosni Mubarak: 1981-2010" by Galal Amin

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright 2004, Columbia University

FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

(A CHARTERED UNIVERSITY)

Departement Of Political Science

Name: Roll # Section: Course: Topic: Instructor:

Waseem Akram Tarar 13-10439

Plsc 202 Husni Sayyid Mubarak ( President of EGYPT) Sir Imran Iqbal

Date :

16-01-2011