Democracy building in Egypt will be messy

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Sometime in the not too distant future when Egyptians look back on those tumultous 18 days, getting rid of Mubarak would probably figure as the easy part. Democracy building is a messy, tedious and all too easily derailed business. More so when it comes to Egypt which has no tradition of democracy, a pervasive secret police culture and no credible institutions barring the army.

It's strange but true that the army will be building democracy in Egypt, led by a man Field Marshal Hussain Tantawi described in the WikiLeaks cables as "Mubarak's poodle" and anti-reform in every sense of the word. Tantawi it is said epitomises the strong centrist traditions that have characterised governments in Egypt, traditions that go back thousands of years to the Pharoahs. It partly explains the army's ambiguity on repeal of the emergency laws that have stifled dissent and outlawed opposition.

Fed and nurtured by America, could the army at some stage turn on its own people? What happens when calls for retribution are made by relatives of those victimised by Mubarak's regime over the last three decades? The army was part of that regime and despite the obvious bonding with the people, cannot escape responsibility for Mubarak's excesses.

Every plank of government policy will be called into question, including and most notably the 1975 peace treaty with Israel. Policy towards that country could get murky if there is a push towards helping the Palestinians of Gaza. Not to be missed, the only Arabs on the side of Egypt's revolution are Hamas and Hezbollah, both inspired in part by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. That's one set of people to be closely watched.

The relationship with the US could come under strain. It was under Washington's patronage that Mubarak was allowed to get away with blue murder.

In the Cairo suburb of Zemalek, I met IT engineer Mustafa Karim who believes Israel and the US are Egypt's biggest enemies. In his view which seems fairly popular among many young Egyptians, both countries covet the billions of dollars in revenues that flow into the nation's coffers from operating the Suez Canal. Then there are Egypt's oil fields, small but tempting.

A word about India. Al-Hind as India is referred to, lies somewhere on the remote fringes of the Egyptian consciousness, a fact more due to Bollywood than any official Indian agency. Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan are familiar names in Egypt's youth culture but there's also a recognition that India has moved far ahead in terms of economic growth and in building the skills of its people. India's democracy is little known or understood, some people even expressing surprise that elections are held every five years.