Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+

Like Mubarak, Soeharto Bought Stability through Repression

Kompas.com - 15/02/2011, 10:40 WIB

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com - Senior White House officials are studying scores of global revolutions and political transitions for trends that might help Egypt plot an orderly and permanent shift to democratic rule.

A senior official told AFP that President Barack Obama’s foreign policy braintrust had surveyed transitions in Asia, Europe and South America, as it assesses Egypt’s future after the sudden fall of President Hosni Mubarak.

The search for historical precedent comes as some US commentators fearfully handicap the odds of the Muslim Brotherhood staging a takeover in Egypt and use Iran’s Islamic Republic as an omen. But officials and analysts say that power transfers in places as diverse as Indonesia, Chile and South Korea may be more apt, as Egypt’s military mulls a new power paradigm.

“Every country is unique, and one analogy can be dangerous,” said Michael McFaul, National Security Council director for Russia and Eurasian Affairs, who, in academic life, was an expert on democratic political transitions.

With that said, McFaul said that a historical overview of past political transitions could provide context for Egypt’s challenge. Officials have studied how nations edge away from autocratic rule and navigate a crucial interim period of establishing democratic constitutions, elections and institutions. Their conclusions have clearly informed US rhetoric on the need for an orderly and “irreversible” transition in Egypt.

A bulging six-inch-high binder currently sits on the West Wing desk of Tom Donilon, who commissioned the review, and has Obama’s ear on foreign policy as his National Security Advisor. But with uncertainty reigning in Egypt, it remains unclear whether the military will stomach the kind of democratic evolution much of the rest of the world wants to see.

And is it stretching a point to suggest that Egypt’s social networked, youth-driven revolt, laced with 30 years of thwarted aspirations under Mubarak, will absorb advice from abroad or absorb lessons of the past? Thomas Carothers, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it was valid to seek lessons from history “as long as we assume that Egypt is not going to be Indonesia, is not going to be Iran.”

Indonesia though is a particularly appealing example for Washington as a Muslim-majority nation which embraced democracy after ousting dictator General Soeharto — who like Mubarak bought stability through repression. Obama, who bonded with Indonesia in four years there as a boy, views the emerging Asian giant as a political model after it turned from the “rule of an iron fist to the rule of the people.”

In Jakarta in November, Obama praised Indonesia’s elected presidency and legislature, checks and balances and dynamic civil society — a framework Washington would love to see Egypt emulate. But the world’s largest Muslim majority democracy is not the sole model.

“The cases that I think are most useful are in the late 1980s — in the Philippines, South Korea and Chile,” a senior official said.

Halaman:
Baca tentang


    Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+

    Terkini Lainnya

    Peserta yang Dicatut Fotonya oleh Joki di UTBK 2025 Tidak Didiskualifikasi

    Peserta yang Dicatut Fotonya oleh Joki di UTBK 2025 Tidak Didiskualifikasi

    Edu
    Peserta yang Pilih Kedokteran Terbanyak Gunakan Joki di UTBK SNBT 2025

    Peserta yang Pilih Kedokteran Terbanyak Gunakan Joki di UTBK SNBT 2025

    Edu
    PTN Buka Peluang untuk Mengecek Mahasiswa yang Gunakan Joki UTBK SNBT

    PTN Buka Peluang untuk Mengecek Mahasiswa yang Gunakan Joki UTBK SNBT

    Edu
    Diklaim Ada 1.800 Peserta, Kompetisi Puisi Mandarin Berbasis AI Selesai Digelar

    Diklaim Ada 1.800 Peserta, Kompetisi Puisi Mandarin Berbasis AI Selesai Digelar

    Edu
    Salah Tampilkan Foto Peserta UTBK Gunakan Joki, Panitia SNPMB: Kami Mohon Maaf

    Salah Tampilkan Foto Peserta UTBK Gunakan Joki, Panitia SNPMB: Kami Mohon Maaf

    Edu
    Materi Literasi Bahasa Indonesia Dikeluhkan Peserta UTBK SNBT 2025, Ini Penjelasan Panitia SNPMB

    Materi Literasi Bahasa Indonesia Dikeluhkan Peserta UTBK SNBT 2025, Ini Penjelasan Panitia SNPMB

    Edu
    Biaya Kuliah di UPH 2025/2026, Jurusan Kedokteran sampai Lulus Capai Rp 920 juta

    Biaya Kuliah di UPH 2025/2026, Jurusan Kedokteran sampai Lulus Capai Rp 920 juta

    Edu
    Survei KPK: Banyak Guru-Dosen Indonesia yang Terlambat hingga Bolos

    Survei KPK: Banyak Guru-Dosen Indonesia yang Terlambat hingga Bolos

    Edu
    Dugaan Kecurangan di 13 Pusat UTBK SNBT 2025, Ada 50 Peserta 10 Joki

    Dugaan Kecurangan di 13 Pusat UTBK SNBT 2025, Ada 50 Peserta 10 Joki

    Edu
    Panitia SNPMB: Kami Pastikan Soal UTBK SNBT 2025 Tidak Mungkin Bocor

    Panitia SNPMB: Kami Pastikan Soal UTBK SNBT 2025 Tidak Mungkin Bocor

    Edu
    Soal Kelanjutan Kampus Merdeka, MSIB hingga IISMA, Kemendikti: Berjalan, tapi...

    Soal Kelanjutan Kampus Merdeka, MSIB hingga IISMA, Kemendikti: Berjalan, tapi...

    Edu
    Rektor UP Dicopot, Penjabat Sementara Akan Dilantik Besok

    Rektor UP Dicopot, Penjabat Sementara Akan Dilantik Besok

    Edu
    Pro-Kontra Penyelenggaraan Wisuda, Boleh Selama Tak Berlebihan

    Pro-Kontra Penyelenggaraan Wisuda, Boleh Selama Tak Berlebihan

    Edu
    Mengapa Siswa Suka Menyontek? Mendikdasmen Mu'ti Ungkap Penyebabnya

    Mengapa Siswa Suka Menyontek? Mendikdasmen Mu'ti Ungkap Penyebabnya

    Edu
    Rektor UP Dicopot, Kampus Tuding Keterlibatan Oknum Yayasan dan Jajaran Internal

    Rektor UP Dicopot, Kampus Tuding Keterlibatan Oknum Yayasan dan Jajaran Internal

    Edu
    Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
    Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
    komentar di artikel lainnya
    Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
    Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
    Close Ads
    Bagikan artikel ini melalui
    Oke
    Login untuk memaksimalkan pengalaman mengakses Kompas.com
    atau