The US media has been making much of the overthrow of an
Egyptian president elected in “free and fair” elections. This plays into a prevalent
fantasy among American politicians and US media that somehow popular elections
create democracy. In fact, democracy is a fragile flower that requires a
specific set of shared cultural values which are not often found, and certainly not in a country coming out of decades of authoritarian rule.
The Egyptian elections were apparently “free and fair” to
the extent that no one seems to have stuffed the ballot boxes or tinkered with the
counts, as has happened recently in places like Russia and Iran. But it was hardly a level playing field. After Mubarik’s overthrow, the only group
that was well organized was the Muslim Brotherhood, so of course they won the
elections. It was hardly an informed decision by the majority of the population.
But then, are American elections “free and fair” when
corporations and unions can pour millions into campaigns, or when incumbents (at
least in Congress) have free postage and free media exposure?
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