We everybody knew that, but it´s good to know the truth is coming to light. According to an excellent article in the NYT (based on a supposedly leaked secret report recently presented to Mr Morsi), "President Hosni Mubarak watched live video feeds of the demonstrations in Tahrir Square and the brutal response by his security forces" and "authorized the use of any means to stop the demonstrations", being aware of "the government’s widespread use of plainclothes thugs". It has to be reminded that Mubarak was sentenced (alongside his former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly) to life imprisonment for "failing to stop the killing of demonstrators" during the uprising (furthermore, Cairo´s Criminal Court acquitted his sons for corruption charges) and that only a handful of police officers are imprisoned, while significant top security officials were blatantly and outrageously acquitted. Could this information lead to a badly needed reconciliation process or will it further polarize Egyptian society? Will Morsi´s controversial 22 November Decree be applied? Time will tell and Egypt, as it always does when it comes to tumultuous events, will surely provide...
Visiting Scholar for the Carnegie Middle East Center´s Sami Moubayed has got it all right. His magnificent article Brahimi won´t risk his reputation in vain highlights the poignant truth about of one of the most serious mistakes the international community (and particularly both the UN and the League of Arab States) has made since the breaking out of the conflict: choosing the wrong mediator. And taking into account the many many (many) things at stake, it really shocks me why nearly nobody stressed that fact earlier. Appointing an special envoy to show unity/consensus and be able to speak to Assad? Great idea. Not bearing in mind what was exactly needed? Failure. Even though he will have to face several setbacks, let´s only hope Brahimi´s appointment somehow clears the path of the Syrian mess... His advantages, as presented by Moubayed: He is "the man who helped end Lebanon’s civil war, who managed Iraq’s troubled post-Saddam elections, and propped up Hamid Karza...

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