Presidential elections in Egypt are scheduled for 2011, if not sooner, and the aged president Mubarak will likely step aside. His son Gamal waits in the wings, seemingly alone. But the regime comes under many pressures, both foreign and domestic, to bring democratic reforms and free and fair elections to Egypt. as a key Middle East power and crucial US ally, Egypt's transfer of power has profound implications for the region and must be managed with the utmost care. A hereditary succession would be highly suspect, and in all probability destabilizing and illegitimate.

Meanwhile, the threat of an Islamist regime lurks in the background, as the Muslim Brotherhood has achieved a grudging parity with the weakening Mubarak regime since 2005. The push for democratic reform is thus tempered by the perceived need for stability. According to author Alaa Al-Din Arafat, the Egyptian people long for democracy, and the thought of a Gamal Mubarak regime stretching across two more decades is crushing to contemplate.