Rufiz Hafizoglu, head of Trend Middle East desk
Protests against the government in Egypt, which is the leading force in the Arab world from a political point of view, ended with the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. One day before it, he announced that he would not leave his post in favor of external forces.
Despite that many assumed that radical Islamists will come to power in the country after Mubarak's resignation, neither Islamists nor the liberal opposition came to the power.
Muslim Brotherhood, who had every chance to take the power, did not do it, and regarded Mubarak's resignation as a military coup.
Egyptians regard Mubarak's resignation as a victory of democracy, but surely, Europe, the U.S. and Turkey have an interest in these events.
On the backdrop of events in Cairo, many Western countries, including the U.S., stated the inevitability of democratic change and called upon Mubarak to make serious steps and relinquish power. The question arises here: why did the United States, which once supported Mubarak (its ally in the first war in the Gulf) want his resignation now?
It is easy to understand the reason for this if to take into account the changes in the Middle East and Muslim world. Justice and Development Party's coming to power in 2002 in Turkey, which is considered the most faithful ally of the United States and Israel, and military's removal from playing an important role in the political life of the country, was regarded as the beginning of revival in the "green stripe".
After Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, Turkey began coming closer with the Arab world and Iran from political and economic point of view. Surely, it could not escape from the watchful eyes of the United States, who has its political, economic and military interests in the region. However, it was not so easy to change the political course of Turkey, who increasingly strengthened in the region.
For this reason, the U.S. had to find in the Middle East a Muslim state, which could be an alternative to Turkey with its political course and military strength. The most ideal option was Egypt, which unlike other Arab countries, has normal relations with Israel and has no diplomatic relations with Iran.
The ruling party senator from the Colorado State (USA), Mark Udall, expressing his attitude towards the events in Cairo, said Egypt needs its Ataturk. "I believe that the Turkish army will become an example for the Egyptian, said Udall. - But I do not believe that the military, who came to power in Egypt and is the guarantor of stability in the country, will soon leave the power."
The military's stay in power, which will be long, will not change the relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv. Mubarak's resignation and Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi's coming to power suggests that similar events could be repeated in other Arab countries, which will lead to the beginning of a new period of development in the Middle East.
It is not excluded that in the near future, such events can occur in Yemen, who does not enjoy political stability, which may face the threat of terror and Iranian influence. Naturally, in this case the United States, as in Iraq, will intervene in the affairs of Yemen under the slogans of freedom and democracy in order to be even closer to Iran.
It becomes apparent that if so far the competition in the Islamic world and the Middle East was between Tehran and Ankara, following Mubarak's resignation, Cairo will also join this competition.