When Egyptian protesters ousted President Hosni Mubarak from power in February, the country appeared to be heading for big changes. Now, eight months later and amid a rash of sectarian violence, the country’s military elite are running things just as they have for decades. Egypt's first democratic elections are scheduled for November, but will the junta stand down? Here are the military rulers to watch.
--by Babak Dehghanpisheh
Clockwise from top left: Landov (2); Corbis; Getty Images
A diehard military man, Tantawi, 75, has served in the Egyptian military for 55 years, nearly 20 years of that as minister of defense. As head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Tantawi is the de facto ruler of the country, which pits him squarely against pro-democracy activists. He reached out to protesters early, visiting Tahrir Square last spring, but many Egyptians are now wondering whether he’s trying to block any significant political change. His ties to the former regime run deep: Mubarak handpicked him for his ministerial post, and in a cable released by WikiLeaks, the U.S. ambassador noted that a disgruntled class of midlevel officers used to refer to him as “Mubarak’s poodle.” When Tantawi was called to testify at the trial of Mubarak in mid-September, he refused, claiming he was too busy dealing with internal security matters. Little wonder, then, that many protesters have now begun chanting slogans against him.
Cai Yang, EPA / Corbis
Army Chief of Staff Enan, 63, is the top man in the SCAF after Tantawi and a favorite of the American top brass. When protests first broke out in Cairo in February, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Enan twice to discuss the unrest and help manage the crisis. The U.S. military may be drawing even closer to Enan, who is also well regarded among his Egyptian military peers, in the post-Mubarak chaos. He earned a significant amount of good will among protesters when he showed up in Tahrir Square in February and promised that their demands would be met. Still, after the Israeli Embassy in Cairo was attacked in early September, Enan supported the activation of the hated emergency law, a tactic used by the former regime to facilitate widespread crackdowns.
Khaled Desouki, AFP / Getty Images
Suleiman, 74, the country’s former top spymaster, was seen as a possible successor to Mubarak for years. He forged a tight bond with Mubarak while in the military, and reportedly grew even closer after a 1995 trip to Ethiopia when Suleiman insisted the president drive in an armored car, a move that saved Mubarak’s life during a subsequent assassination attempt. Suleiman has been described by the U.S. ambassador as “a pragmatist with an extremely sharp analytical mind.” He’s also worked with top Israeli officials as head of the General Intelligence Directorate, addressing mutual threats from Iran, Hizbullah, and Hamas. Many of Egypt’s young protesters remember him as the man who somberly read Mubarak’s resignation on TV in February—and thought he would likely fade away with the rest of the regime. Not so. Over the summer, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces conducted a controversial poll on Facebook that listed Suleiman as a possible presidential candidate, raising the possibility that he could reemerge on the political scene with a big splash.
Asmaa Waguih, Reuters / Landov
The 69-year-old minister of civil aviation—who served under Mubarak as a fighter pilot during the 1973 war with Israel—is credited with revamping Egypt’s decrepit airports and helping boost the country’s tourist revenue. He was also close to Mubarak “on the level of family,” says a retired Egyptian general. To insiders, it came as no surprise when the president tapped Shafik to become prime minister as the regime began to crumble. Shafik was reportedly involved in a number of questionable business deals with Mubarak’s sons Gamal and Alaa, as well as kickback schemes that have enriched the former president. “The man is not clean,” says Robert Springborg, an expert on the Egyptian military at the Naval Postgraduate School. “He may be efficient, but he’s also corrupt.” Shafik kept a low profile for months after the initial Tahrir Square protests and made his first public appearance at a graduation ceremony for an Air Force Academy class in July. He had a prominent seat at the ceremony next to Army chief of staff Enan, fueling speculation that he may be thinking of a political comeback. If he does, Shafik, like Omar Suleiman, faces an uphill battle to shed his close ties with the Mubarak regime.
Khaled Desouki, AFP / Getty Images
