Arab Rulers Fear It Will Happen to Them Too

The unrest in Iran throughout the last week not only threatens to dismantle its own political system, but also awaken social protest among millions in the Arab world.  In particular, President Mubarak of Egypt is concerned about his upcoming meeting with Ahmadinejad at the conference of non-aligned nations and the prospects of the Iranian unrest triggering a similar situation in Egypt.

Smadar Peri in Yedioth Ahronoth:

In two weeks, Ahmadinejad plans to land on the head of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh as a completely unwanted guest.

The Iranian president already announced that he intended to accept the invitation to the conference of non-aligned nations that will meet in Egypt. In a discourteous reply, it was made clear to Ahmadinejad that Mubarak was not exactly dreaming happily about greeting him at the airport, as per protocol. As Cairo sees it, let Ahmadinejad be offended and stay home.

The thunderous silence of the rulers of the Arab world-only Bashar Assad congratulated Ahmadinejad for his "divine victory" -attests to great nervousness. On the one hand, Iran held a democratic election campaign, one that does not exist to this day in the any of the Arab world countries (except perhaps Lebanon, where there was also fraud): four candidates from two yellow camps waged a campaign, grappled with juicy television debates and maligned each other below the belt. On the other hand, the great fraud of the election results reminds millions in the Arab world of what happens in their own home.

Even in the moderate countries, the US's allies, daily life is run by means of emergency laws and sudden arrests without warrants. Take, for example, Egypt, where a referendum is scheduled in a year and a half over the appointment of President Mubarak's successor. What is happening in Tehran is liable to blow up in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria: demonstrations by millions who will be displeased by the victory of the candidate marked to win, the president's son.

Saudi Arabia is no less troubled. The ayatollahs have already shown that they are capable of sending agents, in the guise of pilgrims, to the holy places in order to agitate, to finance terror cells and to rock the king's throne. The mass protest movement against a regime like Iran is liable to give ideas to masses of frustrated and unemployed young people in the kingdom of the cradle of Islam.

The elections, the fraud and the demonstrations that spread throughout Iran are leading the secret organizations kept by the Arab dictators to a gloomy conclusion: it is impossible to continue to ignore the street. But if they let the dream of democracy seep into the polling booths, all the leaders will be immediately kicked out, without exception, and if they try and fix the results, as they did in Iran, millions will take to the streets to protest the phony democracy. So what should they do? First of all, postpone election and referendum dates. And when there is no choice, fix the ballots in a more subtle and sophisticated way; the main thing is to convince the masses that something has in fact changed to their advantage.