Egypt's New President Likely to Befriend Iran

New Muslim Brotherhood leader will likely chart a path independent of U.S.

June 25, 2012 RSS Feed Print

An Egyptian woman chants slogans against Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq at a protest in Tahrir Square.

As Egypt enters what could be a decade of political instability, Cordesman says patience in Washington will be key.

"The U.S. must realize that...no matter what we do, we can't make an instant democracy work," says Cordesman. "The U.S. must compromise. The U.S. can't favor security over human rights, or vice versa. The U.S. cannot try and put on too much pressure from the outside."

John T. Bennett covers national security and foreign policy for U.S. News & World Report. You can contact him at jbennett@usnews.com or follow him on Twitter.