By Dave Clark
CAIRO, Feb 11, 2011 (AFP) - The sudden collapse of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule in Egypt had all the trappings of a revolution, but the military strongman at the heart of the new regime is anything but a fresh face.
Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, is a 75-year-old veteran of Egypt's wars and political manoeuvres and a long-time close associate of the hated autocrat he replaces.
On taking power Friday, the military moved quickly to reassure the citizens whose street revolt toppled Mubarak that it would respect the popular will, but its leader is not someone known to be comfortable with change.
Anyone hoping that he will usher in a new era in Egyptian democracy would be well advised to read what the US embassy said about him in a March 2008 diplomatic cable recently published by the activist website WikiLeaks.
"He and Mubarak are focused on regime stability and maintaining the status quo through the end of their time. They simply do not have the energy, inclination or world view to do anything differently," the cable warned.
According to the same March 2008 cable, Tantawi, while "charming and courtly," is also "aged and change-resistant," hardly reformer credentials.
As the 82-year-old Mubarak makes way for his 75-year-old ally, it is their similarities more than their differences that stand out.
Tantawi was commissioned in 1956 and fought in Egypt's 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars against Israel, although his close allies in the United States now believe he "is committed to preventing another one."
Since 1991 he has served as minister of defence in the authoritarian government of Mubarak, himself a former air force general and war veteran, and he was already commander of the armed forces when the regime fell.
When Mubarak's allies found their other levers of power weak -- the National Democratic Party (NDP) and its suspiciously successful businessmen allies are hated by the Egyptian protesters -- they turned back to the army.
On the street the demonstrators hailed the armed forces as a unifying national force, less brutal and corrupt than the interior ministry police or pro-Mubarak goons who attacked their marches and killed some 300 people.
Tantawi might thus enjoy a honeymoon with his people, as he takes charge and looks for ways to respond to demands for democratic rule.
But the new generation that took to the streets has other heroes than the commanders of the 1973 conflict with Israel in the Sinai -- their actions were inspired by Internet cyber-activists and the example of Tunisia's revolt.
The biggest cheers of the week on Tahrir Square, focus of Egypt's uprising, were for Wael Ghonim, a 30-year-old Google marketing executive and the Facebook enthusiast who marshalled an online army to challenge the state.
Tantawi, an austere infantry officer and regime apparatchik, doesn't fit the same profile.
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Copyright AFP 2011.
