Getting to Know Egypt’s Vice President Omar Suleiman

The Takeaway

Is Egypt’s vice president, Omar Suleiman, ready to implement a swift transition to democracy and is that even possible? Who is Suleiman? Retired Colonel Patrick Lang has known and worked with Omar Suleiman for two decades. He says Suleiman’s intention to provide a strong and orderly transition is genuine, but the time table that Egyptians are hoping for is probably unlikely.

We know, of course this former director of the Egyptian intelligence service has close ties to the U.S. But what kind of transitional leader could he make? In Washington, U.S. officials have to wait and see as they stand on the sidelines, while Egyptian officials began working out possible transition plans for the nations government.

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