New faces, same old policies?
We look at Egypt’s new cabinet and vice president and ask if this is really the change Egyptians are looking for.
Protesters across Egypt are intensifying their campaign against Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, even after he named a new government and vice president.
Many Egyptians are suspicious of behind-the-scenes deals between the government and security forces. And the appointments to the new cabinet seem to indicate that the link between the two is as strong as ever.
After 30 years of resistance, why has Mubarak chosen to appoint a vice president now? Is this appointment and the appearance of other new members of the cabinet a sign of real change? And what is the West looking for if Mubarak falls?
Joining us on the programme are Khalil al-Anani, a political analyst and professor at the school of government and international affairs at Durham University, Ibrahim Arafat, a professor of political science at Cairo University and Qatar University, and Mohamad el-Menshawy, the Washington bureau chief for Shorouk newspaper. And joining us on the line from Cairo is Nabil Zaki, the editor-in-chief of the weekly Al-Ahaly newspaper.
This episode of Inside Story aired from Tuesday, February 2, 2011.