Egypt Should Learn From Jordan at the Polls

After 30 years of Mubarak, and now the prospect of hereditary succession, state legitimacy in Egypt is extremely low. At the same time, in recent years, Egypt has witnessed an unprecedented number of political demonstrations and labor strikes. Rather than return to the customary practice of sending out the troops on November 28, Cairo should send in the monitors—both independent domestic observers and international ones. Should Egyptian elections be assessed as free and fair, Egypt—like Jordan—will win international praise. More importantly, the regime might just improve its stature at home.

David Schenker is director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Earlier this month, he was an election observer in Jordan on the team fielded by the International Republican Institute.