The Brotherhood has been embracing Al Qaida, the report said. Rubin
cited speeches by Brotherhood members of the Egyptian parliament, many of
whom endorsed jihad, or Islamic holy war.
"They want an Islamist radical state, ruled by Sharia and at war with
Israel and the United States," the report said.
The report said a post-Mubarak regime would blame Israel, the United
States and the West for Egypt's economic woes, Middle East Newsline reported. Another prospect was that
Egypt's new regime forms an alliance with Iran.
"Without the confidence to resist the upheaval, the Egyptian system
could collapse, leaving a vacuum that is not going to be filled by friendly
leaders," the report said. "That is potentially disastrous for the United
States and the Middle East."
Rubin said the United States has few options in Egypt, which since 1980
received $1.3 billion in annual American military aid. He said the key
question was whether Washington should sit quietly or adopt a "strategy that
has lots of negatives."
"After all, aside from the likely radicalism of their leaders, a
revolutionary regime would be hostile toward the United States since America
would be blamed for supporting the Egyptian dictatorship for decades," the
report said. "President Obama will not charm them into moderation."