Hosni Mubarak's announcement last weekend that he would allow "official" opposition candidates to stand against him for the Egyptian presidency showed that even Washington's closest Arab ally was not immune to the new political currents ostensibly flowing through the Middle East.

Nudged by the US administration to make a gesture towards President George W. Bush's second term mission to spread freedom throughout the world, Mr Mubarak came up with a plan for partial democracy. A proposed constitutional amendment is almost certain to exclude the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood, the most influential opposition group.