Egypt: ‘Is the army the solution?’

The designation of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani as Qatar’s new ruler leads the headlines in Arab newspapers Tuesday, amid commentators’ wonderment over the peaceful and seamless transition of power.

“Steps in Qatar to transfer power to Sheikh Tamim,” reads the headline of Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat, featuring a photo of father Sheikh Hamad joking with his son Sheikh Tamim during a military parade in the capital Doha last December. Tuesday’s official announcement on the transition of power was declared a day of vacation nationwide, the daily reports.

London-based daily Al-Hayat reports the event from a Saudi perspective, its headline reading: “Saudi King congratulates the Qatari emir: We are confident that you will continue in the path of your father.”

The daily reports that the Qatari royal court called on the citizens of the tiny emirate to pledge their allegiance to the new ruler.

Arab nationalist daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, traditionally skeptical of monarchies and emirates, reports that despite his resignation Sheikh Hamad will remain “the supreme guide” of Qatar, a title reminiscent of the Iranian supreme leader.

“The emir [Sheikh Hamad] lifted Qatar’s international standing over the past few years through developing the satellite channel Al-Jazeera and successfully bidding to host the World Cup in 2022.” The daily also praises Qatar’s role in supporting the revolutionary movements in Arab Spring countries.

Al-Jazeera, a station owned by Qatar, delivers the pledge of allegiance to Sheikh Tamim in bold red letters across the top of its website, reporting excerpts from the speeches.

“With the eruption of Arab Spring revolutions, the emir of Qatar stood by the Arab nations and his country adopted progressive positions in supporting the Arab Spring countries, especially on the financial level,” reads the channel’s report.

Saudi-owned news channel Elaph reports that Qatar is one of the few countries to have three generations of rulers still alive: the new regent Sheikh Tamim, his father Sheikh Hamad, and his grandfather Sheikh Khalifa al Thani who was overthrown in a soft coup in June 1995.

Egypt, a country on the verge of explosion

A number of editorials are dedicated to Egypt on Tuesday, five days ahead of opposition protests set for June 30.

In a worried op-ed title “Egypt which is in our minds,” A-Sharq Al-Awsat columnist Hussein Shabakshi writes that the collision between President Mohammed Morsi and his opponents has become inevitable.

“Not only Egyptians are fearful for Egypt. Today, it has become a source of concern for many of its non-Egyptian lovers as well. They observe with great angst and fear two trains advancing toward each other with great speed. The devastating collision seems like just an inevitable matter of time.”

Meanwhile, Al-Quds Al-Arabi editor Abdel Bari Atwan wonders whether it isn’t time for the military to return to the scene.

“Is the army the solution?” he asks in his headline, alluding to the motto of the Muslim Brotherhood “Islam is the solution.”

“When the Egyptian army sends a threat, not just a warning, to the political elite in the regime and the opposition, that it will intervene to save the country from slipping into a dark tunnel, we should expect such intervention within the coming days. This could even happen before the demonstrations of June 30, as the army steps in to control matters from a security point of view and prevent bloody clashes from occurring.”