Hosni Mubarak

Mike Theiler/ Reuters

Updated June 3, 2009

Hosni Mubarak has been president of Egypt since the assassination of Anwar el-Sadat on Oct. 16, 1981. His tenure is the longest of any Egyptian president since the ouster of the king in the 1950s -- longer than that of Gamal Abdel Nasser, a pioneer of Arab nationalism, and longer than that of Mr. Sadat, who was slain after making peace with Israel.

In the wake of Mr. Sadat's death, Mr. Mubarak continued a policy of maintaining ties with Israel, and cracked down on Islamic militants. His support for Israel won him the support of the West and a continuation of hefty annual aid from the United States. The crackdown on the Islamic Brotherhood forced the militants underground, but as Mr. Mubarak steadily reduced the room for legitimate political dissent, a once-largely secular society has become increasingly Islamicized.

Mr. Mubarak is routinely referred to as Egypt's modern pharaoh, though usually in a cautious whisper. Government critics are routinely jailed and freedom of expression and assembly are restricted. As he prepared to visit Cairo in June 2009 President Obama signaled that while he would mention American concerns about human rights in Egypt, he would not challenge Mr. Mubarak too sharply, calling him a "force for stability and good" in the Middle East. President Obama said he did not regard Mr. Mubarak as an authoritarian leader.

Egypt has long been a leader of the Arab world, and Mr. Mubarak, has successfully negotiated the complicated issues of regional security, solidifying a relationship with Washington, maintaining cool but correct ties with Israel and sharply suppressing Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.

But this is a difficult balancing act. Egypt has an important Islamic opposition that can create significant domestic unrest. When Israel carried out large-scale military operations in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009 Egypt was charged with being complicit in Palestinian deaths.

As Mr. Mubarak ages, it is unclear who will succeed him. Egypt is a democracy, but politics and elections are controlled by the government and the ruling party, and in the absence of any true opposition, the party's candidate is certain to win. Travel around Egypt and nearly everyone asked assumes the heir apparent is Gamal Mubarak, the president's younger son and a force in the ruling party.

Washington has vested its interests in Mr. Mubarak, while directing most of its aid dollars to the Egyptian military. Mr. Mubarak has not always been the perfect ally, but American officials say that he is invaluable for his historical perspective and the importance he places on the relationship with the United States and peace with Israel. An American official here said the hope was that Mr. Mubarak's ultimate replacement would be someone who maintains the same historical appreciation for peace and relations with Washington.