The uproar over the defeat of Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouq Husni in the elections of the UNESCO director-general has not yet subsided. These elections have truly reflected the size of the chasm between the north and the south, one that cannot be concealed by giving some speeches and words or by watching the hugs and kisses among leaders. Regardless of the official, elite, and perhaps public Egyptian anger, or the "gloating parties" among some Western mediums, or even among those who hate Farouq Husni inside Egypt and some Arab states, and while acknowledging the fact that the United States has spearheaded an alliance that succeeded in toppling Husni and preventing him from reaching the international high-ranking position, and that some countries promised Egypt to vote for Husni then recanted or even broke their promises, and that some media outlets adopted campaigns that reached the level of slandering and offending the Egyptian minister… Regardless of all that, other reasons were behind the defeat, although Husni led an honorable battle. The Egyptian minister was provided with all the capabilities that no other Egyptian candidate received in any previous international elections. President Husni Mubarak supported him strongly and provided him with all possible facilities. He also put at his disposal the state's capabilities, conducted contacts and held meetings in order to secure the votes of states who are members in the executive bureau of the organization. Besides, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry sponsored the file at an early stage and "worked" hard to make it succeed. During the first round, Husni obtained 22 votes, which means that other candidates obtained 36 votes, i.e. the majority of the votes were not in his favor. It was expected that not both European candidates would make it till the end together, because elections rules require that one of the candidates be sidetracked in accordance with the logic Husni followed in the elections, where he relied on the support of the Arabs and Muslims and Africans. It is also logical that the Europeans would support one candidate in the end. Husni presented himself as the candidate of the South, and the representative of the Arabs, Muslims, and Africans who rallied behind him, which means that his rivals are also entitled to use the same approach. The initial polarization occurred since the announcement of the candidacy of the Egyptian minister, whereby the Arab was faced by the Western, the Muslim was faced by the Christian, and the African was faced by the American and the European. When calculating the balance of powers, the following questions arise: Do the Arabs, Muslims, and Africans enjoy a power commensurate with that of the West? Do they have the same amounts of money? Do they enjoy the same influence? Do they have military bases spread all over the world? Are their armies as powerful as the American and European ones? Do they grant economic aid for hungry nations? The talk about politicizing the elections is an acknowledgement of a reality that is not new. It would be naïve to rule out the influence of politics from any international organization's elections. President Mubarak realized this early and used his power, relations, influence, and status to support the Egyptian candidate. Many believe that without that support, Husni would have never received 22 votes during the first stage of the elections, amid the campaign launched against him and the Western rejection of his candidacy. Didn't Mubarak speak with Sarkozy and King Juan Carlos? Didn't he receive Netanyahu and ask him to cease the Israeli campaign against Husni? It is politics, which Mubarak realized early that it is the most influential factor in any international organization's elections. But in the UNESCO elections, the cards of the political game were not all within the Egyptian hands. Wasn't the election of the Japanese Mitsuru politically-oriented? Didn't he defeat a Saudi candidate despite the Saudi economic weight and an Egyptian candidate who was not backed by the Egyptian policy? Wasn't the withdrawal of the United States from UNESCO for 20 years driven by political motives? Beyond no doubt, the statement of Minister Husni on burning the Israeli books was exploited against him. Even when he apologized for that in the "Le Monde", his enemies did not believe him. In addition, Husni has built his history and status among the educated elites in Egypt on his position which opposes normalization with Israel. After two decades, he paid the price for his (honorable) position. Neither time, conditions, or his enemies helped him to improve his positions in their eyes. Today, what happened has happened. But it is important for us to benefit from this experience… It is easy for the Egyptian and Arab media to attack the United States, Israel, and the West in general, but it remains important to understand the rules of elections in any international organization, realize the secrets of the game, and not engage in a competition relying on the same weapons that our opponents arm themselves with, because after all, they are more capable than us in manufacturing weapons…and using them.
