At this pivotal moment, the United States has an important role to play. In Egypt, it wields sufficient leverage over the military to significantly affect its decision making. President Obama should use this power to help the country overcome its polarized politics and prevent yet another switch from one dictatorial structure to another. In Libya, Americans still enjoy the gratitude of many Libyans for having supported their liberation from Qaddafi. The United States should respond to their plea for support in building new, sustainable civil society institutions that give cause for hope across the political spectrum. America’s historic friendship with Morocco is also an opportunity for engagement with diverse social and political currents in the country. It can provide the kingdom with support and encouragement for the risks it has taken in opening up its political system. At the same time, it can help build the capacity of political parties, whether Islamists or others, to formulate winning policies that deliver value to the population. And in Tunisia—the cauldron of revolution, the greatest hope thus far for successful postrevolutionary transitions, the United States can distill lessons and help transmit them across the neighborhood, while supporting NGOs that aim to consolidate the gains of the past two years.

Ahmed Charai is publisher of the weekly Moroccan newspaper L'Observateur and president of MED Radio, a national broadcast network in Morocco, MEDTV network and chairman of the board of Al-Ahdath al-Maghrebiya, an Arabic daily newspaper. As an expert on Morocco and North Africa, he sits on the Board of Trustees of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He is a member of The National Interest's Advisory Council.

Image: Flickr/Gigi Ibrahim. CC BY 2.0.