What's Next for Egypt?

The people of Egypt are taking over the streets of Cairo in hopes of a transition to a new government. The protests that have been taking place have been a "real amalgamation of different people, different elements," Robert Danin from the Council on Foreign Relations told CBS News' Bob Orr on Washington Unplugged on Monday. "This is not one single organized group -- this is really a grassroots demonstration that has risen from below. People have said enough, were tired of President Mubarak, we're tired of an oppressive regime, we want him to go."

One dominant group know as the Muslim Brotherhood has in turn begun to unite with other opposition groups and are now behind Mohamed El Baradei, "the face of this revolution, for this challenge to the Mubarak regime," according to Danin. "We are now seeing the nascent of an organization group here," Danin continued, and whether these groups will rise to the vantage point of the oppositional parties in Egypt is unknown as President Mubarak's next steps have not been determined.

For the past several weeks protests and demonstrations have dominated several parts of the Middle East, and "there is a contingent effect that is spreading through out the region in a way we've never seen before," Danin points out, "It is the absolute dictatorships that have the highest risk of collapsing, as history has shown."

Veteran CBS News State Department reporter and producer Charlie Wolfson adds that "this is a significant foreign policy challenge for the Obama Administration."

The U.S.'s involvement in this protest is key, as there is "potential for more states to fall, for more people to go in to the streets...all of this plays to America's support for Israel," said Wolfson. "Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab nations that have peace treaties with Israel. What happens if these regimes fall and radical regimes take over? The Obama Administration has to take all of this into consideration."

Watch the Washington Unplugged discussion above, which also features CBS News chief White House correspondent Chip Reid and national security correspondent David Martin.