Just a few years ago, talk of a possible inherited succession in Egypt was considered taboo. In any case, the message, from the top down, was that Egypt was not Syria, a republic where a son succeeded his father as president in 2000.

These days, however, the future of Hosni Mubarak’s 46-year-old son Gamal is the talk of Cairo. That he is being groomed to take over is not only openly discussed among the chattering classes but also widely debated in the media.