Last week, Egypt took a monumental step in its move towards democracy: the nation elected a president, Mohamed Morsi. What is interesting about Mr. Morsi (besides the fact that he is an engineer / former professor with a doctorate from the University of Southern California), is that he was a representative of an Islamist group that was once banned in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood. And the challenges that Mr. Morsi faces are daunting to say the least. According to the New York Times, Mr. Morsi will “have to convince Egyptians that he represents more than just the narrow interests of the Muslim Brotherhood and soothe fears among many that his true goal is to bind the notion of citizenship more closely to Islam.” Even though he recently resigned from the Islamist group on Sunday, many people believe that his extensive background with the organization, “means his ties to it will persist.” Furthermore, Mr. Morsi will have to work tirelessly at building coalitions with other parties who have been reluctant to work with the Brotherhood in the past. As a result, some officials feel that Mr. Morsi should make a clean break and distance himself from the Brotherhood completely. His affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood may also cause complications with Egypt’s relationship with the United States. If Mr. Morsi continues to be a strong supporter of the Brotherhood’s policies without distancing himself somewhat from the group, it may be very difficult for the Untied States to work with an Egyptian government essentially run by the Brotherhood since the United States has basically been isolating and ignoring the group for the last 30 years.