Revolution in the Middle East - was: Egypt's Peaceful Revolution

[kaytodd]

Bearing witness to this thrills me as much as any other historical event in my lifetime. And it may be prove to be one of the most important and profound.

Obviously Egypt, like all countries (including the one I am very proud to have been born and raised) has shown it has its flaws. But when Egypt made the decision to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1978 it totally changed the game in the Middle East. Some say this treaty made things much worse for the Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza. But a continuing series of wars between Israel and its neighbors would have been catastrophic for everyone, including the Palestinians. The US and USSR would have been dragged in and one can only imagine what may have happened.

The fact that it was Egypt, the most powerful Muslim nation, considered to be the leader of the Muslim nations, and Israel's neighbor that signed the Camp David Accords meant that the treaty helped stabilize the Middle East for a long time. Israel, the Muslim nations, and the Western nations should have used this stability to help the Palestinians. But, IMO, Egypt did the rest of the world a big favor.

Egypt may have done the world a big favor again. Less than a year after the failed revolution in Iran, another modern advanced Muslim nation has decided to overthrow a dictator. And they showed it could be done peacefully. Tunisia deserves a lot of credit, but for this to happen in a powerful influential nation like Egypt is much more meaningful.

God bless the people of Egypt.

[Sonic Youth]

Are there any existing Arab nations that are also democratic and, in addition, allies with the U.S.? I'm trying to think of one, but Turkey is the only one that comes close in my mind...

Pedantic note: Replace "Arab" with "Middle Eastern". Turks and Arabs are two different ethnicities.

I believe Cyprus is an allied democracy. Lebanon is also a democracy.

[danfrank]

Thanks for the link to the photos, Sonic. They truly are extraordinary, and arranged in a narrative that is deeply moving.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for the future of Egypt. For now, what an extraordinary moment in history! Power to the people, indeed.

[OscarGuy]

Are there any existing Arab nations that are also democratic and, in addition, allies with the U.S.? I'm trying to think of one, but Turkey is the only one that comes close in my mind...

[Sonic Youth]

Mohammed El Baradei tweets:

"Egypt Today is a free and proud nation. God bless."

http://twitter.com/ElBaradei/status/36123421939073024

And this series of photos is extraordinary:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/02/egypt_the_wait.html



Edited By Sonic Youth on 1297451258

[Sonic Youth]

Mabrook.

Whether this will be overwhelmingly positive in the long-term remains to be seen. But I'm grateful and relieved that at the very least we won't see another Tianmen Square.

Come out, Obama and all you other world leaders. It's safe to make a statement now.

[Big Magilla]

It's thrilling to watch.

[anonymous1980]

Mubarak has resigned.

I'm happy for Egypt.

I was only 6 when the Philippines toppled our own dictator (Marcos) back in the '80s and my mom and my aunt took me and my brother (who was 3) to the protests (which pissed off my grandma - Haha) but even I was aware at that age that I was part of history. I have an idea at how Egyptian people are feeling right now. How wonderful for them.

[Damien]

From Variety:

Crisis in Egypt: Omar Sharif Says Mubarak Should Go
By: Ted Johnson

Omar Sharif is Egypt's most famous actor, so it was perhaps no surprise that he would weigh in on the tumult that is rocking the country.

He says that President Hosni Mubarak should have resigned.

"Given that the entire Egyptian people don't want him and he's been in power for 30 years, that's enough," he told a French radio outlet.

"The president hasn't improved the standard of living of Egyptians. There are some people that are very rich -- maybe 1 percent -- and the rest are all poor trying to find food," he said.

But he also told the Associated Press that he is concerned over what happens if Mubarak is toppled.

"I personally don't know what they will do afterwards. Who will they bring, who will take his place, who will be in charge of the country?"

[Reza]

I wish a similar protest would begin in Pakistan too. Alas America wouldn't allow it so we are stuck with Mr Zardari and the mess in our country.

[Greg]

Meh. There are no nukes or oil in the region, so who cares?

I think the big unmentioned concern in Washington is that what is going on in Egypt, which has already spread to Yemen, will spread to Saudi Arabia.



Edited By Greg on 1296326926

[Mister Tee]

Yeah -- much as our initial impulse is to say, Great, down with the tyrant, it's far from a given that whatever follows will be anything positive. It could be another Iranian revolution, replacing a horrible dictator with a repressive theocracy...only this time tied into already-existing radical groups. This is going to be a really delicate diplomatic dance for the western democracies.

[Sonic Youth]

Meh. There are no nukes or oil in the region, so who cares?

But seriously, I doubt the end result will be a good one, so let's try not to be too enamoured by any romantic notions of popular uptrisings.

[Greg]

Egyptian Army Called In as Protests Rage

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and ALAN COWELL
Published: January 28, 2011

CAIRO — After a day of increasingly violent protests throughout Egypt, state media reported that President Hosni Mubarak ordered the military into the streets to reinforce police struggling to contain one of the most serious challenges to his long and autocratic rule.

The president also imposed an overnight curfew nationwide, but fighting continued on the streets of Cairo, the capital, and smoke from fires blanketed one of the city’s main streets along the Nile. The ruling party’s building was in flames at nightfall, and dramatic video footage on Al Jazeera showed a crowd pushing what they identified as a burning police car off a bridge.

CNN said that Mr. Mubarak was expected to deliver a televised address, though it was unclear when that would happen.

Demonstrations began earlier in the day as thousands poured from mosques after noon prayers, growing increasingly violent as protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. The demonstrations, on what protesters called a “day of wrath,” were on a scale far beyond anything in the memory of most residents.

The unrest in Egypt came after weeks of turmoil across the Arab world that toppled one leader in Tunisia and encouraged protesters to overcome deep-rooted fears of their autocratic leaders and take to the streets. But Egypt is a special case — a heavyweight in Middle East diplomacy, in part because of its peace treaty with Israel, and a key ally of the United States. The country, often the fulcrum on which currents in the region turn, also has one of the largest and most sophisticated security forces in the Middle East.

Calling out the military is a signal of how dramatically the situation had spiraled out of control. The army, one of the country’s most powerful and respected institutions, prefers to remain behind the scenes and has not been sent into the streets to quell unrest in many years. But the police, a much reviled force prone to violent retribution against anyone who publicly defies the state, appeared unable to quell the unrest. In several cases in the capital and elsewhere, the police were forced to back down by throngs of protesters.

In one of the most dramatic scenes of the day, in Alexandria, protesters snatched batons, shields and helmets from the police. Honking cars drove up and down a main street, holding police riot shields and truncheons out the windows as trophies.

In both Cairo and Alexandria, some army patrols were greeted with applause and waves from the crowds — a seemingly incongruous response from demonstrators who say they want to bring down the president. But many people support the army for its success in shocking the Israeli Army with a surprise attack in 1973 and for its perceived reluctance, at least in the past, to get involved in politics.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, reading a prepared statement, called Friday on Egypt’s government to “restrain the security forces” and said that “reform is absolutely critical to the well-being of Egypt.” “We urge the Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protest and to reverse the unprecedented steps it has take to cut off communications,” she said. She also urged that protesters “refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully.”

The unrest is Egypt, a close ally, poses unique challenges for the Obama Administration, which has publicly supported Mr. Mubarak but privately pushed him to reform after decades in power.

At least one person appeared to have been killed during rioting in Suez, east of Cairo and the site of some of the most violent clashes. Reuters reported that protesters were carrying a man’s body through the streets as one demonstrator shouted, “They have killed my brother." Details of his death were not immediately clear. According to the Associated Press, Egyptian security officials said they had placed the most prominent opposition figures, Mohamed ElBaradei, under house arrest, but that could not be independently confirmed and reports throughout the day had been contradictory.

Shortly before, police doused Mr. ElBaradei with a water cannon and beat supporters who tried to shield him. “This is an indication of a barbaric regime," said Mr. ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as he took refuge in a nearby mosque. “By doing this they are ensuring their destruction is at hand.”. . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2011....#33;&hp