Egypt Stands up for Itself and Demands That Mubarak Leaves

      First, please look at these pictures.

I have to say that I’m excited; I spent a lot of time in Egypt hearing about how the Egyptians were apathetic, and how the government was focused on separating the haves from the have-nots, as that meant the upper echelons were worried about keeping the status quo that favored them while the poor were worried about getting food on the table rather than about what was going on in the government. I am also worried, however; people are getting hurt, people are dying, and it could escalate. 

The simple fact that the people are rebelling, however,  means that they care enough to change what is happening, and that is important if they want their demands met. I have distinct memories of sitting in class, and having kids ask why they should care what their government did. They saw the problems, but saw no point in voting, and no point in doing any sort of public work. I remember one kid endorsing another candidate, and the rest acknowledged that he could be better, but were more or less resigned to the fact that Mubarak was going to continue being president, and that his son, Gamal, would take over.

The protests began Jan. 24, with the death toll now at 74, protesting Mubarak’s long reign (since 1981, with little sign of backing down). The government’s trying to crack down; the tear gas is obviously a pretty major attempt at deterring protesters. The demonstrators, however, seem undeterred, as they continue to break curfew, despite the extended hours, and protest. Seven hundred inmates broke out of a jail in Fayoum, and even army captains have been joining demonstrators. The protests have further been extended to Alexandria and Suez, and many are looting the National Democratic Party’s (the ruling party) offices. Some blogs are still worried about the effectiveness of the security officers, who are largely seen as unable to quell the crowds. Luckily, so far both the army and citizens are working to protect the Egyptian Museum, which houses some of the most important Egyptian artifacts, including King Tut’s golden masks, and is located in Tahrir Square, where the protests are especially heavy; unfortunately, two mummies have been harmed already.

Photo Courtesy of Celeste Small

This is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which Egyptians are working to protect from the demonstrators.

On Friday, Jan. 23, Mubarak fired a good deal of his Cabinet and promised to pass reforms; protesters, however, want a completely new government, and for all the Mubaraks to leave office. On Saturday, Jan. 24, Mubarak appointed Omar Suleiman, the intelligence chief, as his vice president, prompting talk that he could be his new successor; Mubarak also named Ahmed Shafiq as his new prime minister. Suleiman’s appointment could create issues in that he frequently visits Israel; despite a peace treaty with the country, Egyptians still revile Israel.

       Mubarak shut down all telecommunications systems on Jan. 24, which, as much as I hate to say it, is despotically smart. Especially since Twitter was used in the Iranian protests last year, shutting down their system of communication is clever but maniacal. As far as I know, Egypt has never limited Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking, but those who used those means were closely monitored and, as I mentioned in my last post, those who openly criticized and defied the government were pursued and arrested.

Currently, no one is sure what is happening, but Hot Air is following the rumors, and recorded that the wealthy seem to be leaving.

A major question is what will happen to relations with the United States. Mubarak and the United States have been allies, especially since the Camp David accords, which involved talks between the Menachem Begin, the prime minister of Israel, and Anwar El Sadat, the president of Egypt, in 1978 with President Carter. The U.S. reportedly respects Suleiman, but it is still holding to the demand that Mubarak pass reforms. 

If Mubarak falls, will the United States still have an at least stable relationship with the country? If Mubarak stays, do we support a regime that is being unilaterally criticized by its own country? Right now, thankfully, Obama is moving away from Mubarak, promising to review the $1.5 billion in aid it provides the country and, along with Hillary Rodham Clinton, rebuking the communications shutdown. He is further holding Mubarak accountable to his promises for democracy and greater economic opportunity. Still, it will be an uphill battle to win over the Egyptians, though from what I witnessed myself, they like both the Americans and Obama. If the United States offers to help in constructive ways (read: not sending over troops when they are not wanted), relations could still be salvaged. Currently, it is warning the citizens that they should try to maintain peaceful measures.

With so many Arab countries protesting recently, I think that it will be a little easier for all of them to succeed. It’s one thing to sit in Egypt and think that there is a problem but be scared to do anything about it; it’s another thing to see people in all the countries surrounding you acknowledging that there is a problem and taking action. Tunisia already ousted their president. Jordan is protesting its cost of living. Yemen demanded that President Saleh step down. Algeria wants “a dramatic change in regime.” People in Turkey, in Tunisia, and in Paris are joining in protesting Egypt’s government. Like I said before, I don’t necessarily think they all need democracies per se, because that simply would not work for all the countries. What they do need is a government that listens to their concerns and that suits the country’s individual needs, and in Egypt, they want a democracy. Clearly, if they feel the need to protest in order to get their feelings heard, there’s a problem.

I am actually energized seeing the crowds, but it is rather nerve-wracking when, after all the people I met from the area, who have discussed the situation with me and explained to me the problems and concerns, could actually be there, protesting. I’ve been in Tahrir Square. A lot. I know the area, and I know people who live near the area. It’s scary and exhilarating to think about. The Egyptians are in my thoughts and in my heart.

Tunis Takes on Its Government As the World's Jaw Drops

The Tunisian situation is probably what is fascinating me most in the Middle East right now. In Tunisia,  what is now called the “Jasmine Revolution” occurred when the youth staged revolts after a 26-year-old, unemployed university graduate, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire in protest of the lack of jobs, sparking other students to rise and revolt against the autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who left for Saudi Arabia on Fri., Jan. 14. Tunisia’s unemployment rate (between 20 and 40 percent), is on par with other Middle Eastern countries, though it is widely thought to be a step above due to the appearance of wealth that is, in fact, largely controlled by the elite. Newspapers and sites such as YouTube were censored under the old regime, though Facebook remained free. The government even stooped to torture in order to silence dissident students. Now, citizens across the country are demanding a new, democratic government.

Maybe it’s because I spent time in Egypt, but I really liked a recap by a post on an Al-Jazeera blog that compared the situation in Tunisia to Egypt, where the majority of citizens hate the government but either work in government jobs that prolong the situation or simply do not do anything to change it. It really is true that you’ll find people in Egypt who will sit for hours in coffee shops when they could be working to get a job outside of the government or to make real change with the country, and the poor really do have cell phones that are not corresponding at all to what appears to be their income level.

Photo Courtesy of Stephen James

This is a typical Egyptian café, though this one is in the countryside of Luxor, not Cairo.

Ironically, a Washington Post article states that some of the youth in Tunisia were inspired by Egypt’s April 6th Movement. This was a movement in 2008, which the Egyptian government worked to suppress and which was largely begun by the youth to work to help striking workers. Word of that movement was spread by Facebook and other social networking sites. I remember watching a movie on it in my Online Media class in Egypt that followed how the government stalked and attempted to hunt down the perpetrators of the movement, largely through their social networking activities. It was really sad, and pretty disturbing how little freedom of expression there was.

Photo Courtesy of Celeste Small

This is a poorer neighborhood in Islamic Cairo, as seen from Al-Azhar Park 

Returning to what’s going on in Tunisia, currently, according to another Washington Post article, there are still many problems to come as the unity government faces threats from the RCD (Constitutional Democratic Rally), the former ruling party, as members of the old regime remain in the new government. A Boston Globe article, courtesy of the Associated Press, reported that there was some hope as two former officials who were pretty high up in the old regime, Abdallah Kallel and Abdelaziz Ben Dhia, were placed under house arrest for trying to hinder the attempts to move toward a democracy; police are currently looking for Abdelwaheb Abdallah as well. Larbi Nasri, he president of Hannibal TV, a popular, privately owned radio station, was also arrested along with his son for treason and for working against state security. Though the prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, has said he will quit politics following upcoming elections, he holds that he should stay through the transition, upsetting many protesters.

This revolution sparked similar protests in Sana, the capital of Yemen, on Jan. 22, begun by Tawakul Abdel-Salam, a woman who is a senior member of the Islah Party, an Islamic fundamentalist opposition party; crowds protested her subsequent arrest the following day. To the credit of Yemen’s government, it admitted that citizens should be allowed to express their opinions, but that they should do it within the law, which doesn’t really sound all that convincing. In Jordan, protesters demanded that the government and Prime Minister Samir Rifai step down on Fri., Jan. 21, despite measures taken by the government to try to appease the protesters. In particular, the dissidents want the prime minister to be elected rather than appointed by King Abdullah II. In any case, will this all cause a chain of Middle Eastern protests? We shall see...

Anyways, I’m glad that there remain people in the Middle East with the grit to rise up among themselves. Here’s for hoping that they will able to organize themselves and form their own ideal government, and one that is formed and run much more smoothly than are those of their neighbors (see: The Afghanistan Parliament fiasco). The United States (or, rather, Hillary Clinton), says that it is happy to see Tunisia include all constituents in its new government, but I’m still worried that two (or more) factions will become so polarized that they will be unable to compromise, which would be a shame. We’re seeing this now as Palestine and Israel are unable to find any sort of resolution as to their borders. In fact, it looks like their have been more plans that have not gone through than previously believed, though Palestine is saying that the leaked documents detailing potential negotiations in 2008 over refugees and Jerusalem were fabricated. 

Tunisia’s old regime was certainly horrible, despite any sort of idealized appearance of prosperity, and change much needed, but even if it takes a few members of the RCD to remain in office with considerable checks, I would hate to see all progress fall. My hope is that Tunisia can form a coalition government on its own terms, that could check the power of the RCD but could maintain a legitimate structure that both represents the people and would result in continued, peaceful transitions of power. I know that it currently wants to be a democracy, and if that works, perfect, but I really am not that focused on what type of government it will be as long as it can stabilize and maintain integrity.