Egypt rises...

The US government has supported dictatorships even under the banner of democracy. However, in the change that has sweeped the Middle East, two dictatorships have come under fire due to popular civilian revolts. Tunisia and Egypt, both supported by the USA, for their long term dictatorial regimes are now on the verge of collapse.  

After Tunisian revolts brought down the presidency of Ben Ali, the protests also spread to Egypt. The upper middle class as well as other strata’s of society joined revolts to oust Hosni Mubarak the Egyptian dictator ruling for the past 30 years. Mubarak paid no heed to protests initially but lately has begun to make concessions to appease protestors.

Initial protestors gathered in Tehrir Square and vowed to peacefully protests due to financial and food crisis. The protestors also added that Hosni Mubarak be brought down as a ruler and his reelection be banned. USA and Saudi Arabia pledged full support to Mubarak due to their interests in the state of Egypt. Saudi Arabia sees the spread of such a revolution to harm their interests and a threat to the Saudi monarchy. The protests also spread to Sana’a, Yemen, which further heightened world interest in Egyptian uprising. The Army in Egypt has refused to use any forceful means against protestors as long as the demonstrations remain peaceful.

However, on 3^rd Feb, in a clash between Pro-Mubarak supporters and Anti-Mubarak protestors, journalists also got beaten up and harmed. Pro-Mubarak supporters amassed violence on the streets causing civil strife that ended with a number of injuries and deaths. Many journalists had to go into hiding and aired reports from hidden locations. Many were called back to their respective homelands after being released from the hospitals. US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, condemned the attack on journalists, calling it a attack on the freedom of speech and media. Twitter and facebook as well as other internet sites have been already banned in Egypt escalating the tension in the country.  

Though Hosni Mubarak has made concessions by stepping down from his leadership of the ruling party and cancelling his candidate for elections in September, protestors are still not evacuating Tehrir Square. Mubarak has been quoted as saying that he was tired of his rule and wished to step down, but he feared chaos in Egypt. People all over the world viewed the carnage that went down in Egypt on 3^rd February and wonder how much more chaos Egypt would have to encounter due to Mubarak’s continued rule. Also, the world watches by as USA tries to edge Mubarak out of the picture while retaining a pro-US rule in Egypt. The world of politics is indeed a larger web than imagined.


Sarrah Millwala