Egyptian protests - Reports, hypothesis
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Many are wondering what lessons the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines, which ousted Ferdinand Marcos after 14 years of strongman rule (which followed two terms as elected president), might hold for the current “ fourth wave ” of democratization sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East. Sometimes, having lived in the Philippines through these years, with all of the twists and turns, I am reminded of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai’s response when asked to assess the French Revolution: “It is too early to say.” Last month, President Noynoy Aquino led the 25th anniversary of the 1986 People Power at the iconic People Power Monument, above. In early 2001, after People Power 2 had ousted President Joseph Estrada from office and Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became president, The Asia Foundation sponsored a visit by several Filipinos to cities in the United States to explain the perspectives of the new administration.
Egypt and the Philippines: Bridging 25 Years | In Asia
Few of the organizers of Egypt's demonstrations ever dreamed that their call for a day of protest on January 25 would lead to the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. One of the organizers had earlier confided to me that he expected the call to attract only a few hundred people. He said he planned to spend the day playing Pictionary with his protesting friends. Only 18 days later, Mubarak resigned under pressure from hundreds of thousands of protesters and a military leadership that refused to continue supporting him. But the uprising would not have been so successful without the help of Mubarak himself.
Mubarak's 5 Fatal Mistakes - Emad Shahin - International - The Atlantic
As the world watched in wonder the phenomenal events in Egypt over the past weeks, a few solitary voices were already urging analysts and policymakers to look not toward Iran, but rather toward Indonesia for historical precedent that might help us make sense of what’s happening, and importantly, what might be to come. The Carnegie Endowment’s Thomas Carothers, in The New Republic , reminded readers that in Indonesia, in 1998, a dictator of 32 years, firmly backed by the U.S., toppled in the face of a student-led popular movement – amid similar fears that extremist forces would fill the power void. Above, peaceful protests in downtown Jakarta. As reformists in Egypt start to chart their course through a democratic reform process, experts are increasingly viewing Indonesia as a "Model for Egypt's Transition." Photo: Jonathan McIntosh.
Indonesia: An Example for Egypt, or a Democracy in Retreat? | In Asia
Eunomia » The Gap Between Reality and Perception
At this point, we simply don’t know what will happen. We do know what has happened. Mubarak is out of office, the military regime remains intact and it is stronger than ever. This is not surprising, given what STRATFOR has said about recent events in Egypt, but the reality of what has happened in the last 72 hours and the interpretation that much of the world has placed on it are startlingly different [bold mine-DL]. Power rests with the regime, not with the crowds.
by Sam Roggeveen - 18 February 2011 1:45PM Daniel Larison, a blogger at The American Conservative, writes : It is not immediately obvious that “the people of Egypt” approve of what has happened, and it certainly isn’t true that “the people” caused Mubarak’s fall. A large, dedicated group of protesters centered mainly in Cairo contributed to this.
Egypt: TV skewing our perceptions
James M. Lindsay: The Water's Edge » Blog Archive » Friday File: Mubarak Is Gone, Now Comes the Hard Part
A family of Egyptian pro-democracy supporters ride on a motorcycle carrying an Egyptian flag after Friday prayers near Tahrir Square in Cairo. (Amr Dalsh/courtesy Reuters) Above the Fold. The TV cameras have left Tahrir Square to follow protests and government crackdowns in Bahrain , Libya , and elsewhere in the Middle East. But Egypt’s story is far from over. Egyptians now must construct a credible and effective successor government.
By Robin Bush , Asia Foundation Representative in Indonesia. This post was originally published here on the Asia Foundation’s blog, In Asia . As the world watched in wonder the phenomenal events in Egypt over the past weeks, a few solitary voices were already urging analysts and policymakers to look not toward Iran, but rather toward Indonesia for historical precedent that might help us make sense of what’s happening, and importantly, what might be to come.
Indonesia: An Example for Egypt, or Democracy in Retreat?
Cette drôle de maladie, pour laquelle s’énamourent les Français et de nombreux observateurs étrangers, cette drôle de maladie disais-je a sévi en Tunisie et plus récemment en Égypte où l’on estime que les effets ont été plus modérés. Honni, Moubarak, a tiré sa révérence alors qu’il avait cru pouvoir tenir bon. Cette allergie aux autocrates qui se sont élevés en gravissant les échelons de l’armée s’est (« enfin ! » s’écrieront les plus malades) manifestée au début de l’année 2011. On remarquera une certaine inflammation pour ne pas parler d’immolation, bien que ce soit le terme correct décrivant certains individus désespérés, en guise de symptôme avant coureur de la ravageuse maladie.
La révolutionnite aiguë et les hommes malades du Moyen Orient
ÉGYPTE • Moubarak aux ordres de l'armée | Courrier international
Pour comprendre où va l’Egypte et la forme que pourrait y prendre la démocratie, il nous faut replacer la mobilisation populaire dans son contexte militaire, économique et social. Quelles sont les forces à l’œuvre derrière la dégringolade de Moubarak ? Et comment ce gouvernement de transition centré sur l’armée s’accommodera-t-il du mouvement de protestation qui rassemble des millions de personnes ? Nombreux sont les commentateurs internationaux, mais aussi les analystes politiques et universitaires, qui peinent à comprendre la complexité des forces qui sont à l’origine de ces événements historiques. Trois modèles binaires prévalent en ce moment, chacun comportant son propre passif : 1. Le peuple contre la dictature : ce thème est synonyme de naïveté et de confusion libérale quant au rôle actif de l’armée et des élites du soulèvement. 2.
1. It is too early to tell whether this week's protest in Egypt will lead to the overthrow of Mubarak's regime. The size and spread (ie. not just Cairo but other major cities) of the demonstrations is significant, although not unprecedented in Egypt. The demonstrations have gone on for two days now, but they will have to go on for a lot longer to seriously challenge the regime.
Six observations about Egypt's unrest
1. Mubarak is finished. In my previous post I wrote that it was too early to tell If Mubarak would be overthrown. Less than a week later, I think his presidency is mortally wounded. In particular, the decision to send the Army onto the streets after only a few days of protests shows the way in which Tunisia has both inspired the protesters and played with Mubarak's head.
Five more observations about Egypt
Mubarak speaks, no-one listens
President Mubarak's much anticipated address to the nation on Thursday evening (Egypt time) did even less than people were expecting. He did not resign, he did not lift the emergency law or make major constitutional changes that would make September's presidential election genuinely free and fair (he only promised a process by which this might be undertaken). It was not even clear how much power he was transferring to his Vice-President, Omar Suleiman. There are three explanations for this characteristic, but still remarkable, display of stubbornness, and in fact elements of all three combined may explain what is occurring: The President and those in the regime still loyal to him, including Vice-President Suleiman, are truly deluded.Manifestants place Tahrir, mercredi 9 février (photo Morenatti/AP). Alors que le premier ministre égyptien discute Constitution avec le « comité des sages » créé au lendemain des grandes manifestations en Égypte , la mobilisation ne faiblit pas au Caire et dans tout le pays. Après avoir, mardi 8 février, atteint un niveau jamais vu depuis le début des événements, elle s'est poursuivie mercredi notamment devant les sièges du parlement et du gouvernement au Caire, non loin de la place Tahrir, devenue le symbole de la contestation populaire.
Le pouvoir égyptien s'obstine, la révolte aussi - Monde - la-Croix.com
Fareed Zakaria - Egypt's real parallel to Iran's revolution
A specter is haunting the West. In 1979, the United States watched a street revolution in the Middle East and saw its stalwart ally, Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi, ousted, only to be replaced by a theocratic Islamic Republic. Now, watching another street revolution in another Middle Eastern country, many people seem spooked by this memory. Fears of an Islamic takeover are not limited to Glenn Beck, with his predictions that the fall of Hosni Mubarak will lead to the rise of an Islamic caliphate bent on global domination. (Beck's policy recommendation to Americans was even more out there: "store food.")Cairo/Washington DC/Brussels | 3 Feb 2011 The past several days have brought both hope and fear to Egypt. As Wednesday’s and Thursday’s tragic and wholly unacceptable events illustrate, risks of worse bloodletting continue to mount.