By Douglas V. Gibbs
The wave of change is sweeping across Egypt. Change can be good, or it can be disastrous. The flow of information out of Egypt is being hampered by Murarak's crack-down on the Internet, and other information sources - but accurate information is finding its way out of the country. The information flow is primarily the result of the work of citizen journalists.
With a lot of people on the streets, the likelihood of violence came to fruition. The mobilization of protesters is being encouraged by various sources, and with each passing day the crowds grow larger.
Mubarak has rolled tanks into Cairo, and has flown fighter jets over the protesters, but in the end, even his own military and law enforcement personnel, are beginning to join with the protesters against the tyrannical Egyptian government.
Foreigners are scrambling to get out of the area. Turkey and the United States are assisting in the evacuation of foreigners as best they can. Some countries advised their citizens to leave Egypt or avoid traveling to its major cities if possible.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamist organization in Egypt, is working to form a national unity government. The radical Islamist group has been banned from running for elections for parliament, though some of the movement members have presented candidacy for parliament as independents.
The Obama administration is being viewed as weak in the face of the uprisings, and many are comparing his lack of action to Jimmy Carter's weakness during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Obama is beginning to be viewed as the president that lost Egypt.
An opportunistic radical Islamic jihadist movement is positioning itself to gain control of Egypt as the crisis worsens.
Judging by the uprisings in various other secular Muslim nations, I have a feeling Obama will go down in history as the American President that lost the entire Middle East, and Northern Africa.
One must ask, is the Suez Canal in danger? I have a feeling the important trade corridor may in fact be in serious danger.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Governments scramble to fly citizens out of Egypt - Reuters/Yahoo News
Fighter Jets Over Cairo As Egypt Demos Go On - Sky News
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood eyes unity gov't without Mubarak - Haaretz
Obama will go down in history as the president who lost Egypt - Haaretz
3 comments:
The tree of liberty is from time to time refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants. If the people want to get rid of the dictator ruling over them, that is their natural right.
What happens in a sovereign foreign nation is not my concern.
Who was it who said, avoid foreign entanglements".
Let freedom ring.
You can't be a patriot and a neocon at the same time- they are mutually exclusive.
If the people of Egypt want to be ruled by mullahs, good luck to them.
I'm confused at what you'd like Obama to do?
Mubarak has been a staunch US ally for the last 20 years or more and has a relatively pro Israel stance relative to the popular opinion in his nation. That's good for the US.
He's also an autocrat who regularly oppresses his people in order to stay in power. That's bad if we profess to value self determination of a nation by it's people.
The question is if what is going on affects America's interests. It is in our interest to protect our allies, including Israel, and if these countries fall into the hands of Islamists, not only is Israel in danger, but so is the Suez Canal. As for what to do? Considering the manner in which this is happening, there are only a few options - but I find it interesting that when Iran had uprisings Obama did nothing, and now he is critical of the government in Egypt - as if he is choosing to support Islamic radicalism each time. Surely there are options available to support Mubarak, which as bad as he is, is not as bad as the Muslim Brotherhood. Unfortunately, Obama is proving to be similar to Carter. Carter lost Iran due to inaction, Obama will lose Egypt (and more nations) because of his.
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