Rod Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Some reports coming out: -Egypt's wealthy are leaving on private jets-Parliament Speaker will shortly announce an important matter -Rumors that Mubarak flew to Switzerland Given his age and health, they can announce that he left for medical treatment abroad and a caretaker government will be announced soon.
Yama Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) Yes - except they are likely to be replaced by more broadly based but equally illiberal regimes. Well in fact, the problem with revolutions is that they often favour the most unscrupulous and cruel parties, even if they are actually minority. Take Iran, it wasn't actually so much of a "Islamic revolution", but more like general revolution where Islamists took control, because they could. Edited January 28, 2011 by Yama
Yama Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Could the guy who burned himself in Tunisia would had ever imagined that his self-immolation led to the fall of the Tunisian autocratic government and possibly Egypt's might Mubarak? Of course he did. That's what he wished for...it's just that it seldom actually pans out that way.
urbanoid Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Official English site of Muslim Brotherhood reports rumors that Mubarak is going to step down and that his family has already fled the country.
Rod Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 If Mubarak is gone, do we make a poll of who is next and the odd? Yemen, 2:1. Algeria, 5:1. Libya, 3:1.
rmgill Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Given his age and health, they can announce that he left for medical treatment abroad and a caretaker government will be announced soon. Talk about desperate fig leaves.
Marek Tucan Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 So Saudi Arabia is when ? Or Libya ? The democratization of the arab states and fight for human rights will be the biggest blow to Islamic terrorism.Unless, of course, they elect freely islamists in their first and last free elections...
urbanoid Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 From last few minutes: Egypt's President Mubarak addresses nation about protests and says he is determined to ensure the stability of Egypt. President Mubarak says he is firmly committed to economic and political reform. President Mubarak says what has happened is part of a scheme to destabilize the country. Source: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Unrest_in_Egypt
Marek Tucan Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Ah. So either a smokescreen to cover his escape or he wants to fight it out to the bitter end?
urbanoid Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Probably not a smokescreen. He says he asked the government to resign and that the new one will be formed tomorrow.
Archie Pellagio Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Given his age and health, they can announce that he left for medical treatment abroad and a caretaker government will be announced soon. Historically thats never really worked out well for those trying that...
Exel Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 So the government will be sacked and a new one appointed tomorrow. Mubarak insists to stay in power. According to him the protests were made possible by the freedoms in Egypt. Freedoms like the internet and cell phone block and the curfew. What a masterful spin.
Marek Tucan Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) With that rhetoris, I'm afraid governemnt switch won't work... EDIT: Kinda reminds me the last days of commies here. Wasn't that violent though. Edited January 28, 2011 by Tuccy
urbanoid Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Here in Poland we also had a peaceful power transition which was worked out by both government and the opposition but...there is still such thing as 'Romanian variant'. This one is more likely to happen in Arab/Muslim country.
crazyinsane105 Posted January 28, 2011 Author Posted January 28, 2011 Rumors or unrest spreading to Syria, but given how the current Assad's father dealt a similar situation in Hama in the early 80s, I think few are willing to go at it again. My little sister is in Syria right now. Talked to her on the phone this morning, everything seems quite fine. The people aren't as angry with the Syrian government, the economic development of that country is actually going forward rather than backwards in the past few years.
Archie Pellagio Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 My little sister is in Syria right now. Talked to her on the phone this morning, everything seems quite fine. The people aren't as angry with the Syrian government, the economic development of that country is actually going forward rather than backwards in the past few years. Yeah but Syrians are a little funny when it comes to politics...in a Kim Jong Il sense, they generally tend to like Assad.
Guest JamesG123 Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 But how much information about Tunisia has permeated thru the State controlled media and internet to the public? Mubark appears to be digging in, but that doesn't mean much, he might take the next plane to Monaco. Is Mubark under any investigation for crimes or corruption? I don't recall any.Smartest case:It would probably take the wind out of the protesters sails if he announced that he wouldn't "run for re-election" at the next election. That would give him time to pack his stuff and enjoy being da Boss for a while longer, and set the country up for a organized, intelligent (non-Islamist) transition.
crazyinsane105 Posted January 29, 2011 Author Posted January 29, 2011 But how much information about Tunisia has permeated thru the State controlled media and internet to the public? Mubark appears to be digging in, but that doesn't mean much, he might take the next plane to Monaco. Is Mubark under any investigation for crimes or corruption? I don't recall any.Smartest case:It would probably take the wind out of the protesters sails if he announced that he wouldn't "run for re-election" at the next election. That would give him time to pack his stuff and enjoy being da Boss for a while longer, and set the country up for a organized, intelligent (non-Islamist) transition. Assuming he even keeps his word and that elections won't be rigged in the candidate's favor that he supports. I think at this point the Egyptians won't stop rioting until him and his family simply leave the country. I do hope the military does overthrow him and set up general elections. I haven't encountered a single Arab in my life that ever favored the Egyptian government (I've met others who support the Saudis, Jordanians, PLO, Iraq's Saddam, etc.) and it has much more to do than hatred of Israel, much more.
Ivanhoe Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Condi Rice in 2005 In this time of great decision, I have come to Cairo not to talk about the past, but to look to the future -- to a future that Egyptians can lead and can define. Ladies and Gentlemen: In our world today, a growing number of men and women are securing their liberty. And as these people gain the power to choose, they are creating democratic governments in order to protect their natural rights. We should all look to a future when every government respects the will of its citizens -- because the ideal of democracy is universal. For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East -- and we achieved neither. Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people. As President Bush said in his Second Inaugural Address: "America will not impose our style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, to attain their own freedom, and to make their own way." We know these advances will not come easily, or all at once. We know that different societies will find forms of democracy that work for them. When we talk about democracy, though, we are referring to governments that protect certain basic rights for all their citizens -- among these, the right to speak freely. The right to associate. The right to worship as you wish. The freedom to educate your children -- boys and girls. And freedom from the midnight knock of the secret police. Securing these rights is the hope of every citizen, and the duty of every government.
a77 Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Unless, of course, they elect freely islamists in their first and last free elections... So US shall continue to support the dictatorship in Egypt for all future because they might elect "wrong" leader? US did have 20 years to bring Egypt on a more democracy way, but instead they support the dictatorship all long, because it was more easy? If the islamists is "hijacking" the uprising it is US own fault.
X-Files Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 So US shall continue to support the dictatorship in Egypt for all future because they might elect "wrong" leader? US did have 20 years to bring Egypt on a more democracy way, but instead they support the dictatorship all long, because it was more easy? If the islamists is "hijacking" the uprising it is US own fault. The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8289686/Egypt-protests-Americas-secret-backing-for-rebel-leaders-behind-uprising.html
BansheeOne Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Yeah, apparently el-Baradei has negotiated to form a coalition of opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, with the US' blessing for a couple years. OTOH, the Muslim Brothers were pretty silent for a long time when the protests started, and jumped the train belatedly. Which may be due to their being rather marginalized from repression in recent times. It seems the army was cheered by many protestors when they moved in, and at least in some cases defused confrontations with police. There was some doubt initially if they had moved on Mubarak's orders or were moving against him; the protestors apparently were under the latter impression, but that's probably make-believe. Another place that keeps popping up in the news is Jordania, but protestors there are appealing to the king to fire the government. If any Arab ruler can turn this into a positive direction, I'd trust Abdullah to do it.
rmgill Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) I saw M60s, and M113s rolling in on TV as I was leaving work. There were crewmen riding up front near the drivers of the M60s with a rifle and a fixed bayonet. Presumably to keep climbers off. Edited January 29, 2011 by rmgill
Guest JamesG123 Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Lots of M60s in the streets. Oddly in most pictures you seem them looking like an island floating in the crowd of civilians. I can't see what effective crowd control use the are except as self propelled roadblocks. So US shall continue to support the dictatorship in Egypt for all future because they might elect "wrong" leader? US did have 20 years to bring Egypt on a more democracy way, but instead they support the dictatorship all long, because it was more easy? If the islamists is "hijacking" the uprising it is US own fault. Lessons from Iran. The US is trying to stay on good terms with everyone least we aliente who ever winds up in charge.
sunday Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Are there shades of what happened with the Shah under the Carter term on office?
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