Chronicles of the Continued Egyptian Revolution of 25 January 2011

[elleng]

Egypt Update No. 22

by M. Cherif Bassiouni

In the span of 72 hours, tragic events have unfolded in Egypt which, as of this writing,
have resulted in an estimated 1,000 or more deaths, and 4,000 or more injuries. Exact
numbers are difficult to ascertain. The Egyptian people have been traumatised by this
unprecedented experience of violence.

Freedom and democracy are also among the casualties. Whether the country will turn
into what some have described a police state is at this point speculative. . .

There is almost no centre left in Egypt, at least none to mediate between
the two extremes. And, there are no emerging moral leaders who have credibility with
both sides.

The international media is focusing on events in Cairo and tending to favour the MB; it
has ignored what is happening in Upper Egypt, particularly the plight of the Copts who
are being victimised by the Islamists.

The country is on the verge of an economic abyss, and the present instability only adds
to the risks it is facing. The accumulation of social and political problems will render
stability more difficult to achieve. . .

The regional implications of what is happening in Egypt are yet to be felt, as are larger
geopolitical consequences. Admittedly, the US is in a difficult position. Somehow,
notwithstanding its best intentions, it manages to continue to be viewed by all parties
concerned as ambiguous and untrustworthy. Maybe it is this perception, more than
anything else, that impacts the Arab and Muslim worlds. It is only the enormous
reservoir of goodwill that Arabs have for Americans that keeps Arab and Muslim
countries from giving up on the US as a reliable, friendly state.

http://www.mcherifbassiouni.com/media/Egypt_Update_No._22.pdf

[Benton D Struckcheon]

1. Two simple things re Egypt

1. The US will be blamed by all sides no matter what we do.
2. It was going to blow sooner or later because its economy had ground to a halt after ousting Mubarak, and that was due to there being no sign of real stability under Morsi. The central bank had been attempting to get food into the country by using its dollars to pay for imported food, but they ran out of that a while back. Once that stopped, it was only a matter of time before something like what we're now seeing unfold would happen.

For Egypt to stabilize, it first needs to get its economy rolling again. But for that to happen, it has to stabilize.
The army is attempting to stabilize it, knowing it is a prerequisite for getting the economy going again, fully knowing that if they can't starvation quite literally awaits. Whether they succeed is an open question. More bloodshed, sadly, seems inevitable.

[Igel]

2. Indeed.

Last night a German source was quoting Tamarod's Badr as calling for cutting off accepting any American aid and abolishing the Egypt-Israeli peace treaty. Apparently that's their new petition.

For many, Tamarod were the good guys.

I guess if you really don't like the US or Israel, they're still the good guys.