Can a military coup ever be a good thing? Well, until Wednesday, I didn’t think so. Now, I think that there is one and only […]
Tag: Egypt
South Africa’s transition to democracy could have served as a model for Egypt
There’s reason to believe that the fledgling democracy in the largest Arabic country in the world is in grave peril. Sadly, more than a year after the Egyptian people rose up in revolt and overthrew the kleptocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, in a relatively peaceful revolution, the remnants of the old deeply corrupt establishment are coming back to haunt them… Why the architects of the revolution didn’t look to the South African model for making the transition democracy with a strong set of checks and balances, is beyond me
Al Jazeera: The News How It Was Intended to be Seen
American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently cited Al Jazeera for fine news coverage while at the same time criticizing the American media. She claimed that the United States was losing the information war by not reporting the real news, while Al Jazeera was “changing peoples’ minds and attitudes” by reporting on important issues…
The Kids are Alright! Youth in Revolt from Bahrain to Wisconsin
They say that the young shall inherit the earth and it appears they have no desire to follow in their fathers’ economic, social and political footsteps and who can blame them. The youth in revolt , already tired of life without employment prospects, decent food and freedom are taking to the streets in northern Africa, the Middle East and around the world. The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia could never have been successful…
BREAKING: Mubarak resigns!
Amidst a “day of rage” which dwarfed previous protests, and following Mubarak’s defiant refusal to cede power in a televised statement last night, the Egyptian strongman has finally resigned. At this point details are scarce. We know that earlier today Mubarak left Cairo headed for Sharm-Al-Sheikh (an upscale resort city on Egypt’s coast), and only moments ago Vice-President Omar Suleiman appeared on national television and delivered a terse statement…
Viva La Muslim Revolution (Part 2 of 2)
Shortly after the uprising in Tunisia, the people of Egypt began to rise up having had enough of the thirty plus years of President Hosni Mubarak’s military rule. The protests are now in their third week with no real end in sight. The protesters have had everything thrown at them from rocks to Molotov cocktails to whip wielding Mubarak thugs on camels and still the demonstrators refuse to budge an inch. Each Friday has climaxed after prayers with hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy advocates crowding Tahrir Square, each one of them holding their breathe for that moment when President Mubarak steps down. Mubarak has promised to step down at the end of his term in September, but most Egyptians aren’t buying his delay tactics. They say he is just buying his time, riding out the present storm in order to cling to power and possibly extract his revenge on the dissidents at a later date. So the time is now as they say.
Viva La Muslim Revolution! (Part 1 of 2)
On December 20, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor tired of having his produce regularly confiscated and with no money to bribe municipal officials decided to burn himself alive in protest. Little did Bouazizi know at the time, his brave act of defiance would spread through Tunisia in a matter of days following his death on January 4th.
Pump up the bandwidth, pirate the Internet
When an invading army or the leaders of a coup want to assert their control over a country, the first stop is usually the local TV station. Take control of the airwaves and the rest will follow.
Egyptian Protestors take back bridge! Amazing video footage
If you’ve been keeping up to date with the goings on in Egypt you’ll know that the Egyptian government, with President Hosni Mubarak still technically in power, gave the order to shut off the internet for the entire country on Thursday. He hoped that this would quell protesters and decrease their power to assemble. What emerged instead was a renewed zeal among the protesters in a fight for their freedoms following a 30 year rule by President Hosni Mubarak. Protesters rallied together using grass roots campaigns to mobilize, such as this pamphlet describing techniques and things every protester should know.
The people are in control: Egypt, revolution and the days ahead
Five days of protest. At least 100 dead. Thousands injured. One sacked government. A new Prime Minister and Vice President. An army, and a country, in the balance. And the rage continues…
We woke up this morning to find that hundreds of thousands remained on the street in the face of a renewed curfew and promises of violence for those who disobeyed it. Soldiers so far have either not been ordered to use force to subdue the populist movement, or have refused to do so.