Egypt REVOLUTION! Military Coup = Succuessful. U.S. paid military now in power.

[hazeleyed honey]

just want to say that this is when I am so proud to be an Arab. I get emotional when I see the news about this. This is truly remarkable. Our wishes came true. So many of us were saying that Egypt is next after we saw what happened in Tunisia.

No, this was not spearheaded by U.S. intelligence. Why the heck would the U.S. want to take down one of their biggest Arab allies in the Middle East? If anything, this is very worrisome for them. Egypt gets $1.5 billion in U.S. aid and are the fourth highest recipient, and 2nd to Israel in the Middle East region.

Egypt has had an underground social movement that has been using technology and Web 2.0 for means of dissent for years now. Mubarak's government has always put a crackdown on them and these dissenters would get tortured and go to jail. There are thousands upon thousands of them in Egyptian jails, charged with no trial. I saw a documentary on this movement in Egypt years ago on Al-Jazeera. It is also the fact that Hosni's time is almost up, the man is quite old, and the people know he has been preparing his son to be transitioned as the supreme leader and his successor. The Egyptians will not take it. All they needed is that hope that they can mobilize a larger facet of the population and Tunisian inspiration was such an inspiration that they decided to pursue it. They have had enough of the injustice, oppression, repression, and just want to eat and live. This is a man who has plundered the country and rules with an iron fist with no regard for the social well-being or rights of his people. He is scum and filth, a lapdog and a coward. If the man has any dignity, he would step down.

Egypt is a very important strategic region in the Middle East and that is why this revolt is garnering so much media because Hosni's overthrown regime would have varying ramifications in the Middle East and for the Western powers.

If he does not step down, I am sure one day someone will take him out...Anwar Sadat style. Down with the bastard. All us Arabs are Egyptians today. My Egyptian brethen, keep your fists up.

 

[migit1209]

President Obama about to jump in

 

[vrai1]

 

[chokeonsmoke]

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Not much, if anything, will change.

In a city like Cairo which has ~25million in it alone, a hell of a lot more than ~20k are gonna need to hit the streets. Egypt's problems run far too deep for them to be solved even by decapitating the top leadership. Isreali and US interests simply won't let it happen, unless we see a far more radical Hezbollah-esque Islamic takeover of government; which is for the time being, unlikely. Lacking a strong unified Sunni presence, I'd say biting the bullet and getting Iranian support for this would be better than nothing. 

Da hell are you talking about? 25 mill in Cairo? Only 20k have hit the streets? Huh?

Not much will change? After just 4 days of protests the president has dissolved his government. That's not change for you? A few more days of protests and Mubarak is a goner.

The Muslim Brotherhood (biggest opposition to Mubarak's government) are not leading this revolt, they are just jumping on the bandwagon. Mubarak's government is just using them as a scapegoat. This is way different than the Iranian Revolution of 1979 which was spearheaded by the Islamists.

I am reading some comments that some are worried that the Muslim Brotherhood will take over. Not sure. If Mubarak is ousted, I hope for a democratic fair and just elections.
100% correct.

The MB did not lead this revolt. Further, the MB are not popular enough to assume power of the country. If Mubarak is ousted the next logical steps are a transitional government followed by free and democratic elections.

The MB are not the only alternative in Egypt. The Egyptian MB have been demonized by Mubarak as well as the West as some sort of violent hardcore fundamentalist Islamists set out to kill Christians, infidels and Jews. In fact, they are a non-violent socialist organization that have been suppressed by the Egyptian government for many decades now. IMO, they are not the ideal party to rule Egypt but they are not even close to being as bad as the Western media would lead you to believe. Also, the only reason the MB have even become this popular is because Mubarak has suppressed all political opposition for the last 30 years including the MB. The MB have been forced to go underground and they've managed to stay afloat by catering to the needs of many poor and destitute Egyptians. When your government has neglected you for 30 years then religion is your only hope. Give Egyptians the choice between religion and educated and accomplished candidates like Mohamed ElBaradei and you'll see that the West's fears of Egypt turning into a nation ruled by Islamic fundamentalist are exaggerated to say the least.

BTW, all this talk about the geopolitical implications of this revolution and yet CNN and other North American media outlets fail to discuss 30 years of declining quality of living, increased poverty, massive inflation, stagnant wages, the suppression of political opposition parties, the lack of fundamental human rights that Egyptians have had to endure under Mubarak? The media here is a joke...I've been following the British media as well as AlJazeera all day. Far more insightful and far less egocentric than the North American media.

 

[hazeleyed honey]

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

The Muslim Brotherhood (biggest opposition to Mubarak's government) are not leading this revolt, they are just jumping on the bandwagon. Mubarak's government is just using them as a scapegoat. This is way different than the Iranian Revolution of 1979 which was spearheaded by the Islamists.

I am reading some comments that some are worried that the Muslim Brotherhood will take over. Not sure. If Mubarak is ousted, I hope for a democratic fair and just elections.

100% correct.

The MB did not lead this revolt. Further, the MB are not popular enough to assume power of the country. If Mubarak is ousted the next logical steps are a transitional government followed by free and democratic elections.

The MB are not the only alternative in Egypt. The Egyptian MB have been demonized by Mubarak as well as the West as some sort of violent hardcore fundamentalist Islamists set out to kill Christians, infidels and Jews. In fact, they are a non-violent socialist organization that have been suppressed by the Egyptian government for many decades now. IMO, they are not the ideal party to rule Egypt but they are not even close to being as bad as the Western media would lead you to believe. Also, the only reason the MB have even become this popular is because Mubarak has suppressed all political opposition for the last 30 years including the MB. The MB have been forced to go underground and they've managed to stay afloat by catering to the needs of many poor and destitute Egyptians. When your government has neglected you for 30 years then religion is your only hope. Give Egyptians the choice between religion and educated and accomplished candidates like Mohamed ElBaradei and you'll see that the West's fears of Egypt turning into a nation ruled by Islamic fundamentalist are exaggerated to say the least.

BTW, all this talk about the geopolitical implications of this revolution and yet CNN and other North American media outlets fail to discuss 30 years of declining quality of living, increased poverty, massive inflation, stagnant wages, the suppression of political opposition parties, the lack of fundamental human rights that Egyptians have had to endure under Mubarak? The media here is a joke...I've been following the British media as well as AlJazeera all day. Far more insightful and far less egocentric than the North American media.


Yup.

The MB haven taken a mandate of non-violent opposition. They are the largest Islamist group in the Middle East, and there have been incidents where they did use violence, but it is in isolated cases (ie. MB in Syria against Assad in the 80s). It is not only that religion is the only hope for people to turn to when they are oppressed, but the MB provide the people with all the social welfare that Mubarak's government has neglected from them (which is why an extremist religious group like Hamas has risen to such popularity in the Palestinian territories). The Islamist groups know how to cater to the masses and hit them to the core when it comes to providing them with charity and social welfare that their own governments do not provide them. That is how they gain support, not mostly just because of the religious ideologies.

This is definitely a groundbreaking event for all of the Middle East. I just hope it keeps going to pull Mubarak down and even gains more momemtum to create a domino effect across the Middle East.

I was very disappointed in Obama's speech. 

I agree with you about how the coverage in the Western media outlets does not entail and show the true context of this all. Al-Jazeera English has been providing amazing coverage.  

  

 

[tkthafm]

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Not much, if anything, will change.

In a city like Cairo which has ~25million in it alone, a hell of a lot more than ~20k are gonna need to hit the streets. Egypt's problems run far too deep for them to be solved even by decapitating the top leadership. Isreali and US interests simply won't let it happen, unless we see a far more radical Hezbollah-esque Islamic takeover of government; which is for the time being, unlikely. Lacking a strong unified Sunni presence, I'd say biting the bullet and getting Iranian support for this would be better than nothing. 

Da hell are you talking about? 25 mill in Cairo? Only 20k have hit the streets? Huh?

Not much will change? After just 4 days of protests the president has dissolved his government. That's not change for you? A few more days of protests and Mubarak is a goner.

So what ? 

Are you naive enough to think that alone will mean any real change ? 

 (Keep in my mind my post was written before the puppet "dissolved" his government, which means nothing at the end of the day until we see what actually replaces it). Without a strong Islamist or nationalist element taking hold I just don't see anyone taking power with the balls to make real changes domestically (failed economic policy/confronting the military/police/local govt corruption etc) or internationally (stance towards Gaza/Israel/US foreign policy as a whole). The superficial changes mean nothing if the US/Israel are holding the leash of whichever dog they pick to figurehead, which is something I don't see changing (time will tell).  


PS: The population of Cairo + greater metropolitan area is roughly 20-25 mil (obviously very fluid, many unaccounted for in official records). Only a small fraction so far have hit the streets. The numbers seem to be growing though. 

 

[solefood24]

Have you ever had sex with a Pharaoooooooh? Put the P**** in a sarcophagus 

 

[thorrocksjs]

Originally Posted by SoleFood24

Have you ever had sex with a Pharaoooooooh? Put the P**** in a sarcophagus 

Really son

 

[roc4life24]

they in prayer and you spray water 

gotta lot to read up on this situation this weekend. but props to people willing to die for their change

 

[gottabdashoes]

Kids and people in this country are too p**** to revolt against the government. Not to mention selfish. I think us Americans have forgotten how to value freedom. We can learn a thing or two from the Egyptian people.

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Not much, if anything, will change.

In a city like Cairo which has ~25million in it alone, a hell of a lot more than ~20k are gonna need to hit the streets. Egypt's problems run far too deep for them to be solved even by decapitating the top leadership. Isreali and US interests simply won't let it happen, unless we see a far more radical Hezbollah-esque Islamic takeover of government; which is for the time being, unlikely. Lacking a strong unified Sunni presence, I'd say biting the bullet and getting Iranian support for this would be better than nothing. 

Da hell are you talking about? 25 mill in Cairo? Only 20k have hit the streets? Huh?

Not much will change? After just 4 days of protests the president has dissolved his government. That's not change for you? A few more days of protests and Mubarak is a goner.

So what ? 

Are you naive enough to think that alone will mean any real change ? 

 (Keep in my mind my post was written before the puppet "dissolved" his government, which means nothing at the end of the day until we see what actually replaces it). Without a strong Islamist or nationalist element taking hold I just don't see anyone taking power with the balls to make real changes domestically (failed economic policy/confronting the military/police/local govt corruption etc) or internationally (stance towards Gaza/Israel/US foreign policy as a whole). The superficial changes mean nothing if the US/Israel are holding the leash of whichever dog they pick to figurehead, which is something I don't see changing (time will tell).  


PS: The population of Cairo + greater metropolitan area is roughly 20-25 mil (obviously very fluid, many unaccounted for in official records). Only a small fraction so far have hit the streets. The numbers seem to be growing though. 

Change does not happen overnight. Consider that the Egyptian people have managed to do in 4 days what they were unable to accomplish over the last 30 years - completely rattle the Egyptian government. What is happening right now is unprecedented and it is drawing 24 hour global coverage for a reason. What is happening is a very legitimate challenge to Mubarak's Presidency and he has already offered to make concessions after just 4 days. Remember that it took 4 weeks of protests before Ben Ali called the military in and then ultimately resigned form his post. Also keep in mind that Mubarak has been grooming his son Gamal to succeed him for several years now and at this point it looks extremely unlikely that Gamal will be able to succeed his father as the country's next President. I will not get into the other implications of these protests but I will say you are incorrect to downplay the significant impact these protests have had so far, as they have been very significant for many different reasons. For the first time in decades Egyptians are fighting for freedom and justice and they are much closer to achieving this goal than they've ever been in their modern history.

The reason you dont see any likely candidates is because Mubarak has suppressed all of them. Any individual or party deemed a threat to Mubarak's regime has been attacked over the last 30 years. We've seen mass detentions, politicians arrested, put under house arrest and vilified through the media. We've seen a ton of red tape applied to make life a living hell for opposition parties and for opposition candidates. We've seen smear campaigns conducted against reformists such as ElBaradei. Political suppression is not unique to Egypt and is quite common in all authoritarian societies. "There are no other good options out there so support us!". It's pretty much what Mubarak has done for decades and especially since Egypt's first multi-party elections in 2005. If Mubarak is overthrown and we see increased political liberalization within the country then we will also see an increase in suitable candidates emerging as possible leaders of Egypt. Right now analysts see it as a power struggle between the incumbents vs. Islamists and the only reason it appears this way is because Mubarak has positioned them as his only opponents in the country. "Either vote for me or these crazy fundamentalists will turn this country into Iran!!!"

P.S. Cairo's population is not 25 million like you initially said. It's not even between 20-25 million. Cairo itself is home to a rough estimate of around 10 million people. When you take metropolitan Cairo into account you're looking at a total of maybe 16-17 million.

You were also wrong about only 20,000 protesters hitting the streets of Cairo. I think you misunderstood reports or something because their have definitely been way more than 20,000 protesters in Cairo. There were 20,000 protesters in Tahrir Square alone and many thousands more throughout the city. Heck, there were way more than 20,000 protesters in smaller cities like Alexandria.

 

[puddinpopp]

This is crazy. I hope everyone out there is safe and no innocent people get hurt anymore. Not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt. There has to be a civil way to go about this.

 

[heavily weighted]

Originally Posted by puddinpopp

This is crazy. I hope everyone out there is safe and no innocent people get hurt anymore. Not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt. There has to be a civil way to go about this.

I doubt there is a civil way to revolt. And why is it not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt?

Ever heard of the American Revolution influencing the French Revolution? It's called domino effect. Look it up.

 

[shatterkneesinc]

americans form of protesting is ranting on facebook and twitter

 

[hendrix watermelon]

Originally Posted by Heavily Weighted

Originally Posted by puddinpopp

This is crazy. I hope everyone out there is safe and no innocent people get hurt anymore. Not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt. There has to be a civil way to go about this.

I doubt there is a civil way to revolt. And why is it not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt?

Ever heard of the American Revolution influencing the French Revolution? It's called domino effect. Look it up.

BANG BANG BANG.

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by puddinpopp

This is crazy. I hope everyone out there is safe and no innocent people get hurt anymore. Not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt. There has to be a civil way to go about this.

Dude thinks Egypt is a utopian society or something.

 

[Nike Jordan]

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by puddinpopp

This is crazy. I hope everyone out there is safe and no innocent people get hurt anymore. Not a good look setting an example for other countries to revolt. There has to be a civil way to go about this.

Dude thinks Egypt is a utopian society or something.

Read: They go hard in Egypt.

 

[AZwildcats]

Originally Posted by Screech

Once we start seeing these types of protest in Saudi Arabia consider it over for the United States and its influence in the Middle East. Iran will have an easy job picking up the pieces and influencing the rest of the region regardless of sect.

You forget Israel isn't going anywhere

 

[bleezys and heem]

Originally Posted by AZwildcats

Originally Posted by Screech

Once we start seeing these types of protest in Saudi Arabia consider it over for the United States and its influence in the Middle East. Iran will have an easy job picking up the pieces and influencing the rest of the region regardless of sect.

You forget Israel isn't going anywhere

Not any time soon, but as long as they continue to oppress the Palestinian people there will be change in that country. The Palestinian people need the surrounding countries help and the protests in that whole region right now are leading up to that. Without the U.S., Israel wouldn't even exist.

 

[frankmatthews]

This will not end well for the egyptians in my opinion. Every time something major like this happens you have to wonder what is going on behind the scenes. As has been said they have been living this way for 30 years but all of a sudden now they wanna revolt. I'm all for people trying to improve their lives and their country but the fact of the matter is these protesters wouldn't have a clue how to run a country even if they were allowed to. Not to mention being able to establish international relations and policies that the west will find acceptable. Revolution is the easy part. Installing a system of government that is not susceptible to the same human greed and corruption that ruined the previous is the hard part.

US/International military will be over there soon, I can already see it. This guy is gonna be killed or end up fleeing and it will be utter chaos over there and of course the US is not gonna be able to help but to stick their nose in it as always. There will be no smooth transition into democracy or free government of any kind. Once their enemy (mubarrak?) is gone it will be a power struggle between many different factions. I wonder if this whole event hasn't been staged. These things don't just happen spontaneously, and when/if they do, the powerful elite are quick to step in and take advantage of the opportunity.

 

[AZwildcats]

Originally Posted by Bleezys and Heem

Originally Posted by AZwildcats

Originally Posted by Screech

Once we start seeing these types of protest in Saudi Arabia consider it over for the United States and its influence in the Middle East. Iran will have an easy job picking up the pieces and influencing the rest of the region regardless of sect.

You forget Israel isn't going anywhere

Not any time soon, but as long as they continue to oppress the Palestinian people there will be change in that country. The Palestinian people need the surrounding countries help and the protests in that whole region right now are leading up to that. Without the U.S., Israel wouldn't even exist.

The surrounding countries don't have the political or military power to touch Israel. No Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon or anyone. Iran is the biggest threat and its unlikely they will do anything. Israel has developed to the point where they do not even need the USA as much anymore. Its an unfortunate thing but its the current truth. I hope your right though

 

[teamjordan79]

The U.S. government had been planning to topple the Egyptian President for the past three years - that's according to diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks.

 

[mrbrown]

Its obvious now who instigated the protests

its so obvious its scary..... like its normal for these things to happen.

scary world

 

[wawaweewa]

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Not much, if anything, will change.

In a city like Cairo which has ~25million in it alone, a hell of a lot more than ~20k are gonna need to hit the streets. Egypt's problems run far too deep for them to be solved even by decapitating the top leadership. Isreali and US interests simply won't let it happen, unless we see a far more radical Hezbollah-esque Islamic takeover of government; which is for the time being, unlikely. Lacking a strong unified Sunni presence, I'd say biting the bullet and getting Iranian support for this would be better than nothing. 

Da hell are you talking about? 25 mill in Cairo? Only 20k have hit the streets? Huh?

Not much will change? After just 4 days of protests the president has dissolved his government. That's not change for you? A few more days of protests and Mubarak is a goner.

So what ? 

Are you naive enough to think that alone will mean any real change ? 

 (Keep in my mind my post was written before the puppet "dissolved" his government, which means nothing at the end of the day until we see what actually replaces it). Without a strong Islamist or nationalist element taking hold I just don't see anyone taking power with the balls to make real changes domestically (failed economic policy/confronting the military/police/local govt corruption etc) or internationally (stance towards Gaza/Israel/US foreign policy as a whole). The superficial changes mean nothing if the US/Israel are holding the leash of whichever dog they pick to figurehead, which is something I don't see changing (time will tell).  


PS: The population of Cairo + greater metropolitan area is roughly 20-25 mil (obviously very fluid, many unaccounted for in official records). Only a small fraction so far have hit the streets. The numbers seem to be growing though. 

Change does not happen overnight. Consider that the Egyptian people have managed to do in 4 days what they were unable to accomplish over the last 30 years - completely rattle the Egyptian government. 

This should at least make one cautious. There has to be a reason for it and it's not because Mubarak's regime all of a sudden forgot how to quell uprisings.