My dad emailed me this article titled "Egypt: The Distance Between Enthusiasm and Reality". http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110213-egypt-distance-between-enthusiasm-and-reality
It really helped me understand what exactly is going on in Egypt because the author said the details very clearly.
Here is one paragraph that really stood out to me:
"That is the point. What happened was not a revolution. The demonstrators never brought down Mubarak, let alone the regime. What happened was a military coup that used the cover of protests to force Mubarak out of office in order to preserve the regime. When it became clear Feb. 10 that Mubarak would not voluntarily step down, the military staged what amounted to a coup to force his resignation. Once he was forced out of office, the military took over the existing regime by creating a military council and taking control of critical ministries. The regime was always centered on the military. What happened on Feb. 11 was that the military took direct control."
For me, realizing the impact the military had on the people and on the government was never totally understood until reading this. It also made me wonder that in a country hoping to achieve democracy...can a military so powerful actually let that happen? Sure, they say that that is what they are working towards right now, but promises can be broken. This article taught me a lot about the disruption in Egypt as well as it made me ask a lot of questions. As my dad put in the subject line of the email "You will be smarter when you read this (long) piece." And I am.
Steph,
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate you are to have a dad who sends you such things!
I wonder if the protesters think that they were only giving cover to a military coup? Or, was the military opportunistic in making use of the protest? In either case, the story clearly isn't over yet.
LDL