I take my hat off to ..

[Isabella Gia (Banned) 53881]

All the Egyptians who fought for their country, especially to the ones that are not here to see their victory.

 

This should be an example for all of us who have ever thought or said making a change is not possible.

 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/showdown-egypt-mubarak-hangs-20110210-181929-700.html

[Malika Fantasy 144625]

holy hell? he did *finally* fall today?

[Old Dog 179138]

.... now comes the scary part. Mubarak is only the face of a regime that has ruled Egypt since the early 1950's.

 

Change needs to be made deliberately and thoughtfully - two concepts incongruous with the word "swiftly." One can only hope that the Egyptian people will be able to bring the best people to the forefront, not just the richest, most vocal or most fervent.

[Capital Hunter 18263]

I congratulate Egyptian people and sincerely hope that this would end in a freely elected democratic government in Egypt and will not be stolen or manipulated either by the military (who has the power now) or religious extremists. I also sincerely hope that this democracic movement spreads to the rest of middle east where many countries are under oppressive regimes.

 

I take a bit of time to reflect on our blessed land (Canada) where most of us are born and blessed with democracy and right to vote and have equal rights and freedom. Time to appreciate what we have for which many people around the world are ready to die for, in order to achieve what some of us may take as granted and may consider our birth right. God bless our land forever.

[VedaSloan 119179]

I read an article yesterday about his replacement being the Vice President, some dude named Suleiman, who is probably just as bad or worse than Mubarak.

 

Does anyone else know the details?

[Old Dog 179138]

I read an article yesterday about his replacement being the Vice President, some dude named Suleiman, who is probably just as bad or worse than Mubarak.

 

Does anyone else know the details?

 

Go to CBC either online or on TV. Mubarak and his cabinet have handed power over to the military until such time as a "democratic process" can be initiated. This isn't all that dire; the military receives much of its funding from western aid. I wouldn't expect that leadership to cut their own nose off to spite their face.

[VedaSloan 119179]

Go to CBC either online or on TV. Mubarak and his cabinet have handed power over to the military until such time as a "democratic process" can be initiated. This isn't all that dire; the military receives much of its funding from western aid. I wouldn't expect that leadership to cut their own nose off to spite their face.

 

 

Well that's the thing, this Suleiman dude was in the army and is heavily favoured by the US, but it would essentially just be them putting in another dictator under the guise of "democracy." At least that's what I read.

[Isabella Gia (Banned) 53881]

For what I read/understood is not the vice-president who is in charge now ...

'The country is now ruled by the Armed Forces Supreme Council, the military's top body consisting of its highest-ranking generals and headed by Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tanwawi.'

[VedaSloan 119179]

For what I read/understood is not the vice-president who is in charge now ...

 

'The country is now ruled by the Armed Forces Supreme Council, the military's top body consisting of its highest-ranking generals and headed by Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tanwawi.'

 

 

Thanks Isabella, I must have just read something that was confused about the situation.

[Old Dog 179138]

I think Suleiman was designated to take on some of the presidential functions by Mubarak yesterday; I do believe that there were a great number of phone calls from overseas last evening, ostensibly saying, "WTF?"

 

This situation "appears" to be the only solution that will appease the majority.

[MightyPen 67414]

That's so NOT how I thought this was going to turn out. A great day for the people of Egypt, and I have cautious optimism for what happens next.

 

Right now it's a military state; the old constitution didn't allow for what just happened (much as the people wanted it), so they need to rebuild a new basis for government. As someone already posted, the military being in charge is the best option of those available; it's about the most moderate and temperate force in the country.

 

Watch next for the legal steps necessary toward new government: a new provisional constitution so there's some legal basis to move forward, elections according to that constitution, and then a new government. Timeline is unknown, but it will have to be fairly brisk: elections within months. Who then gets in is anybody's guess -- it's democracy after all. There'll be bumps along the way, but these people have spoken and will continue to demand that things follow through. It's in everyone's interest to get the country moving and producing again.

 

Definitely not a day to forget.

[Lowdark 5613]

I believe the Supreme Court also shares some power until democratic elections are held in September. A lot of people are fear mongering over the possible replacement in power. That may possibly happen, but to jump to illogical, nervous reactions based on inherent fright about the uncertainty of the future or even vague biggotry/racism ruins the relevance of such historically important moments.

[Phaedrus 209521]

A fantastic day yesterday! I was watching the live feeds from Tahrir while I was supposed to be working - I don't think I've ever seen so many people so happy!

 

As for what happens next... who knows? It looks like the army was pretty instrumental in giving Mubarak that final push, so hopefully they'll resist the temptation to simply install another one of their own...

[777flyer 1612]

Meet the NEW BOSS......same as the OLD BOSS.....

 

Having been born in Egypt and leaving the country at a tender age of 6, I have very few memories of the country.

 

I have no relatives left in Egypt, being a Christian arab many of us left in the late 60's, but it certainly does make one proud of what these people were able to accomplish in a mere 3 weeks.

 

Let's not forget, the Egyptian Military has run the country for 60 years, and Mubarak was a general.......who is now simply being replaced by other generals.

 

The Egyptian Army control's a SIGNIFICANT part of Egypt, including many businesses etc.......

 

While we may have some form of democracy, the underlying rulers and kingpins will continue to be the military, and they won't very quickly cede power........

 

My 2 cents.....

[namssa 562]

The Egypt situation is far from over. The door is now open for terrorist elements to possibly take control of the government. Egypt could easily end up like Iran or Iraq if the wrong people get in there, things are very unstable and potentially dangerous there.

 

They need someone who truly wants to help the people and not for self interest or to exploit a political agenda of a particular group. Like Iraq, Egypt is now in a power vacuum state and who knows what is going to happen. Let's hope for the sake of the people that they can get someone in power that truly cares about the people.

 

 

Iran is starting to heat up again as well with protests against the government planned.

 

In a few breathtaking weeks, the winds of change whipped from Tunisia east to Egypt and Jordan, bringing down two regimes and putting the third on notice that it must make democratic changes.

Now analysts, and a world suddenly focused on the region, are wondering whether those winds will continue blowing east into Iran and bring real democratic change or, instead, amount to only a whisper.

A year and a half after the Iranian regime brutally suppressed the so-called Green Movement, a new test of its openness to reform and patience may come Monday.

The government -- which Friday said the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt "joyfully" coincided with the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution -- has rounded up activists after Iran's two leading opposition figures called for a rally Monday in support of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/11/egypt.iran/

 

 

Algeria is experiencing unrest as well.........................Algerian demonstrators, inspired by popular protests in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East, protested in the capital, Algiers, on Saturday before security forces moved in to break up the demonstration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/world/africa/13algeria.html

[PistolPete 61421]

"Mubarak that final push" Listen you would not have to push me that hard when he is worth billions. Holy crap I would left a long time ago having that kind of coin.

[Phaedrus 209521]

"Mubarak that final push" Listen you would not have to push me that hard when he is worth billions. Holy crap I would left a long time ago having that kind of coin.

Things have changed in recent years, fortunately.

 

Yes, there was once a time when dictators could simply walk away to a live of luxury on the riviera funded by whatever billions they'd managed to pillage from the country they were supposed to be governing. But over the last few year, this has become less easy; governments in the West (or perhaps more to the point, the populations they rule over) have become rather less tolerant of letting tyrants enjoy a quiet retirement.

 

Hosni Mubarak would probably have been much better off it he'd quit a decade ago (which makes him less smart than PP :icon_smile:). The Swiss government had already put a freeze on any assets he may or may not have in that country (it should be noted that this is a pre-emptive check, rather than proof of any piles of loot stashed away), but the fact remains that it isn't as easy to be a retired despot as it used to be.

[Old Dog 179138]

Tunisia started it all....

 

Next came Egypt....

 

There are perhaps 6 or 7 more, with notables like Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Algeria on the horizon....

 

CBC reported about Algeria today. It looks like there is a new social consciousness on the rise in the Middle East and in North Africa.....

 

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2011/02/12/algeria.html

[Phaedrus 209521]

Tunisia started it all....

 

Next came Egypt....

My (virtual) money's on Iran. They had a good go last year.

 

Although if I had my way, I'd *love* to see the House of Saud go down in flames. Even if it makes driving anywhere horribly expensive.

[Kubrickfan 12836]

The Egypt situation is far from over. The door is now open for terrorist elements to possibly take control of the government. Egypt could easily end up like Iran or Iraq if the wrong people get in there, things are very unstable and potentially dangerous there.

 

They need someone who truly wants to help the people and not for self interest or to exploit a political agenda of a particular group.

 

+100 Agreed and Amen. What happens next, and next after that, is key. Is Egypt going to go the direction of Iran or become more like, for instance, Turkey? The financial markets seem to be betting on the latter.

[JoyfulC 132299]

While the media here are fixated on the Muslim Brotherhood, the prospect of an Iran-style theocracy and ending the peace treaty with Israel, what's never mentioned is the real story: Egypt's labour movement. Unionized labour has been so demonized here in the West that we have forgotten its ties to freedom, justice and democracy. People the world over are tired of systems that allow an elite few to get spectacularly wealthy, while leaving everyone else behind -- tired of such systems and tired of the governments that support them. Tired of governments that listen to lobbyists and not the people.

 

How ironic that Tunisia and Egypt were the starting lines for a revolution that ultimately will spread around the world, and hopefully reverse humanity's march backward toward feudalism.

[Guest s******ecan****]

People the world over are tired of systems that allow an elite few to get spectacularly wealthy, while leaving everyone else behind -- tired of such systems and tired of the governments that support them. Tired of governments that listen to lobbyists and not the people.

 

 

 

Tired but not really willing to do much about them. All over the world the labour movement is is in decline, public service unions are really the last frontier and over the next few decades will likely face similar reversals.

 

In Libya there will be no revolution because the standard of living is high relative to the other nations mentioned, not because of a vigorous labour movement but because of oil revenues. In the US the middle class is being squeezed out of existence yet the people consistently vote for more and more "conservative" policies in the hopes of getting a piece of the action. Obama percieved by many as a "liberal" actually governs to the right of Richard Nixon.

 

China a country of limited individual rights and freedoms enjoys social peace and stability because the regime has created enough economic opportunity (albeit piddling for most Chinese) to keep people satisfied.

 

Egypt is in for a lot of challenges not primarily because of the Muslim brotherhood, or the army etc. Its going to be an unstable challenging place because its a country of 80 million people with little economic potential aside from some tourism and the world's most important toll waterway. People rose up against Mubarak because they had nothing left to lose economically and he became an obvious and easy target for their frustrations, but its hard to see what any new regime is going to be able to offer in the long run....platitudes and slogans don't put food on the table.

[Capital Hunter 18263]

I do agree that violent or extreme elements may take over in long run if a political vacuum is created in Egypt. I hope that Egypt steers toward true democracy and the domocratic movement spreads to other democracy starved nations of middle east. Democracy rather than theocracy is best for everyone including Israel.

[JoyfulC 132299]

Tired but not really willing to do much about them. All over the world the labour movement is is in decline, public service unions are really the last frontier and over the next few decades will likely face similar reversals.

 

It may take some time, but people will eventually realize the necessity of labour unions. Unionized labour gave us our robust middle class, and as unionized labour declines, so does our middle class. Free market capitalism has been given its chance and has proven that it doesn't work for most people. People are fooled by slick corporate propaganda for the moment, but as things get worse, more and more people will start waking up -- and then they'll look to the leadership provided by Egypt these past couple weeks.

 

If there was enough money in Egypt for Mubarak to amass a fortune of $70 billion, surely there's a way to distribute the wealth of that nation more equitably. As for China, most political prisoners there are labour organizers. I'd recommend caution in jumping to any conclusions about China because the country has long had a preference for appearance over substance.

 

If we don't reverse the current free market trend, we'll end up back in the dark ages. That is, if we survive at all. The other thing free market capitalism has shown it can't be trusted for is to behave responsibly with respect to the environment.

 

People here aren't hurting badly enough yet. But they will be soon, and then the question will be whether we'll fight over differences amongst ourselves? or join our brothers and sisters in Egypt and India and elsewhere around the world in taking power back and checking corporate overreach.

 

Additional Comments:

Here's a link to some background info on the role labour played in Egypt's revolution:

 

http://agonist.org/egyptrevolution

 

You won't find this info in your newspapers or on your TVs. Why is that?

[Lowdark 5613]

It may take some time, but people will eventually realize the necessity of labour unions. Unionized labour gave us our robust middle class, and as unionized labour declines, so does our middle class. Free market capitalism has been given its chance and has proven that it doesn't work for most people. People are fooled by slick corporate propaganda for the moment, but as things get worse, more and more people will start waking up -- and then they'll look to the leadership provided by Egypt these past couple weeks.

 

If there was enough money in Egypt for Mubarak to amass a fortune of $70 billion, surely there's a way to distribute the wealth of that nation more equitably. As for China, most political prisoners there are labour organizers. I'd recommend caution in jumping to any conclusions about China because the country has long had a preference for appearance over substance.

 

If we don't reverse the current free market trend, we'll end up back in the dark ages. That is, if we survive at all. The other thing free market capitalism has shown it can't be trusted for is to behave responsibly with respect to the environment.

 

People here aren't hurting badly enough yet. But they will be soon, and then the question will be whether we'll fight over differences amongst ourselves? or join our brothers and sisters in Egypt and India and elsewhere around the world in taking power back and checking corporate overreach.

 

Additional Comments:

Here's a link to some background info on the role labour played in Egypt's revolution:

 

http://agonist.org/egyptrevolution

 

You won't find this info in your newspapers or on your TVs. Why is that?

 

I agree with Joyful to an extent. Labour unions were responisble for the middle class, making sure that people doing the actual work not only got resposnsible pay for their labours, but also adequate protection from negligent and often unconcerned ownership. Unions are very unpopular these days (and in many instances, they've earned that that negative rep), but make no mistake, if there were no more labour unions it would only be a matter of years before wages were scaled back and benefits slashed. The recession proved that. How many corporations took chunks of the stimulus money they were given to pay their execs million dollar bonuses while laying off hundreds of workers? The truth is that for corporations and governments, it's all about the bottom line and it becomes irrelevant how many lives may be ruined in that single minded pursuit. Labour unions, as defective as they may currently be, are the only immunity we have against that reality.