Category: politics

who would have thunk it? v pleasantly surprised – yes! read more here.

Egypt, Tunisia, Iran and Pakistan are all Muslim states wrestling with agonies of self-determination. The west’s sole contribution has been to plunge two of their neighbours, Iraq and Afghanistan, into a bloodbath of insecurity and chaos. This is not our continent, these are not our countries and none of this is our business. We should leave them alone. Full article.

the unpatriotic “patriot act” is coming up for extension in front of the house. as the world moves decisively towards democracy and civil liberties, let’s see how we measure up. we’re supposed to be the global paragon of freedom right?

Remember, it’s only a conflict of interest if the interests are conflicting. In this case, the interests of the U.S. government, the Egyptian government, Mr. Mubarak and his $70 bn family fortune, and Mr. Wisner’s private work for Patton Boggs all seem remarkably aligned, so I suppose we can all rest easy knowing that, according to these interested parties, “President Mubarak’s continued leadership is critical. Full article.

There is another side to the ongoing revolution in Egypt, which is the daily life of those people sitting in on Tahrir Square. For the past 12 days, they have remained on the square, eating, drinking, chanting, cheering – simply living there day and night. Life here has its own rhythm now, and the spirit on diplay is of a mini Utopia. Full article.

demonstrators are still standing their ground in cairo’s tahrir square, demanding that mubarak quit. the protests entered their 13th day today, on sunday feb 6th.

how the egyptian revolution started. a lesson for all of us.

from: “The struggle surges ahead” – Ahmed Shawki reports from Cairo on the mass demonstrations that shifted the balance away from the violence of the regime.

ONE OF the most interesting conversations I heard was one man trying to explain on the phone to someone the profoundly democratic thrust of the protests.

He said to the person he was talking to that people see demonstrators chanting “Allah Akbar,” and they conclude these protests must be organized by the Muslim Brotherhood. Then they see many famous actors and musicians showing up to Tahrir Square today, and they think it’s just a middle-class protest of the intelligentsia.
But it’s not the Muslim Brotherhood behind all this. It’s not the middle class. It’s not, as this man went on to say, only socialists and Marxists talking about workers’ rights, and it’s not people talking about just women’s rights. This is really a protest of all Egypt united in a profound movement for democracy.

1) I think that’s the first thing that has to be grasped about the uprising–that this is a movement that seeks fundamental democratic rights. As a friend of mine put it a few days ago, it’s the 1789 of Egypt–similar to the opening of the French Revolution in that way.

2) I think the second aspect that became certain today is that this is no longer the Egypt that existed prior to January 25–and there’s no turning back, however much violence the regime tries to organize. A tipping point has been reached in terms of the willingness of masses of people to put themselves on the line and defy the existing order, and that’s a genie that will be very difficult to put back in the bottle.

3) The third aspect apparent today was, as I described earlier, the enormous self-organization of the movement in the face of horrendous violence and repression–most especially, the attacks that took place over the past few days.

4) The fourth point is broader–about what happens next. You now have a movement that has emerged in a most explosive fashion and is present in every Egyptian town and city, which is the product of many, many years of injustice, including economic questions of unemployment and dispossession. But it’s also an expression of the rise of a number of social struggles in Egypt, including the strikes of the last few years and the riots over rising food prices.

Right now, the movement is united around the political aim of getting rid of Hosni Mubarak. But hopefully, once Mubarak is unseated, the political questions will then mesh with social questions that still remain unresolved.

If that happens, there will be a really explosive mix of political and social issues that represents the possibility of political and social revolution.

I think that’s the key to understanding why Mubarak hasn’t left yet. It’s not just a question of his own stubbornness, but how the regime can continue and the status quo can be maintained, not just for the Egyptian elite, but for Israel, the U.S., its European allies and so on.

The revolutionary chants on the streets of Egypt have resonated around the world, but with a popular uprising without a clear direction and an unpopular leader refusing to concede, Egypt’s future hangs in the balance. Riz Khan talks to Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek about the power of popular dissent, the limits of peaceful protest and the future of Egyptian politics.

Right now, federal dollars can’t be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger. This bill, introduced by Republican Chris Smith, would narrow that use to “cases of ‘forcible’ rape but not statutory or coerced rape.” As far too many women know, bruises and broken bones do not define rape – a lack of consent does. Pls tell Congress to oppose this bill here.

Tell Egyptian officials to release Amnesty International’s staff member and all human rights monitors. We are appealing directly to the Egyptian authorities because this madness has got to stop. There is still time to call the Egyptian Embassy at 202.895.5400 and demand that Egypt allow peaceful protests to continue without intimidation and violence from Egypt’s security forces. Sign petition here.

What we saw in the streets of Cairo today was an Egyptian version of Mussolini-style fascists on the streets of Rome circa 1922, Nazi brown shirts on the streets of Berlin circa 1932 and, of course, Israeli settlers in the rural byways of the West Bank circa 2011.

By tomorrow, if Mubarak emerges victorious from the fray, there should be joy in Jerusalem. For behind all the Israeli lament, there is an obvious disregard for things like real democracy, human rights, justice and freedom. You know, the pie-in-the-sky sort of human desires. All of which are not worth two shekels in Jerusalem compared to the fact that the tyrant just to the west has kept the “peace” for 30 years while Israel has proceeded to illegally dispossess the Palestinians. That is the bottom line. Mubarak goes and Israel loses a vital partner in crime. That would certainly be against its national interest.

In the long run, what are the folks in Washington going to do? Are they going to follow through – simultaneously breaking new ground – and show the world that the US will not associate with Mussolini-style fascists, Nazi-style brown shirts and Israeli fanatics? A necessary start in that direction is pulling the plug on all military aid to Egypt. If Mubarak and his generals want to stay in power, let them pay their own way. No doubt the Saudis will be willing to help them out. As for the United States, we should start acting in a truly idealistic fashion. Most of the world will really love us for it. Egypt is a good place to start.

Full article.

from my friend marwa in egypt: “please spread the word. we don’t want them to butcher more civilians!” read her blog here.

The Egyptian MB is not a reactionary, violent group. In fact, although there was a period in their history decades ago where a strain that embraced violence held sway in the group, they have since repeatedly and explicitly renounced violence as a means to their ends and have stuck to that despite the violence they faced from the Egyptian government.

It behooves us to have a deeper understanding of the MB, because the fearmongers are already coming out in force. To help with this, I offer a selection of articles and links here so that we can understand who MB is in Egypt (it’s an international organization, and its character varies in different countries). Full article.

why the revolution in egypt – something totally missing from msm.