Egypt
30 January 2011, 09:59 AM
#61
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Things have taken a turn for the worse, but perversely they have shown just how Egyptians have stuck together.
There is looting going on in some areas, and many of the protesters have returned home to protect there property, and government buildings / banks etc. Is someone or some group orchestrating unrest?
The press are calling them vigilantes, now
This is the worrying part, as this is potentially where the real instigators of the protests reveal themselves.
If as many suspect it is the MB, then its going to be a very rocky road. MB is very anti of the west, and against westernisation (sp).
Given that Egypt relies very heavily on tourism, and many Egyptians, are used to a very liberal lifestyle, to then have a group, try to remove that, could cause huge divisions, and potentially make the situation a lot worse.
mart
There is looting going on in some areas, and many of the protesters have returned home to protect there property, and government buildings / banks etc. Is someone or some group orchestrating unrest?
The press are calling them vigilantes, now
This is the worrying part, as this is potentially where the real instigators of the protests reveal themselves.
If as many suspect it is the MB, then its going to be a very rocky road. MB is very anti of the west, and against westernisation (sp).
Given that Egypt relies very heavily on tourism, and many Egyptians, are used to a very liberal lifestyle, to then have a group, try to remove that, could cause huge divisions, and potentially make the situation a lot worse.
mart
It seems quite possible that the M***** Brotherhood will end up at the reigns eventually. History will then judge their capacity to govern tolerantly. It will not be a secular society.
30 January 2011, 10:17 AM
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You have such enlightenment with regard to this situation, and to be honest your wisdom seems lost on here... maybe you should go there and held shape the nation - I reckon they'd appreciate your valuable input 
30 January 2011, 10:45 AM
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01 February 2011, 10:42 AM
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Hat's off to the army chiefs who have sided with the protesters presumably disobeying orders from the President. Plus American tanks blowing holes in a million people wouldn't have done the yank image any good.
Why on earth do these geriatric Presidents hang on to power instead of retiring whilst they still have a vestige of credibility? Just love of power I guess.
dl
Why on earth do these geriatric Presidents hang on to power instead of retiring whilst they still have a vestige of credibility? Just love of power I guess.
dl
01 February 2011, 05:58 PM
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Hat's off to the army chiefs who have sided with the protesters presumably disobeying orders from the President. Plus American tanks blowing holes in a million people wouldn't have done the yank image any good.
Why on earth do these geriatric Presidents hang on to power instead of retiring whilst they still have a vestige of credibility? Just love of power I guess.
dl
Why on earth do these geriatric Presidents hang on to power instead of retiring whilst they still have a vestige of credibility? Just love of power I guess.
dl
On balance, and in my view, now is the time for the west to place trust in the hands of the Arab people. We can not preach the gospel of freedom and democracy and not get behind a popular uprising calling for those very things. It's a leap of faith, for sure, but the alternative is to continue backing autocrats and dictators, and we cannot do that in good conscience.
If an I****ist party takes power in Tunisia or Egypt or both, then so be it. The levee's broken and we have to manage it the best way we can. I've always understood and indeed backed our pragmatism, the realpolitik, but now the game has changed and it's time to back our ideals.
01 February 2011, 06:37 PM
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01 February 2011, 07:29 PM
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01 February 2011, 07:40 PM
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01 February 2011, 07:50 PM
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01 February 2011, 08:04 PM
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is there nothing sacred! History in the making, no... not quite, politics playing out as if by the will of the people.... maybe
01 February 2011, 09:43 PM
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01 February 2011, 10:21 PM
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I can't see what's stopping the protesters just physically chucking him out of his residence? His own private guard wouldn't stand a chance?
dl
dl
20 March 2011, 05:35 PM
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21 January 2012, 05:27 PM
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Tony knew a thing or two, didn't he?
Just to put this election result in to stark relief, one of The Muslim Brotherhood's leading members in the middle of the last century was Sayyid Qtub - the man who inspired Bin Laden.
http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/n...d&type=article
So the West were accused of hypocrisy when backing dictators and autocrats, but claimed them to be the lesser of two evils; let's hope that policy was wrong and fear of the alternative was unjustified. The World doesn't want another Iran.
22 January 2012, 08:08 AM
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That Al-Nour, the Egyptian equivalent of The Taliban, took 29% of the vote must be devastating for the predominantly young, liberal revolutionaries. They must feel as if their efforts have been hijacked; a stolen revolution. Likewise Tunisia.
22 January 2012, 08:17 AM
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So who rules now? hardline left, or liberal right?
Mart
22 January 2012, 08:23 AM
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22 January 2012, 09:54 AM
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Just a thought I wanted to jot down for future reference:
If The Muslim Brotherhood were to come to power with the Salafists just behind them, and the military predicted this would be unbearably destabilising for Egypt, the region and the World and as a result the military were to initiate a coup, how should the West react? Denounce the coup, but hope that it succeeds? What if the Egyptian military required financial backing from the West to enforce the coup and a Julian Assange type uncovered this, would the West be evil, corrupt liars? Or engaging in unsavoury, but necessary realpolitik?
I find it fascinating to imagine what goes on behind closed doors. I think of it in terms of a chess move, where the observer only sees the action, but hasn't been party to the mental gymkhana that led to it.
If The Muslim Brotherhood were to come to power with the Salafists just behind them, and the military predicted this would be unbearably destabilising for Egypt, the region and the World and as a result the military were to initiate a coup, how should the West react? Denounce the coup, but hope that it succeeds? What if the Egyptian military required financial backing from the West to enforce the coup and a Julian Assange type uncovered this, would the West be evil, corrupt liars? Or engaging in unsavoury, but necessary realpolitik?
I find it fascinating to imagine what goes on behind closed doors. I think of it in terms of a chess move, where the observer only sees the action, but hasn't been party to the mental gymkhana that led to it.
Last edited by JTaylor; 22 January 2012 at 09:56 AM.