In my blog for this week, I am curious about the current crisis in Egypt. I haven’t been following the politics in depth and so I hope to gain a small amount of insight into the current situation. For now, I do not have a strong view and I’m not yet ready to take a side. I have read a few articles and have watched many news video clips online. I heard that the origin of the protest begin just in December 2010 when a street vendor in Tunisia publicly committed suicide, by setting himself on fire to protest government corruption. I cannot imagine such incredible martyrdom. Is it a pyrrhic victory? This act united many young people to take to the streets to protest rampant unemployment, police brutality, high food prices and a dictatorship style government led by President Hosni Mubarak. I read that the average Egyptian earns less than $4 a day. So why are these developments important to us in the United States? I mean there are so many injustices currently active in many parts of the world and they don’t get the coverage that Egypt gets today. From what I can gather, it’s because Egypt is the only Arabic state to official have a peace deal with Israel. So the thought and concern is that if a new radical Islamic regime takes hold in Egypt; conflict will ensue and incite other Arabic states. Should the Egyptian people have the right to overthrow their Government? Should President Mubarak be allowed to use the military to maintain power and continue his thirty year reign? In a developing country and a developing economy, regardless who’s in charge, the masses are going to suffer and have a tough time. Even if or when Mubarak steps down and the masses choose new leadership, there’s no way to know the likelihood of the successor’s success. I will pray for the Egyptian masses because I have a feeling that President Mubarak and his clique will be ok regardless of what happens.
Sources:
Q&A Crisis in Egypt by Chicago Sun Times Jan 28, 2011
http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/3548174-418/egypt-middle-repressive-state-access.html
Egypt Unrest: Pressure on mounts on Hosni Mubarak by BBC news Feb 2, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12342215
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