The Tunisian people have overthrown the government of the autocratic Ben Ali and driven him out of the country. By now he is even wanted by an international warrant. The protests have also shown, that members of Ali's old party will have no chance to be in power for long in the interim government. Although some people have died during the protests, the land hasn't been plunged into chaos the last three weeks.
For a few days now, the Egyptians are rising up against their leader, Hosni Mubarak. Although the government used massive (police) force against the protesters (over 100 people dead) and has cut off Egypt from the Internet, the protests are continuing. The army has moved tanks to the streets of Suez and Cairo, but the generals haven't chosen a side in this conflict. If they will ally themselves with the people, Mubarak most likely will have to leave the country.
This could be the chance for the people in those to countries to be able achieve some sort of democratic reforms. It could also mean that religious hardliners get more power. Monarchies like in Jordan or Morocco might have to allow more democracy to remain in power, if the uprising and protests are spreading further.
It will be an interesting year for northern Africa and the Middle East.
Thoughts?|||I think it's it's just a matter of time before the army joins the people in Egypt, if they don't there will probably be a lot of desertation and possibly mutiny (if that term is used on land as well?) at least that's what I expect after seeing the soldiers letting people up on tanks and generally being friendly to them.
If a country's army has to protect the government against the people, that's a sure sign the government is pretty much ****ed.
I hope they'll be able to form a more or less corruption free government in both countries when things settle down a bit. This is a much better way of outing dictators than what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.|||http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThvBJMzmSZI|||No amount of people can be surpressed forever. If they want to be free, it will happen. And no army in the world can stop that from happening. Go Egypt! Claim your freedom!
And wow that video is awesome. I love that guys speech:
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We will not be silenced, whether you're a Christian, whether you're a Muslim, whether you're an atheist. You will demand your goddamn rights, and we will have our rights, one way or the other! We will never be silenced!|||Quote:
And no army in the world can stop that from happening.
Even a $1.3b a year US backed one?|||Quote:
I think it's it's just a matter of time before the army joins the people in Egypt, if they don't there will probably be a lot of desertation and possibly mutiny (if that term is used on land as well?) at least that's what I expect after seeing the soldiers letting people up on tanks and generally being friendly to them.
I quite like the current stance the military's taken. Not supporting government and people, but warning people that they won't tolerate looting and violence. It's possibly what's kept the riots from becoming completely unstable. (Though from what I heard Suez' rioteers are immense ****ers)
EDIT: I'm mostly hoping that these riots will lead to an enlightened despot in Morocco.|||Quote:
Even a $1.3b a year US backed one?
If the morale's low enough, I guess defectors are bound to happen. :\|||Quote:
And wow that video is awesome. I love that guys speech:
I was going to say that... <3
So eh, sorry for my general ignorance on world politics... but how bad is it in those regions in terms of government abuse?
Also, what's the status on religion and it's power over people?|||Quote:
So eh, sorry for my general ignorance on world politics... but how bad is it in those regions in terms of government abuse?
Mubarak was a popularly elected president in name only. He's been extremely anti-Islamist and (obviously) as pro-Israel as any nation in the Mid-East is (i.e. he's been known to actually coordinate with da J00z).
Repression is probably in the eye of the beholder to an extent, but he's got secret police that "disappear" people, &c.
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Also, what's the status on religion and it's power over people?
It's hard to say whether this movement is actually being fomented by the Muslim Brotherhood, but they're certainly trying to claim authorship. Not everyone outside of the Egyptian gov't is eager to become a Shari'ah state as the Brotherhood desires, nor does everyone really like the idea of losing U.S. funding (the Brotherhood openly declared war on the U.S. later than their Al-Quaeda subsidiaries did).
Of course, everybody hates the J00z.
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Even a $1.3b a year US backed one?
What are soldiers, besides soldiers?
right, people.
so yes.
Read on the BBC that if the president leaves there's a good chance a moderate progressive government will be formed, which really is the best kind there is, so yay for that happening.
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