One more point, if you will bear with me. Let me turn the position around. Are you claiming that the military cares about the poor? They have been in power for many years and they set up the police state that bullys the poor on a daily basis. To compare Nasser and his group, with their socialist platform, with a bunch of generals who own up to 40% of the economy is not a defensible position.
I realize that there are some leading MBers who are quite wealthy, but all you have to do is look at the different groups and there is no question that the group in Kairat Shater represent a higher level of poverty. I have cousins in the Meidan al-Tahrir. They would like to see the pro-Morsi people annihilated. They see the Khairat Shater people excatly like they view their servants.
Are you claiming that the 50% living on less then $2 a day support the military and the police? Half of the message of the January revolution was to regain "dignity". This was due to the repression and bullying of the police state against the poor. You could see it virtually on a daily basis. You also seem to forget that 70% of Egyptians are illiterate. These are the people who were more represented by the Muslim Brotherhood than other sectors of society.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like the MB. But the real issue is whether one respects elections or not. If you respect elections, and if the electorate is poor and ignorant and have been led by the nose to elect the MB, then what do you? You either work towards garnering support for your position at the next election or force the current leaders out. In my opinion, you don't have a coup, you don't kill 300 people, you don't call on Israel to send drones to the Sinai (in the news today), and you don't threaten to slaughter thousands of people who are demonstrating peacefully.
Not really a "plus ca change" situation. In the case of the RCC, they cared about the poor. In this situation, it is the poor that have gathered in the streets, and the more "western", i.e. less poor, are hiding behind the military.
I usually really admire your analysis, but I have to say that I find your position on Egypt really surprising -- especially coming from someone who is as well informed as yourself.
Mubarak has announced that he is going to run for office again next year. This surprised some people because they were convinced that he was going to appoint or name his son as heir apparent (i.e. that Mubarak would not run because his son was to assume power by 'running' for office). My forecast is that Mubarak is only pretending that he is going to run next year because he does not want the opposition to have a full year to build up opposition to Gamal. So, Mubarak will pretend to run until the last minute at which time he will name his son as the person who is going to run for office. Any comments?
You sound pretty hateful, really!
One more point, if you will bear with me. Let me turn the position around. Are you claiming that the military cares about the poor? They have been in power for many years and they set up the police state that bullys the poor on a daily basis. To compare Nasser and his group, with their socialist platform, with a bunch of generals who own up to 40% of the economy is not a defensible position.
I realize that there are some leading MBers who are quite wealthy, but all you have to do is look at the different groups and there is no question that the group in Kairat Shater represent a higher level of poverty. I have cousins in the Meidan al-Tahrir. They would like to see the pro-Morsi people annihilated. They see the Khairat Shater people excatly like they view their servants.
Are you claiming that the 50% living on less then $2 a day support the military and the police? Half of the message of the January revolution was to regain "dignity". This was due to the repression and bullying of the police state against the poor. You could see it virtually on a daily basis. You also seem to forget that 70% of Egyptians are illiterate. These are the people who were more represented by the Muslim Brotherhood than other sectors of society.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like the MB. But the real issue is whether one respects elections or not. If you respect elections, and if the electorate is poor and ignorant and have been led by the nose to elect the MB, then what do you? You either work towards garnering support for your position at the next election or force the current leaders out. In my opinion, you don't have a coup, you don't kill 300 people, you don't call on Israel to send drones to the Sinai (in the news today), and you don't threaten to slaughter thousands of people who are demonstrating peacefully.
Not really a "plus ca change" situation. In the case of the RCC, they cared about the poor. In this situation, it is the poor that have gathered in the streets, and the more "western", i.e. less poor, are hiding behind the military.
I usually really admire your analysis, but I have to say that I find your position on Egypt really surprising -- especially coming from someone who is as well informed as yourself.
Excellent article, Ahmed!! Thanks from Victoria.
Here is my forcast re: Mubarak.
Mubarak has announced that he is going to run for office again next year. This surprised some people because they were convinced that he was going to appoint or name his son as heir apparent (i.e. that Mubarak would not run because his son was to assume power by 'running' for office). My forecast is that Mubarak is only pretending that he is going to run next year because he does not want the opposition to have a full year to build up opposition to Gamal. So, Mubarak will pretend to run until the last minute at which time he will name his son as the person who is going to run for office. Any comments?