Egypt’s unstable regime

Egypt’s unstable regime
Egyptians have finally decided to discard their apathy and call for change.Whether inspired by Tunisia or affected by its enthusiasm, the demonstrations in Egypt are truly a welcome change. Conditions may change for better or worse depending on what people do. In this case, there are angry people, who are fed up. Unfortunately, people’s anger had to be aroused in order to initiate change. Angry people are not constructive, however, it is foolish to think that things will change when everyone is passive.
 
Egypt’s scheduled Day of Rage has been monitored worldwide. There are many wrongs that must be righted. The serious problem is one of principle. It is not just a preference and it has left a massive gap in the ethical fabric of life. Egyptians have realized this, and have acknowledged that it must be righted and have moved in full force within the circle of their influence, possessing the seed for a true revolution.
 
It is difficult to ignore the glaring problems in front of them. The opposition in Egypt have realized the extent of their burden, and cannot be shaken and will not run away. They have become the messengers; the movers of the movement. They fully understand that the real meaning of passion is to be the catalyst making people take the initiative, calling for a peaceful uprising, which unfortunately, turned deadly with victims in Suez, Alexandria and Cairo.
 
The loss of human life is always saddening, but it is sometimes necessary and regardless of the risks involved, people have decided to take the first steps of reform despite the West’s passive reactions to issues surrounding the people of the Middle East. The people are voicing their dissent against a tyrannical dictator, meeting the need for revolution and change.
With this insight, the opposition, which includes members from the Muslim Brotherhood, Kefaya, AlGhad Party, AlWafd Party, Karama and others who may differ in ideology, have collaborated on common ground, understanding that although the results might be small, they are  promising and are leading in the right direction.

TENS OF thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo and other cities Tuesday in an unprecedented outburst of protest against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Inspired by Tunisia’s popular uprising, they demanded political concessions that Mr. Mubarak’s rotting government should have made long ago: an end to emergency laws, freedom for political activity and a limit on the president’s tenure in office. The United States has said that it favors such reforms. But when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was asked about the demonstrations, she foolishly threw the administration’s weight behind the 82-year-old Mr. Mubarak.

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"Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people," Ms. Clinton said.

The secretary’s words suggested that the administration remains dangerously behind the pace of events in the Middle East. It failed to anticipate Tunisia’s revolution; days before President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was driven from the country Ms. Clinton said the United States was "not taking sides" between the dictator and his protesting people. Last week President Obama called Mr. Mubarak but said nothing about the political situation in Egypt – including the regime’s plan to hold a one-sided presidential "election" this fall that would extend Mr. Mubarak’s mandate for another six years.

Tuesday’s events suggested that the Cairo government is not at all stable. Three people were killed in the occasionally violent demonstrations, and thousands of protesters remained camped in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square overnight. They will not be easily satisfied – because Mr. Mubarak in fact is not trying to "respond to legitimate needs and interests." Instead the government is seeking to perpetuate itself in power by force, and pave the way for an eventual dynastic succession to power by Mr. Mubarak’s son.

Egypt has been a vital ally of the United States, and a potential change of regime there is frightening to many in Washington, especially given the strength of the country’s Islamist movement. Those concerns are legitimate. But blind U.S. backing for Mr. Mubarak makes a political disaster in Egypt more rather than less likely. Instead of stressing the government’s stability, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Obama need to begin talking about how it must change.

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