What The Hell is Going on in Egypt: The Full Story

Hosni Mubarak

For more on how these events impact Israel, please read Anthony’s article on violence in the Arab world.

On January 25^th, the people of Egypt began a revolution.  Centered in Cairo, large groups of protestors took to the streets and called for the resignation of long time President and Dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Mubarak’s Past

Mubarak became President of Egypt in 1981.  Mubarak worked his way through the Egyptian Air Force and into politics beginning in the 1940s.  He became Vice President of Egypt in 1975, appointed by Anwar Sadat.  Mubarak had an important role in developing a long term peace with Israel.  He went so far as to visit Syria and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to promote a wider peace in the Middle East involving Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by army officers upset with Egypt’s willingness to make peace with Israel.  Mubarak became President immediately after.  While Mubarak has won several “elections” to remain in power, the majority of Egyptians and the democratic world consider the elections to have been for show only.

Mubarak’s Presidency has not been without controversy.  Wide allegations of corruption and a dictatorial rule which allows Mubarak’s policies to control the police force, military, media, and constitutional rights have led to tensions throughout Cairo and the rest of Egypt.

Mubarak’s most likely rational for running the country under “Emergency Law” since 1981 is twofold.  On one hand, he has worked hard to, I believe genuinely, improve the lives of Egyptians and the stability of the region.  He has held to peace agreements with Israel and has worked to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.  He also passed economic reforms, through ministerial appointments, designed to improve the economic conditions of residents.

The Protests

It is no coincidence that the protests began in late January.  After a similar Tunisian uprising that overthrew the government there, Tunisia’s former President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced out of office following widespread civil unrest.  He has since gone into exile in Saudi Arabia after being denied entry into France.  He was forced out of office on January 14^th.

On January 25^th, the National Police Day holiday in Egypt, protests began focusing on political and socioeconomic issues in Egypt, namely including police brutality,  state of emergency laws, lack of free elections and free speech, and corruption, high unemployment, food price inflation, and low minimum wages.

January 25^th will forever be remembered in Egypt as the “Day of Anger.”  Throughout the following week, Egyptian protests continued to grow.  The main focal point of the protests was in Tahrir Square in Cairo.

On the 26^th and 27^th, protests continued to grow throughout Egypt.  In Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez, large demonstrations with thousands, and hundreds of thousands in Cairo, formed.  At this point, the Egyptian government shut down the internet.  What began as a Twitter and Facebook block expanded to the entire internet in Egypt.

The growing unrest led to the “Day of Rage” on the 28^th and increased participation by people from all backgrounds in the demonstrations against the President.  For the most part, the protests remained peaceful and less than 400 people were killed throughout the events.

Escalating anger led to the organization of the “March of Millions,” where protesters planned to march from Tehrir Square to the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis on February 1^st.  On this date, Mubarak claimed that he intended to step down in September to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership.

The Current Egypt Situation

On February 2^nd, the demonstrations took a more violent turn.  Pro-Mubarak demonstrators took to the streets to confront detractors, and the groups have clashed several times.

World leaders including US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minster David Cameron, Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan, various United States members of congress, and several European Union and Arab League members have urged Mubarak to step down quickly to quell violence and growing regional instability.

The Future in Egypt

No one can predict the future, but I imagine Mubarak will be forced to step down quickly.  If he intends to stay in Egypt for the rest of his life, as he has stated, he should make haste to ensure he does not end up with a similar fate to his recent Tunisian counterpart.

Multiple political entities have made statements about the future.  Mubarak’s sons have fled the country.  Mubarak appointed Omar Suleiman and Ahmed Shafik to high ranking government positions on January 29^th.  These two will likely have a large role in sorting out the transition to a more democratic system.

The Muslim Brotherhood, a growing influence in Egypt, will likely take control of the government.  This group has many similarities with Hezbollah and Hamas and would lead Egypt into a collision course with Israel and the West.

Mohammed ElBaradei, the opposition leader in Egypt, has returned from exile and volunteered to lead a transition government until a permanent solution is in place.  He has received mixed support.

This is a pivotal moment for Egypt and whatever happens over the next few days and weeks will leave a long term impact on the country, region, and its people.

Related articles

• Egypt’s Military May Decide on the Political Transition (time.com)
• ‘Will die only in Egypt’.Mubarak. Yes , you will. (ramanan50.wordpress.com)
• Mubarak’s Troubles Surprise Israelis (online.wsj.com)
• Editorial: Beyond Mubarak (nytimes.com)
• Pro, anti-Mubarak supporters clash in Egypt (abclocal.go.com)

Tagged as: Cairo, Egyptians, Hosni Mubarak, Mohamed ElBaradei, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali