Brutal attack on CBS News correspondent Lara Logan
The National Press Club is urging authorities in Egypt to aggressively investigate and bring to justice the individuals responsible for the brutal attack on CBS News correspondent Lara Logan. The NPC also notes with extreme dismay reports that dozens of other journalists have been injured or killed since the unrest began last month.
"We commend our colleagues in journalism as they work under the most adverse of circumstances and encourage governments everywhere to help facilitate the free flow of information. Lara Logan's most admirable courage and top-notch skill in the face of adversity is well-known and inspiring. The National Press Club sends best wishes to her as she recovers in the U.S. Our thoughts are also with other journalists who have been targeted during the unrest in Egypt," said NPC President Mark Hamrick.
National Press Club
http://press.org/
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Egypt. Show all posts
2011-02-15
Indonesian Experience Offers Framework for Egypt - Toppled President Suharto
Indonesian Experience Offers Framework for Egypt
Now that the army has taken power in Egypt, the question arises of when - or even if - they will give it up. But another Islamic country under autocratic rule halfway around the world held its own "people power" uprising 13 years ago and emerged with a functioning democratic state. Indonesia's experience may hold some lessons for Egypt.
But the country is not Egypt and the ousted ruler is not Hosni Mubarak. It is Indonesia, and the toppled president is Suharto.
Former National Security Council director for Asian affairs Karen Brooks says there are significant parallels between Egypt in 2011 and Indonesia in 1998.
"In both you saw longtime U.S. allies, Mubarak and Suharto, each supported by the U.S. for 30 some-odd years - arguably at the expense of the development of democracy and the protection of human rights - come unglued, thanks to initially exogenous factors - in Indonesia the Asian financial crisis, in Egypt the Tunisia example," said Brooks.
The military has held a significant political role in Egypt and Indonesia, although it can be argued it was more direct in Indonesia. The Indonesian military under Suharto had a so-called "dual function" in which it played both a security and political role. Karen Brooks, who was a significant contributor to the Clinton administration's Indonesia policy, points out that both militaries were the key players in orchestrating events.
"In both cases the military is a secular, nationalist institution which played and continues to play, particularly in Egypt at this critical juncture, a critical role in determining the trajectory of events. In both Egypt and Indonesia the military played the key role in getting their respective leaders to step down," added Brooks.
Egypt is currently under the rule of a military-run Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Analysts say it is always a concern that the military in any post-revolutionary country will not relinquish power back to civilian control. But as former CIA senior intelligence analyst Emile Nakhleh points out, they did so in Indonesia, in part because of training they received at U.S. military institutions.
"The Indonesian military, also, under Suharto - the former dictator - had many of those officers who were trained in this country," said Nakhleh. "They realized that ultimately for Indonesia to move forward, there's got be civilian control. And so the military was in the background, saying that they wanted to protect Indonesia, to safeguard Indonesia, regardless of the regime."
Will the military do the same in Egypt? Analysts point out that, like their Indonesian counterparts, many Egyptian officers also received American military training. Retired U.S. Army Col. Joseph Englehardt, who was U.S. military attache in Cairo, and knows several members of the council, believes the army wants out of the political arena as quickly as possible.
"My strong belief is that these officers took this on as a duty and a responsibility," noted Englehardt. "They understand it's a bounded set [limited period]. And so the inclination of this group is going to be to do what they have to do and then get back to what they normally do, which is running the military."
Egypt's military council has said it will temporarily administer the country for six months or until parliamentary and presidential elections.
Former CIA officer Emile Nakhleh says the first, and most significant step, for the ruling military to take would be lifting the state of emergency.
"When will they remove the state of emergency? They have dissolved the parliament, which is a right step forward. They dissolved the constitution. They kept the present government as a caretaker government for six months. But I think the key is dissolving or removing the state of emergency. To me, this will be a major litmus test," noted Nakhleh.
The state of emergency in Egypt was declared by Mubarak when he assumed office as president after Anwar Sadat's assassination in October 1981.
Indonesian Experience Offers Framework for Egypt
Article from VOA
2011-02-14
Rising Price of Food Helped Spark Egypt Protests
High Food Prices Helped Spark Egypt Protests
Food production has not kept pace with population growth
Government repression, corruption, unemployment and poverty united protesters to oust Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last week. But experts say the rising price of food was one of the sparks that set off the historic protests.
The global price of wheat has risen 60 percent in the past year, and Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer. But that was not always the case.
"I find it actually ironic that bread lines are what provoked the latest political unrest," says policy analyst Marie Brill, with the advocacy group ActionAid, "considering that in the 1960s, Egypt had been a breadbasket (major wheat producer) and able to meet its own wheat needs."
Focus on exports
So what happened? Brill says it goes back to the 1980s and 90s, when the United States, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund encouraged developing countries to import grain produced cheaply in the U.S. and elsewhere and to focus their farming on export crops.
"This has been a policy that has been pushed around the world, not just in Egypt or in the Middle East," Brill says. "But what we've found was that, as Egypt became more and more dependent on [imported] wheat, Egypt also became more and more vulnerable to price hikes and price volatility."
Bad governance
Others say the roots of Egypt's vulnerability go much deeper. Democracy activist Mohamed Eljahmi blames 1950s land reform laws and bad governance in Egypt, not economic policies emanating from Washington.
"That has been used as a crutch by Arab regimes to justify their failures," Eljahmi says. "The problem is, there is a legacy of corruption. There is a lack of accountability. So, the failure really rests with the nature of the military regime in Egypt. Not the IMF or anything."
Subsidized bread
Whatever the cause of the failure, Egypt's food production has not kept pace with its population growth.
As prices climbed in recent months, the Egyptian government had to pay dearly to import wheat for its subsidized bread program. The country was already deeply in debt, which limited how it could respond to the protests.
"So, they really didn't have any scope for doing what an oil-producing country like Algeria could," says senior fellow Mohsin Khan at the Peterson Institute of International Economics. "Which is, you have unrest and you can throw money at it."
Algeria has made huge wheat purchases and set price controls following street protests. Not all citizens have been placated, and some protesters returned to the streets this weekend.
Other countries watching
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, there are 77 low-income countries that rely heavily on food imports.
Khan says policymakers in these countries are going to say, "'Look, we have large-scale unemployment.We have high food prices rising and therefore pushing up inflation. This is likely to trigger protests in our country. So, what do we need to do?'"
Targeted aid, not subsidies
Khan says poor countries need to target help to the poor, rather than blanketing the economy with price controls or food subsidies, which are expensive and bad for the economy in the long run.
But they are among the easiest options. And Khan adds that people in other repressed countries may be inspired by events in Egypt and Tunisia, where food prices also contributed to the ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali last month. He says governments will likely be tempted to step in rather than risk protests.
"It's going to be very interesting to see how it plays out in terms of who's going to [act] first," he says. "Are the protests going to come first, or [are the governments going to] start subsidizing food?"
Many experts agree the likelihood of protests is rising along with the cost of food.
Others say the roots of Egypt's vulnerability go much deeper. Democracy activist Mohamed Eljahmi blames 1950s land reform laws and bad governance in Egypt, not economic policies emanating from Washington.
"That has been used as a crutch by Arab regimes to justify their failures," Eljahmi says. "The problem is, there is a legacy of corruption. There is a lack of accountability. So, the failure really rests with the nature of the military regime in Egypt. Not the IMF or anything."
Subsidized bread
Whatever the cause of the failure, Egypt's food production has not kept pace with its population growth.
As prices climbed in recent months, the Egyptian government had to pay dearly to import wheat for its subsidized bread program. The country was already deeply in debt, which limited how it could respond to the protests.
"So, they really didn't have any scope for doing what an oil-producing country like Algeria could," says senior fellow Mohsin Khan at the Peterson Institute of International Economics. "Which is, you have unrest and you can throw money at it."
Algeria has made huge wheat purchases and set price controls following street protests. Not all citizens have been placated, and some protesters returned to the streets this weekend.
Other countries watching
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, there are 77 low-income countries that rely heavily on food imports.
Khan says policymakers in these countries are going to say, "'Look, we have large-scale unemployment.We have high food prices rising and therefore pushing up inflation. This is likely to trigger protests in our country. So, what do we need to do?'"
Targeted aid, not subsidies
Khan says poor countries need to target help to the poor, rather than blanketing the economy with price controls or food subsidies, which are expensive and bad for the economy in the long run.
But they are among the easiest options. And Khan adds that people in other repressed countries may be inspired by events in Egypt and Tunisia, where food prices also contributed to the ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali last month. He says governments will likely be tempted to step in rather than risk protests.
"It's going to be very interesting to see how it plays out in terms of who's going to [act] first," he says. "Are the protests going to come first, or [are the governments going to] start subsidizing food?"
Many experts agree the likelihood of protests is rising along with the cost of food.
High Food Prices Helped Spark Egypt Protests
Article from VOAEgypt's Military Dissolves Parliament and Suspends Constitution
Egypt's Military Dissolves Parliament, Suspends Constitution
Egypt’s military says it has dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution. During the first full day of business since President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, soldiers scuffled with hold-out protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and police also demonstrated over their wages.
The military’s communiqué was read out in a news flash on state television that parliament is dissolved and the constitution suspended. Egypt’s military leaders also said they would rule for six months until elections can be held, they are scheduled for September. It has asked current government ministers to stay on until then, in a caretaker capacity.
Those moves meet some key demands of Egypt’s pro-democracy protesters, who forced President Hosni Mubarak out of office in 18 days of mostly peaceful protests. He handed control to the military on Friday.
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq says security is the Cabinet’s main focus now.He says Egypt's normal way of life must be restored, along a feeling of security that was lost in recent weeks. He says insecurity is ending, though not at the pace it should.
Prime Minister Shafiq confirmed that Informaton Minister Anas el-Fiqqi has resigned, and the Cabinet is evaluating proposals for filling vacancies quickly. Egypt’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into top ruling party figures, freezing some politicians’ assets and imposing a travel ban on others.
But Mr. Shafiq said government ministries are running normally.
Soldiers dismantled tents and scuffled with some hold-out protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where the city’s infamous traffic jams are once again a fixture.
Former protester Khalid Shahwan said he is willing to be patient and see what the military and caretaker government can do.
"It is going to take time for them to change the constitution, for them to make good elections, proper elections."
But his friend Gihan Mohamed says the very culture of Egypt’s ruling elite has to change.
"I hope things are going to change because there is a lot of corruption in the country, like lots of corruption, and I hope it will change."
Meanwhile, Egypt’s police, who largely vanished during the popular uprising, reappeared Sunday holding their own demonstration in front of the Interior Ministry, which handles their pay. At one point warning shots were fired into the air over a crowd of about 2,000.
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq says security is the Cabinet’s main focus now.He says Egypt's normal way of life must be restored, along a feeling of security that was lost in recent weeks. He says insecurity is ending, though not at the pace it should.
Prime Minister Shafiq confirmed that Informaton Minister Anas el-Fiqqi has resigned, and the Cabinet is evaluating proposals for filling vacancies quickly. Egypt’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into top ruling party figures, freezing some politicians’ assets and imposing a travel ban on others.
But Mr. Shafiq said government ministries are running normally.
Soldiers dismantled tents and scuffled with some hold-out protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where the city’s infamous traffic jams are once again a fixture.
Former protester Khalid Shahwan said he is willing to be patient and see what the military and caretaker government can do.
"It is going to take time for them to change the constitution, for them to make good elections, proper elections."
But his friend Gihan Mohamed says the very culture of Egypt’s ruling elite has to change.
"I hope things are going to change because there is a lot of corruption in the country, like lots of corruption, and I hope it will change."
Meanwhile, Egypt’s police, who largely vanished during the popular uprising, reappeared Sunday holding their own demonstration in front of the Interior Ministry, which handles their pay. At one point warning shots were fired into the air over a crowd of about 2,000.
Egypt's Military Dissolves Parliament, Suspends Constitution
Article and Video from VOA
2011-02-13
President Hosni Mubarak’s Ouster - First Full Day of Business in Egypt
Egypt's Army Prodding a Return to Normalcy After Weeks of Protests
Egyptian Army soldiers remove tents of protesters from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011. Egypt's military has started taking down the makeshift tents of protesters who camped out on Tahrir Square in an effort to allow traffic and normal life to return to central Cairo.
Soldiers are dismantling protesters’ tents, and Cairo’s infamous traffic jams have returned to Tahrir Square. Despite a few scuffles with soldiers, pro-democracy demonstrators have largely put down their placards and are heading back to school and work.
But they are still airing their demands that Egypt’s new military rulers lift emergency laws, in place 30 years, that grant security forces broad powers to detain people without charge. They also want parliament dissolved and a new unity government in its place, and they want the constitution amended or rewritten entirely.
Former protester Khalid Shahwan says he understands that could take a while.
"It’s going to take time for them to change the constitution, for them to make good elections, proper elections," Khalid said.
His friend Gihan Mohamed says the very culture of Egypt’s ruling elite has to change.
"I hope things are going to change because there is a lot of corruption in the country, like lots of corruption, and I hope it will change," Gihan said.
The Egyptian Cabinet is meeting Sunday, and the prime minister is expected to outline which ministers will stay on and which may go. The military is asking the Cabinet to keep working in a caretaker capacity, until elections can be held in September.
But Information Minister Anas El-Fiqqi told state television he has already resigned. And others could follow. The public prosecutor has opened an investigation into top ruling party figures, freezing some politicians’ assets and imposing a travel ban on others.
The military’s Supreme Council, which took power after President Hosni Mubarak resigned, promised Saturday to eventually hand power to an elected government. It vowed too to abide by international treaties, an indication that peace with Israel will remain.
The military council also called on Egyptians themselves to push the economy forward, urging them back to their jobs. Sunday is the first regular business day since President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster.
Egypt's Army Prodding a Return to Normalcy After Weeks of Protests
Article from VOA
2011-02-12
Mr. Dictator, tear down this wall! - Protests for Freedom in 2011
"Mr. Dictator, tear down this wall!"
As the walls of dictators around the world collapse in 2011 from protests for freedom, we can look back at an important quote in history. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" was the challenge from U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke these historic words in West Berlin at the base of the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin wall.
Sunday, February 6, 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of late United States President Ronald Reagan, who served two terms in the White House during the 1980's. America's 40th president is remembered by many as the Great Communicator - and as the man who helped end the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had a single-party political system dominated by the Communist Party until 1990.
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
"Mr. Dictator, tear down this wall!" is a quote inspired by the late United States President Ronald Reagan and the brave people of the world protesting for freedom. Dictators have fallen in Tunisia and Egypt. Who will be next?
Copyright 2011
2/12/2011 - "Mr. Dictator, tear down this wall!" Copyright © 2011 - All rights reserved.
As the walls of dictators around the world collapse in 2011 from protests for freedom, we can look back at an important quote in history. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" was the challenge from U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke these historic words in West Berlin at the base of the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin wall.
Sunday, February 6, 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of late United States President Ronald Reagan, who served two terms in the White House during the 1980's. America's 40th president is remembered by many as the Great Communicator - and as the man who helped end the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had a single-party political system dominated by the Communist Party until 1990.
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
"Mr. Dictator, tear down this wall!" is a quote inspired by the late United States President Ronald Reagan and the brave people of the world protesting for freedom. Dictators have fallen in Tunisia and Egypt. Who will be next?
Copyright 2011
2/12/2011 - "Mr. Dictator, tear down this wall!" Copyright © 2011 - All rights reserved.
2011-02-11
Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak Presidency Timeline - History
The Presidency of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak
Friday, February 11th, 2011 - VOA
May 4, 1928: Hosni Mubarak is born in the Nile Delta village of Kafr el-Moseilha in Egypt.
April 1975: Appointed Vice President of Egypt by President Anwar Sadat.
Oct. 6, 1981: Seated next to President Anwar Sadat as he is shot and killed in a reviewing stand at a military parade in Cairo. Mubarak was injured in the attack.
Oct. 14, 1981: Mubarak is sworn in as the president of Egypt.
April 25, 1982: Israel hands over the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt after occupying it for 15 years.
October 1987: Mubarak wins a second six-year term as president.
October 1993: Wins a third six-year term.
June 26, 1995: Gunmen attack Mubarak's motorcade as he arrives at a summit of the Organization of African Unity in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. He is unhurt and returns to Egypt.
Nov. 17, 1997: Members Egypt's largest Islamist militant group, al-Gama's al-Islamiya kill 58 tourists and four Egyptians at an ancient temple in the southern town of Luxor. Six gunmen and three police officers also die in the attack.
October 1999: Mubarak is elected to his fourth term as president.
December 22, 1999: Egypt agrees to sell natural gas to Israel through what Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak calls the “pipeline of peace.”
March 2005: Hundreds of protesters take to the streets to oppose Mubarak's run for a fifth six-year term.
December 2005: The Muslim Brotherhood increases its seats in parliament after violent elections, which Mubarak wins.
Nov. 19, 2006: Mubarak announces he will retain the responsibilities of his office for the rest of his life.
March 27, 2010: Returns to Egypt after spending three weeks in Germany following gall bladder surgery.
Jan. 25, 2011: Anti-government protests erupt across Egypt.
Jan 28, 2011: Mubarak orders troops and tanks into cities to quell the demonstrations.
Jan. 29, 2011: Mubarak appoints the nation's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as his first vice president.
Feb. 1, 2011: Mubarak promises not to seek re-election but says he will serve out the last few months of his terms and “die on Egyptian soil.”
Feb 5, 2011: The United States and leading European nations call for a smooth transition of power in Egypt.
Feb. 10, 2011: Mubarak announces plan to cede some powers to the vice presidency, but refuses to step aside.
Feb. 11, 2011: President Hosni Mubarak leaves power and travels with his family to his home in southern resort of Sharm el-Sheik.
The Presidency of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak Timeline
From VOA
Mubarak Rule Ends - Egyptians Cheer
Egyptians celebrate the news of the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, who handed control of the country to the military, in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, Egypt, February 11, 2011.
Egyptians Cheer End of Mubarak Rule
The resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak electrified the tens of thousands of people in Cairo's Tahrir Square. People danced, cheered and shed tears of joy as the central demand of their 18 days of protest was met and nearly 30 years of a presidency came to an end.
"It's over. The nation ended the regime." The words were chanted by young and old, men, women and the children they brought to celebrate the profound change Egypt has undergone.
"Welcome, welcome in New Egypt. Welcome in new Egypt." The simple sentiment of this protester was expressed by many on the square; an era has ended, and the future is theirs.
Women ululated, young men danced in spontaneous conga lines, and everywhere on the square - remarkably well-kept after 18 days of occupation - emotions overflowed.
Another protester said, "We were suppressed. We were subjected to such tyranny, and now I am saying we won the match against him."
"Him" is former President Mubarak, whose seeming intransigence in a speech the day before prompted opposition figure Mohammed el Baradei to warn the nation would explode. And it did, just not in the way he thought.
Even in the street party that engulfed Cairo, however, there were voices of trepidation.
Cairene Adel Mohamed is among the wary. "He should have stayed until he finished his duration, and then he should have seen who comes after him. It's going to be chaos."
The military that has stepped in is promising to protect the nation, an echo of the origins of the regime that is now at its end. Not everywhere do people welcome a takeover by the armed forces, but such was the case in Egypt in the last century, when Gamal Abdel Nasser helped overthrow the monarchy and told his countrymen to "lift up your heads"
The same words were chanted anew Friday on Tahrir Square, a reminder of the American author Mark Twain's observation that "history doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
Others, like Karim Fanous, joining in the mass movement to the streets, looked to the long days of hard work ahead.
"It's a very important transition that needs to be undergone progressively and carefully monitored," said Fanous. "I still don't believe it frankly - a bit skeptical."
With few independent institutions and a civil society that has been stifled for decades, plus a victorious opposition that includes secular leftists and conservative Islamists, there are many questions about how the transition will proceed.
On this Friday, though, this Cairo woman, was thinking of the more immediate future. "I think it will be the biggest party that Egypt's ever seen probably."
As Halah Said held a flag, whose colors emblazoned the band holding back her hair, she added, "I can't believe that it happened."
Egyptians Cheer End of Mubarak Rule
Article and Video from VOA
2011-02-10
Mubarak Vows to Stay Until September Election
Mubarak Vows to Stay, Angering Protesters
Cairo February 10, 2011 - VOA
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has delegated powers to his vice president but insists he will stay in office until a September election His announcement on state television late Thursday angered anti-government demonstrators who had hoped to hear the president announce his resignation.
President Hosni Mubarak's speech was followed by loud and disappointed roars from the thousands of protesters who had massed at Cairo's Tahrir Square on Thursday. Some waved shoes as a sign of anger and disrespect.
Their hopes had been raised when an army commander addressed them earlier in the day and said the 82-year-old president was going to meet their demands.
The demonstrators want Mr. Mubarak to resign immediately. Those words did not come Thursday night when the man who has led Egypt nearly 30 years addressed the nation on state television.
Mr. Mubarak said he is transferring some of his powers to his newly appointed vice president, and said he would work to carry out a peaceful transition of power.
He did not specify which powers he is handing over. Mr, Mubarak said he will not be subjected to foreign pressure for him to step down.
Elections are scheduled for September, and Mr. Mubarak said he would not seek re-election. That statement a few days ago did nothing to stop the protests which have been going on since January 25 and have sometimes triggered violence.
Mr. Mubarak's vice president went on television shortly after the leader's speech and urged demonstrators to go back to work.
There was no sign that the demonstrators are ready to comply. More large protests are expected Friday after Muslim prayers.
Mubarak Vows to Stay, Angering Protesters
Article and Video from VOA
Cairo February 10, 2011 - VOA
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has delegated powers to his vice president but insists he will stay in office until a September election His announcement on state television late Thursday angered anti-government demonstrators who had hoped to hear the president announce his resignation.
President Hosni Mubarak's speech was followed by loud and disappointed roars from the thousands of protesters who had massed at Cairo's Tahrir Square on Thursday. Some waved shoes as a sign of anger and disrespect.
Their hopes had been raised when an army commander addressed them earlier in the day and said the 82-year-old president was going to meet their demands.
The demonstrators want Mr. Mubarak to resign immediately. Those words did not come Thursday night when the man who has led Egypt nearly 30 years addressed the nation on state television.
Mr. Mubarak said he is transferring some of his powers to his newly appointed vice president, and said he would work to carry out a peaceful transition of power.
He did not specify which powers he is handing over. Mr, Mubarak said he will not be subjected to foreign pressure for him to step down.
Elections are scheduled for September, and Mr. Mubarak said he would not seek re-election. That statement a few days ago did nothing to stop the protests which have been going on since January 25 and have sometimes triggered violence.
Mr. Mubarak's vice president went on television shortly after the leader's speech and urged demonstrators to go back to work.
There was no sign that the demonstrators are ready to comply. More large protests are expected Friday after Muslim prayers.
Mubarak Vows to Stay, Angering Protesters
Article and Video from VOA
Egypt Military, Ruling Party: Mubarak will 'Meet Protesters' Demands'
Egypt Military, Party: Mubarak to 'Meet Protesters' Demands'
VOA News February 10, 2011
Egyptian military officials and members of the ruling party say that President Hosni Mubarak will "meet protesters' demands."
Egyptians have been demonstrating for 17 days, calling for the ouster of President Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly 30 years. They have been demanding he leave immediately.
The military's supreme council was meeting Thursday without the commander in chief, Mr. Mubarak.
The military announced its support of the "legitimate demands of the people'' on state television. A spokesman said the council was exploring what measures could be made to "safeguard" the nation and its people.
Cairo's Tahrir Square, a focal point of the protests, erupted into cheers as news spread towards dusk Thursday.
Doctors in white lab coats and lawyers in black robes flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square Thursday, linking striking workers with anti-government protesters.
In addition to the prolonged protests by thousands in the capital, the opposition has turned to labor actions across Egypt affecting tourism, textiles, railways and the government.
Meanwhile, Egypt's state prosecutor has launched a corruption investigation against three former government ministers and a member of parliament from Egypt's ruling National Democratic party,
Media reports Thursday say the investigation is targeting former Commerce Minister Rachid Mohammed Rachid, former Tourism Minister Zuhair Garana, former Housing Minister Ahmed Maghrabi and parliament member Ahmed Ezz.
Egypt Military, Party: Mubarak to 'Meet Protesters' Demands'
Egypt Article from VOA
VOA News February 10, 2011
Egyptian military officials and members of the ruling party say that President Hosni Mubarak will "meet protesters' demands."
Egyptians have been demonstrating for 17 days, calling for the ouster of President Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly 30 years. They have been demanding he leave immediately.
The military's supreme council was meeting Thursday without the commander in chief, Mr. Mubarak.
The military announced its support of the "legitimate demands of the people'' on state television. A spokesman said the council was exploring what measures could be made to "safeguard" the nation and its people.
Cairo's Tahrir Square, a focal point of the protests, erupted into cheers as news spread towards dusk Thursday.
Doctors in white lab coats and lawyers in black robes flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square Thursday, linking striking workers with anti-government protesters.
In addition to the prolonged protests by thousands in the capital, the opposition has turned to labor actions across Egypt affecting tourism, textiles, railways and the government.
Meanwhile, Egypt's state prosecutor has launched a corruption investigation against three former government ministers and a member of parliament from Egypt's ruling National Democratic party,
Media reports Thursday say the investigation is targeting former Commerce Minister Rachid Mohammed Rachid, former Tourism Minister Zuhair Garana, former Housing Minister Ahmed Maghrabi and parliament member Ahmed Ezz.
Egypt Military, Party: Mubarak to 'Meet Protesters' Demands'
Egypt Article from VOA
Mubarak to Meet Demands of Egypt Protesters - Egyptian Military Said
Reports: ‘Mubarak to Meet Protesters’ Demands’
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 - VOA
Egyptian military officials and members of the ruling party say that President Hosni Mubarak will “meet protesters' demands.”
Egyptians have been demonstrating for 17 days, calling for the ouster of President Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly 30 years.
Cairo's Tahrir Square has been a focal point of the protests.
The opposition has also turned to labor actions across Egypt affecting tourism, textiles, railways and the government.
Reports: ‘Mubarak to Meet Protesters’ Demands’
Article from VOA
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 - VOA
Egyptian military officials and members of the ruling party say that President Hosni Mubarak will “meet protesters' demands.”
Egyptians have been demonstrating for 17 days, calling for the ouster of President Mubarak, who has been in power for nearly 30 years.
Cairo's Tahrir Square has been a focal point of the protests.
The opposition has also turned to labor actions across Egypt affecting tourism, textiles, railways and the government.
Reports: ‘Mubarak to Meet Protesters’ Demands’
Article from VOA
U.S. Intelligence Lapse on Egypt Debated
Intelligence Lapse on Egypt Debated
Former and current intelligence officials dispute the notion raised by some politicians and outside analysts that the United States suffered some sort of an intelligence failure on Egypt.
Former CIA Director Michael Hayden says the intelligence community repeatedly briefed policymakers that the situation in Egypt was spiraling downward.
“It was quite clear that the current political structure in Egypt was brittle and unsustainable, that it was heading towards a crisis, that the pace towards the crisis would be accelerated by [Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak’s age and the question of succession," he said. "Now, how much more does a policymaker need to know in order to believe that he needs to begin to look at this situation and begin to develop a plan for it?”
Emile Nakhleh, who was director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program and personally briefed Hayden on Egypt, says those meetings were quite specific about the growing pressures on the Mubarak government.
“We had said in those briefings that once different centers of power within the society coalesced - that is, secularists and Islamists and liberals and conservatives coalesced against the regime - then the regime will be in trouble. Now, of course, we could not pinpoint the specific time and specific catalyst. But I think those conditions were laid bare to our policymakers," he said.
Policymakers’ frustration with intelligence performance most often comes when events catch them without warning, such as the 2001 terrorist attack on the United States that has widely been labeled an intelligence failure. Now, some politicians say U.S. intelligence agencies had a similar lapse when they failed to offer specific warnings about Egypt.
Some of the State Department cables from Cairo to Washington, released by the online activist website WikiLeaks, show that U.S. embassies were aware of the long-simmering discontent in Egypt. The cables detail deepening public frustration among Egyptians over joblessness, high prices and lack of political reform.
A March 2008 cable from the U.S. embassy in Cairo labels Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his defense minister, Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, as “aged and change-resistant” and lacking the “energy, inclination, or world view to do anything differently." A January 2010 cable said “frustrated political activists” were calling for a post-Mubarak transitional caretaker government, but called such a scenario “unlikely.”
But intelligence professionals say the CIA and its sister agencies are not soothsayers. Former CIA senior Middle East analyst Paul Pillar says policymakers and the public have had inflated expectations of intelligence agencies’ powers of prediction since the earliest days of the CIA in 1947.
“They are driven by, number one, a belief that if we can do so much as we’ve done overseas, we ought to be able to figure out what’s going on in a foreign country - that’s pretty simple, isn’t it? And, number two, a reflexive need for explaining untoward events or difficult events, or especially really bad events - you know, terrorist attacks or revolutions that go the wrong way - by thinking that there’s some problem here where some part of the bureaucracy screwed up, and that if we just fix the problem this isn’t going to happen again," he said.
Former CIA Director Hayden points out that spontaneous events such as the unrest in Egypt are difficult, if not impossible, to predict. “What happened in Egypt wasn’t the product of a long thought-out plan that had been hatched over an extended period of time by conscious actors. It had more the effect of a spontaneous combustion. Now, one could predict that events in Tunisia would affect events in Egypt. But it wasn’t as if this was a long-term plan sitting in somebody’s safe waiting to be purloined or learned through some sort of agent contact or signals intercept," he said.
In December, a young man in Tunisia set himself ablaze, touching off a wave of demonstrations that ultimately led to the government’s collapse. In many analysts’ eyes, it was the fire that lit a spark that spread to Egypt and other Arab countries.
Intelligence Lapse on Egypt Debated
Article from VOA
2011-02-03
Google - New 'Tweet' Service for Egypt
Google Announces New 'Tweet' Service for Egypt
VOA News February 01, 2011
The Internet search engine Google says it has launched a service designed to help people in Egypt send Twitter messages, in spite of the government's efforts to limit Internet access.
Google says it worked with a "small team of engineers" last weekend to come up with service that allows people to "tweet" by phone.
Google says with its so-called "speak-to-tweet service," users dial an international phone number and leave a voicemail message. It says the service translates the voicemail into a written message that is sent on Twitter.
In a Monday statement, Google says it hopes the service will "go some way to helping people in Egypt stay connected" during what it calls a "very difficult time."
In recent days, Egypt has taken a number of steps to limit communication between anti-government protesters who have been gathering in large rallies, calling for the resignation of President Honsi Mubarak.
An unprecedented Internet cutoff remains in place in the country, Tuesday.
Separately, Google says its head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa is missing in Egypt.
The company says Wael Ghonim has been missing since last week. His wife has launched an appeal for information on his whereabouts.
Google Announces New 'Tweet' Service for Egypt
Article from VOA
2011-02-01
Egypt - Analyst: No Sign Mubarak Will Step Down
Analyst: No Sign Egyptian President Mubarak Will Step Down
Peter Clottey January 31, 2011 - VOA
An Egyptian political analyst told VOA there are no indications that beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak will step down and cede power, despite popular demands by protesters he do so.
Gamal Nkrumah, who is also editor of the Al Ahram newspaper in Egypt, said, despite increasing pressure, President Mubarak clings to power.
“There is absolutely no sign [Mr. Mubarak will resign]. The cabinet has been announced [and it] has many, many of the old faces. The only serious changes have been the prime minister, who was discredited as corrupt, Ahmed Nazef, and the Minister of Interior, the Home Minister, whose image has been tainted and who is especially loathed in Egypt,” said Nkrumah.
The protesters are calling for a larger protest Tuesday, a million-person march in the capital, Cairo. Meanwhile, the Egyptian military said Monday it recognizes the “legitimate demands” of the Egyptian people and it vowed not to “use force” against the public.
The military statement Monday comes as tens of thousands of Egyptians continue to protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square defying the fourth night of a government-imposed curfew, as they continue to press for an end to President Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.
Egypt's newly-appointed vice president said on state television that Mr. Mubarak has asked him to begin an immediate dialogue with all “political forces” for constitutional and legislative reforms.
Omar Suleiman, a longtime confidant of Mr. Mubarak, did not say what the changes would entail or which groups the government will contact.
Nkrumah said the protesters seem disinterested with President Mubarak’s gesture with the installation of a new government.
He also said there are concerns in western countries, especially in Washington that hard-line Islamists will take over power if President Mubarak succumbs to protesters’ demands to step down.
“The people in charge of the people’s revolution now taking Egypt by storm are young secularist people, who are not Islamists. I think what the West is afraid of is that, for the past three decades, President Mubarak and his governments have been the chief allies of the West in terms of keeping the peace with Israel,” said Nkrumah.
“What they are afraid of in the West, in Washington in particular, is that, if the people power revolution reaches its logical conclusion, what we will see is a government that is not necessarily Islamist…It is not just the Islamists that are anti-Israel; secularists, the left, socialists, youngsters, who do not even identify themselves as political activists, are anti-Israel.”
The White House has called for “a change in the way the country works,” but stopped short of saying that its president must step down.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday the United States advocates an “orderly transition” in Egypt. But, he refused to say whether this would require the removal of Mr. Mubarak.
The spokesman said Washington wants “meaningful negotiations” among all groups in Egypt and repeated the Obama administration's call for free and fair elections. He added that the United States would not determine, or dictate, when or how change happens in Egypt.
Analyst: No Sign Egyptian President Mubarak Will Step Down
Article from VOA
2011-01-30
Governments Evacuate Citizens From Egypt
Governments Send Planes to Evacuate Citizens From Egypt
Several governments say they are making arrangements to evacuate foreign citizens from Egypt as anti-government protests raged in that nation for a sixth day.
Washington urged U.S. citizens Sunday to leave Egypt voluntarily and said it would provide flights out of the country starting Monday.
U.S. Embassy officials in Cairo said it is unclear how many Americans want to leave. The U.S. State Department also authorized the voluntary departure of family members of U.S. diplomats and non-emergency embassy personnel.
Other nations sent planes to Egypt Sunday to evacuate foreign citizens who wish to leave. Those nations include Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Japan and Turkey.
Nationals of Britain, France and China were urged to avoid non-essential travel to Egypt, but their governments did not announce plans for evacuations. Pakistan said it was monitoring the situation to decide whether or not to evacuate about 150 Pakistani families.
Nationals of Britain, France and China were urged to avoid non-essential travel to Egypt, but their governments did not announce plans for evacuations. Pakistan said it was monitoring the situation to decide whether or not to evacuate about 150 Pakistani families.
Russia's tourism agency told Russian news agency Interfax most of the more than 25,000 Russian tourists staying at Egyptian seaside resorts do not plan to cut short their holidays despite the protests. But Belgian travel agency Jetair said it plans to evacuate all of its customers in Egypt.
There were chaotic scenes at Cairo's airport Sunday as foreign nationals prepared to evacuate. But the road to the airport was clear at midday, with Egypt's military patrolling it.
More than 100 people have been killed during protest violence since Tuesday.
Watch Raw Video of Sunday Protests in Egypt
Governments Send Planes to Evacuate Citizens From Egypt
Article and Video from VOA
2011-01-29
Protests in Egypt - No End in Sight
No End in Sight for Protests in Egypt
Latest Details from Egypt At least 100 people have been killed and some 1,000 wounded in the five days of anti-government protests in Egypt. At least three protesters were reported to be killed Saturday when police opened fire on demonstrators near the Interior Ministry in Cairo. At least 22 people were killed in clashes in Beni Suef, south of the capital. |
President Mubarak has warned that he will do all in his power to maintain order, but opposition politicians have joined calls for him to go.
Tens of thousands of Egyptians are once again defying the overnight curfew and have taken to the streets to vent their fury.
The army is also out in force, but so far the protesters are treating them as heroes, climbing on board the tanks to shake the soldiers hands, and have their photos taken - a snapshot of an historic moment for them and for Egypt.
Key Players in Egypt's Crisis
|
"Is America with us or the regime? Is America with the public or the president? We want to know their position now," said one protester. "Mubarak has been president for 30 years. He must go. Is America with us?"
Soldiers are guarding key buildings across the city, including government ministries, the American and British embassies, and the world famous Egyptian Museum.
The legions of riot police deployed on Friday are now gone.
As darkness fell in Cairo few could predict what might happen in the coming hours. Buildings and police vehicles still smolder from the previous night's riots, and more smoke plumes are rising above the city.
Cell phone networks have been restored, but the Internet remains down. The curfew was brought forward to 4 PM, but with little effect.
In his address, the president pledged to protect the country and its citizens, and while sacking his government and announcing a new cabinet, he refused to step down.
Analysts here say he has underestimated the level of anger. With the protesters shouting for him to leave, and tearing down posters of Mr. Mubarak across Cairo and other cities, they say his future as president remains deeply uncertain.
Much depends on the army. If they withdraw support from the president, analysts say Egypt will soon have a new leadership. But the army's first task is to try to maintain order through the night as the streets of Cairo and other cities once again fill with angry protesters.
Watch Raw Video of the Street Protests in Cairo
No End in Sight for Protests in Egypt
Article and video from VOA
2011-01-26
Tiananmen Square Moment in Egypt - Bravery for Freedom and Democracy
Tiananmen Square Moment in Egypt January 25, 2011
1989 Tiananmen Square Protests in China
Protests in Egypt, Tunisia Spark Turmoil
Edward Yeranian | Cairo January 26, 2011 - VOA
Egyptian security forces have deployed en masse across the capital, Cairo, Wednesday amid calls by protest leaders to continue demonstrating despite a ban.
In central Cairo, Egyptian activists clashed with security forces stationed nearby as thousands of Interior Ministry troops stood watch along key roads and bridges to keep passersby from congregating.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry warned on its website that public demonstrations would not be tolerated. Protest organizers reported scattered mobile phone outages and a blockage of the social websites Twitter and Facebook to prevent them from mobilizing supporters.
Top opposition activist Abdul Jalil Mustapha called on President Hosni Mubarak not to seek re-election.
He said the opposition is asking President Mubarak to announce that he will not run for re-election and that his son, Gamal, will not run in his place. Mustapha also insisted that both houses of parliament be dissolved and transparent elections be held.
The Egyptian stock market also reportedly dropped 4 percent as investors worried about the implications of a rise in turmoil.
In nearby Tunisia, security forces fired tear gas at protesters close to the prime minister’s office, as groups of young men threw stones and tried to break through a barricade. Protesters are demanding that interim Prime Minister Mohammed Gannouchi step down.
The prime minister is due to announce a reshuffle of his cabinet. Meanwhile, Education Minister Ahmad Ibrahim urged Tunisians not to get carried away by demonstrations.
He said it's normal for people to have a certain civic-awareness and to be concerned about protecting the gains of the revolution and keeping it from spinning out of control. But, he adds, it is imperative that protests be organized and peaceful and not stop the country from functioning.
An active discussion continues in the Arab press about the possibility of popular protests spreading from one Arab country to the next. However Khattar Abou Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris III, insists that each Arab country has its own internal logic.
He said that despite what people say, the idea of contagion from one Arab country to another is not a foregone conclusion and that the situation does not resemble that of eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He stressed that each country has its own context and that government structures vary widely. Tunisia, he noted, has a tradition of separation between religion and state, and a vibrant middle class which led the recent revolt. The army, he added, also joined the revolt.
Conditions differ in Egypt, concludes Abou Diab, because the government, the army and the security forces have a "symbiotic relationship", and the state has a Pharoanic tradition of strong leaders. But, he urged President Mubarak to work slowly to democratize the system to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran from taking advantage of a political vacuum.
Video footage of Egypt protests:
Video footage of Tunisia protests:
Protests in Egypt, Tunisia Spark Turmoil article came from VOA
1989 Tiananmen Square Protests in China
Protests in Egypt, Tunisia Spark Turmoil
Edward Yeranian | Cairo January 26, 2011 - VOA
Egyptian security forces have deployed en masse across the capital, Cairo, Wednesday amid calls by protest leaders to continue demonstrating despite a ban.
In central Cairo, Egyptian activists clashed with security forces stationed nearby as thousands of Interior Ministry troops stood watch along key roads and bridges to keep passersby from congregating.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry warned on its website that public demonstrations would not be tolerated. Protest organizers reported scattered mobile phone outages and a blockage of the social websites Twitter and Facebook to prevent them from mobilizing supporters.
Top opposition activist Abdul Jalil Mustapha called on President Hosni Mubarak not to seek re-election.
He said the opposition is asking President Mubarak to announce that he will not run for re-election and that his son, Gamal, will not run in his place. Mustapha also insisted that both houses of parliament be dissolved and transparent elections be held.
The Egyptian stock market also reportedly dropped 4 percent as investors worried about the implications of a rise in turmoil.
In nearby Tunisia, security forces fired tear gas at protesters close to the prime minister’s office, as groups of young men threw stones and tried to break through a barricade. Protesters are demanding that interim Prime Minister Mohammed Gannouchi step down.
The prime minister is due to announce a reshuffle of his cabinet. Meanwhile, Education Minister Ahmad Ibrahim urged Tunisians not to get carried away by demonstrations.
He said it's normal for people to have a certain civic-awareness and to be concerned about protecting the gains of the revolution and keeping it from spinning out of control. But, he adds, it is imperative that protests be organized and peaceful and not stop the country from functioning.
An active discussion continues in the Arab press about the possibility of popular protests spreading from one Arab country to the next. However Khattar Abou Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris III, insists that each Arab country has its own internal logic.
He said that despite what people say, the idea of contagion from one Arab country to another is not a foregone conclusion and that the situation does not resemble that of eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He stressed that each country has its own context and that government structures vary widely. Tunisia, he noted, has a tradition of separation between religion and state, and a vibrant middle class which led the recent revolt. The army, he added, also joined the revolt.
Conditions differ in Egypt, concludes Abou Diab, because the government, the army and the security forces have a "symbiotic relationship", and the state has a Pharoanic tradition of strong leaders. But, he urged President Mubarak to work slowly to democratize the system to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran from taking advantage of a political vacuum.
Video footage of Egypt protests:
Video footage of Tunisia protests:
Protests in Egypt, Tunisia Spark Turmoil article came from VOA
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