I have much faith in whatever government the Egyptians can come up with post-Marbarak. The majority of protesters seem to legitimately want freedom.
Honestly, much of the Middle-east has changed. Especially places not in the Iraq/Afghanistan area. The internet is quite prevalent in countries like Egypt, and they know what life is like elsewhere. Thanks to the Tunisian revolt, they now know that such freedoms are attainable for themselves. I believe they will pursue it at all costs. Hell, without the internet, they probably wouldn't have even known about the Tunisian revolt for days.
Hopefully they will be able to liberate themselves from Marbarak's rule, but it remains to be seen just whose side the military is on. They've secured most of Cairo and Alexandria, supposedly under government orders, but they seem to be letting protesters roam free for the most part, despite the curfew that's in affect. From Al Jazeera:
| "The streets are definitely still abuzz," he said at 4am local time. "The chants have died down in the last hours but there are still many people out and about in the street despite the fact that there is a curfew supposed to have been imposed, starting from 6pm to 7am. "The protests and the clashes with police have completely died down as a result of the fact that the police have melted away and the military has taken over." Military armoured vehicles rolled onto the streets of the capital on Friday night in a bid to quell the protests. People cheered as the army arrived, and hundreds of people thronged around a military vehicle near Cairo's Tahrir square. "The army is a respected establishment in Egypt, and many feel they need their support against what they see as excessive force by the police and security forces," our correspondent said. |
Hopefully the Army will side with the people, but that remains to be seen.
Also, have you guys been keeping up with the protests in Jordan and Yemen? This fire seems to be spreading all across North Africa and the Middle-east. Other countries like Syria and Algeria could ignite at any moment. The events of the past two weeks have been amazing, and this could end up being the most pivotal historical event for the future of the Middle-east. The internet age is truly incredible.
---
For those interested in seeing footage of the conflict in Egypt, these two videos are a must:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtTUsqra-MU&t=1m15s - Hundreds cheer as a lone protester stands up to an armored crowd control vehicle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo5Fn1-2E8o - Montage of various demonstrations and speeches.
