Roll the Bones 74 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I don't think they're buying into the new cabinet. Link to post Share on other sites
LongLiveYorke 38 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I don't think they're buying into the new cabinet.That's exactly how I felt after my last trip to IKEA. Link to post Share on other sites
custom36 4 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I'm surprised Mubarak's still trying to hold onto power. I thought after the US talked about transition like it was a certainty, that would pretty much be the end of it. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,314 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I'm surprised Mubarak's still trying to hold onto power. I thought after the US talked about transition like it was a certainty, that would pretty much be the end of it.Dictators don't give up their power easily. Link to post Share on other sites
custom36 4 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Dictators don't give up their power easily.I know, but it's so obvious nobody cares what he thinks anymore. I laughed when CNN reported yesterday that he was making the curfew 1 hour earlier for Monday. Link to post Share on other sites
hblask 1 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 The military told Mubarak they won't be shooting any protesters, because they feel the protesters have a valid point.If that's not a clue that it's time to step down, I don't know what it would take. I suspect the only way he's leaving is via death, or running for his life with as much wealth as he can smuggle out. Link to post Share on other sites
SAM_Hard8 50 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Mubarak came from the military and he knows that it is the source of his power. He will soon resign if they will not back him. Link to post Share on other sites
SlapStick 0 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 . Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I do love the contrast to Iraq where one of the top two arguments for going in was : Dictator!! Must be removed! While financially supporting a dictator in Egypt for 30 years with no mention of it.Personally, I'd prefer he stays in power since I can't help but care about Israels future interests.Not a tough decision to make:Here's a dictator, who keeps a strong hand on the populous, but doesn't slaughter them or have aspirations of invading other countries and in fact was willing to declare publicly that he would recognize Israel's right to exist.Here's a dictator, invading neighbors, paying suicide bombers families to kill Israelis, has used chemical weapons, is actively pursuing the development of wmds, and kicks out the UN weapons inspectors, after disobeying the 70+ rules the UN placed on him.Pretty much like Pakistan, we may not think its the best government, having a secular government but since they have nukes we have different requirements for what we can accept.Or we can pull back and let every country do whatever they want and hope for the best. Link to post Share on other sites
LongLiveYorke 38 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 So, do you guys think I could get a really great deal on an Egyptian vacation about now? Do you think the airline tickets are really cheap, or really expensive because nobody wants to fly in there?I mean, they're not protesting the pyramids, right? I can still hang around that area as long as I avoid the roaming vagrants, rights? Link to post Share on other sites
brvheart 1,752 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 From what I've seen, the protesters are not attacking people. An American student on the Today show said they were all thanking her for standing with them, and that she didn't feel unsafe at all. Link to post Share on other sites
CaneBrain 95 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 This is a guy who understands how to get ahead of the curve:http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/01/...dex.html?hpt=C1 Link to post Share on other sites
LongLiveYorke 38 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 So, how should we feel about this? I know there's a lot of confusion about who the next ruler will be, whether there will be elections, and what the new relationship with Israel will be. But should't we all be really happy about all this? I mean, isn't this what we've always wanted: an internal and more or less peaceful revolution within an Arab country that moves toward Democracy and has a tendency to spread? Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 So, how should we feel about this? I know there's a lot of confusion about who the next ruler will be, whether there will be elections, and what the new relationship with Israel will be. But should't we all be really happy about all this? I mean, isn't this what we've always wanted: an internal and more or less peaceful revolution within an Arab country that moves toward Democracy and has a tendency to spread?I am pessimistic. Once they start listing Yemen and Sudan as places that are becoming more politically unstable, I start to think that we are about to see some real serious problems in the middle east.Let's put it this way, Al Qaeda is probably getting excited at all the opportunities. And that's not good.Good thing we have a lot of troops in the region, we're going to need them Link to post Share on other sites
brvheart 1,752 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 So, how should we feel about this? I know there's a lot of confusion about who the next ruler will be, whether there will be elections, and what the new relationship with Israel will be. But should't we all be really happy about all this? I mean, isn't this what we've always wanted: an internal and more or less peaceful revolution within an Arab country that moves toward Democracy and has a tendency to spread?Probably not. They are saying that everyone is together right now in wanting to overthrow the dude, but once he's gone, that's when the real problems will start. About 30% of the country are muslims of the hard-core variety and if they snag power, that will be really really bad for the US, Israel, and Europe. Link to post Share on other sites
custom36 4 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Probably not. They are saying that everyone is together right now in wanting to overthrow the dude, but once he's gone, that's when the real problems will start. About 30% of the country are muslims of the hard-core variety and if they snag power, that will be really really bad for the US, Israel, and Europe.Where did you get this number from?I think we should be very happy they're demanding democracy. I understand why Israel is scared, but I don't think they need to be - most of Egypt seems to agree with Mubarak's Israel policy. The government that gets elected will likely be a secular, moderate government that will move them towards serious domestic reform. If they still want the 1.3b in US aid, they'll keep the same foreign policy even if they don't want to.We do have to take into account that there's a lot of uncertainty, but that happens whenever there's change and we can't let that fear keep people from making a change. Lots of really good possible scenarios. Link to post Share on other sites
SlapStick 0 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 . Link to post Share on other sites
custom36 4 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I would be delighted if the Muslim Brotherhood who is connected with Hamas were not the strongest political movement there.They're not. Be delighted!Muslim Brotherhood makes up a very small portion of the population, and had nothing to do with the protests until Thursday or Friday when they decided to support it. Not only have they said their first priority right now is democracy in Egypt, they've thrown their weight behind the same Nobel Prize winner everyone else likes. From the analysis I've seen, if there were a Parlaimentary election, the Brotherhood might pick up a few seats, but they'd certainly be in the minority. Link to post Share on other sites
brvheart 1,752 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Where did you get this number from?I think we should be very happy they're demanding democracy. I understand why Israel is scared, but I don't think they need to be - most of Egypt seems to agree with Mubarak's Israel policy. The government that gets elected will likely be a secular, moderate government that will move them towards serious domestic reform. If they still want the 1.3b in US aid, they'll keep the same foreign policy even if they don't want to.We do have to take into account that there's a lot of uncertainty, but that happens whenever there's change and we can't let that fear keep people from making a change. Lots of really good possible scenarios.From the Today show this morning. They were interviewing some guy in Egypt. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,314 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Where did you get this number from?Most reports say that the Muslim Brotherhood is supported by about 30% of the population. They aren't Taliban - Al Queda extreme but they also won't be really friendly to Israel.This isn't just about wanting Democracy but is very much caused by economic problems. Egypt and most Arab countries have very young populations who are having a very hard time economically. Egypt has more unemployed University graduates than any other country in the World for example. Link to post Share on other sites
SlapStick 0 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 . Link to post Share on other sites
Roll the Bones 74 Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I keep wondering if they are going to call it the Facebook revolution. Dictators just never seem to learn and always let arrogance override their asses. Mubarak didn't even attempt to hide that the last election was a sham and had 97% of the vote. People living in poverty is one thing but shoving your arrogance down their throats is another. We all have surmised for years that the flow of free information would eventually tip the scales for these countries but no one saw it coming this soon or this way. I mean if Americans know anything about dealing with teenagers and young people it's that taking away the internet, cell phone, twitter and facebook would cause a complete riot. There is always the worry that the new Egyptian government will try to include Shar'ia law at the demands of the ignorant muslim population and if that happens it could end up for the worse. Separation of church and state would have to prevail or the Egyptians are screwed. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. Link to post Share on other sites
custom36 4 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 There is always the worry that the new US government will try to include "God's" law at the demands of the ignorant christian population and if that happens it could end up for the worse. Separation of church and state would have to prevail or the Americans are screwed. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.Sorry, I couldn't resist.Mubarak's going to announce that the election later this year won't include him. This is a better transition than him running away - hopefully the elections are free and fair. Link to post Share on other sites
Spademan 94 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 There is always the worry that the new US government will try to include "God's" law at the demands of the ignorant christian populationEven as a joke, no there isn't.The US, though slowly enough to be embarrassing, is going the other direction. Link to post Share on other sites
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