As Protests In Egypt Escalate Revolution Seems Certain

January 31st, 2011:
Over the course of the last few days protests in Egypt have turned more and more into revolution-like gatherings. The protests turned violent on January 27th as tear gas was used to disperse crowds in Tahrir square. Riot police have begun crackdowns on the protesters and even journalists are not safe anymore as one Guardian reporter put it. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets now, not only in Central Cairo but also in Suez, Alexandria and other Egyptian cities as the protest spreads like wildfire around Egypt. Due to this Mubarak supposedly "dismissed his government and said a new cabinet would be announced", however "he refused to step down but promised to promote democracy. He also defended the role of the security forces in tackling the unrest" the Guardian has reported. This has angered demonstrators even more as they continue to demand more liberty, rights and independence. In fact, the demonstrators "set fire to the headquarters of the governing Nnational Democratic party (NDP) and besieged state TV and the foreign ministry." Tanks are reported to be converging on Tahrir Square threatening to turn this into another Tienanmen Square incident. Already, hospital sources say at least 13 people have been killed in Suez and 5 in  Cairo and more than 1,000 have been wounded. Furthermore, just recently it has been said the Mubarak has allowed military troops to fire at protesters as he desperately clings to power. A curfew has been set in place to curb protests. Yet, the Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, has predicted change within "the next few days". It has been planned that a million will march on a soon upcoming critical day for the rebellion and this has caused the vice-president to say he will talk with the opposition. Moreover, "Egypt's army gave a powerful boost to the country's opposition by announcing that it would not use force to silence "legitimate" demands for democratic reforms in the Arab world's largest nation." As one regards this information it is hard to see how Mubarak still manages to cling onto power with so much pressure on him to step down. In fact the Egyptians now see themselves as citizens instead of subject and believe they have the right to change the country they live in. This is mainly because they feel they have no representation in the government which is of a old generation and is struggling to keep up with the demands of the heavily young population. Therefore, it is clear that protesters will not stop in their revolution until they feel they have achieved equality, as any constitution should permit. The emergency law right now is not allowing for the right of a free trial or the right to vote fairly. This is why the revolution in Egypt seems so certain to succeed, especially now with the protests increasing in number and intensity.

Mass Protests In Egypt Start a Tunisian-Style Revolution

January 25th, 2011:
Thousands protested against President Hosni Mubarak today in the apparent start of a Tunisian inspired revolution. Protesters demanded Mubarak to 'go' and resign as President, because they insisted Egyptians no longer supported his regime or 'system'. Thousands of people began taking to the streets to protest poverty, rampant unemployment, government corruption and autocratic governance of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for thirty years. The Huffington Post reports the following: "These were the first protests on such a large scale to be seen in Egypt since the 1970s. The government responded by blocking Twitter, which was being used by organizers to coordinate protests." It seems that Egyptians finally want to achieve a state of government that allows self-determination. This seems to be a legitimate demand of the Mubarak regime which has continually oppressed Egyptian youth instead of reforming their government to become more modern and free. In fact, Egypt, economically and socially, is not as it should be. This is because "protester grievances [rightly] focused on police brutality, state emergency laws, lack of free speech and elections, high unemployment, rising food prices, inflation, and low minimum wages"; and these are all issues that the Mubarak regime has done little to solve. Because the regime continues to oppose any idea of change within their government and has blocked certain social media sites, the protesters have been able to gain the support of the international community. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the following concerning the "Day of Rage" campaign that occurred today: "Human and political rights of people are fundamental, and the economic challenges that face many of the people in the Middle East, as well as elsewhere, are important." It is clear that the non-violent demonstrations, marches and labor strikes in Cairo and other cities in Egypt are legitimate. For now, however, Hosni Mubarak shows no signs of lifting his tight rule on Egypt to allow any valid democratic elections or true reform. 

Egypt May Witness a Tunisian Style Revolution As Unrest Grows

January 18th, 2011:
Tunisia's recent revolution which led to the country's President, Ben Ali, to flee on January 14th may serve as inspiration to Egyptian youth who want to revolt against Hosni Mubarak, the almost 30 year-long dictator of the nation. This may be partly due to his background. In fact, Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak was sworn in on the 14th of October 1981, after Anwar Sadat's (the former President) unexpected assassination eight days prior. He has since then reigned with emergency rule and an iron fist. BBC News reports the following about Mubarak's ascension to rule : "Despite having little popular appeal or international profile at the time, the burly military man used his sponsorship of the issue behind Sadat's killing - peace with Israel - to build up his reputation as an international statesman." Since he first took office he still has his country under emergency law which means his government ultimately controls everything and has uncompromising powers of arrest and the power to halt basic freedoms. BBC News reports: "The government argued the draconian regime was necessary to combat Islamist terrorism, which came in waves during the decades of Mr Mubarak's rule - often targeting Egypt's lucrative tourism sector." Today, however this may not ring true anymore. Even though Mubarak has promised to reform Egypt into a more democratic state, he has continued to lead in a absolutist style. Mubarak has won three elections unopposed since 1981, and only in his fourth contest, as recent as 2005, did he allow a system where rival candidates could participate (this was heavily demanded by the US at the time). Yet, "critics said the election was heavily weighted in favour of Mr Mubarak and the National Democratic Party (NDP). They accused the Egyptian leader of presiding over a sustained campaign of suppressing opposition groups, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood", a BBC News source indicates. When one regards this information it is clear why a member of the Egyptian youth would want to oust Mubarak and finally achieve reform, Tunisian style. Mohamed ElBaradei, an Egyptian dissident, has already warned of a "Tunisian style explosion" in Egypt. ElBaradei believes that "what has transpired in Tunisia is no surprise and should be very instructive both for the political elite in Egypt and those in the west that back dictatorships. Suppression does not equal stability, and anybody who thinks that the existence of authoritarian regimes is the best way to maintain calm is deluding themselves." Egypt has experienced self-immolation protests similar to the one that happened in Tunisia early in December where "Mohamed Bouazizi, set fire to himself in protest after police confiscated the fruit and vegetables he was selling from a street stall". Moreover, anti-government activists have already announced plans for a nationwide "day of anger" next week. Protest organizers want to make the world aware of their demand for a fair presidency even with the threat of the Egyptian Police looming, an institution known to have been brutal to anti-regime activists in the past. Yet, even with the poor living conditions for many youth in Egypt, where 61% of the population is under 30 and 37% of people aged 15-29 are not working and not going to school, there is still mystery whether the flames of an Egyptian man who set himself on fire near parliament on the 17th of January can ignite a Tunisian style revolution for youth in Egypt.