Live: Al Jazeera coverage of Egypt’s growing revolution

[vanlose kid]

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[vanlose kid]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Sh ... 36422.html

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[vanlose kid]

White House wobbles on Egyptian tightrope
Washington needs a friendly regime in Cairo more than it needs a democratic government

Simon Tisdall
guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 18.20 GMT

Caught off guard by the escalating unrest in Egypt, the Obama administration is desperate to avoid any public appearance of taking sides. But Washington's close, longstanding political and military ties to President Hosni Mubarak's regime, plus annual financial support worth about $1.5bn, undermine its claims to neutrality.

While the US favours Egyptian political reform in theory, in practice it props up an authoritarian system for pragmatic reasons of national self-interest. It behaved in much the same way towards Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1980s, when Iraq was at war with Iran. A similar tacit bargain governs relations with Saudi Arabia. That's why, for many Egyptians, the US is part of the problem.

Like tottering tightrope walkers, the balancing act performed by Barack Obama and the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, has been excruciating to watch. When the protests kicked off, Clinton urged all parties "to exercise restraint". This phrase is useful when politicians are unsure of their ground.

Clinton also struck a lopsided note. "Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people," she said. Against a backdrop of street battles, beatings-up, teargas, flying bricks, mass detentions and attempts to shut information networks, her words sounded unreal, even foolish.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the establishment rebel who joined the protests, was flabbergasted. "If you would like to know why the United States does not have credibility in the Middle East, that is precisely the answer," he said.

Clinton's emphasis shifted the next day, as if to correct the balance. Mubarak must allow peaceful protests, she said. "I do think it's possible for there to be reforms and that is what we are urging and calling for."

Today she said: "We are deeply concerned about the use of violence by Egyptian police and security forces against protesters. We call on the Egyptian government to do everything in its power to restrain security forces." Still she tried to face both ways: "At the same time, protesters should also refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully."

Obama maintained he had "always" told Mubarak that reform was "absolutely critical". But he also wobbled back in the other direction, saying the Egyptian leader was a good friend. "Egypt's been an ally of ours on a lot of critical issues. Mubarak has been very helpful," Obama said.

Amid the juggling, one fact may be pinned down: the US would not welcome Mubarak's fall and the dislocation a revolution would cause in Egypt and across a chronically unstable region. Gradual reforms of the kind Clinton discussed in a recent speech in Doha about the Arab world, and a competitive presidential election this autumn, would probably be Washington's preferred prescription. As matters stand now, this is the least likely outcome.

Either the regime will suppress the unrest, possibly by ever more brutal means, as happened in Iran in 2009; or the uprising will spiral out of control and the regime will implode, with unpredictable consequences, as in Tunisia. In this latter scenario, one outcome could be a military takeover in the name of national salvation. It has happened before in Egypt, in 1952, when the Free Officers Movement forced King Farouk to abdicate. If it happened again, the US might be expected to endorse it.

That's because, in the final analysis, the US needs a friendly government in Cairo more than it needs a democratic one. Whether the issue is Israel-Palestine, Hamas and Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, security for Gulf oil supplies, Sudan, or the spread of Islamist fundamentalist ideas, Washington wants Egypt, the Arab world's most populous and influential country, in its corner. That's the political and geostrategic bottom line. In this sense, Egypt's demonstrators are not just fighting the regime. They are fighting Washington, too.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... pt-mubarak

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[Laodicean]

Mubarak is now at the podium addressing Egypt.

Refusing to step down as president.

[vanlose kid]

Mubarak live on AJ now.

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[barracuda]

"I will name a new government tomorrow."

That speech is probably not gonna cut it.

[Laodicean]

Announced he will breakup current government, announce new government tomorrow...with him as president.

Stated the people are afraid. Will not stand for the current chaos and fear unfolding.

Chaos on the streets? Yes. The Egyptian people afraid? Doesn't look like it to me. If anyone is afraid right now, it's Mubarak.

[vanlose kid]

state dept penned hail mary pass.

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[Mallard]

He also promised health care reform..... I think someone has been talking to Obama.

[DoYouEverWonder]

"I will name a new government tomorrow."

That speech is probably not gonna cut it.

Someone needs to sell Mubarak a clue. Maybe he should be naming which country he'll vacationing in for the next few years.

[23]

While my ears listened to Mubarak on AJ, my eyes were skimming this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ising.html

Egypt protests: America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising

The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.

On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.

He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.

The crisis in Egypt follows the toppling of Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who fled the country after widespread protests forced him from office.

The disclosures, contained in previously secret US diplomatic dispatches released by the WikiLeaks website, show American officials pressed the Egyptian government to release other dissidents who had been detained by the police.

Mr Mubarak, facing the biggest challenge to his authority in his 31 years in power, ordered the army on to the streets of Cairo yesterday as rioting erupted across Egypt.

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in open defiance of a curfew. An explosion rocked the centre of Cairo as thousands defied orders to return to their homes. As the violence escalated, flames could be seen near the headquarters of the governing National Democratic Party.

Police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas and water cannon in an attempt to disperse the crowds.

At least five people were killed in Cairo alone yesterday and 870 injured, several with bullet wounds. Mohamed ElBaradei, the pro-reform leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was placed under house arrest after returning to Egypt to join the dissidents. Riots also took place in Suez, Alexandria and other major cities across the country.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, urged the Egyptian government to heed the “legitimate demands of protesters”. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said she was “deeply concerned about the use of force” to quell the protests.

In an interview for the American news channel CNN, to be broadcast tomorrow, David Cameron said: “I think what we need is reform in Egypt. I mean, we support reform and progress in the greater strengthening of the democracy and civil rights and the rule of law.”

The US government has previously been a supporter of Mr Mubarak’s regime. But the leaked documents show the extent to which America was offering support to pro-democracy activists in Egypt while publicly praising Mr Mubarak as an important ally in the Middle East.

In a secret diplomatic dispatch, sent on December 30 2008, Margaret Scobey, the US Ambassador to Cairo, recorded that opposition groups had allegedly drawn up secret plans for “regime change” to take place before elections, scheduled for September this year.

The memo, which Ambassador Scobey sent to the US Secretary of State in Washington DC, was marked “confidential” and headed: “April 6 activist on his US visit and regime change in Egypt.”

It said the activist claimed “several opposition forces” had “agreed to support an unwritten plan for a transition to a parliamentary democracy, involving a weakened presidency and an empowered prime minister and parliament, before the scheduled 2011 presidential elections”. The embassy’s source said the plan was “so sensitive it cannot be written down”.

Ambassador Scobey questioned whether such an “unrealistic” plot could work, or ever even existed. However, the documents showed that the activist had been approached by US diplomats and received extensive support for his pro-democracy campaign from officials in Washington. The embassy helped the campaigner attend a “summit” for youth activists in New York, which was organised by the US State Department.

Cairo embassy officials warned Washington that the activist’s identity must be kept secret because he could face “retribution” when he returned to Egypt. He had already allegedly been tortured for three days by Egyptian state security after he was arrested for taking part in a protest some years earlier.

The protests in Egypt are being driven by the April 6 youth movement, a group on Facebook that has attracted mainly young and educated members opposed to Mr Mubarak. The group has about 70,000 members and uses social networking sites to orchestrate protests and report on their activities.

The documents released by WikiLeaks reveal US Embassy officials were in regular contact with the activist throughout 2008 and 2009, considering him one of their most reliable sources for information about human rights abuses.

[ninakat]

Yeah, this ain't gonna fly -- especially Mubarak actually having the audacity to take credit for, in essence, allowing the protests, because of all the freedom of expression he allowed. Jesus.

Aljazeera is showing the crowd chanting "down down with Mubarak" (paraphrased).

[8bitagent]

Haha, Biden is downplaying the protests and urges Mubarak to not step down:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01 ... z1CMICFV7w

It's funny, as the feeling I get from the rest of Obama's cabinet is more of a "well...uh, we support democratic movements, we urge calm...but yeah, so long mubarak"

[Searcher08]

Mubarak live on AJ now.

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I parsed that as Mubarak live on Alex Jones now.

Now THAT would have REALLY thrown Hillary Clinton

[Joe Hillshoist]

Mubarak live on AJ now.

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I parsed that as Mubarak live on Alex Jones now.

Now THAT would have REALLY thrown Hillary Clinton

Wow all this happened while I was sleeping.

guys you have done a great job. Thanks heaps.

Especially vanlose. Good one.

http://coldestmonster.wordpress.com/201 ... gypt-2011/

Stay safe, Alice.

I hope she's fucking shit up.
Safely of course.

I'm sure she is.

You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers Alice.