Word on the Street?
I still need to write up the summery of part three of the Mubarak Reality show, but according to these banners hanging downtown, some people are already expressing their wishes to (re?)-elect Mubarak. The banner reads “Yes…for the Man of Peace”.
I doubt this showed up this morning as a reaction to his interviews. Nevertheless, it is an example of the Mubarak posters which will surely decorate the capital in the coming months.
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The reason for the delay on the summery is that I attended the latest Kifaya rally - held at the journalist syndicate in Cairo today. Its a long story about shifting venues, arrests, releases, dodging security, democracy, and more arrests in (at least) seven governates throughout Egypt today.
Categories: Egypt.
Sounds like Hosni’s had enough of Kefaya…
Here’s a question for readers: can anyone think of any anologous situation to the one going on in Egypt — i.e. a longstanding ruler facing both internal and external pressure (mind you not so sure about the latter) and carrying out this type of political theater? I’ve been calling the way the Mubarak regime is going the “Bourguibization of Egypt” for a while, but I’m not sure the situation is really comparable as I don’t really see a Ben Ali character around nor is Hosni senile - for now. Can be anywhere in the world, just a similar type of situation.
heh these posters/banners are filling the city for a more obscene example check http://www.manalaa.net/embryos_say_yes
*shameless plug* about the Kefaya demo http://www.manalaa.net/kefaya_demonstration_april_2005 with link to photos.
oops your software doesn’t like underscores so instead of the above links try http://www.manalaa.net/node/77 for the too much yes to mubarak banner and http://www.manalaa.net/node/83 for the kefaya photos and post.
Kermit the Frog _hearts_ Kifaya?
Issandr, surely you noticed the import of Putin’s visit, right? I see Mubarak as saying to the US, hey, I’ve got options here, so don’t push me too far. Not a dummy.
I don’t really interpret the Putin visit as a message to Washington — at least not from Mubarak. The Putin visit seems to have more to do with Putin playing the statesman and enhancing Russia’s presence on the regional scene (where it has lost so much since the demise of the Soviet Union). For Mubarak’s regime, at this point there is no real alternative to US backing. This isn’t like the 1970s when Sadat switched (following a policy actually started by Nasser) at a time when the difference in power between the Russians and the Americans wasn’t as big.
The only thing I saw coming out of this trip for Egypt is that they talked about a free trade agreement with Russia. The Russian market, which is probably less competitive than Western Europe or North America for Egyptian goods, is a logical aim for Egypt, which already does a lot of trade with Eastern Europe. Politically, apart from getting Putin’s support on the Roadmap (the positions are similar anyway), I don’t see anything that threatens the US-Egypt relationship.
Good points. I’ll be watching the arms deals, though.
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