Egypt's President Says He Will Not Step Down, Calls on Military to Withdraw Ultimatum

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27. The Egyptian Army is the most heavily armed kitchen appliance manufacturer in the world

Here's an article from shortly before Mubarak was forced out of office that's enlightening in regards to the motivations of the Egyptian army, and especially interesting in hindsight.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/02/10/133501837/why-egypts-military-cares-about-home-appliances

No one knows for sure how many resort hotels or other businesses in Egypt are run by the military, which controls somewhere between 5 percent and 40 percent of the nation's economy, according to various estimates. Whatever the number, Springborg says, officers in the Egyptian military are making "billions and billions and billions" of dollars.

These billions would be threatened if the protests devolved into full-on civil conflict. People in the middle of violent political chaos don't buy dishwashers.

"The military wants stability above all," Springborg says. "It's not focused on war fighting; it's focused on consumption."

....

The military would almost certainly go along with a successor, the cable's author writes, if that successor didn't interfere in the military's business arrangements. But, the cable continues, "in a messier succession scenario, it becomes more difficult to predict the military's actions."