Egypt: I ask Myself Why - by Juan Cole

[kpete]

Egypt: I ask Myself Why

Posted on 02/06/2011 by Juan

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I ask myself why

If Bush and the Neocons installed a pathbreaking democracy in iraq . . .

– Why does its prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, have to pledge not to run for office again (taking a leaf from the books of the rulers of Yemen and Egypt? Why does al-Maliki have secret prisons where people appear to have been tortured? Why is he taking over independent commissions such as the electoral commission?

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I ask myself why.

If the Mubarak regime has had a change of heart and will now move toward democracy;

why is its secret police snooping through Facebook accounts with an eye to making arrests? And, where is Wael Ghonim?, the Google exec who began the Facebook page for the Jan. 25 demonstrations?


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http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/egypt-i-ask-myself-why.html

[Newest Reality]

1. Mubarak is not the sole reason for the problems there.

There is a regime in place.

How do you stay in power for 30-years without strong support from the upper-echelons of the regime? I think that is the real reason that the regime wants to keep Mubarak around for a while until the next elections. That would allow plenty of time to regroup and round-up and persecute the protesters.