Articles with the Tag Egypt

The sort of “dialogue” the US so far has encouraged the Egyptian government in

Real Life Revolutions, Torture, US Foreign Policy, War on Terror
Published on

“So I’m lying on the floor, stomach down, legs up, hands behind my back, my cheek on the floor, and then all of a sudden, the closest thing that I could think of really, to describe it, was someone pouring lava on my soles. That felt like nothing I could describe. I flipped from the pain. I just flipped and grabbed my legs. Of course, during all that time it’s insults, calling me names, kicking me. So they got me back down, but now so that I don’t flip again, one guy stood over my head, one guy stood over my back, and the others were kicking me with their wooden soled shoes, and another guy was beating my soles with the cables he had…”

What happened to victims of the US’ War on Terror who were sent to Egypt: “If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear—never to see them again—you send them to Egypt.” – Robert Baer, former CIA case officer. One more reason for the US to keep supporting Mubarak and not be too keen on a genuinely democratic revolution as is happening now to actually succeed. Who knows what will come out…

Will the Arab revolutions spread?

Real Life Revolutions
Published on

The headquarters of the National Democratic Party is burning in cairo

With Tunesia having overthrown one decades long strong man and Egypt doing its best to oust another one, will these revolutions spread is the question Marc Lynch asks, as he acknowledges that there are reasons to be skeptical about this possibility, and yet…

Tunisia has manifestly inspired people across the region and galvanized their willingness to take risks to push for change, even without any clear leadership from political parties, Islamist movements, or even civil society. The Tunisian example has offered the possibility of success, and models for sustained action by a decentralized network, after a long and dispiriting period of authoritarian retrenchment. Al-Jazeera and the new media have played their role in reshaping political opportunities and narratives, but it is people who have seized those opportunities. And the core weaknesses of these Arab states — fierce but feeble, as Nazih Ayubi might have said — have been exposed. They have massively failed to meet the needs of their people, with awesome problems of unemployment, inflation, youth frustration and inequality combined with the near-complete absence of viable formal political institutions.

Mubarak’s party still a member of the Socialist International

Real Life Revolutions, Socialism
Published on 2 Comments on Mubarak’s party still a member of the Socialist International

And, as the Wayback Machine shows, so used to be Tunesia’s ruling party, until a few days after Ben Ali had fled the country. Will the National Democratic Party be kicked out too when Mubarak fled, or will the Socialist International take its responsibility sooner this time. And which other parties led by dictators are still on the membership list? Look for yourself…

Prague 1968 – East Germany 1989 – Cairo 2011?

Activism, Real Life Revolutions, Tony Blair
Published on

Let’s hope Cairo 2011 will be more like the Eastern European revolutions in 1989 than the failed revolution of ’68. So far even calling in tharmy hasn’t stopped the protests and now the headquarters of the “National Democratic Party” is on fire and helicopters and tanks are entering Cairo. Well over eight hundred people have been wounded, with god knows how many murdered like the poor sod in the video below:



For some reason the BBC thought people would want to know what Tony “mass murderer” Blair had to say about the Egyptian revolution; if you can stomach it, the audio is here — watching the video is liable to cost you your computer. Reactions from people with actual power, like Hillary Clinton is not much better: much finger wagging, little support for the demonstrators.

Better mainstream coverage is at The Guardian. At (ugh) The Atlantic an alleged Egyptian activists’ action plan has been translated into English and it’s a must read.