Top Ten Reasons Why Egypt will not be the next Iran

Pictured: Anti-Mubarak protesters in Tahrir Square, Friday, February 12, 2011.

10) Egypt does not want to lose its $1.5 Billion per year in foreign aid from the United States.
9) Egypt does not want to endanger the wellbeing of its own people, risking the recovery of $3.6 Billion from Mubarak assets held in Swiss coffers (or the $40 - $70 Billion suspected total of Mubarak's family assets).
8) Egypt wants to feed its own people. They will get the assistance they seek from allies, notably the United States, as long as they remain peaceful and on a path to institutionalized democracy.
7) Egypt can not afford to risk a conflict with its neighbors, especially Israel.
6) Egypt's revolutionaries used mostly peaceful tactics to remove Mubarak from power.
5) Egypt's people did not fight the army.
4) Egypt's army did not fight against the Egyptian people.
3) The revolutionaries did not march a religious leader to power by force. Aside from the religious factions, the only veils Egyptians like to see are the ones worn by belly dancers.
2) Egyptians are all demanding what everyone wants: Greater freedom, respect for human rights, peace and democracy. That, of course, includes uninterrupted Internet and Telecom services.

... and the number 1 reason why Egypt will not be the next Iran:

1) Egypt wishes to remain a Tourist hot spot. ($11 Billion in annual revenues can't be bad).

When the Man Comes Around

Mubarak stepped down. After appearing thick and not cognizant of reality following his last speech on Thursday night, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has left office. Power to the People.

Egypt is enjoying their Berlin Wall moment. Theirs, Tahrir Square, Liberation Square, is emblematic of the peaceful nature of this historical, peaceful, democratic revolution.

Let it be remembered that when the arms went up in Cairo, they did so without charging the halls of power. They promised peace as the path to democracy, and they delivered a revolution peacefully. They are the proud people of Egypt.

Yes, there were scuffles, fights, even some shootings. All of this does not change the fact that most of the violence was orchestrated or stirred up by the powers that be. The people who stood up for freedom and democracy drove their efforts without active malice. For that, they are to be commended.

Let their peaceful, democratic path lead them to a brighter, freer tomorrow.

# # #

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfHDi-2EA&feature=fvsr - When the Man Comes Around (Johnny Cash)

Unhelpful fools making Egypt situation worse

Muslims against Mubarak use Anti-Semitic propaganda to advance Islamist cause

pictured: Malaysian protester outside the Egyptian embassy in Kuala Lumpur

Israel's government has wisely stated that the peace accords between Egypt and Israel are in the interests of both countries, and that the 30+ years of the peace have benefited both nations.

Unfortunately, Israel also spoke too strongly in defense of the Mubarak regime, which, like it or not, is an authoritarian government, which has maintained power through unjust practices.

Yes, Hosni Mubarak has helped to maintain the status quo in the region, and even gone after terrorists who wish to destabilize the Middle East, and fundamentalist Islamists who wish to impose Sharia Law over Egypt. All the same, he is an unpopular ruler who has prevented any real democracy from taking hold in his own nation. On top of that, the World Bank has reported that 40% of Egyptians live in poverty ($2 a day or less) and are uneducated, and Mubarak has done little to help improve that situation.

Now the protests are gaining international support in places like Malaysia and in other Muslim communities around the world. The problem with that is the supporters of the protests will start to become more fundamentalist as the popular revolt grows, and they will support more fanatic opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood to replace the Mubarak regime, leaving moderate opponents like Mohamad El-Baradei dangling by the wayside, and ultimately politically incapable of taking charge to establish a better Egypt.

If the Egyptians wish to attain a better situation, it would be in their interest to:

a) Recognize and support the more moderate voices of opposition, and

b) Maintain the peace with Israel, and

c) Keep the region stable with a strong and peaceful political platform.

As for Israel, the government in Jerusalem should voice support for any peaceful government the people of Egypt choose, and especially one that maintains the Camp David Peace Accords of 1978. Aside from that, Israel should stay out of the way, diplomatically, and not interfere with the crisis in Cairo. Any public position that prefers one side over the other will ultimately hurt Israel, as Islamists will use it to criticize the peace accords.