Today, Egyptians filled the streets to protest the government of Hosni Mubarak, who has governed Egypt for three decades. In gatherings not seen on such a large scale since the 1970's, thousands came together on the understandably less-than-popular national holiday Police Day. In Cairo, as well as Alexandria, Mansoura and Mahalla al-Kobra, among others, crowds gathered to call for the ouster of the president an an end to poverty and unemployment. Three people - two civilians and a police officer - were killed during the day, according to Reuters.
Despite a Twitter ban, organizers have been able to send messages using third party servers such as Tweetdeck, many using the hashtag #Jan25. There is also a vibrant Facebook page being updated at We Are All Khaled Said. You can watch a livestream of events in Cairo's Tahrir Square here.
The use of social media and the popular nature of the uprising led to many comparisons with the recent "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia, which many of the participants said was their inspiration. Newsweek called it "the Tunisia Effect," writing:
For nearly two weeks, Middle East pundits have speculated whether the ousting of Tunisian dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali would lead to further unrest in the region. And the answer came today: thousands of protesters poured into the streets of Cairo and a handful of smaller Egyptian cities to chant slogans against President Hosni Mubarak and demand more rights. ... Egyptians have many of the same grievances as their Tunisian counterparts: a corrupt and ineffective government, dismal economic conditions, and torture at the hands of security forces.
Not everyone is convinced that Egypt will be the next Tunisia, however. Allahpundit warns that Egypt has different social and political factors that could effect a successful revolution in the country, noting:
Remember, Tunisia"s uprising was big news not only because it"s an unprecedented case of an Arab populace removing its own tyrant but because, at least in theory, Tunisians are well positioned to form something resembling an Arab liberal democracy. The public is well educated, women have equal rights, and Islamists don"t have a foothold (yet?) thanks to the since-departed dictator"s crackdown on opposition elements. In Egypt, by contrast, the Muslim Brotherhood has been a major opposition movement for decades, pushing democracy as a means to their end of installing an Islamist government, rescinding the country"s treaty with Israel, and unleashing whatever plans it has for the country"s huge Coptic Christian population.
Either way, the Egyptian protests were a big deal: except where they weren't. Al Jazeera was widely rebuked for it's coverage, which was seen as lackluster during the early parts of the protest, when attention would have been the most useful. Writes Marc Lynch for Foreign Policy:
One key factor was missing, though, at least early on. Al Jazeera has played a vital, instrumental role in framing this popular narrative by its intense, innovative coverage of Tunisia and its explicit broadening of that experience to the region. Its coverage today has been frankly baffling, though. During the key period when the protests were picking up steam, Al Jazeera aired a documentary cultural program on a very nice seeming Egyptian novelist and musical groups, and then to sports. Now (10:30am EST) it is finally covering the protests in depth, but its early lack of coverage may hurt its credibility. I can't remember another case of Al Jazeera simply punting on a major story in a political space which it has owned.
And finally, as Obama begins to gear up for the State of the Union address, America finds itself with one more foreign policy pickle on its hands. Brookings Fellow Shadi Hamid sums up how the U.S. is damed if it does, or if it doesn't:
The U.S. can opt for relative silence, as it did in Tunisia. In Egypt, however, deep support of the Mubarak regime means that silence will be interpreted as complicity. On the other hand, if the U.S. offers moral support to embattled protestors, it will be actively undermining a government it considers critical to its security interests. Tunisia, as far as U.S. interests are concerned, was expendable. The revolt was spontaneous and leaderless. Islamists - mostly in prison or in London - were nowhere to be seen on the streets of Tunis or Sidi Bouzid. But if Egypt is lost, it will be lost to an uprising that includes some of the most anti-American opposition groups in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood - by far the largest opposition force in the country.The U.S. is - at least in the short term - stuck.
Keep checking back for updates.
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