Tag Archives: egypt police

Why Mubarak Is Out

This piece provides deep background on the interplay of forces — progressive, repressive, labor, business, military, police, and criminal factions in Egypt — leading to the ongoing collapse of Mubarak’s regime. ~ Ed.   (H/T to Claudia)

[Image from Lefteris Pitarakis/AP]

By Paul Amar
Jadaliyya.com

The “March of Millions” in Cairo marks the spectacular emergence of a new political society in Egypt. This uprising brings together a new coalition of forces, uniting reconfigured elements of the security state with prominent business people, internationalist leaders, and relatively new (or newly reconfigured ) mass movements of youth, labor, women’s and religious groups. President Hosni Mubarak lost his political power on Friday, 28 January [though he officially resigned on Feb. 11]. On that night the Egyptian military let Mubarak’s ruling party headquarters burn down and ordered the police brigades attacking protesters to return to their barracks. When the evening call to prayer rang out and no one heeded Mubarak’s curfew order, it was clear that the old president had been reduced to a phantom authority. In order to understand where Egypt is going, and what shape democracy might take there, we need to set the extraordinarily successful popular mobilizations into their military, economic and social context. What other forces were behind this sudden fall of Mubarak from power? And how will this transitional military-centered government get along with this millions-strong protest movement?

Continue reading