Congratulations World, in Egypt we've actually seen one of the few peaceful overthrows in history.
But now is when it gets scary.
Because the Egyptian people are not backing a particular leader to replace Mubarek. The country is now in the hands of the military. Historically, this situation doesn't end well. So hope, pray, light candles or do whatever you do to positively influence a situation, cause this one needs it.
Politically, the US needs a benevolent, strong, democratic leader with no religious agenda and no ties to al-Quaeda or any other terror group. If it's not too much to ask, it would be great if the leader had the love and respect of the people and was ALSO friendly to the US. Since the US backed Mubarek, I don't know how far Obama's call for Mubarek to step down will go with the Egyptians. Let's face it, we looked like rats deserting a sinking ship in that one. Of course we could've sent in the military to support Mubarek (which would have been wrong and morally bankrupt as far as democratic priciples go) and that would have ended in a lot of civilian bloodshed, yet we didn't. But I doubt that the Egyptians will think long on that without realizing that we would have pretty much pressed the start button on WW3 if we had, so they can't see that as an act of mercy on the USA's part really.
So what happens now? We knew the people would never accept Mubarek's VP, he was just Mubarek with a different face. How long can the military keep peace? Can the head of the military be the head of the country in the 21st century? If not then they'll have to organize an election. Can they do that? Will the elections be fair? What if the country is split, especially between two or three candidates? What will the people do if their candidate is not elected? Would it lead to more protest? Worse, would it lead to more violent protest? The people are united now, what happenes when they turn on each other?
And the real wildcards will be the nominees. How many will there be? Who will they be? Where have they been? What have they been doing? How large of a following can they command? What issue will they run on? What if they're anti-USA or more probably, anti-Israel? We're already at war, though it's easy to forget that. Can we back Israel if it is attacked? Will we? Who even knows what the 'right' side of such a conflict would be? But if we don't back Israel, what will happen within our own country? Just as many Americans believe that you have to back the government or you are anti-American, many Jews believe that you must back Israel or you are anti-semitic. If we back either side in a conflict like that, doesn't it immediately escalte in to WW3 anyway?
The show is just starting boys and girls, so hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and stock up on the popcorn.
But now is when it gets scary.
Because the Egyptian people are not backing a particular leader to replace Mubarek. The country is now in the hands of the military. Historically, this situation doesn't end well. So hope, pray, light candles or do whatever you do to positively influence a situation, cause this one needs it.
Politically, the US needs a benevolent, strong, democratic leader with no religious agenda and no ties to al-Quaeda or any other terror group. If it's not too much to ask, it would be great if the leader had the love and respect of the people and was ALSO friendly to the US. Since the US backed Mubarek, I don't know how far Obama's call for Mubarek to step down will go with the Egyptians. Let's face it, we looked like rats deserting a sinking ship in that one. Of course we could've sent in the military to support Mubarek (which would have been wrong and morally bankrupt as far as democratic priciples go) and that would have ended in a lot of civilian bloodshed, yet we didn't. But I doubt that the Egyptians will think long on that without realizing that we would have pretty much pressed the start button on WW3 if we had, so they can't see that as an act of mercy on the USA's part really.
So what happens now? We knew the people would never accept Mubarek's VP, he was just Mubarek with a different face. How long can the military keep peace? Can the head of the military be the head of the country in the 21st century? If not then they'll have to organize an election. Can they do that? Will the elections be fair? What if the country is split, especially between two or three candidates? What will the people do if their candidate is not elected? Would it lead to more protest? Worse, would it lead to more violent protest? The people are united now, what happenes when they turn on each other?
And the real wildcards will be the nominees. How many will there be? Who will they be? Where have they been? What have they been doing? How large of a following can they command? What issue will they run on? What if they're anti-USA or more probably, anti-Israel? We're already at war, though it's easy to forget that. Can we back Israel if it is attacked? Will we? Who even knows what the 'right' side of such a conflict would be? But if we don't back Israel, what will happen within our own country? Just as many Americans believe that you have to back the government or you are anti-American, many Jews believe that you must back Israel or you are anti-semitic. If we back either side in a conflict like that, doesn't it immediately escalte in to WW3 anyway?
The show is just starting boys and girls, so hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and stock up on the popcorn.
No comments:
Post a Comment