I recommend to Americans the saga of Wael Ghonim -- the young Egyptian Google executive whose kidnapping by Egypt's dreaded secret police and subsequent emotional public testimonial ushered in a new dawn in Tahrir Square this week.
His honor and honesty stands in stark contrast to the callow smear campaign escalated this week by the Mubarak regime against Tahrir Square's democracy protesters.
Indeed, despite his regime's assurances to the contrary, Tuesday's unprecedented massive outpouring of pro-democracy Egyptians triggered a more ominous phase in Mubarak's war of attrition against his foes.
Inspired by the saga of his brutal two week imprisonment by Egypt's secret police, Wael Ghonim's televised account of his detention and subsequent appearance in Tahrir Square electrified Egyptians and helped transform the largely leaderless protest movement into a more focused, more resilient citizen army newly empowered in its contest of wills with the Mubarak regime.
Since Vice President Suleiman (no democrat by any sense) announced he was negotiating with Egypt's opposition movement the young Tahrir demonstrators became justifiably alarmed that backroom deals were being cut by self-anointed Mubarak loyalists. A veritable army of cronies purporting to represent the protesters have descended on Suleiman's doorstep, thereafter being rewarded with appointments to a "transitional committee" to rewrite the constitution. It's like having Tories in charge of writing America's Declaration of Independence.
Indeed, as the names became public of those streaming into Suleiman's lair, they represented a who's who of Egypt's stratified status quo. The so-called "peaceful transition" to democracy Suleiman promised to commence is beginning to resemble an ill-advised charade, rather than an expedited fulfillment of basic human rights on a promised road to permanent, peaceful change.
As Suleiman packs the constitution reform committee with regime loyalists, he also is falling back on shopworn alibis to dole out reform at a snail's pace. Suleiman asserted today, for example, that: "Egypt would descend into chaos and the situation does not justify the emergency law's repeal..." Nothing could be further from the truth. As long as the dreaded emergency law is in place it is hard to impute any good will toward Suleiman's assurances.
To further undermine the regime's good intentions, Suleiman continues to order roundups of democracy activists outside the prying eyes of the foreign media in Egypt's other cities. This despite assurances that arbitrary detentions would no longer be tolerated by the regime.
And the Mubarak propaganda machine has reached into its mummified bag of tricks deploying state media to escalate verbal assaults on protesters and create that ol' Mubarak conspiracy theory that foreign interventionists; namely, Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, foreign journalists and other foreign devils are pushing Egypt into a state of chaotic revolution. How Bolshevik can they get?
Mr. Suleiman is skating on thin ice. He cannot credibly claim he is serving as an honest broker (and earn the world's trust), yet concurrently defile the bona fides of those in Tahrir Square -- he claims the regime is prepared to tangibly acknowledge by deed, not just word.
The more Suleiman embraces this cynical posture, the more it should become evident to Washington that its initial investment in this so-called "orderly transition" requires a reappraisal.
Whatever little credibility remains between Washington and pro-democracy demonstrators, Suleiman's mischief accords the White House ample justification to ratchet up its demands that the Mubarak regime cease smearing the democracy movement, establish a timetable for lifting emergency rule, and insist on absolute verifiable assurances that the regime will not arrest or harass anyone peacefully protesting whether or not emergency rule is lifted right away.
The legacy of Wael Ghonim's leadership and courage deserves no less.
Russell Bishop: Workarounds: How One Man's Courage Changed Egypt Forever
I usually disagree strongly with many of the opinions you express in here but this time you are absolutely right. Omar Suleiman is not a democrat and cannot be entrusted with the task of overseeing an 'orderly transition' to democratic rule. Hopefully the US Government will see things your way before it is too late.
Obama realists can expect either Abdication or a Reign of Terror.
There's no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.
To understand the labor roots of the Egypt revolt--galvanizing Youth, Women and military/micro-businesses--and, to understand the factious groups WITHIN the Military and the Muslim Brotherhood that are re-aligning before our eyes, see this in depth analysis by UCSB prof Paul Amar: WHY PROGRESSIVES WILL WIN IN EGYPT.
"...this uprising did not begin with the MuslimBrothers or with nationalist businessmen.
This revolt began gradually at the convergence of two parallel forces: the movement for workers’ rights, and the movement against police brutality and torture that mobilized every community."
"... the MB Youth and Women’s Wings split off from the main Brothers’ organization 6 April....The men sitting around Suleiman’s table were left without a movement behind them."
"The Egyptian military is one of the most interesting and misunderstood economic actors in the country. The military’s economic interests are split in interesting ways. Since the military has been prevented by Camp David treaty from making war, it has used its sovereignty over huge tracks of desert and coastal property to develop shopping malls, gated cities and beach resorts, catering to rich and modest Egyptians, local and international consumers and tourists...."
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/586/why-egypts-progressives-win”
since you are a former ambassador to a middle eastern country
I hope Obama is reading your blog and paying attention!
Who, what and how will the new government of the mob rule and what will be the way they will govern.
An aside the American revolution started with civil disobedience and then to destruction of private property and then to a poorly trained army, but it had a leadership that acknowledged they were putting everything on the line and each was known concerning his beliefs in government. I would like to see such a leadership come forth. Until the. no matter the greater good, we have mob rule that is getting worse each day.
We should realize .... i know it is hard, but we should see that capitalism is failing... socialism is failing... it is time for the world community to get to work and devise a completely new economic structure... one that involves no currency... a completely new world, without borders, without dictators presidents kings strongmen governors ... one that rewards work and creativity and thinking and learning and teaching... it can be done... if we do not do this we will all fail together.. if we do, then we will all thrive - together.
imagine, for every battleship a university .. for every bomber a hospital .. for every bullet a meal ...
think about it..
I think we are fast approaching a turning point
where a fundamental paradigm shift is needed
What you are proposing is admirable but pretty radical to say the least
How does one go about moving in that direction?
It's fine for the have nots
but the haves will see their fortunes gone
Money is artificial
but we all agree to use to
I think it's the nature of that agreement that must be questioned
Money becomes an object of power
because we all agree to give it that power
When I work, I get paid a certain amount of money
that money represents how much value I have
In this respect
it's a measure of how much I am worth in society
In another sense
we are all unique and priceless
so money flies in the face of that
Now with this artificial system of worth
we use it to survive
but at the same time
we vote for others to die
or to live a life of misery
The children dying in developing countries everyday
have no control over deciding their worth
they are never even given that opportunity
They are priceless living beings just like us
yet, with our money and their lack of it
we vote that they die
We feel powerless to help them
because of a silly convention we've created!
That's how it seems, isn't it?
peace
We just never learn.
As I read your piece, it is my hope that others, with the potential influence will also be reading and act swiftly for the Egyptian people in their call for "democracy."