Revolt on the Nile? the Ptolemies of Alexandria and stagnant Mubaraks of Sharm el-Shaikh…….
“Earlier this month Mubarak was asked by a journalist whom he would like to succeed him. His cryptic answer -- which he repeated three times -- failed to quell the fever of speculation: “I prefer whomever God prefers.” Nevertheless, the regime is showing indisputable signs of exhaustion. The state of emergency, in place for the whole of Mubarak’s presidency -- with its accompaniment of police violence, arbitrary arrest and detention without trial -- has just been extended for a further two years, adding to the profound discontent of all those who yearn for a curb on corruption, greater fairness in the distribution of Egypt’s resources, and some semblance of democratic rule. Egypt’s problems are economic and social as much as, if not more than, political. It is struggling to cope with the vast, impoverished mass of its population. When Napoleon invaded in 1798, there were just three million Egyptians. This number had leaped to 19m when Nasser and his ‘Free Officers’ seized power in 1952; to 36m in 1976; 50m in 1986; and over 80m today, of which 99% live along the Nile on just 3.5% of the country’s total land area. For many Egyptians, the pressure to provide even minimally for their family has become intolerable. Egypt’s working class is angry. Something like a tidal wave demanding change seems to be gaining momentum. Some observers would even go so far as to predict that Egypt is moving towards a situation of popular revolt……”
“A situation of popular revolt…” Reading this, I was humming the theme from Man of La Mancha. Why not dream the impossible dream? If it can happen in Tehran, it can happen in Cairo, probably for the first time since the Ptolemies were manhandled and dethroned and reinstated casually by the Macedonian mobs of Alexandria. Except that reports say that Mr. Mubarak and his cronies prefer Sharm el-Shaikh in Sinai to Cairo, that they have left the crowded plebeian capital to the plebs and their security goons who keep order.
I say go for it: Egypt needs a catharsis, a popular catharsis, as do many other states in the region.
Cheers
mhg
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