Hosni Mubarak had harsh words for the United States and what he described as its misguided quest for democracy in the Middle East in a telephone call with an Israeli lawmaker a day before he quit as Egypt\’s president.
Hosni Mubarak’s resignation Friday from Egypt’s presidency following three weeks of intense street demonstrations raises a host of questions not just for the future of Egypt and its peace treaty with Israel, but for the entire Middle East. The most remarkable feature of the developments in Egypt — and, several weeks before it, the ouster of the longtime dictator of Tunisia amid similar protests — is the introduction of a major new power player in the Middle East: the Arab street.
It’s not that we’re against democracy, goes the Israeli line on Egypt, it’s that we’re afraid of the Islamists and radical Arab nationalists taking over. We’re afraid to lose the peace. We’re right on Egypt’s border – the front line. We love democracy, we want democracy for everyone, certainly for our Arab neighbors, and we hate dictatorship, of course – we’re just very worried about our security, and we have a right to be.
A judiciary committee formed to review Egypt\’s constitution has agreed to amend six articles, state media reported on Wednesday, as anti-government protests continued for the 16th straight day.
There is such a huge flow of news here in Cairo these days that Salah Abdullah, an Egyptian carpenter in his 30s, says he is not able to keep track of everything.
Driving along the Israel-Egypt border near this southern Israeli town, rusted metal posts strung with barbed wire give way to sand dunes and an exposed, open border as wide open as the question of what will become of the countries\’ relations now that Egypt is in turmoil.
With Egypt’s revolt entering a third week, many parts of Cairo appeared to be resuming normal life on Monday: A.T.M.’s dispensed much-needed cash, shops and banks were staffed — though some kept their doors shut to customers — and the city’s drivers were snarled in a vast traffic jam.
The top leadership body of Egypt\’s ruling party resigned Saturday, including the president\’s son, but the regime appeared to be digging in its heels, calculating that it can ride out street demonstrations and keep President Hosni Mubarak in office.
As the Middle East is engulfed in a series of often violent pro-democracy demonstrations and counter demonstrations, that have shattered the myth of stability in that region, there are a number of other myths which have been shattered as well, about which no one has said a word. These are the elephants in the room, and try as hard as some would to turn a blind eye to them, they are now more self-evident than ever. Borrowing from the Letterman Show, here is my own Top Five List, together with a few conclusions.
Live video of what is being called the \’Day of Departure\’ in Egpyt
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