Breaking: Egyptian Military Asks Protesters to Stop

Posted: February 2, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, Egypt, Yemen | Tags: | 11 Comments

Just got this on Houston Chron alerts, coming from the AP at 4:07 am Central (just a little after noon in Cairo):

CAIRO — The Egyptian military called Wednesday for an end to more than a week of demonstrations demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down immediately after nearly 30 years in power.

“Your message has arrived, your demands became known,” military spokesman Ismail Etman said on state television in an address directed to young protesters. “You are capable of bringing normal life to Egypt.”

Internet service also began returning to Egypt after days of an unprecedented cutoff by the government.

Mubarak’s embattled regime and the powerful military appear to be making a unified push to end a street movement to drive the 82-year-old leader out.

Note: I saw this news alert early in the morning and missed a few words in the first sentence so it read like “the military calls for Mubarak to step down.” My apologies if you read the original title of this post, which I went back and corrected immediately. The military have asked the protesters to stop, not the other way around.

Minkoff Minx will have a morning post up shortly, so I’ll just leave this here until then for anyone who’s up this early in the meantime.

Update, via Huffington Post/Reuters — Yemeni President won’t seek re-election either:

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key U.S. ally against al Qaeda, said on Wednesday he will not seek to extend his presidency in a move that would end his three-decade rule when his current term expires in 2013.

Eyeing protests that brought down Tunisia’s leader and threaten to topple Egypt’s president, Saleh also vowed not to pass on the reins of government to his son, but asked the opposition to hold down on protests.

“I present these concessions in the interests of the country. The interests of the country come before our personal interests,” Saleh told his parliament, Shoura Council and members of the military.

“I call on the opposition to freeze all planned protests, rallies and sit-ins,” Saleh said.

Lesson learned from Egypt: Working and middle class UNITE

Posted: February 1, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, Egypt | Tags: | 18 Comments

Not a new lesson learned for some of us, but it’s a lesson that others who haven’t learned it yet should take to heart watching Egypt’s middle and working class unite. When the people come together, they cannot be stopped. When they demand their rights be upheld and demand leadership that puts people before profit and corruption and political expedience, they cannot be stopped… via the NY Times Lens (see link for a slideshow of more photos from today):

From Dima Khatib on twitter:

There were around 2 million in #Cairo
Al Jazeera said there were 8 million protesters in ALL of #Egypt. 10% of total population of the country

Another photo from Al Jazeera:

From Al Jazeera English, via twitter:

RT @AJELive: In Tahrir Square people are erecting tents, bringing in blankets, distributing food… for the long haul. http://aje.me/hnB6yp

Here is a bit more detail from the aje.me link to Tuesday’s live blog:

8:27pm Al Jazeera correspondent in Tahrir Square says that people are erecting tent, bringing in blankets, food is being distributed, either for free or at discounted prices, music is being played – so people are expecting to be here for as long as it takes.

Footage of scenes from today, via Al Jazeera producers:

And, from Mona Eltahawy on Democracy Now today below… I have been following Eltahawy’s writing from before the protests in Tunisia and Egypt erupted. She has just been amazing throughout, but if you have the time, go back and read some of her writings and interviews from even before at monaeltahawy.com. Especially this piece which I highlighted in December: “Let me, a Muslim feminist, confuse you”. Eltahawy is extremely eloquent and brings a perspective that is largely missing elsewhere in the Western media.

Here’s Mona on Democracy Now:

Clinton Does the Sunday Shows

Posted: January 30, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, Diplomacy Nightmares, Egypt, Foreign Affairs, Hillary Clinton: Her Campaign for All of Us, Middle East | Tags: , | 26 Comments

Today, the Secretary of State clearly became the face of the US response to the Egyptian protests.  She appeared on all

State Visit to Egypt, June 2009

five talk shows.  Here’s some coverage of what she said and what others think about it.

From the NY Times:  Clinton Urges Egyptian Dialogue

She issued a strong endorsement of key groups working to exert their influence on the chaotic Egyptian protests – the military, civil society groups and, perhaps most importantly, the nation’s people – but carefully avoided any specific commitment to Mr. Mubarak.

Her phrasing seemed to imply an eventual end to Mr. Mubarak’s 30 years in power. But when asked whether the United States was backing away from Mr. Mubarak and whether he could survive the protests, the secretary chose her words carefully. His political future, she said, “is going to be up to the Egyptian people.”

Making the rounds of the Sunday television talk shows, Mrs. Clinton urged the government in Cairo to respond in a “clear, unambiguous way” to the people’s demands and to do so “immediately” by initiating a national dialogue. At the same time, she was supportive of the Egyptian military, calling it “a respected institution in Egyptian society, and we know they have delicate line to walk.”

Hillary Clinton On ABC with Christine Amanpour:

From CBS NEWS: ‘Clinton: In Egypt, “Words Alone” Are Not Enough’

“Let me repeat again what President Obama and I have been saying,” Clinton said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “That is, to urge the Egyptian security forces to show restraint, to not respond in any way through violence or intimidation that falls upon the peaceful protestors who are demanding that their grievances were heard.”

Faux News:  Secretary Clinton: Won’t Label Egypt Foreign Policy Crisis Situation

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shied away Sunday from labeling the escalating political turmoil in Egypt as a “foreign crisis situation” for the Obama administration.

“I don’t label anything like that, this is a very serious time for Egypt and we are going to do all we can to support an orderly transition to support a situation in which the aspirations of the Egyptians are addressed,” Clinton said.

She made the comment while briefing reporters before leaving on a trip to Haiti to assess recovery and political work there after last year’s devastating earthquake.

Clinton said that there are “many complexities” because Egypt has been a partner to the U.S. and worked closely with the country to keep peace in the region. She also lauded the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement.

“We do not want to see a change or a regime that would actually continue to foment violence or chaos — either because it didn’t exist or because it had a different view in which in which to pose on the Egyptian people,” she said.

Some possible hints at what’s going on behind the scenes from the LATimes and Peter Nicholas.

A tight-lipped White House is taking an even-handed approach to the crisis in Egypt, suggesting that President Mubarak might be able to hold onto power if he allows competitive elections and restores individual freedoms. But inside the Obama administration, there are signs that officials are preparing for a post-Mubarak era after three decades.

One former senior administration advisor said he had spoken to his old colleagues inside the Obama administration in recent days about the unrest in Egypt. As early as last Wednesday, the Obama administration recognized that they would not be able to prop up the Mubarak regime and keep it in power at all costs, the former official said.

“They don’t want to push Mubarak over the cliff, but they understand that the Mubarak era is over and that the only way Mubarak could be saved now is by a ruthless suppression of the population, which would probably set the stage for a much more radical revolution down the road.”

Other behind the scenes hint at the Jerusalem Post: Gates appears to be talking to Israel.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke Saturday evening both with US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and on Sunday Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a telephone conversation with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Obama made a round of phone calls Saturday to Middle East leaders to consult on the situation. In addition to speaking to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Obama also reached out to Prime Minister Recep Tayyi Erdogan of Turkey and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. On Sunday he spoke to British Prime Minister David Cameron.

 

StateDept StateDept

Missed #SecClinton interviews with ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC on #Egypt? Find all the transcripts here: http://go.usa.gov/YIw

I have some take away questions from her interviews.  Like, did she or didn’t she hedge the aid to Egypt question?  We can talk about them below the fold.

Breaking: Al Jazeera in Cairo Reportedly Being Shut Down and Losing Press Credentials

Posted: January 30, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, Media | Tags: , , | 33 Comments

Click image for Al Jazeera's "Live blog 30/1 - Egypt protests" Image caption: A protester in Beirut holds a poster showing the potential domino effect in the Arab world (Reuters)

Al Jazeera English correspondent Dan Nolan:

#Egypt state TV reporting Aljazeera office in #Cairo is to be shut down today. Licenses revoked #Jan25

Don’t worry we’ll still report what’s happening in #Egypt no matter what new restrictions they put on us. #Jan25

(in case you are confused, the tweets are breaking news from today, not five days ago–people on twitter are using the #Jan25 tag to keep things consistent for people to follow the tweets on the protests from day to day.)

Al Jazeer English producer Evan Hill:

And, first order of business, Al Jazeera’s operations are being shut down in Egypt. Announcement just went out. #jan25

State TV announces Al Jazeera’s broadcasting license and press cards are being revoked. Our bureau is packing up. #jan25

Several aspects of the apparent government shutdown of AJ remain unclear, we’re all waiting now. No one has come to turn us off. #jan25

Updates from Hill:

Al Jazeera English is now off the air in Egypt. TV is picking up no signal. #jan25

Back and forth – our TV is now picking up Al Jazeera English in Cairo again. I’ll refrain from updating this again until it’s clear. #jan25

Update on Al Jazeera being shut down

via Huffington Post:

Al Jazeera released a statement on Sunday that it “strongly denounces and condemns the closure of its bureau in Cairo by the Egyptian government.” The network says it received notification from authorities on Sunday morning that information minister [Anas al-Fikki] had ordered the suspension of Al Jazeera. It also vowed to “continue its strong coverage regardless.”

Update on news about US response to Egyptian protests

Just saw this on memeorandum.com from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — “A Need For Free and Fair Elections in Egypt: A Statement by the Working Group on Egypt“:

Amidst the turmoil in Egypt, it is important for the United States to remain focused on the interests of the Egyptian people as well as the legitimacy and stability of the Egyptian government.

Only free and fair elections provide the prospect for a peaceful transfer of power to a government recognized as legitimate by the Egyptian people. We urge the Obama administration to pursue these fundamental objectives in the coming days and press the Egyptian government to:

  • call for free and fair elections for president and for parliament to be held as soon as possible;
  • amend the Egyptian Constitution to allow opposition candidates to register to run for the presidency;
  • immediately lift the state of emergency, release political prisoners, and allow for freedom of media and assembly;
  • allow domestic election monitors to operate throughout the country, without fear of arrest or violence;
  • immediately invite international monitors to enter the country and monitor the process leading to elections, reporting on the government’s compliance with these measures to the international community; and
  • publicly declare that Hosni Mubarak will agree not to run for re-election.

We further recommend that the Obama administration suspend all economic and military assistance to Egypt until the government accepts and implements these measures.

Laura Rozen at Politico — “Ex-officials urge Obama to suspend aid to Egypt“:

A bipartisan group of former U.S. officials and foreign policy scholars is urging the Obama administration to suspend all economic and military aid to Egypt until the government agrees to carry out early elections and to suspend Egypt’s draconian state of emergency, which has been in place for decades.

“We are paying the price for the fact that the administration has been at least of two minds on this stuff, and we should have seen it coming,” said Robert Kagan, co-chair of the bipartisan Egypt working group, regarding what many analysts now say is the inevitable end of Hosni Mubarak’s thirty year reign as Egypt’s president.

Though the Obama administration has tried to look like it’s not picking sides in urging restraint from violence amid five days of Egyptian unrest calling for Mubarak to step down, “the U.S. can’t be seen as neutral when it’s giving a billion and a half dollars” to prop up the Mubarak regime, Kagan said.

Zaid Jilani at Think Progress:

The position of the Obama administration has been unclear. While administration officials have condemned abuses of civil liberties, they’ve also fallen short of endorsing Mubarak’s ouster or ending support for the regime, with Vice President Joe Biden even going as far as to say that Mubarak isn’t a dictator.

The United States gives nearly $2 billion in aid to the Egyptian regime every year, and offers diplomatic and military cooperation that helps bolster Mubarak. As protesters continue to be beaten, tortured, and killed by internal security forces, it’s important to know that these abuses are being subsidized by U.S. taxpayer dollars. Threatening to reduce or eliminate this monetary assistance to the Egyptian regime would be a powerful tool that the United States could use to help advance democracy and promote freedom in the country.

Update from Brian Whitaker (Guardian ME editor from 2000-2007) at al-bab.com

Among other things, Whitaker reports that:

On the streets, something strange happened yesterday: the police melted away and looters moved in. There were repeated allegations that the looters were in fact plainclothes police and other members of the security apparatus whose aim was to cause mayhem and provide the excuse for a harsh crackdown. However, Egyptians responded by setting up their own neighbourhood protection committees – a move that seems to have been relatively effective. (There were similar stories of government-instigated looting during the latter stages of the Tunisian uprising.)

This is an open thread until Minkoff Minx’s Sunday morning post.

8 Year Old Saudi Girl’s Message to Mubarak (Updated)

Posted: January 29, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, The Media SUCKS | Tags: , , , | 42 Comments

Check out Juju’s message to President Mubarak to the right. What a smart girl!

Mona Eltahawy:

When people want to know who’s in charge, and when people keep trying to ring the Islamists’ alarm bell, the people answer: “We’re in charge.”

The thousands of Egyptians braving the brutality of Mubarak’s security apparatus are having none of it. It’s about freedom and dignity for them, not about the dictator and the Islamists. It’s the West that’s hung up on that. And it’s hung up on it because for decades the West has sided with “stability” — which has come at the cost of the freedom and dignity of Egyptians, Tunisians and other Arabs.

More:

One of the main demands of the protests is an end to Mubarak’s rule. In presidential elections later this year, he was expected to seek a sixth term in office. I would sincerely love to see Mubarak go, and if he does, those Egyptians who smashed through fear must be the ones to decide who they want to replace him.

They don’t want a Mubarak-lite. They will not sacrifice their freedom and dignity so Western allies can feel better about Egypt — which means a future government must reflect all those Egyptians out there, day after day.

On the Palestine Papers… from the Christian Science Monitor:

Why Palestine papers didn’t spark outrage against Abbas’s government

But the Palestine papers published by Al Jazeera have further dented Abbas’s already low credibility, calling into question his ability to negotiate a lasting peace deal.

This is an Open Thread on Egypt, the Palestine Papers, and the rest of the Middle East…and whatever else is happening this Saturday evening.

To the left: A picture of the human wall protecting the Cairo museum, circulating on twitter.

Update

Stacyx has a brilliant post up called “Egypt: Democracy For Me But Not For Thee“ — she has said everything I’ve been thinking watching the Western media’s coverage and said it better than I could! Please go over and read the whole thing.

Teaser:

As I watch some of the coverage of what is going on in Egypt it’s interesting to see that some of the biggest supporters of “democracy” and “freedom” have now decided that maybe democracy isn’t such a good thing. At least not when it comes to Arabs.

It’s a rehashing of the theme of ‘Fear of a Muslim Planet’ and quite a few commentators I have seen or heard or read are now offering us all a false choice between a corrupt, oppressive dictatorship in Egypt and crazy, America-hating Islamists, as though there is nothing in between those two things. This is interesting because thus far the protesters in Egypt seem concerned with things like food prices, unemployment, repression, government corruption and nepotism, etc. as opposed to promoting Islamic fundamentalism. We’ve heard a lot about the Muslim Brotherhood in the media over the last two days and while I think that discussing any role they play in these protests or their aftermath is certainly very important, a lot of the commentary seems to be hyping a threat that really hasn’t manifested itself, at least as of yet.

Update II

From the Tahrir demonstrations:

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