We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Egyptian Winter: what’s left of the revolution?

Click here if you wish to access original posting by Brandon Jourdan and Marianne Maeckelbergh at Reflections on a Revolution.

The 10:52m video below provides a concise review of events in Egypt after the popular ousting of Mubarak from head of state. Often referred to as a "revolution", this latter event was , of course, not a social class revolution. Hence, changing heads of state while keeping the same social class in power doesn't really change much. As reported by figures in the video, conditions have actually grown worse.

The social class in power in Egypt represents a small class of Egyptian capitalists many of whom have integrated with the national military establishment, all of which is closely tied to the international capitalist class in control of the Empire. 

Once again we see the use of carefully managed elections to establish the legitimacy of an oppressive, class-based regime. After the removal of Mubarak, Empire operatives in collaboration with the Egyptian elite imposed their elections on the nation before the grass roots could organize any effective opposition.
Two years after the revolution in Egypt began, unrest continues across the country as the political and economic situation worsens. As the current government consolidates its power, the demands of the revolution may seem further away than ever. Still the revolution has opened up new spaces for political action, spurring public debate on issues that have gone unacknowledged and unresolved for too long.
This short documentary looks at some of the reasons motivating revolutionaries to keep taking the streets, the obstacles that they are facing, and the tactics that they are using. It looks into the current economic and political problems facing Egyptians, the growing independent union movement, black bloc tactics, and the response of women to sexual assaults.