by Esam Al-Amin from Uprooted Palestinians.
In the first part of this article, the author introduces us to some of the brave, young people who have stood up to the US satrap, Mukbarak, and his US funded army and appear to be winning. Of course, the Empire will do everything it can to manage and tame this revolution so that Egypt continues to serve the Empire. But it is difficult to put a people down once they have drunk the elixir of real participatory democracy.
The second part subtitled, "Revolution and counter-revolution: A test of two wills", summarizes the events of the fast moving developments in this struggle that include all segments of Egyptian society.
To keep up with these developments, I advise you to watch live Al Jazeera TV.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Labour Unrest Feeds Growing Protests
by Cam McGrath from IPS.
With international press coverage focused almost entirely on Cairo’s Tahrir Square, few outsiders have grasped the scale of Egypt’s popular uprising, now in its third week. But massive demonstrations, and pitched battles between pro- democracy protesters and the regime’s security forces, are taking place in every corner of the country.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Hunkered down in Alexandria
by Linda S. Heard from Online Journal. (Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs.)
Excellent description of neighborhood street scenes in Alexandria and the morale of Egyptians.
Excellent description of neighborhood street scenes in Alexandria and the morale of Egyptians.
They complained about fat cats flying off with millions of dollars. “This is our money,” one said. They told me proudly that they had just flagged down two cars filled with uniformed and plainclothes police who had willingly succumbed to being ordered out of their vehicles for an identity card check. What a difference 10 days make!
Their spirits were high. They wanted me to know that for the first time they feel proud to be Egyptian; their heroes are the people in Tahrir Square who sleep there with bandaged heads, despite the chill of night and the rain or proper food or washing facilities.
Everyone spoke of the new sense of camaraderie they feel sharing cigarettes, food and what little cash they have left with neighbours they had only nodded at before all this. I’ve noticed it, too. Every time I pop my head out of the window, women hanging out washing or watching the world below smile and wave.
Egypt protesters gain ground
from Al Jazeera.
Labour unions stage country-wide strikes and pro-democracy supporters extend demonstrations to the parliament buildings.
The Tea Party and civil liberties
by Glenn Greenwald from Salon.
This constitutional lawyer is not as ecstatic over yesterday's vote which failed to extend three provisions of the Patriot Act as are many liberals in the US.
This constitutional lawyer is not as ecstatic over yesterday's vote which failed to extend three provisions of the Patriot Act as are many liberals in the US.
I'm ultimately quite pessimistic about its ability to produce any meaningful benefits in the near future. That's because there are far too many impulses among ostensibly "limited government" conservatives which conflict with -- and ultimately negate -- any possibility for meaningful civil liberties defenses.He provides a close examination and analysis of the vote in which liberals and Tea Party Republicans combined to defeat the extensions.
Indigenous Communities Fighting For Land Rights More Than Ever - Governments & Corporations Fighting Back
by Rachel Cernansky from Tree Hugger.
"On one hand the necessity of secure rights is now widely promoted by climate change negotiators and development specialists," said RRI Coordinator Andy White. "Yet on the other, the rate of recognition is not at all keeping up with the rate of large commercial land acquisitions—so called 'land grabbing'."
Droughts, Floods and Food
by Paul Krugman from the NY Times.
This well known economist and liberal columnist for the NY Times sees climate change happening currently in the world, but so far, he is unable to connect these events with the inherent demands of the capitalist system. I gather he believes that if we just buy more energy-saving light bulbs and refrigerators, install more weather stripping, and buy electric cars that everything will be all right.
Well, give him credit--he is about the only one in mainstream media that is making the connection between all the extreme weather events and climate change. On the other hand, he doesn't mention the catastrophic events that are in our future due to climate change.
This well known economist and liberal columnist for the NY Times sees climate change happening currently in the world, but so far, he is unable to connect these events with the inherent demands of the capitalist system. I gather he believes that if we just buy more energy-saving light bulbs and refrigerators, install more weather stripping, and buy electric cars that everything will be all right.
Well, give him credit--he is about the only one in mainstream media that is making the connection between all the extreme weather events and climate change. On the other hand, he doesn't mention the catastrophic events that are in our future due to climate change.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Egyptian revolution establishes a new social contract and values
by Nawal El Saadawi from Bikyamasr. From Wikipedia we learn that "Nawal El Saadawi (born October 27, 1931) is an Egyptian feminist writer, activist, physician and psychiatrist. She has written many books on the subject of women in Islam, paying particular attention to the practice of female genital mutilation in her society. "
She provides a very poignant description of the people power that is behind the uprising in Egypt.
She provides a very poignant description of the people power that is behind the uprising in Egypt.
“We are a popular revolt that establishes a new social contract, not just demands, and our slogan of this revolution is ‘equality of freedom of social justice.’ The people who made this revolution are the ones who should put the rules for the new governance, choose the transitional government, select a National Committee to change the constitution, the committee of wise men of the revolution, so as not to allow opportunists (the owners of wealth and power) to impose on us committees of wise men who did not participate with us in this revolt.”These people are up against the rulers of the Empire, and particularly the Zionists, who will do everything they can to steer the energy and spirit of this revolutionary struggle into phony "democratic" reforms that are acceptable to the Empire because, then, essentially nothing will change.
Washington Faces the Arab Revolts: Sacrificing Dictators to Save the State
by James Petras from Dissident Voice.
To understand the Obama regime’s policy toward Egypt, the Mubarak dictatorship and the popular uprising it is essential to locate it in an historical context. The essential point is that Washington, after several decades of being deeply embedded in the state structures of the Arab dictatorships, from Tunisia through Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority, is attempting to re-orient its policies to incorporate and/or graft liberal-electoral politicians onto the existing power configurations.
'Sheik al-Torture' is now a democrat
by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online.
The author looks at US's transition strategy using the US funded Egyptian military to create the appearance of change.
The author looks at US's transition strategy using the US funded Egyptian military to create the appearance of change.
Washington could live with an Egypt like a new Pakistan; a heady mix of unstable comprador elites, some political Islam (via the Muslim Brotherhood), military intelligence and why not, another military dictator. It's not exactly "democracy".
Yet the notion that protesters from all walks of life, from students to lawyers, not to mention Egyptian human-rights groups, would gladly accept the face-lifted Sheik al-Torture as a dialogue-driven democrat speaks Luxor temples about how Washington really despises nationalist, popular movements.
Egypt: Mubarak's Fate in Military Hands
by Cam Mcgrath from IPS.
This piece provides an in-depth look at the Egyptian military, a key factor in the current revolutionary struggle.
This piece provides an in-depth look at the Egyptian military, a key factor in the current revolutionary struggle.
With nearly half a million men, the military is Egypt’s most powerful institution. But it would be wrong to think of it simply as a massive defense complex. The army is deeply integrated into the national economy and workforce, engaged in civil works, running businesses, and the production of everything from weapons to tea kettles.Read also Pepe Escobar's view of the Egyptian military, from Asia times.
Reaganomics Sucked Wealth up, Did Not Trickle it Down [8:31m video & script]
Paul Jay interviews Michael Hudson for Real News.
I've become so sickened with US mainstream media's portrayal of Ronald Reagan as a kind of superhero among US Presidents. I remember the Reagan administration in connection with the Contra War (US sponsored Honduran mercenaries) against Nicaraguans seeking independence from the Empire in the early 1980s. I visited that country twice during this period and witnessed the destruction these mercenaries inflicted on health clinics, schools, and cooperatives. I also associate his administration with the attacks on US labor unions, on the rise of the neo-cons in the government.
Of course, like all post WWII Presidents, he was largely a figure head, a second rate actor and former GE salesman whom the public found very personable and likable, much like Obama today.
I've become so sickened with US mainstream media's portrayal of Ronald Reagan as a kind of superhero among US Presidents. I remember the Reagan administration in connection with the Contra War (US sponsored Honduran mercenaries) against Nicaraguans seeking independence from the Empire in the early 1980s. I visited that country twice during this period and witnessed the destruction these mercenaries inflicted on health clinics, schools, and cooperatives. I also associate his administration with the attacks on US labor unions, on the rise of the neo-cons in the government.
Of course, like all post WWII Presidents, he was largely a figure head, a second rate actor and former GE salesman whom the public found very personable and likable, much like Obama today.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Division of Egypt: Threats of US, Israeli, and NATO Military Intervention?
by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya from Global Research. (I presume this is part 2 following part 1.)
The White House and Tel Aviv do not want a second Iran in the Middle East. They will do whatever they can to prevent the emergence of a strong and independent Egypt.I thoroughly agree with these statements. They, the US and Israel (and NATO?) will do everything they can to prevent a true popular government from taking power in Egypt. The liberal commentators in the US are far too optimistic and celebratory about real progressive changes ahead for Egypt. For example, Tom Engelhardt writes:
A free Egypt could prove to be a much bigger threat than non-Arab Iran within the Arab World to the objectives of the U.S., Israel, and NATO.
...part of the spectacle of the moment lies in watching that other great power of the Cold War era finally head ever so slowly and reluctantly for the exits. You know the one I'm talking about. In 1991, when the Soviet Union disappeared and the United States found itself the last superpower standing, Washington mistook that for a victory most rare. In the years that followed, in a paroxysm of self-satisfaction and amid clouds of self-congratulation, its leaders would attempt nothing less than to establish a global Pax Americana. Their breathtaking ambitions would leave hubris in the shade.
The results, it's now clear, were no less breathtaking, even if disastrously so. Almost 20 years after the lesser superpower of the Cold War left the world stage, the "victor" is now lurching down the declinist slope, this time as the other defeated power of the Cold War era.
US Envoy's Business Link to Egypt
by Robert Fisk from The Independent.
I doubt that very many people in Egypt and the Middle East were shocked by this incident. I suspect that it is mostly Western journalists and progressives who are shocked. The people in the Middle East have witnessed first hand the many contradictions of official US political propaganda and the realities on the ground. It is mostly people in the West who do not experience the brutal consequences of the Empire's policies that have a difficult time reconciling the contradictions.
See, for example, the NY Times spin that American policy is "complicated".
It is only complicated because the contradictions are surfacing in some of the mainstream press and the official political apparatus. The Obama administration, has to work overtime trying to cover with democratic rhetoric the real imperial operations of the Empire. Although the capitalist ruling class will continue to maintain a democratic political facade as long as possible, they are perfectly capable of moving into fascism by putting into full operation the police state apparatus that now exists in the US.
Progressives in the US must grow out of all the indoctrination they have been subject to about the formal political institutions in the US. They must begin to see it as an elaborate facade, much like that of a stage play, designed to distract people from the real events that the ruling class tries to hide from view. Obama, Clinton, and the most of the official political figures are little more than mere actors who are hired by the capitalist ruling class to focus our attention on the stage play and away from real events.
People like Frank Wisner II are often the real political operatives representing the capitalist class, and who really influence events. They mostly function behind the scenes in complete secrecy; but every once in a while, they come into public view as this fellow has, although very briefly, during the Egyptian crisis. His father, Frank Wisner, was a key figure at the beginning of the CIA and headed many of its most nefarious activities.
I doubt that very many people in Egypt and the Middle East were shocked by this incident. I suspect that it is mostly Western journalists and progressives who are shocked. The people in the Middle East have witnessed first hand the many contradictions of official US political propaganda and the realities on the ground. It is mostly people in the West who do not experience the brutal consequences of the Empire's policies that have a difficult time reconciling the contradictions.
See, for example, the NY Times spin that American policy is "complicated".
It is only complicated because the contradictions are surfacing in some of the mainstream press and the official political apparatus. The Obama administration, has to work overtime trying to cover with democratic rhetoric the real imperial operations of the Empire. Although the capitalist ruling class will continue to maintain a democratic political facade as long as possible, they are perfectly capable of moving into fascism by putting into full operation the police state apparatus that now exists in the US.
Progressives in the US must grow out of all the indoctrination they have been subject to about the formal political institutions in the US. They must begin to see it as an elaborate facade, much like that of a stage play, designed to distract people from the real events that the ruling class tries to hide from view. Obama, Clinton, and the most of the official political figures are little more than mere actors who are hired by the capitalist ruling class to focus our attention on the stage play and away from real events.
People like Frank Wisner II are often the real political operatives representing the capitalist class, and who really influence events. They mostly function behind the scenes in complete secrecy; but every once in a while, they come into public view as this fellow has, although very briefly, during the Egyptian crisis. His father, Frank Wisner, was a key figure at the beginning of the CIA and headed many of its most nefarious activities.
American Police State: FBI Abuses Reveals Contempt for Political Rights, Civil Liberties
by Tom Burghardt from Antifascist Calling.
As mass revolt spreads across Egypt and the Middle East and citizens there demand jobs, civil liberties and an end to police state abuses from repressive, U.S.-backed torture regimes, the Obama administration and their congressional allies aim to expand one right here at home.
Why I call myself a socialist
by Wallace Shawn from War in Context. (You may want to skip the introduction and scroll down to the essay entitled, "Are you smarter than Thomas Jefferson?" in which he explains why he is a socialist.)
Wallace Shawn is an Obie Award–winning playwright and noted stage and screen actor. He is co-author of the film My Dinner with AndrĂ© and author of the plays The Fever, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Designated Mourner, and Grasses of a Thousand Colors.
Wallace Shawn is an Obie Award–winning playwright and noted stage and screen actor. He is co-author of the film My Dinner with AndrĂ© and author of the plays The Fever, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Designated Mourner, and Grasses of a Thousand Colors.
Our capacity to fantasize about other people and to believe our own fantasies makes it possible for us to enjoy this valuable art form, theater. But unfortunately it’s a capacity which has brought incalculable harm and suffering to human beings.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
American Warships Heading to Egypt
from Washington's Blog.
While Obama and Hilliary make noises about democracy and human rights for public consumption, the mailed fist is brought out to deal with the crisis in the Middle East. And you won't see this covered much in mainstream media, and if it is, it will be for humanitarian purposes only! From Wikipedia we learn:
While Obama and Hilliary make noises about democracy and human rights for public consumption, the mailed fist is brought out to deal with the crisis in the Middle East. And you won't see this covered much in mainstream media, and if it is, it will be for humanitarian purposes only! From Wikipedia we learn:
Kearsarge is fully capable of amphibious assault, advance force and special purpose operations, as well as non-combatant evacuation and other humanitarian missions. Since her commissioning, she has performed these missions the world over, including...the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a platform for bombing missions against Serb forces in Operation Allied Force....
Revolution: Is 1848 Repeating Itself in the Arab World? PART I
by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya from Global Research.
This is a very sound history of the dominance of the capitalist class over Western societies. And it very well may be true that "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." So read it so that we don't continue to repeat this awful history.
This is a very sound history of the dominance of the capitalist class over Western societies. And it very well may be true that "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." So read it so that we don't continue to repeat this awful history.
...democracies can be managed and manipulated. Since 1848, the capitalist class has managed to hinder genuine democracy in all its forms, while promoting kleptocracy. Big capital has always managed to carve a place for itself at the helms of the state and has managed to maintain itself through the mercy of liberalism.
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