Foreign Policy Blogs

The Cairo Protests

The Cairo Protests
Cairo protests (credit: twitpic/shefaa)

A second day of protests swept across Egypt today. Inspired partly by a popular revolution in Tunisia, thousands of people took to the streets in Cairo, Suez, and other cities, in defiance of government threats. As many as twenty thousand gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. According to reports, four people have been killed, including one police officer, and at least 102 security personnel have been injured since protests began yesterday.

In what could be an important development, opposition leader Mohammad El Baradei is expected to return to Egypt “within hours.” Whether he plans to take a more active leadership role in the current turmoil remains to be seen. He is certainly one of the most vocal advocates for political change in Egypt, but so far, the protests have proceeded without his influence.

As anti-government rallies in Tunisia and Egypt continue, analysts have been chattering about the future of the Middle East’s autocratic regimes. Tunisia, with its developed middle class and educated activists, toppled the government of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali surprisingly quickly. Thousands of police officers eventually joined the protesters.

Egypt, on the other hand, is accustomed to dealing with opposition movements. The security forces are well-equipped and so far loyal to the government. However, it seems the current protests are larger than they have been in the past. Regardless, changing the government in Cairo will be a challenging task.

The Middle East is witnessing a volatile new trend. Autocrats throughout the region are paying close attention and hoping to avoid the mistakes made by Ben Ali. Will the protesters in Egypt succeed like those in Tunisia? Will government leaders learn to be more democratic? Or will they ruthlessly subdue the opposition?

Here’s a reading list:

‘Hosni Mubarak, the plane is waiting’ – NYR blog

Journalists attacked by police during protests – CPJ

Will the Arab revolutions spread? – Marc Lynch

Wikileaks & diplomacy during Middle East turmoil – Tom Malinowski