The people of Egypt know the military is what matters, and it looks like they may win on this:
Unconfirmed reports of fights between military and police according to Al Jazeera now. Military are moving toward Ministry of Defense and Radio and Television Building – no word yet of their plans as those locations are site of massive protests. Egyptians flags seen being waved by soldiers.
12:48CNN reporting from the Information Ministry building that there are chants of “the Military and the People are one” and the military officers speaking calmly with them’
There are also reports that protests have spread to every major city in Egypt.
If the army turns, and I think it’s going to, Mubarak is toast. Siun at FDL is doing excellent liveblogging on this and Sean-Paul at the Agonist has an excellent roundup he’s keeping updated as events change.
lambert strether
Did the US ambassador just throw Mubarak under the bus?!?!
Formerly T-Bear
Al Jazeera:
http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/
alyosha
A bit of a stretch, but an interesting post at ClubOrlov
…Egypt, which is home to half of the world’s Arabs, is the fulcrum on which the Arab world turns. What happens now in Egypt is bound to resonate throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Are we about to see something similar to the heady days of 1989, when Eastern Europe cast off Moscow’s yoke? Is the Middle East going to turn out to be Washington’s Eastern Europe? Will Wikileaks turn out to be Washington’s equivalent of Gorbachev’s Glasnost, cutting right through all the empty rhetoric about freedom and democracy, and showing the imperial regime to be repressive, craven, corrupt, foolish, weak and, ultimately, self-defeating?
American leaders appear to be following the Soviet playbook for the imperial end-game quite faithfully: cringing behind high walls and locked doors, looting the treasury like there’s no tomorrow, and, of course, lying their heads off. There are a few moments each century when status quo suddenly becomes status quo ante. We may be living through just such a moment now.
I have a gut feeling about 2011, that it will be a year when the world cuts through a lot of the prevailing BS. More transparency is on the way.
Ken Hoop
Read Jim Lehrer’s interview transcript with Joe Biden yesterday.
Shorter version:
Lehrer “Is Mubarek a dictator?”
Biden “Not if he does American-Israeli bidding to the best of his ability.”
I do NOT exagerate.
Morocco Bama
As paranoid as Israel is, it must be shitting its pants right now. A liberated Egypt, and Middle East, will greatly change the balance of power. Israel would be put in its place….but they are suicidal, IMO. I wouldn’t be surprised, if they felt truly threatened in the years to come, if they let some nukes fly. Then, it’s anyone’s guess.
par4
O/T Gibbs @ presser: IR knot a equivocator. Mother Jones has some decent coverage.
David H.
Formerly T-Bear PERMALINK
January 28, 2011
Al Jazeera:
http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/
Thanks for that. The difference between Al J & CNN is positively stunning.
Morocco Bama
If these protests/riots are truly collectively spontaneous and not conjured or manipulated in any way, and it appears they are legitimate, then in all certainty Western Intelligence Operatives are all over the place drawing up duplicitous plans to fill the ensuing power vacuum. Unlike movements in South America/Latin America that have been highly organized with a plan in place to fill the power vacuum, these protests/riots show no sign of a cogent plan. There appear to be simple requests for a responsive and representative government, but it stops short of anything beyond that….or so it seems. Let’s play very close attention to how the power vacuum is filled, because it’s very much in the interests of the West, and Israel, to ensure they have “friendly” leaders in place who will continue to do their”bidding,” as Joe so aptly, and blunderingly, put it.
lambert strether
Looks to me like Mubarak’s poisoning the well.
senecal
lenin speculates that top military figures are being directed by the US to steer a middle course between protecting and controlling the protestors at the same time (avoiding a major clash which would enflame further protest) to allow for some kind of orderly transition of power toward some western-oriented figure, possibly in the military itself. In this scenario, the issue is whether the common soldier will split with his leaders.