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Forces Behind the Egyptian Revolution

 
  • martintillier

    Its obvious why there has been no mention of the Egyptian people's creation of a union under their own control, as opposed to one controlled by their dictatorial government and the vested interests of its commercial allies. it would seem obvious as well, to the casual observer that these same commercial interests have been adding to the coffers of the regime that is in the process of trying to reinvent itself minus its recently ousted chief. In one sense it could be thought surprising that the reactionary right-wing media demagogues in the US did not trumpet the corruption of the Egyptian unions, however it can be realised that they decided it is not in their interests to mention unionism, even in a negative sense, as people would find out what the real situation has been in Egypt since the inception of state controlled unionism and start to equate the Egyptians problems with their own problems regarding union power and workers rights in the US. I am not at all surprised that Hufington Post glossed over the part that the state controlled union had to play in the conflict over food prices and the stagnation of the minimum wage in Egypt, again it would cause people to realise that the same issues are not ever being properly addressed in America "not even" by Huffington Post, which likes to portray itself as liberal media engaging with an empowered audience, but in reality just as conservative as its seeming opponents and does not actually give a fig for the discussion of issues which would genuinely "rock the boat" and challenge the hegemony of those who really own America. The Egyptian movement towards self-determination and democracy is fraught with danger, I am glad that the peace treaty with Israel is to be honoured and that other diplomatic ties in the Middle East and the wider world are being preserved intact, further to this though is the hope that the military will not oversee the installation of yet another dictator into office under the guise of interim government, I don't think however that the Egyptian people will tolerate such a move and I am sure that the military know this, although they may just be consolidating their grip on the mechanisms of power as we speak, with a view to creating a purely military state. Ironically, given the political fragility of the entire Middle East, Israel is certainly in a position to help the Egyptian people realise their ambition for a secular, democratic state, and that would benefit Israel hugely, not just in terms of security, but also politically, a genuine ally in the region would see their international standing increase greatly, and they could approach the peace-talks with the Palestinian Authority with renewed confidence and a more positive public image and credibility, which would in turn allow the Palestinian negotiators greater freedom in reaching agreement with their Israeli counterparts. Egypt is at a turning point , no matter what happens, we can only hope and push for a good result for the democratic ambitions of its people and a better relationship with its neighbours, especially Israel.

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