Egypt, Tunisia in revolt!

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VOL. 29, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2011 WWW.SOCIALISTACTION.ORG U.S. / CANADA $1 As Socialist Action goes to press the revolt of the Egyptian people seems poised to topple the almost 30-yearold regime of dictator Hosni Mubarak. Events are proceeding at breakneck speed, and nothing is guaranteed, but the determination and unity of the Egyptian masses indicates that there will be no end of unrest without Mubarak’s exit.

The uprising in Egypt, which began on Jan. 25, follows on the heels of another popular uprising that started mid-December in Tunisia, and resulted Jan. 14 in the end of Tunisian dictator Ben Ali’s 23-year-old regime. All in all, there have been over 200 deaths in both Egypt and Tunisia as result of police clashes with protesters—a heavy price paid in blood by the citizens of these countries who wish to be free. Millions around the world have been watching events unfold in the region with great interest and solidarity—with the natural exception of the corporate heads and imperialist politicians, who all have much to lose by the fall of the hated dictators.

With particular respect to Egypt, media analysts routinely point out the crisis in foreign policy that the United States has faced—either support a dictator who is an ally in a region that finds America’s foreign policy objectives detestable or support the legitimate democratic aspirations of the Egyptian people against their ally. To their everlasting shame, though not surprisingly, the Obama administration came out of the gate riding hard for the Mubarak dictatorship.

As soon as the protests began, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attempted to assure the world that the situation was under control, telling reporters that the Mubarak regime was “stable” and urging calm for both sides. On Jan. 27—after news of deaths caused by police firing on peaceful demonstrators had reached the world—Vice President Joe Biden praised Mubarak in an interview on CBS as “responsible.” He then said flat out, “I would not refer to [Mubarak] as a dictator.”

Since then, U.S. officials, including President Obama, have been in frequent contact with Mubarak, apparently seeking a way to gently ease him out of office. The U.S. gave guarded approval after Mubarak defied the will of the people in the streets on Feb. 1 by announcing that he intended to stay on until September, at which time elections could be arranged. The fact that neither Mubarak nor his son would be allowed to run as a presidential candidate, said one U.S. official, “would be a significant step in the right direction.”

But a plan to keep the dictatorship in power for nine more months will hardly placate the people in the street. As crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square watched Mubarak’s limited concession on a giant TV screen, they booed and waved their shoes in the air. “We are not leaving until he leaves!” they chanted. Even the moderate opposition parties in Egypt have joined in a call for Mubarak’s immediate resignation.

Thus, the U.S. has been hedging its bets by giving some attention to finding a pro-Western leader who could Mohammed Abed / AFP / Getty Images (Above) Woman at mass demonstration in Cairo, Jan. 27, calling for end to Mubarak dictatorship.

take his place. The U.S. ambassador to Egypt met on Feb. 1 with Mohamed Elbaradei, the former head of the UN Atomic Energy Commission, who at this point seems to be the main figure that reformist forces are rallying around. And U.S. officials stated that they would meet with other opposition leaders as well.

One must note the putrid air of Islamophobia and paternalism that courses throughout the mainstream media when Egypt’s future is discussed. Many speakers brazenly declare that Mubarak the dictator is better (continued on page 6, in “The battle for women’s reproductive rights must meet new challenges”)

M. Khahouli / AFP / Getty Images

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Renewed attack on women’s abortion rights