4 ms·

Mubarak is baiting the protesters to become violent so he has an excuse to crack down on them. This will get messy soon.

ugh 16y ago
I very much doubt that the military would be willing to follow such orders, even given violent incidents. They might but I don’t think that Mubarak has currently anything like absolute power over the military.
- Qz 16y ago
  The military has never really been Mubarak's tool of repression, but rather the police force as well as hired thugs.
  - ugh 16y ago
    The problem for the police and hired thugs is that the military is on the street. I don’t think cracking down on the protestors is currently possible without the support of the military. I think that the military is the key actor: Will they use violence is the big question.
    - Qz 16y ago
      Well that's the big question if Feb 2 happens again. You'll recall that the military was on the streets for that entire debacle and did next to nothing.
- silverlake 16y ago
  Mubarak can only hang on because the military supports him. The military is a giant conscript army of regular kids, and a corrupt officer corp that controls a giant chunk of the Egyptian economy. Those officers will never release their grip on the country. They will replace Mubarak with another strongman.
mousa 16y ago
I wouldn't be surprised. Desperation move but I suspect someone if not him specifically has been trying to do this since this whole thing started. They violently defended themselves on the night of Feb. 3/4 but immediately went back to peaceful when the attacks stopped. Another expected reaction would be rioting, burning, and looting, which has yet to happen. I hope they can restrain themselves this time too until Mubarak wakes up from his dream, but there is a ton of anger now.
Qz 16y ago
Exactly. The last time he gave a speech, it was the very next day that the supposed pro-Mubarak supporters turned Cairo into a medieval warzone.

ugh 16y ago

I very much doubt that the military would be willing to follow such orders, even given violent incidents. They might but I don’t think that Mubarak has currently anything like absolute power over the military.

Qz 16y ago
The military has never really been Mubarak's tool of repression, but rather the police force as well as hired thugs.
- ugh 16y ago
  The problem for the police and hired thugs is that the military is on the street. I don’t think cracking down on the protestors is currently possible without the support of the military. I think that the military is the key actor: Will they use violence is the big question.
  - Qz 16y ago
    Well that's the big question if Feb 2 happens again. You'll recall that the military was on the streets for that entire debacle and did next to nothing.
silverlake 16y ago
Mubarak can only hang on because the military supports him. The military is a giant conscript army of regular kids, and a corrupt officer corp that controls a giant chunk of the Egyptian economy. Those officers will never release their grip on the country. They will replace Mubarak with another strongman.

mousa 16y ago

I wouldn't be surprised. Desperation move but I suspect someone if not him specifically has been trying to do this since this whole thing started. They violently defended themselves on the night of Feb. 3/4 but immediately went back to peaceful when the attacks stopped. Another expected reaction would be rioting, burning, and looting, which has yet to happen. I hope they can restrain themselves this time too until Mubarak wakes up from his dream, but there is a ton of anger now.

Qz 16y ago

Exactly. The last time he gave a speech, it was the very next day that the supposed pro-Mubarak supporters turned Cairo into a medieval warzone.