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Mubarak handing power to the army probably means that the regime lives on, Mubarak's just not in charge of it anymore. Egypt's issues aren't settled now, this

Mubarak handing power to the army probably means that the regime lives on, Mubarak's just not in charge of it anymore. Egypt's issues aren't settled now, this is only a step and it remains to be seen if real, true, democratic change is going to happen.

csomar 16y ago
True. But there is an election coming up next. Now they have just began, Tunisia has just began too. There is an opportunity here since media will be opened (it already opened in Tunisia) and also the doors for true opponents. It's time to guard the election and ensure that the right one is elected. We have just began, and I hope everything will be fine.
- bugsy 16y ago
  Many Egyptians were talking about having a constitutional convention to decide what sort of government they want. Perhaps it will acknowledge inalienable rights reserved to the people for example. Hopefully that will be the next step, anything less than starting from scratch with their government is going to leave the old system and those who gained power from it in place.
  - _djo_ 16y ago
    That would be the smartest thing that they could possibly do, especially if they take the opportunity to define a constitution with strong protections for negative rights. With enough care they'll constrain any future government, protect fundamental freedoms and kill two birds with one stone by easing Western fears about the Muslim Brotherhood assuming power. They would do well to learn from South Africa's example in this. I honestly believe that if it was not for the phased departure of apartheid from 1990 to 1994, combined with the constitutional convention and the preservation of the national police and the military, South Africa's transition would have ended in disaster. In the end the security forces played a massive role in creating a stable enough environment for the vital negotiations to take place and without the work of the military behind the scenes it's doubtful that the 1994 election would have happened at all. So the biggest mistake now would be to rush this. Egyptians need to understand that the steps they take next are going to set the stage for the next 30 years and determine whether Mubarak will be followed by a true multi-party democracy or by yet another group of thuggish oppressors. They had better make it count.
baltcode 16y ago
True, this is only step 1. Torturer in chief also needs to step down, emergency lifted, and free elections have to be held. Look forward to steps 2, 3, 4.
- cypherpunks01 16y ago
  Very interesting English Al Jazeera opinion article about vice-president Omar Suleiman, entitled "Suleiman: The CIA's man in Cairo": http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201127114827382865.html http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/2011271...
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]

csomar 16y ago

True. But there is an election coming up next. Now they have just began, Tunisia has just began too. There is an opportunity here since media will be opened (it already opened in Tunisia) and also the doors for true opponents. It's time to guard the election and ensure that the right one is elected. We have just began, and I hope everything will be fine.

bugsy 16y ago
Many Egyptians were talking about having a constitutional convention to decide what sort of government they want. Perhaps it will acknowledge inalienable rights reserved to the people for example. Hopefully that will be the next step, anything less than starting from scratch with their government is going to leave the old system and those who gained power from it in place.
- _djo_ 16y ago
  That would be the smartest thing that they could possibly do, especially if they take the opportunity to define a constitution with strong protections for negative rights. With enough care they'll constrain any future government, protect fundamental freedoms and kill two birds with one stone by easing Western fears about the Muslim Brotherhood assuming power. They would do well to learn from South Africa's example in this. I honestly believe that if it was not for the phased departure of apartheid from 1990 to 1994, combined with the constitutional convention and the preservation of the national police and the military, South Africa's transition would have ended in disaster. In the end the security forces played a massive role in creating a stable enough environment for the vital negotiations to take place and without the work of the military behind the scenes it's doubtful that the 1994 election would have happened at all. So the biggest mistake now would be to rush this. Egyptians need to understand that the steps they take next are going to set the stage for the next 30 years and determine whether Mubarak will be followed by a true multi-party democracy or by yet another group of thuggish oppressors. They had better make it count.

baltcode 16y ago

True, this is only step 1. Torturer in chief also needs to step down, emergency lifted, and free elections have to be held. Look forward to steps 2, 3, 4.

cypherpunks01 16y ago
Very interesting English Al Jazeera opinion article about vice-president Omar Suleiman, entitled "Suleiman: The CIA's man in Cairo": http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201127114827382865.html http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/2011271...
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]