The Egyptian Revolution¶
Core Argument¶
The Egyptian Revolution has erupted, shattering the assumption that such upheaval “cannot happen here.” The Mubarak regime, confronted by a mass uprising its security apparatus cannot suppress, faces a crisis of legitimacy. Hundreds of thousands of protesters—predominantly young, unemployed Egyptians and students—have taken to the streets demanding freedom. The regime’s attempts to block social media, impose curfews, and deploy police have failed; demonstrators have overrun police lines, stormed public buildings, and set fire to ruling party offices. Cracks are appearing within the state forces, with reports of police and soldiers fraternising with protesters or refusing to fire on them. The United States has signalled that Mubarak must implement reforms or step down. Notably, the Muslim Brotherhood has been largely absent; the protests are led by revolutionary democratic youth, not Islamists. Inspired by Tunisia, this movement is part of a wave of uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.
The claim that revolution “cannot happen here” lacks scientific or rational basis. The same assertion was made about Tunisia months earlier, when it was deemed the most stable country in North Africa, and was repeated about Egypt even after Ben Ali’s overthrow. Within weeks, these claims were proven hollow. Such is the pace of events in the current epoch. The same question will soon be posed in every European country, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Revolutionary developments are now on the order of the day. The speed of this process will vary according to local conditions, but no country can consider itself immune. The events in Tunisia and Egypt reveal our own future as in a mirror.
The fight for democracy will inevitably lead to demands for economic justice and the expropriation of the ruling elite and imperialist interests. The world has entered the epoch of revolution.