The political uprising in Egypt took a violent turn recently, as government supporters (whom many reports say are being identified as often police or security force personnel in civilian clothes) clash with protesters on the street still calling for immediate regime change.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who earlier reshuffled his political leadership and promised reforms in an unsuccessful attempt to mollify the protesters, also has said he won’t stand for re-election next fall.
Not good enough, say the demonstrators. They want Mubarak out now.
As I’ve said before, among the best blow-by-blow news coverage of all this is on Al Jazeera English livestream. Some have complained to me that the Qatar-based news network is too biased, but I think the coverage is actually no more biased (perhaps less so) than what you see in American media.
Beyond the breaking news, here are some articles offering perspective:
The Guardian: Who’s Behind the Egypt Protests? (Hint: No, it’s not the Muslim Brotherhood … though the American media tends to always go there …)
Wall Street Journal: The Politics of Food Prices in Egypt.
Huffington Post: The Missing Link in Egyptian Protests.
USA Today: Egypt Rejects Obama’s call for Immediate “Transition.”
That’s the word other political leaders are all using – transition. It’s funny how in these moments of crisis, violence and turmoil, politicians tend to move even more forcefully into euphemism.
