If I could hack your government mainframe(s), I totally would.
Wake up call.
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If I could hack your government mainframe(s), I totally would.
Wake up call.
in other news:
you hear Coachella sold out?
Goldenvoice should move Chella to the pyramids of Egypt.
Wow, this depressed me, but then I remembered I have a ticket to Coachella. Now I'm happy again.
Evidently the Egyptian government was either stronger or just better prepared than their Tunisian counterparts, because they don't look nearly as likely to take a dive. Hope springs eternal though.
Two things really caught my eye.
First, that despite the increased profile of social networking in such unrest, Al Jazeera has been credited as one of the driving players in these revolts for reporting the leaks and their coverage of the protests as they happen.
Second, neither this nor the previous uprising in Tunisia seem to have any discernable sense of either fanatical nationalism or fundamentalist Islamism. That might seem like a bit prejudiced and Western-douchebag-sounding on my part, but bear with me. The problem with many revolutions is that what comes after isn't necessarily a huge improvement on what came before. In fact, the same force that can unite and drive the kind of movement necessary for this kind of upheaval can slot very nicely into the tyrannical groove that's already been worn into the sofa.
The protesters in these recent cases don't seem to have any single banner cause beyond a general outrage at their governments. Seems to me that wider spectrum of interests is at the very least a good place to start again, if they get the chance. I mean, I try to be pragmatic about this stuff, but if this momentum does continues to gather across the Middle East, we could be watching something pretty extraordinary start to happen.
That said - it's worth noting that given the degree of support Mubarak received from the US in terms of military aid, if his regime does fall, the next one will probably not be at all friendly to US interests.
Imagine the riots once they found out KOL are headlining FridayQuote:
Originally Posted by shoegazer76
Im leaving for Egypt on June 21. I hope this is all settled by then.
Yes, we wouldn't want a potential people's revolution to interfere with a Canadian's vacation. An Egyptian friend of mine is saying he's heard from friends and family back home that the government has not only shut down internet and mobile phone service but has also cut off water and electricity in certain areas.
MissingPerson, I think those reports about Al Jazeera's influence are pretty accurate. The first place I read about protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Yemen was on Al Jazeera English. They certainly are setting a narrative.
I don't think Mumbarak will get too violent or he'll risk losing all US support. It's so heartening to see the ripple effects of the Tunisian protests, though. The power holders in Libya, Yemen, and Syria must be getting scared.
Wow how has Aurgasm not posted in this thread yet?
I was guessing he was more concerned about his safety. But he is Canadian, and we all know how entitled they feel as a people.Quote:
Originally Posted by RageAgainstTheAoki
On topic, this sucks. That's all I got. Figure it's better than the "Oh, Coachella" douche-baggery.
Everyone in Egypt is pumped about this too.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRotten42
what is all the fuss about
what they protesting about, fill me in
They cancelled The Only Way is Essex.
Oh, I know. I was being a little tongue in cheek. I would be worried if I were in his position as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by marooko
It sucks? The people of Tunisia overturn their autocratic leader and show the rest of the Arab world that change is possible (without an American invasion) and you think it sucks? Yeah, it's unfortunate that some people will get hurt or killed as a result, but these people in Egypt are now engaging in unprecedented protests despite the fact that Mubarak (currently) controls a military which receives more funding from the US than any other nation outside of Israel. They're literally going into the streets -- Christians, Muslims, atheists, young, old, poor and privileged -- and saying they're not scared anymore. I don't think it sucks; I think it's amazing and I admire them. I've been involved in many protests before but none in which my life was seriously threatened. I hope they are able to affect some real change. And if they are successful, this could spread to Yemen (kind of already has), Syria and other Arab nations.Quote:
Originally Posted by marooko
Tunisia is a completely different country from the rest of the Arab world. Egypt won't buckle like they did. This really doesn't change anything.
Yemen too.
Quote:
SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The Yemeni president called on Qatari officials to put pressure on Arab broadcaster al-Jazeera for what he described as inciting unrest in his country.
Thousands of demonstrators marched on Sanaa, calling on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 32 years in office.
Saleh contacted Qatari officials to complain the broadcaster, which has headquarters in Doha, was exaggerating the situation in Yemen, the official Saba news agency reported.
"What the channel is doing only serves the Zionist (Israeli) entity and terrorist groups such as al-Qaida as well as the enemies of the Arab seeking to ignite dissent and threatening the future of the next generations," he was quoted as saying.
Egyptian and Yemeni protesters drew inspiration from unrest in Tunisia that brought an end to the regime of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali after more than 20 years in office. Yemen's interior minister told al-Jazeera on Thursday, however, that the country wasn't on the brink of a revolution.
Saleh in 2006 was elected to another seven-year term as the country's president.
Opposition leaders say Yemenis are angry about corruption, a decline in currency values and a recent constitutional amendment that would allow a president to remain in office for life.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/...#ixzz1CLtEUS9e
Well, their government HQ is currenly on fire. That might change something.
Here is a link to what is happening and why.
http://promotingpeace.tumblr.com/post/2969260999
The Tunisian military is absolutely miniscule. Egypt has the 10th largest military in the world. The ratio of military:citizen in egypt is well over 4 times that of Tunisia.
I'd love to be wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.
I guarantee you Cheney will pop up soon to notify us that the Iraq war is responsible for this outbreak of freedom.
When I was younger, I didn't care what happened politically in other countries.
Now that I am older and wiser to how politics work, I don't care what happens to my own country politically either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wmgaretjax
I don't disagree with you. Obviously, with the funding the US has provided to Mubarak, he has a massive military behind him. However, representatives of his gov't have already said before today's latests protests that they are willing to "negotiate" with the protesters. The fact that they're already issuing such statements is, perhaps, a good sign that incremental, but potentially meaningful change could be coming to Egypt. There's also the less likely possibility that the military eventually turns against Mubarak and joins the movement.
Right?? Fuck, if sweeping change does come to these Arab nations in the next few years, you can bet your ass the Dubya Library will have a special exhibit showing how his wise invasion of Iraq led directly to these democratic movements.Quote:
Originally Posted by PotVsKtl
ha!Quote:
Originally Posted by PotVsKtl
Nah, it's a stall tactic. If they can defuse the tensions now, they can work on regaining some control while taking advantage of subsiding momentum.
(and if the military turns on Murabak, the outcome probably won't be a very positive one overall... military coups rarely are)
Sure, it's a stall tactic now, but the potential's there. Hopefully these protests just get bigger and bigger.
Watching it on the English Al Jazeera. Already looks like the military may be starting to side with the protesters. Government HQ still on fire. Nobody seems bothered about putting it out.
Protests in Jordan as well, though the situation definitely seems more contained there.
hearing protesters are embracing military, pats on the back, hand shakes, etc.
Link, JustSteve?