The Situation in Egypt

[Sahar]

Hosni Mubarak 'may step down' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Ruling party officials suggest Egypt's president may 'meet protesters demands', as army continues to monitor situation.

The Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces has met to discuss the ongoing protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak, the president.
In a statement entitled 'Communique Number One', televised on state television, the army said it had convened the meeting response to the current political turmoil, and that it would continue to convene such meetings.
Thurday's meeting was chaired by Mohamed Tantawi, the defence minister, rather than Mubarak, who, as president, would normally have headed the meeting.
"Based on the responsibility of the armed forces and its commitment to protect the people and its keenness to protect the nation... and in support of the legitimate demands of the people [the army] will continue meeting on a continuous basis to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian people," the statement.
The army's statement was met with a roar of approval from protesters in Tahrir Square, our correspondent said. She said that vast crowds were pouring into the square.

 

[kai]

Egypt's Mubarak 'may stand down

BBC News - Egypt unrest


oops i dont know who can get the live news and who cant!!! They are saying Mubarak may have left the country!!!!


no he is still there! but expected to stand down tonight




The BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi in Cairo says: "It's slightly ambiguous whether the army has staged a coup, or if they're just going to respond to the people's demands and have Mubarak pushed to the side. So clearly, this might turn into a very long night for the people in Tahrir Square."

 

[England my lionheart]

OK thats one problem out of the way but does it open the gates for a lot more

 

[Alceste]

OK thats one problem out of the way but does it open the gates for a lot more

True enough - Suleiman is no better. It would be like getting rid of Bush but getting stuck with Cheney for a replacement.

 

[England my lionheart]

True enough - Suleiman is no better. It would be like getting rid of Bush but getting stuck with Cheney for a replacement.

Maybe he isn't but a Military style coup wouldn't be much better,i think the people need to get their **** wired and organise a non Military interim Government

 

[Alceste]

Maybe he isn't but a Military style coup wouldn't be much better,i think the people need to get their **** wired and organise a non Military interim Government

I think they need to include the military, but not have the process be controlled by them. The last thing post-revolution Egypt needs is large crowds of bored, disenfranchised and newly unemployed young men with guns wandering the streets. The commanders need a seat at the table to ensure the needs of the rank and file are met. They are also privy to information about genuine security threats the likes of Wael Ghonim know nothing about. Besides, they're generally popular with the Egyptian people. I hope they will investigate to find out who ordered or was complicit in the detainment and torture of dissidents, though, and prosecutions result.

 

[England my lionheart]

I think they need to include the military, but not have the process be controlled by them. The last thing post-revolution Egypt needs is large crowds of bored, disenfranchised and newly unemployed young men with guns wandering the streets. The commanders need a seat at the table to ensure the needs of the rank and file are met. They are also privy to information about genuine security threats the likes of Wael Ghonim know nothing about. Besides, they're generally popular with the Egyptian people. I hope they will investigate to find out who ordered or was complicit in the detainment and torture of dissidents, though, and prosecutions result.

I wonder where Mubarak will go,obviously he is the Chief culprit for the torture and killings,in 20 minutes my time we'll know

 

[Alceste]

I wonder where Mubarak will go,obviously he is the Chief culprit for the torture and killings,in 20 minutes my time we'll know

Yeah, but when are heads of state ever held accountable for their torture programs? Bush and Blair are still walking free. I expect Mubarak will be permitted to stay in Egypt and probably not prosecuted. He may choose to move to wherever his money is, though, before any corruption investigations get underway.

 

[England my lionheart]

Yeah, but when are heads of state ever held accountable for their torture programs? Bush and Blair are still walking free. I expect Mubarak will be permitted to stay in Egypt and probably not prosecuted. He may choose to move to wherever his money is, though, before any corruption investigations get underway.

I think he will have to stay in Egypt,he's a hot Potato,whoever gives him shelter will be tarred with the same brush,my guess is his freedom is part of the deal for himm stepping down

 

[Alceste]

I think he will have to stay in Egypt,he's a hot Potato,whoever gives him shelter will be tarred with the same brush,my guess is his freedom is part of the deal for himm stepping down

I don't know about that. His son seems comfortably resettled in London. Many South American dictators with even worse records travel freely and maintain a residence in the US. Heads of State enjoy a completely different set of rights and freedoms than you or I. If either of us ordered the slaughter of civilians we'd face consequences. Not heads of state, though - it's just part of doing business, as far as they're concerned.

 

[England my lionheart]

He has no intention of going anywhere but i think the people will be going to the Presidential Palace,whats left for them to do other than physically overthrow him

 

[Alceste]

He has no intention of going anywhere but i think the people will be going to the Presidential Palace,whats left for them to do other than physically overthrow him

Stubborn, isn't he. I think he's lost his mind, not to mention all hope of departing with a few scraps of dignity. I'm guessing the military will now need to forcibly remove him from office.

 

[England my lionheart]

Stubborn, isn't he. I think he's lost his mind, not to mention all hope of departing with a few scraps of dignity. I'm guessing the military will now need to forcibly remove him from office.

Thats the only way as i can see it,i can't believe the BS he was saying

 

[xkatz]

Mubarak must be suicidal not wanting to step down.

 

[Alceste]

Mubarak must be suicidal not wanting to step down.

I think it's more a matter of being unable to adjust to a loss of power after 30 years of "what I say goes". Power messes with your head. Even Thatcher had to be dragged out of office in tears.

 

[KnightOwl]

You cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? Oooooh, look out! I'm going! Oooooh! Ooooooh!

 

[Genuine Realist]

The influence of an Army can vary.

Believe it or not, when I was in Turkey, a number of liberal Muslims looked to the secular tradition of the army there to protect the Constitution from encroachment by religious fundamentalists.

That said, I haven't the slightest idea what the tradition - secular or not - of the Egyptian Army is.

 

[Genuine Realist]

Yeah, but when are heads of state ever held accountable for their torture programs? Bush and Blair are still walking free. I expect Mubarak will be permitted to stay in Egypt and probably not prosecuted. He may choose to move to wherever his money is, though, before any corruption investigations get underway.

You really do follow Chomsky, don't you?

Try this link:

Public Discussions of Torture in the 2002-3 Time Frame

 

[Alceste]

You really do follow Chomsky, don't you?

Try this link:

Public Discussions of Torture in the 2002-3 Time Frame

Didn't bother. Torture is never justified. Even if it did have some magical power to forcibly extract accurate information from an unwilling informant (and research shows it does not), it would still be morally reprehensible to psychologically sound individuals.

BTW, for future reference I'm more influenced by empirical evidence than other people's opinions. If you want to change my mind on the subject of torture you need to produce research that conclusively demonstrates torture is more effective than all non-violent forms of persuasion at extracting accurate information. That I would read. Good luck with that.

 

[KnightOwl]

It was fun living in my own little bubble thinking barbarism was relegated to history. Ignorance is bliss.

Trials for witchcraft, torture, death penalty... all still very real. sad to see. My conservative friends wonder how I can be a member of the ACLU and Amnesty International when I seem to be on their side wanting smaller government. It's even sadder to see when you realize you have friends who endorse this neanderthal crap.

Torture and the death penalty would be different if they actually were effective.