BREAKING*** Mubarak flees Egypt to London

[JamesSavik]

News sources have reported that Egyptian President Mubarak has fled to London.

 

Conflicting sources say that only Mubarak's family has fled.

 

More as it becomes available.

 

________________________________________________________

 

Update

 

Mubarak is still in Egypt.

 

He has asked the current goverenment to resign.

 

There's lots of contradictory chatter about this on the net.

[Cyhort]

Now he's apparently forming a "transitional government" with him still in power but everyone else kicked out......somehow I don't see that going over too well.

[TrevorTime]

I saw some of this nonsense on CNN International this morning. Thank God I live in the United States.

[Mark Arbour]

The classic actions of a despot. When things go really bad, fire the underlings and change nothing.

[W_L]

These developments are very interesting.

 

News of civil unrest is not uncommon, but the most interesting thing is that these demonstrations have started a life of their own in our modern information age.

 

The Iranian protest were quelled by the government, but the Egyptian protest have a little more going for them. Barricades are forming and citizens have taken up arms, including stripping the police stations of guns. Of course a few handguns, rifles, and knives will not be able to counter a modern army, but in principle, the Egyptian population have won.

 

Also, I am betting Mossad will be more than overjoyed to supply arms to the embattled population, including more powerful munitions and support, I doubt the Israeli intelligence agency would not take this opportunity to eliminate one of their neighboring threats.

[wildone]

I find it interesting that all these Muslim countries are having the people over through the current dictators/leaders for more democracy. Without getting this into a hate the Muslim's thread, it can be looked on as a positive in my view. Maybe the same way the Berlin Wall falling due to the will of the people has lowered the Iron Curtain.

 

Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Mayamar, Iran, to name a few. When these countries lose their leaders and the people can get their democracies (may be a pipe dream, but what if? ) it can only be a good thing for the World.

 

I also think back to how the Christian world used to be on the path to 'convert' the world, but eventually realized some of the wrongs of that theory and maybe it is now time that the Muslim world has that awakening too.

 

Sorry, I'm really off topic, but just I see the Egyptian people as a powerful voice that can't be silenced now

[JamesSavik]

I doubt that it would be in Israels best interest for Egypt to fall.

 

The big question becomes what fell beasts slouch towards Cairo to be born?

 

There is no guarantee that the new government will honor the Camp David Accords.

 

There could be a new round of Arab-Israeli Wars and it could get very, very ugly.

 

Egypt's Military is large, well equipped and professional. They could seriously put the heat on Israel.

[W_L]

I doubt that it would be in Israels best interest for Egypt to fall.

 

The big question becomes what fell beasts slouch towards Cairo to be born?

 

There is no guarantee that the new government will honor the Camp David Accords.

 

There could be a new round of Arab-Israeli Wars and it could get very, very ugly.

 

Egypt's Military is large, well equipped and professional. They could seriously put the heat on Israel.

 

The Israelis probably have no choice other than siding with a more moderate faction within Egypt or keeping both sides well supplied for a long drawn out civil war that will weaken Egypt. If Mubarak can't keep in control, the Israel's will have to act in one way or another.

 

Supporting a leader, who can't stay in power isn't a good idea and everyone from the US foreign affair analysts to the Japanese Prime Minister to the heads of World Economic forum think Mubarak has a small chance in hell of coming back to his old power.

 

No matter how this turns out, the entire middle east will be affected. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, UAE, and the other nations will face a challenge of epic proportions.

 

It's happened in history before when the poor hungry peasants of France began a small demonstration for more food from their king; thing started going bad after they start taking government buildings and eventually beheading their king. Revolution does not begin in a vacuum; it begins with good intentions gradually growing into dangerous patterns.

 

On the other side of the world, another nation has done something interesting that could prove to be another issue coming.

 

China's silencing of Egypt, a sign of fear

 

If what we are talking about is growing as large as the French Revolution, this could get ugly fast.

[MikeL]

I doubt that it would be in Israels best interest for Egypt to fall.

 

The big question becomes what fell beasts slouch towards Cairo to be born?

 

There is no guarantee that the new government will honor the Camp David Accords.

 

There could be a new round of Arab-Israeli Wars and it could get very, very ugly.

 

Egypt's Military is large, well equipped and professional. They could seriously put the heat on Israel.

James, your erroneous title may later seem prophetic.

 

Let's hope Egypt becomes more democratic rather than more militant.

[JamesSavik]

I'm wondering if this pro-democracy revolution virus thing might have legs.

 

I've seen reports of demonstration in Yemen, Indonesia, Thailand and Venezuela.

 

Is it a just a coincidence that the Obama administration is asking congress for an Internet kill switch?

 

Why the Internet kill switch is a bad idea

[W_L]

I'm wondering if this pro-democracy revolution virus thing might have legs.

 

I've seen reports of demonstration in Yemen, Indonesia, Thailand and Venezuela.

 

Is it a just a coincidence that the Obama administration is asking congress for an Internet kill switch?

 

Why the Internet kill switch is a bad idea

 

You saw my article from Mike's anti-Facebook thread

 

Well, let's see what happens today. The Army has been holding off on shooting people and that might be an interesting first sign of things in Egypt, if the Army will not obey the commands of the President and side with the demonstrators, while internal ministry still have forces, it could mean Civil war.

 

As for the US, I think it was Sinclair Lewis who said it best:

 

"When Facism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a Flag and carrying a cross."

 

The US is not beyond such issues, all it takes are just the right things.

 

For example, The cost of bread has gone up about 25% recently, which is bad, but people are not at the point of starving yet. When we have bread at 200% the current price, then you will see an issue. One of the first rules of governing people is simply do not let the masses be idle or starve; well we have 10-12% unemployment and more than 20% underemployment in reality, so a food scare is just the final straw.

 

Egyptian woes only began to get out of control due to rising cost of food and unemployment rates.

 

Hate Obama as much as some of us will, but there's a logic to certain social programs in the US. It is not merely a safety net for the less fortunate; it is also the first line of internal defense against anarchy. The peoples within any nation beyond high principle and concept want to work and eat; if you can't satisfy those two basic needs, then you are doomed. We can say they are greedy and selfish for wanting some of this stuff, but honestly, who would not want money and food when faced with no other alternative. In the US, right now, we don't have enough jobs for everyone and many are living on government checks. The slightest reduction or variable could push the balance off and drive the millions of unemployed into open revolt.

[Jon T Lappin]

If the reports are true and radicals have been infiltrating the army, let's home that a radical Muslim regime doesn't fill the vacuum left if Mubarak does fall. Honestly, though, that's usually the way it goes.

[thephoenix]

I haven't really been following this Egypt incident until very recently.

 

I understand the people are demanding the president to resign, but why?

[Buddha]

Allah Akbar.

 

Let us pray that the Egyptian people can properly right their country and government and throw off the shackles of Hosni Mubarak - a corrupt, unfair, despot who has brought nothing but ruin to Egypt these past few years. Long live Egypt, long live the Egyptian people, and long live with Democracy. First Tunisia, now Egypt, soon will come North Sudan, Yemen, Algeria, Libya, and possibly Iran. Let liberty and freedom ring throughout North Africa and the Middle East - regions that have been craving it for decades.

[TetRefine]

I haven't really been following this Egypt incident until very recently.

 

I understand the people are demanding the president to resign, but why?

 

Because he is pretty corrupt, the economy is slumping, and food prices are soaring. Mubarak has been in power for thirty years and uses his secret police to squash any opposition in a pretty brutal fashion. The protests and overthrow of the government in Tunisia basically inspired the Egyptian people to begin a revolution that many say is long overdue. The funny thing is, if Mubarak falls, which is entirely possible, most likely either another military dictator will seize power or the Muslim Brotherhood will implement an Iranian style theocracy.

[rustle]

Israel and Egypt have had a treaty in place for about 30 years. A stable government in Egypt which honors that treaty is in Israel's interest, so folks over there are probably pretty nervous right now. So are U.S officials, since Mubarak has enforced international stability for decades. Jordan and Yemen, U.S. allies against al qaeda, are undergoing turmoil and turnover right now, too. Watch Saudi Arabia over the next month.

 

A common complaint against the Arab rulers in the middle east is corruption. The ruling families live in splendor while the masses barely have enough to eat, the gap between the wealthy and the poor is growing greater, the middle class is shrinking rapidly.

 

It's not the type of government or the rulers that people revolt against. It's the lack of opportunity to support themselves. They're fighting for individual economic survival. WL makes a good point.

 

(Difficult to comment on current events w/o being political)

Edited February 3, 2011 by eon

[Tiger]

It will only get worse until Mubarak realizes that either he must step down or that he must crush the resistance. The latter will probably lead to international ramifications that he surely will not want to deal with. Thus, it seems best for him to just do the right thing. However, something needs to done to protect Egypt from having a terrorist group take over. We do not need another Iran or a new Gaza.