The story behind the Egyptian revolution

by on February 12, 2011 9
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Watch this incredible episode of Al Jazeera's series People & Power for one take on the organizing behind the protests in Egypt. It gives an inside look at the "April 6" organizers and follows their role in the events of the last few weeks:

About Adam Horowitz

Adam Horowitz is Co-Editor of Mondoweiss.net.
Posted in Israel/Palestine

{ 9 comments... read them below or add one }

  1. pabelmont says:
    February 12, 2011 at 10:43 am

    Wonderful. European revolution as prep, Tunisia as encouragement, had-it-up-to-here as motivation, and (butterfly effect) — boom!

    I want “boom” here in USA. we need a peace movement, but, more important, we need an anti-imperial movement, and it should begin with the imperialism aimed at ourselves.

  2. Kathleen says:
    February 12, 2011 at 11:43 am

    “necessary conditions all ready in place”

    While the majority of the credit for the success of these peaceful protest should clearly go to the people of Egypt and these organizers and to Al Jazeera’s coverage.
    The role the U.S. MSM played in this is not being talked about. The MSM ignored the protest here in the states and around the world in the run up to the invasion of Iraq as well as continuing to completely ignore Palestiinian protest yet covered the Egyptian protest 24/7. They also gave endless coverage to protest in Iran.

    The U.S. MSM’s selective coverage of protest continues to be fascinating and troubling.

    • Psychopathic god says:
      February 12, 2011 at 12:16 pm

      C Span is right in there with the zionist imperialists, featuring as an “Egypt expert” Tawfik Hamid, some shill who’s a colleague of Walid Phares, fresh from his starring role in “Iranium.” The guy has a degree in cognitive psychology. He was certain to repeat, certainly twice, perhaps thrice, “Iran is a failure as an Islamic state.”

      We are going to witness a battle royal between zionist capitalism and Islamic law, a battle that Netanyahu et cie do not intend to lose.

      see Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, esp. around 35 min: when Muslims in Indonesia tell Perkins that “Muslims KNOW that Islamic states are the key target” of predatory capitalists because they are motivated by religious principles. Zionism has rotted the religious values of other dominant religions.

      Another cynical thought to add to an earlier cynical thought: if you track the history of American perfidy toward the Arab states, it can be pinpointed to Woodrow Wilson.

  3. Jim Haygood says:
    February 12, 2011 at 11:48 am

    Sociologists will need to analyze the demographic antecedents of the Egyptian revolution. A high growth rate, youth-tilted population with elevated unemployment and access to global media (showing more privileged youth elsewhere) is like a Petri dish for revolution.

    In an era of much shorter life expectancies, such demographic profiles underlay the late 18th century US and French revolutions, and the early 19th century South American revolutions as well.

    Will the grey panthers of the west’s geriatric Potemkin democracies smash their fetters with their walkers, and hurl their dentures at their oppressors? I regret that I have but one set of choppers to sacrifice for my country.

  4. Psychopathic god says:
    February 12, 2011 at 11:59 am

    agree, pabelmont; Egypt’s revolution will not come to fulfillment until the people of the US revolt against zionist and predatory capitalist dominance of their values and government.

    some nagging questions from the video (hate to be a party poop but someone’s gotta do it):
    1. who paid for Mahir to travel to Serbia/set up office, etc.?
    2. numerous congressmen have been telling us that the aim of sanctions on Iran is to so rile the Iranian people that they will riot and overthrow their government, like the color revolutions in Europe, and like the was USSR was caused to fail. Serbia was a color revolution. I know it’s a small detail, but at 20.35 min. in the video you see a “fist” banner in the Apr 6 office. According to John Laughland, that’s the ‘brand’ of neocon manipulated coups.

    3. We know from Naomi Klein’s work that creating turmoil — overthrowing the government/taking down the government — is only the first step. The next steps are the crucial ones: where is the Egyptian Jerry Bremer? Does US already have a plan for predatory capitalist “reform” of Egypt’s economy to bring it into a position of dominance by Israel/US predatory capitalists?

    4. Has April 6 and #Jan 25 been punked by neocons to prepare the ground, in Egypt, for the intended US-zionist takeover of Egypt? Remember, zionists have been working this since 1897; they’ve taken down numerous nations and killed millions in pursuit of their psychopathic god. Does anyone really think that Israel would let something take place right next door, in Egypt, that Israel did not have a way to benefit from? 11th commandment: Don’t be a freier.

    Yesterday when all were wild with joy — me too, and kudos to Phil, Adam, and Mondoweiss — were we the duped Iraqis who cheered as the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled?

    Not to be toooo cynical, but to caution: this ain’t over.

    • bijou says:
      February 13, 2011 at 8:51 am

      Your questions are good ones. I have another. Why is it just a little too pat to feel that it can possibly be a coincidence that these movements broke out all within the same neat, highly compacted time frame: Gaza Youth declaration; Palestine Papers; Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen… and Hillary’s smug “you’re all going to find yourselves in Deep Doodoo shortly” statement?

      On the other hand — on the other hand, in the case of Egypt the whole movement feels more home grown, genuine, and completely unexpected (by USrael) than any of the other “color” revolutions, which is why I find it so hard to believe it could really have been externally instigated. Perhaps if the origin was external the whole thing took off and took root with an intensity that was not part of the plan… ? As in, the plan was to install Suleiman but that fallback was overcome with events? (I also note the odd coincidence of the Egyptian military team having been on hand in Washington consulting just moments prior to Jan 25th…)

      Time will ultimately tell. But the fist was a jarring note in the film.

  5. Citizen says:
    February 12, 2011 at 11:59 am

    The roots of the April 6th movement go directly back to the Egyptians in the streets that protested Bush Jr’s attack on Iraq; they were quickly suppressed by Mubarak. Murarak just carried on Sadat’s baton. Sadat’s signature was the necessary down payment for US support for his ailing regime. It led to the end of the state of war, the recognition of the state of Israel and normalization of trade relations. One half of Israel’s gas supplies now come from Egypt (part of Clinton’s accords; Israel get its oil and gas cheaper than Egyptians do), and Israel has the right of free passage through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Straits of Tiran. The pay-off has been $60 billion of American aid, second only to that given to Israel. The new Egypt just said publically it will honor the agreement with Egypt. Oh hum.
    Israel will continue to divide and conquer the people of the Middle East via Mossad false/black flag OPs, aided by CIA & M16. So what’s new, Boobula?
    The USA system is totally enmeshed with Israel in every conceivable way. Americans who do the fighting has never changed; even in the US Civil War neither the Union nor the Confederate foot soldiers had any stake in that war. Ditto the average US taxpayer. 99.9% of them are not dual citizens–not so, PNAC.

  6. VR says:
    February 12, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    If all this is going to accomplish is a few surface reforms it is not a revolution, and it had no business calling itself a revolution. As I said before if all you do is lop off the tail of the snake (Mubarak), and propose a few superficial reforms your doomed. That is why I kept saying move on, its not over yet in earlier posts. Everybody thinks their smart, I had a feeling where this was going with the “peaceful, peaceful, peaceful” chants – all the non-violence movement does is recuperate movements for exploitation so the business as usual can continue.

    “…you think you’re so clever and classless and free,
    But you’re still fucking peasants as far as I can see…”

    MOVE ON OR FADE

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