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30 Jan 2011 11:06

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U.S., World: Hillary Clinton toughens her words on Egyptian situation

  • yeah … U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling for Egypt to have an “orderly, peaceful transition” to a “real democracy,” which is much further than the Obama administration has gone so far during the crisis. Hopefully, they’ll go much further.
  • … but Clinton later dodged the military aid question: “We always are looking and reviewing our aid but right now we are trying to convey a message that is very clear, that we want to ensure there is no violence and no provocation that result in violence.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 22:07

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U.S.: Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio back to his immigrant-arresting ways

  • 1,000+ arrests from 18 different sweeps
  • 83 were arrested in the Maricopa County, Ariz. Sheriff’s Office’s latest immigration sweep
  • 68 of those arrested over the lastest two-day sweep were illegal immigrants source
  • » Other fun stuff they found: When the flashy/crazy (depending on your viewpoint) Arpaio goes after immigrants, he doesn’t screw around, and this time was no exception. On top of the dozens of arrests, his people found 725 pounds of marijuana and a bit of meth. Oh yeah, among the list of people helping out Joe with his sweeps? Steven Seagal.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 21:02

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World: Egypt: Some citizens so poor they can’t protest, must work

  • “How can I go into the street and protest? I can barely survive.” While some go out to protest in Egypt, others stay at work. They have to. They can’t afford to stop working. The L.A. Times notes the disparity that’s keeping some away from the protests changing the character of the 80-million-strong nation, in a pretty fascinating piece about a guy named Milad Zari, a baker who’s still at work because he makes a paltry $90 a month working 14-hour days. Zari’s been at work in his position for two decades, not asking questions about his future. And so are a lot of others. Many don’t have the luxury to protest and are stuck making bread instead. Remember that the people protesting are giving up a lot to be out there, and for every person protesting, there are numerous others like Zari, who simply can’t. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 19:46

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World: Residents of Cairo defending their stuff with kitchen knives

  • Cairo neighborhoods are being policed by local residents wielding kitchen knives and hunting rifles, after the military called for civilians to protect their own property.
  • A recent update from al-Jazeera’s live blog • Which we really have nothing to add to, other than to hope that these residents stay safe this evening in the wake of great danger. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 19:36

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World: Egypt protests turn deadly after police station attacks

  • 17 protesters killed while attempting to attack two police stations source
  • » What happened: The attacks, which happened in two separate police stations in towns within the Beni Suef Governorate south of Cairo, also led to dozens of other injuries. The attacks are part of a spate of widespread retaliation against police officers, who are hated because of their brutality – a major contrast between what’s happening with the military – with which no major spats have been reported.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 12:19

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World: Influential Muslim cleric: Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak must go

  • President Mubarak … I advise you to depart from Egypt … There is no other solution to this problem but for Mubarak to go.
  • Influential Arab cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi • Claiming that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is “blind, deaf and dumb” to criticisms about his leadership. Al-Qaradawi, a Sunni Muslim cleric who holds dual nationalities in Egypt and Qatar, says Mubarak should follow in the footsteps of Ben Ali in Tunisia: “There is no staying longer, Mubarak, I advise you (to learn) the lesson of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali,” he said. While he supports the protesters, he says that they “must come through peaceful means” that don’t attack state institutions. The cleric, by the way, is seen as controversial in much of the world for his sometimes-radical views, and while he’s famous in the Middle East, the U.S. and Britain refuse to grant him visas to enter their countries. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 11:44

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World: Two presidencies, two tactics: How Obama, Bush handled Egypt

  • 2005 In the wake of protester arrests, and emphasizing free elections, Condoleeza Rice angered Egyptian leaders with this statement: “For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East, and we achieved neither.”
  • 2009 Obama made his own speech in Cairo, emphasizing “the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed” and “confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice” while noting “there is no straight line to realize that promise.”  Mubarak’s folks were thrilled. source
  • » Ultimately, though: While these American statements resonated with the leadership, they didn’t really resonate with the people of the country, who are working from their own muse. And based on the current deck of cards, the U.S. may have trouble holding any influence at all due to their history with Egypt: “It’s not clear to me that the protesters will take seriously expressions of solidarity from a country that’s been backing autocratic regimes,” said the International Crisis Group’s Robert Malley, who suggests that American leaders will back themselves into a corner if they say anything, whether supportive of Mubarak or the protesters.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Jan 2011 11:05

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U.S., World: Dear Obama and co.: Egypt doesn’t need reform; it needs change

  • By nightfall, it seemed clear that only two events could end their revolution: a massive use of force by the Army or Mr. Mubarak’s yielding of power. The United States should be using all of its influence – including the more than $1 billion in aid it supplies annually to the Egyptian military – to ensure the latter outcome. Yet, as so often has happened during the Arab uprising of the past several weeks, the Obama administration on Friday appeared to be behind events.
  • An editorial by The Washington Post • Offering up their take on the situation in Egypt, and the Obama administration’s response. It’s worth noting, by the way, that there appears to be a point where the U.S. was far ahead of the game in Egypt – they helped a young dissident, who was helping to plot an uprising for 2011, all the way back in 2008. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo gave him the opportunity to go to the U.S. to attend a summit for activists. So clearly, this whole thing has been on American radars for a while. But, the problem is that the Obama administration appears to be arguing for a situation which doesn’t match the reality in Egypt. Reform isn’t the problem here. Mubarak could have reformed a long time ago. He’s been in office three decades, though. That’s too long for any world leader, no matter how beloved. Instead, this is something else entirely.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 10:39

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World: Egypt death toll estimates: Three sources, three different numbers

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 10:24

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World: Some Egypt details from the U.S. State Department’s scorecard

  • yes While not fully operational, U.S. intelligence notes that mobile phone service has been partially restored in the country. (Whew.)
  • yes Turkish Airlines confirms that it’s still operating in Egypt, but other flights (the Delta flight from JFK to Cairo) are no longer taking place.
  • no Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not allow any of his country’s officials to speak on the crisis in Egypt. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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