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07 Feb 2011 20:33

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World: Wikileaks cable: Israel favored Omar Suleiman to replace Mubarak

  • 2011 Omar Suleiman, a diplomatic figure closely associated with Hosni Mubarak (but mostly unknown to the Egyptian public) was appointed as Mubarak’s vice-president – and potentially leader-in-waiting – to the anger of many Egyptians.
  • 2008 A newly-released Wikileaks cable suggests that Israel heavily favored Suleiman were Mubarak to die or become incapacitated: “There is no question that Israel is most comfortable with the prospect of Suleiman,” the wire said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Feb 2011 10:52

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World: Egypt opposition organizers: “We are betting on the people”

  • The government played all the dirty games that they had, and the people persisted. We are betting on the people.
  • Shady el-Ghazaly Harb • Revealing himself in a public setting as one of the main organizers of the Facebook page that originally influenced the protests in Egypt. He and his group vow to escalate the movement, despite attempts by leadership to portray yesterday’s meeting with opposition as both sides coming together. At least three organizers had been held in extra-legal detention the night before and finally released.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2011 23:27

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World: Egypt: Google’s Wael Ghonim likely to see release tomorrow

  • They told us they’ll probably bring him to us, and that he will likely be escorted by security.
  • Egyptian Hazem Ghonim • Discussing the fate of his brother, Wael Ghonim, who will reportedly be released from Egyptian custody tomorrow. Wael, a Google executive, quickly became a lightning rod for the pro-democracy movement after his unexplained disappearance over a week ago. Turns out that Egypt targeted and arrested him. They had good reason – he was one of the catalysts for the Egyptian protests. “I said one year ago that the Internet will change the political scene in Egypt and some Friends made fun of me :),” he wrote on Facebook not long before his disappearance. Wael was one of the administrators for a key fan page used to organize the movement. But he’s one of many who have been arrested so far – the count is around 1,275, although most have been released. Hopefully, Wael will join them tomorrow – and be able to tell his story. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2011 20:38

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Politics: Obama on Egypt: He’s sure they’ll “work together with us.”

  • What I want is a representative government in Egypt and I have confidence that if Egypt moves in an orderly transition process, they will have a government in Egypt that will work together with us.
  • Barack Obama • Talking to Bill O’Reilly pre-Super Bowl. The conversation of course took a turn towards the Muslim Brotherhood, to which Obama had this to say: “But here’s the thing that we have to understand, there are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt, there are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt that wants to come to the fore as well. So it’s important for us not to say that our own only two options are either the Muslim Brotherhood or a suppressed people.” Obama wants to see an orderly transition that reaches everyone, not just Islamists or any other group, in hopes that the region doesn’t radicalize. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2011 11:25

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World: Muslim Brotherhood: We’re OK with Mubarak staying for now

  • We wanted the president to step down but, for now, we accept this arrangement as long as we feel there is a serious implementation.
  • Muslim Brotherhood senior leader Mohamed Saad El-Katatni • Revealing comfort with allowing Hosni Mubarak to stay in power of Egypt during a transition period. He said this after sitting down at a giant table with Vice President Omar Suleiman and other opposition leaders. The Muslim Brotherhood, currently barred from running in elections, joined the opposition late, eventually saying it shared their goals.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

05 Feb 2011 21:47

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World: Is this Google’s Wael Ghonim getting arrested in Egypt?

  • As you might remember, we expressed serious concern for Wael Ghonim, the head of Google’s Middle East marketing, in a post last week. He hasn’t been heard from since the end of January. This video, however, might provide a clue. It shows someone getting arrested by the Egyptian police who looks A LOT like Ghonim. Hopes and prayers, people. In other news, he’s been named the spokesperson of the April 6 opposition movement in absentia, in an attempt to get Egyptian authorities to release him to them. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2011 20:24

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World: ElBaradei: Egyptian protests could get bloodier in coming days

  • It might not be every day but what I hear is that they might stage demonstrations every other day. The difference is that it would become more angry and more vicious. And I do not want to see it turning from a beautiful, peaceful revolution into a bloody revolution.
  • Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei • Warning that the current spate of protests could get worse if things don’t change soon. While claiming the protests overall weren’t running out of steam, it may be tougher to do them every day as the workweek begins. This is what the Egyptian government appears to be hoping for – that the protesters, facing economic turmoil, will eventually go away. Up next: Omar Suleiman plans to meet with opposition leaders tomorrow. We’ll see what comes of that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Feb 2011 11:34

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World: How the U.S. hopes to shape Egypt’s transition from Mubarak

  • before Despite growing protests, the U.S. publicly showed in the past that it favored Hosni Mubarak to stay as Egyptian President.
  • now With growing pressure, Mubarak has possibly stepped down as his party’s leader*, but keeps his position as president, which the U.S. supports.
  • later The U.S. hopes to push for Omar Suleiman’s rise to power as part of a gradual transition, led by Suleiman, leading up to an election. source
  • » Update: There are conflicting reports on whether he actually stepped down from his party or not. We’ll keep you posted when we learn more.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2011 10:53

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World: In Egyptian “Rock Paper Scissors,” “human chain” beats “tanks”

The protesters, united in a line, effectively blocked the tanks from getting into Tahrir Square. Awesome. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2011 09:41

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World: Hillary Clinton: Transitioning to democracy can be risky

  • There are risks with the transition to democracy. (The) transition can backslide into just another authoritarian regime. Revolutions have overthrown dictators in the name of democracy, only to see the political process hijacked by new autocrats who use violence, deception, and rigged elections to stay in power, or to advance an agenda of extremism.
  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Regarding the pitfalls that Middle Eastern countries could face as they fight for democracy. This is true, yes, but is she saying it to convince others to be careful, or to dissuade less-committed democracy fighters in the region? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 
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