Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

24 Nov 2011 11:32

tags

World: Egyptian military won’t give up power, won’t delay elections over unrest

  • We will not relinquish power because of a slogan-chanting crowd. Being in power is not a blessing. It is a curse. It’s a very heavy responsibility.
  • Egyptian Maj. Gen. Mukhtar el-Mallah • Emphasizing that the Egyptian military has no plans to relinquish power before the elections take place. Another general noted that, despite the recent unrest, the military had no plan’s to delay Tuesday’s parliamentary elections: “We will not delay elections. This is the final word,” said Gen. Mamdouh Shaheen, who, along with el-Mallah, is a member of member of the ruling military council.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Nov 2011 15:17

tags

World: Violence and protest continues in Tahrir Square

  • It’s not over: The events unfolding in Egypt of late are a striking reminder (and a very condensed sort of case study) in the perils of looking beyond or away from a nation after an ostensibly successful, popular revolution. All these months later, Egyptians are back in Tahrir Square, being beaten and killed as they call on the new ruling faction in Egypt, the military itself, to hold immediate elections. To date, a number estimated around 2,000 Egyptians have been injured in the neo-Tahrir protests, with at least 37 killed. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2011 20:50

tags

World: Egyptian violence heats up after Coptic Christian protests

  • Both sides blame the military for the escalation: While protests had roots in a conflict around a Christian church, the violence reached unprecedented heights, with at least 24 killed and 213 injured, and gruesome photos (which are on AP, but we won’t publish) telling the story of a devastating scene. “What happened today is unprecedented in Egypt. 17 corpses crushed by military tanks,” tweeted human rights activist Hossam Bahgat. “I saw bodies missing hands and legs, heads twisted away or plastered to the ground.” This Al Jazeera English clip above does a pretty decent job of explaining what led to the protests — the worst since the fall of Mubarak. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 17:41

tags

World: How are the protests against the Egyptian military paying off?

  • 669Egyptian police officers linked to Mubarak regime fired source
  • » Showing off at cleaning house: Going thousands strong, it’s easy enough to see that the Egypt’s ruling military council would want a means of positive P.R. to quell a protest movement (as well as less activist sections of the public) that’s clamoring for purges of Mubarak-connected officials. What effect this decision will actually have in the day-to-day matters of policing within Egypt is too hard to say right now, but that the military is taking any sort of giving posture speaks to the strength and legitimacy of continuing protests in Tahrir Square.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Feb 2011 10:27

tags

World: Egyptian Army: Sorry our soldiers got into it with you protesters

  • What happened late Friday was the result of unintentional confrontations between the military police and the youth of the revolution. … [We] did not and will not issue orders to attack the youth, and all measures will be taken to ensure this will not happen again.
  • Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces • Apologizing for a spate of attacks against protesters at Tahrir Square last night. The army, who claims that they did not order these confrontations, nonetheless is facing the spectre of new protests today from those angry about the army’s use of force. A number of protesters were also detained in Friday’s confrontations; the number bandied about has been somewhere around 20. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Feb 2011 22:08

tags

World: Did the Egyptian military use indifference as a power grab?

  • Let the military take over and protect you and Egypt. … We have confirmed reports that there are radical elements heading to cause internal strife. They have balls of fire and they want to start fire in the Tahrir (Liberation) Square.
  • A quote from Egyptian state television • Calling the protesters out at Tahrir Square “radicals.” The phrasing suggests that the tactic used against Egyptian protesters today (involving a bunch of pro-Mubarak supporters attacking the protesters that have been out all week, with the military standing idly by) was a ploy designed to give the military leverage over the situation. “The military’s refusal to act is a highly political act which shows that it is allowing the Egyptian regime to reconstitute itself at the top and is highly, utterly against the protesters,” says Kent State professor Joshua Stacher, who happens to be an expert on Egypt. The military is powerful; did they use that power to screw over the Egyptians? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Feb 2011 11:03

tags

Politics: Top military dude Adm. Mike Mullen: Great work, Egyptian military

  • So far, the Egyptian military have handled themselves exceptionally well. You can see that just from the pictures that have been displayed, in terms of how they have been accepted by their people.
  • Adm. Mike Mullen • Giving the kind of unguarded praise towards something in Egypt that we haven’t really seen lately from the Obama administration. But here’s some praise for the Egyptian military from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, via a podcast. Don’t hide it in code, Obama administration. Say what you mean. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jan 2011 22:31

tags

World: Egyptian troops to protesters: Don’t worry, we won’t hurt ya

  • now The Egyptian military, which enjoys a positive relationship with the Egyptian people, has stated that it will not use force against the protesters.
  • future What if President Mubarek orders them to fire regardless? Will they defy him? If so, that could be a critical blow to his efforts to retain the presidency. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2011 10:51

tags

World: Analyst: The military holds the cards for Egypt’s future

  • Although preparations I believe are being made by the top brass for a – in quotes – ‘respectable stepping down’ or ‘stepping aside’ of Mr. Mubarak, the military are aware that… this is a time for change. But I think they are also trying to protect themselves, and want to be very much part of the transition process.
  • Chatham House Middle East and North Africa specialist Maha Azzam • Discussing the military’s role in the Egyptian protests. While Hosni Mubarak holds onto power, it’s a very tenuous hold and one that could completely fall apart in the days to come, and the country’s powerful military is in a position best-suited to ensure the kind of leader that they want. Azzam also notes that while the lower rungs of the military appear to support the protesters, it’s not that way throughout the power structure. “In the upper echelons of the military,” he says, “we’re seeing continued support for the regime.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2011 19:46

tags

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
 
 
top tags
older >>