Egypt, From All Perspectives

Lately, Egypt has been appearing all over the news. What has been happening? All the unrest began with the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia. As Tunisia's government ignored its economic disaster and unemployment of youth, all those unemployed youth began to band together. Protesting together the Tunisian youth defeated their dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They may not have a government yet, but the Tunisians feel a great sense of hope and freedom for their country. When Tunisia's tale of freedom reached the headlines, similar Egyptian protests began. The youth feel ignored by the 30-year regime of President Hosni Mubarak. Growing chaos has been continuing over the past week and a half. Mubarak has already decided not to run for re-election, chosen his successors, and now it seems like he has three choices. He can resign, go into exile, or really die. If he does not, things may just get worse.

To an Egyptian, the story is quite heroic. They may believe that it goes down in the history of great protests. Egyptians may believe that this is their American Revolution, a war of independence. It must give the unemployed hope that the cost of food and fuel may finally drop. Young Egyptians do not believe that their country is falling apart. Instead, they feel that they are rising up against the totalitarian, wealthy government. In their opinion, protests are the only way their voice can be heard.

Israelis have something to fear. Change in Egypt may be good, but only time can tell. Anti-Israel Hesbalah just took power in Iran. China and Russia are supporting the Iran nuclear program. Israel is in the middle of a turning neighborhood. Egypt can hold a democratic election, but elections in Gaza only resulted in Hamas gaining power. If a anti-Israel, extremist leader takes over Egypt, we can know for sure that the peace that has been installed since 1978. A glimmer of hope is the fact that Hosni Mubarak was thought to have revoke that peace thirty years ago. Egypt may just surprise Israel. What can they do now? Netanyahu can only check with Mubarak if the peace is still prevalent. All they can do is to have the defense forces ready to go.

Americans are caught in the middle on Egypt. To start, Americans have always supported democratic change in the Arabic world. Our core values of the state department is to encourage peaceful shifts of power. Egyptians are protesting for election. There may be violence along the way, but they are truly just fighting for freedom. Protesting allowed our nation to break away from King George and England. On the other hand, Mubarak has consistently stopped Al-Qaeda. He has caught thousands of terrorists and given intelligence to the United States. Egypt could elect someone just as anti-America as Bin Laden. Also, the economic influence of Egypt has a lot to do with the United States. The Sumed pipeline and Suez Canal reduce a cargo ship's journey by over 6,000 miles. Blockage could forces gas prices to skyrocket to almost five dollars per gallon. Just like Israel, only time can tell America's future.

Speaking of the future, the entire Arab world may be on the brink of major change. Tunisia was successful. If Egyptian protesters get their victory, similar situations could begin in Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Dictators in these countries fear their futures. New leaders in these countries bring the same fear that Americans and Israelis feel about the rebellion in Egypt. To a citizen of these countries, they must feel hope. Before Tunisia, no Arab country's people could take down their leader. Now, they feel they can. Good or bad, the Arab world is in line for an awakening.


To me, the change could be good or bad. I agree more with the Israeli policy than the American. Israel may lose its only friendly neighbor. With the recent reports of Lebanon, Egypt and Lebanon could team up to take down their neighbor. These protesters are not rioting in support of terrorism. All these Egyptians want is to secure their economy and future. I believe that another peace maker could greatly improve Egypt. Too many times, we associate Muslim and Arab countries with terrorism. Mubarak is not a terrorist. Anwar El Sadat was not either. As I write this, the sun is preparing to set in Egypt. Maybe there is something wonderful out on the horizon.