Today Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak stepped down after nearly 30 years in power. This marks a watershed in Middle Eastern history, for the movement that got rid of him was both broad based among the people and nonviolent.
I have said for some time that what the Arab world needs is a Gandhi, someone who could show them the way forward without extremism and bloodshed. It appears they have gone that one better, adopting methods of peaceful civil disobedience pioneered by the Indian Mahatma and used so effectively in the United States by Martin Luther King, Jr. without the presence of a single galvanizing leader. Instead, their organizing prowess seems to have come via a plethora of activists by electronic communications, web social networking and plain old word of mouth.
Remarkably, the only significant violence in the entire eighteen-day protest fest came from regime thugs beating many and killing a few in their futile attempt to intimidate peaceful demonstrators. Of great importance, the Egyptian Army stood as a bulwark against official repression and moved into position to protect the people. Now that it has been entrusted with control of a transition government, all eyes will be upon the generals to see what happens next. It cannot be forgotten that Egypt has been ruled successively by generals since 1956 under Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak.
Hopefully, their performance of the past weeks will serve as prologue for what happens next. The joyous throngs celebrating throughout Egypt are full of optimism, at least for the moment. Perhaps the people will have their way and a democratic wave will spread across the Middle East. If we're going to dream, why not dream big?
1 comment:
Reader Miriam asks if an Iran-style successor regime is in the offing. I respond that while nothing in the Middle East is a sure thing, that is not a likely outcome in Egypt. A fundamentalist theocracy would go against almost every trend Egypt has followed since its modern independence.
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