Mubarak to step down early?

[Le Libérer]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41511355#41511355
Military Coup? Interesting.

[Tommy4ever]

I'm not sure about this.

On one hand I'm really glad that Mubarak has gone and I think the symbolic casting off of the old dictator will really help the current feeling surging across the Middle East that the people can bring down their tyrants. However, it seems that the army and the old regime are retaining power (just like in Tunisia). The problem is that I worry that after such a long struggle many Egyptians may well settle for this and just go home. That could bring the revolution to a shuddeing halt or atleast take away much of its momentum.

[Le Libérer]

From this newscast, they say the revolt is moving outside the square. They arent going to try to impose a crack down at this point. If they were going to craxckdown they would have done it before now.

[Sentinel]

Let's see what happens. The military leadership is part of the bourgeois state apparatus, so if they are in power now I'm sceptical about the final outcome when it comes to workers rights not to mention workers power. There have been exceptions --progressive officers like Chavez -- but this is generally the rule of thumb.

But we will see.

*Watching Al Jazeera English*

[Sasha]

Maybe I'm delusional but I have good hopes that the latest proposal of the demonstrators, president stepsdown, parliament disbands and an 3 person (one military, one judge, one civilian) committee takes power to transit to free and fair elections, is acceptable maybe even appealing to the military.

[Kalifornia]

Great, the Egyptian Military that relies on the US for military aid is taking power, I wonder whose interests the future rulling party will serve:sleep:

[Le Libérer]

Maybe I'm delusional but I have good hopes that the latest proposal of the demonstrators, president stepsdown, parliament disbands and an 3 person (one military, one judge, one civilian) committee takes power to transit to free and fair elections, is acceptable maybe even appealing to the military.

Thats why I find they calling it a military coup interesting. The Military has been short on stopping this revolt.

[Q]

I liked the read of the Weekly Worker's cover article today, I think the basic argument is still very much valid despite these latest developments: Revolution in permanence (http://www.cpgb.org.uk/article.php?article_id=1004267). A relevant quote:


On the other, Omar Suleiman, the hated Egyptian vice-president and former secret police chief, warns demonstrators to go home or else face the threat of an army "coup".

And


But it would be a dangerous illusion to believe that the army would never move to crush the demonstrators if ordered to do so. True, it would be very unlikely that those soldiers stationed now in central Cairo would be used in such an operation. Rather forces from other regions of the country would be called in, as happened in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

So yeah, the plan is simple: Mubarak goes, the regime stays. And of course it'll fail :)

Like the article concludes:


Bluntly, the only government we want at the moment is a very weak, very unstable, very temporary one - a government whose ability to stifle or repress the nascent working class movement is severely limited. In other words, we are for the revolution in permanence - as Marx and Engels originally meant it.

[Sentinel]

If this is what happened, as it would seem, the people that are celebating at the moment will get very angry. And then things might get ugly..

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

Meh, I think this is a coup designed to placate the protesters.

Mubarak may even be in on it himself. These protests have a huge impact on the Egyptian economy, including presumably businesses that mubarak or family members and friends own. Perhaps he wants to unload financial assets or otherwise enrich himself in a way he cannot as long as these strikes continue.

[Sasha]

Thats why I find they calling it a military coup interesting. The Military has been short on stopping this revolt.

Well, by all intents and purposes an military junta has been in place for the last two weeks (and more or less for the last 30 years) I think that any attempt to formalize that situation will lead to an cut in the military aid by the US as an formal coup would be very hard to sell to the international comunity. So I have good hopes that this will be earlier an phase to an smaller (but still significant) role than an bigger role for the military. It's not for nothing that a lot of policymakers have been proposing turkey (and maybe also Thailand) as an example too base the new constitution on with its role for the army as the defenders of the constitution. I would not be surprised if that would be indeed what the Egyptian people will end up with for now.
Unacceptable for revolutionary leftist but still an reformist improvement to the current dictatorship.

[Le Libérer]

The arrogance and delusion of grandeur this man has. Having 30 years of complete control and he thinks he is indestructible? I feel he did this to cause violence in the streets, to have a reason to take action against the Egyptian Revolutionaries. :cursing:

[Q]

Fireman Mubarak: Extinguishing fire by using gasoline.

If anything we should thank him for deepening the opposition and determination of the masses.

[Rusty Shackleford]

although, when mubarak falls(and he will, damnit!) the region will explode with revolutions. if the ouster of Ali caused egypt to revolt, then imagine what would happen if mubarak is kicked out.

[bcbm]

al jazeera blog reporting that mubarak is just looking for "an honorable way out" and that some mid-level military officers have been joining the protesters

[Hasek]

For sure Mubarak is going to leave. It is one of the principal puppets of the USA in Egypt, and with this insurrection, for sure they are not going to keep him in power, it would be counterproductive to mantain Mubarak. It is notable to point that when the workers have started their struggles and strikes (Only in the Suez Canal, 5 enterprises have their workers on the streets, demanding wages and democracy), Mubarak has gone out, Suleiman have said that please they have to return working, and the US is now very very worried. I don't know how is it going to end this, I really hope workers will start self-organizing with committes and assemblies... But it seems very interesting at all. Keep the eyes on Egypt!

PD: In Morrocco, they are going to do a demonstration on the 20th. If Mohammed VI falls, the protests are going to be supported by the inmigrants in Spain. Awesome how is it all connected!

[Q]

On a lighter note:

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/images/the_end_of_the_world.jpg
:lol:

[Die Neue Zeit]

December 21, 2012 is still quite a while away. :D