Ottawa ON – After 18 days of unwavering resolve the protesters in Egypt have been rewarded today with President Mubarak’s resignation.
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This comes one day after the President said he would not step down but rather transfer the majority of his power to his Vice President. For the hundreds of thousands who gathered in Cairo this was not nearly enough. It was evident last night after the President’s remarks that the country was at a tipping point of a civil war. With increased pressure from the outside world and the thousands who gathered in front of his palace Mubarak finally made the right decision and stepped aside. é
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For the most part this revolution was peaceful. However, in the early days of this protest Mubarak tried to stifle them by shooting tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd. When a direct attack was being resisted and the images spread throughout the world on the internet and in the media the regime took a different approach. They decided to pay goons to act as a pro Mubarak counter-revolution. These hired hens attacked the anti-government protesters as well as the journalists from around the world.
For the most part this revolution was peaceful. However, in the early days of this protest Mubarak tried to stifle them by shooting tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd. When a direct attack was being resisted and the images spread throughout the world on the internet and in the media the regime took a different approach. They decided to pay goons to act as a pro Mubarak counter-revolution. These hired hens attacked the anti-government protesters as well as the journalists from around the world.
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This was the status quo for days and it appeared as though the outside worlds were starting to lose interest. Then a high level Egyptian executive, Wael Ghonim, was finally released after being detained for over a week. It was his interview after the release that reignited this revolution and put it on its path to overthrowing this repressive regime.
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The success of this revolution has been widely attributed to social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook. It was the young people in Egypt who utilized these tools to organize demonstrations and to broadcast the repressive acts of their government to the world. YouTube also played a role as a video was released showing a visibly unarmed man being shot down in broad daylight in the streets of Cairo.
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Egypt is and has been a country of major influence in the Middle East for decades. This fact has many wondering if this win for Egyptians and for the people of Tunisia will spark other revolts. Leaders of countries such as Syria and Yemen must be shaking in their boots for fear of the same revolt in their own countries.
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The military in Egypt, which has gained the support of the people by remaining neutral and showing a great deal of restraint, has taken power for now. A democratic election is being planned for later this year.
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Every year, with the introduction of new technology, the world becomes a smaller place. Anyone who has access to the internet in any country can be inspired by freedoms and the truths of other free populations throughout the world. This is why we could be seeing the end of dictatorships throughout the world as people are realizing when they band together in protest they are stronger than any regime or its army.
