EGYPT: Day of anger suggests a new protest scene driven by youth, free of ideology

[struggle4progress]

... First, the timing was inspired by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia. The unrest in Tunisia prompted citizens in other Arab countries, such as Algeria, Jordan, and Yemen, to take to the streets demanding their economic, social and political rights. There was an expectation that the uprising might loosen the grip of security apparatuses on the citizens of other Arab countries, and this became a reality as the Egyptian protests emerged as the most profound byproduct of the great Tunisian revolution.

Second, the citizens’ protests in Egypt were driven purely by domestic demands. No signs read “death to Israel, America, and global imperialism” or “together to free Palestine and Iraq.” In the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez the only slogans heard demanded change, freedom, social justice and a stop to corruption in Egypt—they weren’t mixed with regional matters. Egyptians are rediscovering that politics, before anything else, is concerned with citizens’ living conditions within the borders of the relevant nation-state.

Third, there was a complete absence of the ideological rhetoric that has dominated Egypt’s political and public space for many years. While the Muslim Brotherhood youth and some of their leaders participated in the protests, there were no signs saying, “Islam is the solution.” Similarly, activists from small leftist organizations attended, but the usual denunciations of global imperialism, colonialism, and Zionism were absent ...

Fourth, there was a record presence of youth in the protests. Egyptians have grown accustomed to the same political forces and opposition personalities in the streets, but this fundamentally changed. It was the youth unaffiliated with any political movement that formed the greatest bloc of protesters, showing that the recruitment and mobilization efforts of youth movements and societies have bridged the gulf between activists and the youth of the general public. Regardless of what transpires in the coming days, this is a welcome and dynamic development ...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/01/egypt-day-of-anger-suggests-a-new-protest-scene-driven-by-youth-free-of-ideology.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. Kids these days...

Watch out George AWOL Bush (R), you could get a Shoe Shower if you set your lying feet down in Tunis...

[Kolesar]

2. If bush was in office, he would be claiming it was because he bombed Iraq

Causing that "wave" of democracy across the "Middle East" that the neocons predicted.