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Originally Posted by transplant99
Wasn't all that bad compared to what though?
No he isn't among the Pol Pot/Adolph Hitler group of loonies, but there is an extensive list of human rights abuses under his watch that a place like Amnesty International would have a book the size of New York on.
Mubarek was good for Israel, and for helping maintain stability in that part of the mid-east. He was good for the USA as an ally and a geo-political station.
He was NOT good for the people of Egypt however. Not in the least. That's why they decided enough was enough.
There was no such thing as a democracy under his rule either. You couldnt hold office there if you didnt run under his parties banner. (New Democratic party ironically). He quelled many an uprising in the past with violence, its just that this time it was way way to big for him and his security guys to stop. Remember that the citizens of Egypt have tried this in spots in the past only to be thwarted by his "police" force. The uprising in 2008 the most recent organized one.
Though Mubarek lost the military this time, he still had his guard on hand and we saw that last week when the protestors were attacked repeatedly.
I have said all along that although he has to go as it is what the people want, Mubarek was also a guy that could keep things from falling into total chaos and allow time for things to happen. That's not the case any longer.
I think some serious questions have to be answered soon. Who is running things and are decisions made as a group or is the military command doing as they wish? Freedom for the first time is an intoxicating feeling and we have to hope that it doesnt translate to some form of anarchy.
Whatever happens from here on out however, this is a watershed moment for the entire region. Its a huge blow to groups like Al-Queda and whatnot unless they are able to get some of their guys elected moving forward. Should they not be able to do that, I suspect we start seeing suicide bombings of Egyptians all over the place much like in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Pakistan.
Though Mubarek is gone, the real ground work is only beginning.
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I think you make a lot of good points, but I disagree with you on some things:
1) I don't think that Al Queda type groups see this as a blow. Strong men like Mubarak actually do a lot to keep these groups at bay. A major reason for US support. With the removal of Mubarak this presents a large opportunity for groops like Al Queda and the Muslim Brotherhood to move their agenda forward. How succesful they are really depends on the Egyptian people and whether they are willing and/or able to stop islamic fundamentalism from spreading.
2) I think that although Egypt was by no means a democracy, it was a
relatively liberal country in the region with some democratic freedoms that simply don't exist in some other countries in the region. Yes there were many human rights abuses, but if you look at things on a per capita basis compared to other countries in the region, it makes Egypt look...well not quite as bad.
3) I think you exaggerate the people's disatisfaction with Mubarak himself. I think a large part of the reason for the protest was economic. Will the next government be able to solve these same problems? Probably not, at least not quickly. The question, once again, remains: how will the Egyptian population respond to this adversity?