U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Egypt’s dictator Mubarak to make reforms and not to block peaceful protests. A similar uprising is imminent in Ethiopia. It is NOT a matter of if, but when. When it happens, hopefully the U.S. Administration, unlike during the 2005 uprising, will be on the side of the people of Ethiopia, and not with its puppet Meles Zenawi. The following is an editorial by the New York Times.
Mr. Mubarak Is Put on Notice
EDITORIAL, The New York Times
We sympathize with the frustration and anger that is drawing tens of thousands of Egyptians into the streets of Cairo and other cities this week, the country’s largest demonstrations in years. Citizens of one of the Arab world’s great nations, they struggle with poverty — 40 percent live on less than $2 a day — rising food prices, unemployment and political repression.
Inspired by Tunisia’s so-called Jasmine Revolution, they are demanding a government that respects its citizens’ voices and is truly committed to improving their lives. Tunisia’s revolution should be a warning to all rulers who cling to power for too long and ignore their people’s demands. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt clearly hasn’t figured that out.
After huge demonstrations on Tuesday, Egypt outlawed public gatherings on Wednesday — but a large number of protestors defied the order and called again for Mr. Mubarak’s ouster. According to news reports, the protestors came from all social classes and ideologies.
As authoritarian governments often do, the one in Cairo is deluding itself about the causes for the unrest, which had left two protestors and one policeman dead. Officials blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition movement, which is formally banned but tolerated. Even if the Brotherhood had a role — the group denies it; the truth seems more complex — it is easy to understand why Egyptians are fed up.
Mr. Mubarak, 82 and in ill health, has been in power for three decades and is believed to be trying to fix it so his son Gamal can succeed him in elections expected later this year. Government projects that were supposed to benefit the poor only end up enriching the elite. Parliamentary elections in November were widely seen as fraudulent. Security forces, which beat and arrested hundreds of protestors, are widely seen as corrupt.
This is a delicate moment for the United States and Egypt, a crucial partner in Arab-Israeli peace efforts.
Mr. Mubarak may still have a chance to steer his country on a stable path without sacrificing it to extremist elements. That will require ordering security forces to exercise restraint against the protestors and — even more importantly — quickly offering Egyptians a credible, more democratic path forward.
President Obama was right to move beyond his predecessor’s “democracy” agenda built around military intervention and empty rhetoric. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called publicly on Mr. Mubarak to make reforms and not to block peaceful protests. The administration needs to persuade him to accept the legitimacy and urgency behind the protests and begin talking to opposition groups. Egypt needs change. A peaceful transition would be best for everyone.
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Shameless U.S. double-talk. USA is complicit in the oppression of Arab peoples who are now rising up against their blood-soaked puppet regimes everywhere. Expect USA to throw Zenawi Meles away like a used **** also if any uprising takes a foothold in Addis.
“When it happens, hopefully the U.S. Administration, unlike during the 2005 uprising, will be on the side of the people of Ethiopia, and not with its puppet Meles Zenawi.”
Don’t hold your breath!
US admin is essentially the same no matter who is in the white house.
The sooner you get over the dem/rep paradigm or person-in-the-whitehouse-will-bring-change nonesense the better.
The president’s post is a puppet position. The sooner you realize that the better!
It is really un thinkable uprising will occure in ethiopia…it is absolutly impossible! We have learned from past experiance we will take every measure not to happen again we now know the heart of our people that is why we took measure I.e we minimize or reduce the coast of bread,meat,oil etc…if the people get basic need why would they demonstrate? Ethiopian people is getting tired of fight each now they only need bread & peace
“You either catch the wave or the wave will catch you” states the wise saying.
Them dictators wanted to catch the wave like always but this time the wave itself seems to have caught them because only diamonds are forever.
Most donors prefer to eagerly support the dictators like always so that they punch and catch the waves before the waves punch and catch them but this time the waves punched and caught even the donors who at the eleventh hour prefer to abandon the captured and near captured dictators in order to align themselves with the coming power to be. The eleventh hour of popular struggles are the nightmare critical points for dictator.
Is Saudi Arabia going to be the MECCA and MEDINA of all the dictators increasingly under assault in addition to being also the center of Islamic holy pilgrimage?
After decades of loyally serving the unilateral interests of foreign powers and accumulating unimaginable sums of wealth as the one of the top most richest man in the world, Mobutu Sese Seko of the Democratic Republic of the Congo(former Zaire)was even denied any reception by any significant donor countries far and near exactly at the eleventh hour when he was chased from power and needed a foreign friend’s welcoming hands, but was forced to hastily land in Morocco, a Muslim kingdom where he died disgracefully with all of his enormous wealth left spread and dispersed all over the world.
#4 you are realy HODAM. That is how u woyanes think-eat and everything alright
USA is trying to save there friend Mubarek systematically.
The people of egypt says :
mubarek must be down.
A reform is a form of cheating the people. USA is playing its dirty game as usual. Where were USA before the uprising?
A bad time for USA: No dictator firends are around in africa. Poor america!!!
YES uprising is imminent in Ethiopia BUT THE QUESTION IS WEATHER THE U.S GOVERNMENT WILL STAND WITH ETHIOPIANS.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT U.S GOVERNMENT WILL NEVER CALL ON MELESE ZENAWI not to block peaceful protests in Ethiopia. THE ONLY REASON MELESE IS IN POWER TODAY IS THAT HE IS AMERICAS PARTNER IN WAR AGAINST TERRORISM IN EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA.
WHO AMONG YOU REMEMBER THAT AMERICA BETRAYED THE ETHIOPIANS TWICE? IS THERE ANY REASON FOR U.S TO NOT BETRAY ETHIOPIANS FOR THIRD TIME? I DOUBT.
1st IN 1991 WHEN HERMAN COHEN ANNOINTED MELESE ZENAWI TO TAKE OVER ETHIOPIA WHEN DICTATOR MENGISTU HAILEMARIAM FLED TO ZIMBABWE.
2nd IN 2005 WHEN THE WOYANE REGIME LOST THE DEMOCRATIC ELECTION AND CLINGED TO THE POWER WITH BARREL OF GUN WITH THE HELP FROM U.S.
DO NOT CALL ME “THOMAS” FOR DOUBTING AMERICANS! I AM PURE ETHIOPIAN.
Andnet,
Meles is no difference from Mubarak…the Ethiopian people have been saying enough to the evil MELES and his gangster. For sure, the uprising will happen in Ethiopian. There is no peace and enough bread in Ethiopia. The bread will be out soon only the MELES gangster will get fatter for short time…till the hungry people open the locked door. Andent, open up your locked brain door and be a part of the revolution. Think independently, don’t be the other …….The Ethiopian people are not allowed to do what they think but what they told. Revolution should come now!!!
andnet,
I don’t know what planet you are from but the reason there may not be a revolt in Ethiopia is the population, much like the population of China, is cowed. Uprising in 2005 was crashed with a violent response with 100’s dead.
And even as it is the present generation will not find its spine.
Mubarak’s strategy, unlike the panicky Bin Ali and very much like PM Zen, is don’t give an inch,stick to it until the opposition start to exhaust then counter- attack!
It is going to be dirty, bloody and brutal in Egypt but in the end the ruling party will prevail.No body denies, including the Egyptian ruling party,that Egypt needs gradual reform and democratization but again an elected government, even-though a rigged one,and a government which has the support of the majority of Egyptian farmers and the military should not be overthrown by the demand of the minority(tech savvy upper middle class youngsters and Islamists) even-though they are demonstrating in millions. It is going to be bloody and it will take time but this movement will definitely be crushed.
After playing nicely so far, downplaying the demonstration and trashing it for three days the infamous Egyptian security apparatus is now warming up to show it’s real nasty side. They got what they have been waiting for, the Egyptian biggest opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, announced that it will join the Friday’s mass demonstration.The Muslim Brotherhood,though loved by the majority of Egyptians, is dubbed terrorist organisation by the US,Israel and Egypt. It’s members have significant sits in the Egyptians parliament having competed as independent candidates since the party is outlawed in Egypt.
Once the Muslim Brotherhood is in the mass demonstration tomorrow,stay tuned for the show down by the biggest security apparatus in Africa and the Middle East, funded by $3 Billion a year US tax payers money.
The latest news from Cairo is that the internet is already down in the whole of Egypt to disrupt the social media the demonstrators tapped to organize themselves. Any one who think what happened in Tunisia will repeat in Egypt will be surprised.According to regional analysts the American supported dictator, H.Mubarak, will easily crush this popular quest for democracy.
It is not easy to see if the uprising will crush Tyranny in Egypt. If one goes another is ready to replace it. US and Egypt’s apartheid neighbor have high stake to leave Egypt for democracy. May be, another marionette like Al-Baradie may take over.
The same is true for Ethiopia. Ethiopia is too important to leave it for democracy. A dictator who is willing to unconditionally serve the “West” should remain in power. The world is unfair and that is what seems to happen. I do not even think any opposition will be less dictatorial than Melese!