Egypt: Instant Analysis
Today is Tuesday, 1 February 2010.
So, the board of directors of Egyptian Military, Inc. (EMI) has told the Chairman that, for the good of the corporation, it’s time to let another general have a turn.
I’ll have to wait for a final translation of Mubarak’s speech of a few minutes ago, but in one section he seemed to suggest that presidential elections, which are scheduled for September, should be expedited. Were I advising the EMI board, I’d probably suggest this. The sooner the election is held, the better for them, since the opposition movements would have less time to prepare. The fact that the EMI’s political arm, the National Democratic Party, controls 82.6% of the seats in the lower house of Parliament, can’t hurt.
Much will depend on whether or not Mubarak’s not standing for re-election satisfies most of those who’ve risen, or whether they will continue the uprising, demanding significant disestablishment of EMI.
In this regard, see an article in today’s The New York Times, regarding the parlous state of the Egyptian economy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01economy.html?hpw
So, the board of directors of Egyptian Military, Inc. (EMI) has told the Chairman that, for the good of the corporation, it’s time to let another general have a turn.
I’ll have to wait for a final translation of Mubarak’s speech of a few minutes ago, but in one section he seemed to suggest that presidential elections, which are scheduled for September, should be expedited. Were I advising the EMI board, I’d probably suggest this. The sooner the election is held, the better for them, since the opposition movements would have less time to prepare. The fact that the EMI’s political arm, the National Democratic Party, controls 82.6% of the seats in the lower house of Parliament, can’t hurt.
Much will depend on whether or not Mubarak’s not standing for re-election satisfies most of those who’ve risen, or whether they will continue the uprising, demanding significant disestablishment of EMI.
In this regard, see an article in today’s The New York Times, regarding the parlous state of the Egyptian economy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/world/middleeast/01economy.html?hpw
posted by HH at 3:41 PM
3 Comments:
HH - Do some "Compare and Contrast"
Instant Analysis = Snap Judgement?
Instant Analysis = Superficial Judgement?
Instant coffee = Substandard
Instant Analysis = Substandard?
For back at ya
A deliciously snarky post. However...
If you are tracking the media reports and analysis coming out of Egypt, it appears that HH nailed it in an elegant (mathematically speaking) post. NPR reports of the Egyptian military as a hiring agency and engine of the economy since the '73 war are that the Egyptian army owned and run businesses comprise between 5% and 40% of GDP. The generals are reportedly making billions of dollars from these military investments.
Hope the US will not back the VP, General Omar Suleiman (he was partner to the US renditioning, quite the swell fella)... note this snip from NYT article "West Backs Gradual Egyptian Transition" 2/5/11:
Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, the secretary general of the opposition Wafd Party, said that in a meeting with Mr. Suleiman on Saturday, the vice president told him that Mr. Mubarak’s leaving early “was out of the question.” He also ruled out any transfer of Mr. Mubarak’s responsibilities.
Mr. Abdel-Nour said that he brought up the possibility of repealing Egypt’s emergency law, which allows the authorities to arrest people without charges. According to Mr. Abdel-Nour, Mr. Suleiman responded: “At a time like this?”
More at link http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/world/middleeast/06egypt.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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