Cairo and other major cities in Egypt continued to seethe with protest-fueled unrest late Friday night as the government of President Hosni Mubarak worked feverishly to somehow neutralize a major challenge to its power. The protesters, emboldened by a successful uprising in Tunisia and rising protests in Yemen and elsewhere in the Arab world, seemed to have fought the much-feared Egyptian police — traditionally the enforcers of government policy — to a standstill. What that means and what comes next in the largest of the Arab states remains uncertain.
Given the current turmoil and the steps take by the government to minimize domestic and international communication, it is difficult to form an accurate assessment of events. It is obvious, though, that the protests are a serious threat to Mubarak and his ruling elite.
The protesters’ calls for political freedom, for an end to government corruption and for expanded economic opportunity for an increasingly young, educated and mobile population have struck a responsive chord. The unrest quickly spread from Cairo to other major cities — Alexandria, Suez and Port Said. The government’s response was swift and determined, but its effectiveness is uncertain.
By Friday, a curfew had been imposed on the country. Cell phone providers and social network sites like Twitter and Facebook — used by protesters to coordinate activities and to visually document what was taking place in the streets– had been shut down by government order. Still, the protests continued.
Reliable reports indicated that the headquarters of the nation’s ruling political party had been set afire and that some police units were either in retreat or openly celebrating with protesters in the streets. Mubarak obviously hopes a military presence will help quell the disturbances. That’s not a certainty. Many observers believe the military, or at least its rank and file, has more in common with the protesters and their cause than with their officers and the autocrats who rule the country. No one is certain, though, if they will act on those sympathies.
The situation in Egypt has global repercussions. Other long-entrenched Arab states’ governments surely are unnerved by the success of the protest movement and its rapid spread. Israel, officially at peace with Egypt, must be concerned, too. A new or revamped government in the country might not be as accommodating. If either occurred, it easily could upset the shaky equilibrium that now passes for stability in the region.
The United States can do little but watch and wait to see the outcome of the protests within its longtime ally. To take sides now is not a viable diplomatic option. On Friday, the White House and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged an end to the violence, suggested that it might be time for a review of the billions in aid the United States sends to Egypt, and issued travel warnings. Those are appropriate steps as Mubarak battles to maintain control in the face of a popular and powerful uprising.