Crisis in Egypt

Inspired by the people of Tunisia who have recently overthrown their government, the Egyptians are protesting Hosni Mubarak's 30 year rule of their country. After days of protesting, Mubarak announced that he had fired his cabinet, and that he recognized the demand for political and economic reforms. This did not satisfy the protesters,and clashes continue around Liberation Square. The protesters had planned a peaceful march, and the government announced that they would not fire on those taking part. While the police surrounded the protest, nothing violent was happening to the protesters, and it seemed like things would work out. On February 1, Mubarak announced that he would not be running for another term, thinking that this would satisfy the demands of his opposition, but this was not the case. They waved their shoes in the air (an insult in the Arab world), and vowed their protests wouldn't stop until Mubarak quit the presidency. The next day things got violent as pro- and anti- Mubarak protesters battled each other in Liberation Square, using rocks, chunks of concrete, and Molotov Cocktails as weapons. Anti-Mubarak protesters claim that the pro-Mubarak protesters include plainclothes police officers encouraged by the government to fight. Recently, there have been multiple attacks on American journalists and citizens in Egypt. To help stem the spread of revolution early on, the government shut down the internet.

Honestly, the whole crisis in Egypt scares me a lot. Under Mubarak's rule, Egypt made peace with Isreal, and gave Americans an ally in a place where we have few. While he may not have been the best ruler in the world, it is beneficial to the United States to have him in power. With Mubarak out of power, who's to say that a radical anti-American group doesn't gain power under the cloak of democracy? While the revolution may be a great thing for the Egyptians, how will it affect us Americans? We can only hope for the best I suppose.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/03/egypt.protests.timeline/index.html?hpt=T1