Peeled curtain ► system collapse

The military has a job, it is there to protect its people, defend the welfare of the state and uphold the country's independence. That's all. Funding is crucial but who lays down the terms?

Joscelyn Jurich writes:

"Surely, if the United States truly supports democracy and human rights in Egypt, there is nothing to hide in revealing precisely how this funding is being used."

Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joscelyn-jurich/us-military-funding-to-eg_b_794536.html Joscelyn Jurich Adjunct professor at NYU and freelance journalist

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8977604/Prominent-Egyptian-blogger-Alaa-Abdel-Fattah-freed-after-two-months.html

 "I never expected to repeat the experience of five years ago," El-Fattah wrote. "After a revolution that deposed the tyrant, I go back to his jails?"

With the release of high profile activist Alaa AbdelFattah a new phase emerges. Although the charges have not been dropped, his release nevertheless contributes considerably to overall morale, especially that of peace-loving protestors and hopeful citizens. With so many more still awaiting release from incarceration and respite from military sentencing the end-game has not even begun to play itself out. The release of Alaa however, whether a mere tactical ploy or not can only give hope to all who remain adamant and true to the general ethos of the revolution, to the ideology of 'change'~ change which is steadfast in its pursuit for radical improvement; change  embracing the complexity of the Egyptian plight in general.

http://emajmagazine.com/2011/07/01/yes-we-can-publish-carlos-cartoons/

Mark Levine, professor of history at UC Irvine writes about "living the truth" against systems whose "main pillars" were: "... Living a lie...  

'If there is a better description of the war between protesters and the SCAF in Egypt right now I have not read it. But Havel also realised that enabling everyone to peer behind the curtain does not guarantee that they are ready or willing to do so. Living within the truth is extremely hard, and as he was at pains to point out, the rewards for the individuals who are the avant-garde of such truthful living are usually prison, torture and/or death.'

Read more: 

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/12/2011122511152322875.html

flotsam and jetsam

With wreckage of a former regime still visible ...

and goods thrown overboard to lighten the load ...

Which tentacle will manage to grab the goods and more importantly will it know what to save?

Will it be able to exercise change?

This blog is one mainly set up for morale and one leading outwards from the heart; from nothing more than modest intuitive response. Global enhancement is only made possible through the endeavour to put all bias aside and listening to the opinions and views that are held all around the world. 

The extreme religious implications that inundate Egyptian thought today, be they for a party or against, be they rational or fanciful, are all nevertheless still only implications. The political agenda involved is transparent; all religion itself is not up for debate even when crudely dragged along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlxmn6dNUbs&feature=player_embedded# 

(link in Arabic)

Egyptians who know their history may veer towards or against one party or another but they will always bear a small part of independence in their hearts. This quintessential grain of self-government would be the saving grace حفظ النعمة

For that to flourish and blossom in the years to come we need to adhere to basic principles of inherent faith:

Hope not despair

Tolerance not bias

And perhaps most important of all:

~in times such as these~

Thought and not fear.

In the spirit of further metaphoric speculation:

Are all the chambers full in the present Egyptian 'Russian Roulette'?

The following article is one that bases itself upon comparative perspective, raising practical issues that are highly relevant:

Joshua A. Tucker

in Al-Jazeera Opinion

'Assuming that Egypt is in for a rough time economically once this political transition gets resolved, the incredibly interesting question is what effect this will have on the popularity of the different political forces. Will the Islamist parties play the role of the post-communist "New Regime" parties, essentially taking ownership of the economy once they come to power? Or will the liberal parties - like the actual liberal "New Regime" parties in post-communist countries - bear the brunt of an electorate discouraged about the state of the economy because of their association with market reforms? Or is it possible that if the military continues to meddle in politics "Old Regime" forces will be blamed for poor economic conditions out of a belief that the military is really still calling the shots?'

Read more: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/12/2011127111524244220.html

cg:amiraT