Egyptian Insurection

[Len Colby]

“CIA could save a lot of time, money and error by simply reading LewRockwell.com each week.”

[...]

He hardly the first person to suggest Suleiman as a possible successor as he falsely suggested. Others named him YEARS before Margolis.

Configuring Stability: But What About the Succession?

[…]

Publicly attuned Egyptians and other astute observers, however, put their money on domestic intelligence veteran Omar Suleiman.

Alterman, Jon B., "Egypt: Stable, but for How Long?"

The Washington Quarterly - Volume 23, Number 4, Autumn 2000, pp. 107-118

(A scan of a printout of the article is dated Sept. 18, 2000, the most recent source was dated May 18, 2000.)

The CIA has no reason to read Margolis' crap and if he really is an expert on Egypt, like he claims, he must have known that from at least about 10 years before his essay pundits had been naming Suleiman as Mubarak's likely successor.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Len Colby

[Jack White]

Could this be an example of a hologram use?

Any thoughts on the Pale Green Horse?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qjCP8DorGA

and many others. This one is short and repeats the image.

Others have the entire newscast.

Or could this be a CGI, even though it came from MSNBC?

Jack

[Len Colby]

Thanks Jack!! That was the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

[William Kelly]

The Revolution is on. Watch it live. Turn the sound up. They're singing and cheering.

Makeshift Tent City. Reminds me of Woodstock.

CBC News - World - LIVE: Crisis in Egypt

If only Bauazizi could see this.

Keep sounds of Live and view this slideshow of photos:

Massive Demonstrations as Mubarak Heads Out of Cairo - FoxNews.com

Edited February 11, 2011 by William Kelly

[William Kelly]

For those trying to keep score without a program.

Chronology of Crisisin North Africa and Middle East

1987 – Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali assumes power in Tunisiathrough a palace coup d'etat.

2008 – Official USreport estimates 50 percent of Tunisiaeconomy belongs to Ben Ali's family.

2010 - December 17 – Mohamed Bouazizi, an unemployed, educated 26 year oldset himself afire in front of a local municipal building. Bouazizi's producecart was confiscated by police for lack of a permit, and he was unable to meetwith corrupt government officials in order to obtain a permit. He is taken to a hospital near Tunis for treatment of histhird-degree burns. Bouazizi's act of desperation highlights the public'sboiling frustration over living standards, police violence, rampantunemployment, and a lack of human rights. The protests begin in Sidi Bouzid that same day.They quickly spread across the region, then the country.

http://english.aljaz...2223827361.html

2010

December 20: Mohamed Al Nouri AlJuwayni , the Tunisian development minister, travels to SidiBouzid to announce a new $10 million employment programme. Protestscontinue unabated.

December 22: Houcine Falhi, a22-year-old, commits suicide by electrocuting himself in the midst of anotherdemonstration over unemployment in Sidi Bouzid after shouting "No tomisery, no to unemployment!"

December 24: Mohamed Ammari, an18-year-old protester, is shot and killed by police during violentdemonstrations in the central town of Menzel Bouzaiene. Chawki Belhoussine ElHadri , a 44-year-old man, is amongthose shot by police at the same protest. Hundreds ofprotesters rally in frontof the Tunisian labour union headquarters over rampant unemployment, clashingwith Tunisian security forces in the central towns of al-Ragab and Miknassi.Skirmishes break out when security forces stage overnight crackdown campaigns.

December 25: Rallies spread toKairouan, Sfax and Ben Guerdane. An interior ministry spokesperson says policewere forced to "shoot in self-defence"after warning shots failed to disperse scores of protesters who were settingpolice cars and buildings ablaze.

December 27: Police and demonstrators scuffle as 1,000 Tunisians holda rally in Tunis, the capital, calling for jobs in a show of solidaritywith those protesting in poorer regions. Demonstrations also breakout in Sousse.

December 28: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the country's president, warnsin a national television broadcast that protests are unacceptable andwill have a negative impact on the economy. Ben Ali criticises the"use of violence in the streets by a minority of extremists" and saysthe law will be applied "in all firmness" to punish protesters.

The Tunisian Federation ofLabour Unions holdsanother rally in Gafsa province, which is squashed by security forces. Atthe same time, about 300 lawyers hold a rally near the government's palace in Tunis in solidarity with protesters.Lawyers march in several other cities as well. The governors of SidiBouzid, Jendouba, and Zaghouan provinces are dismissed for unspecified reasonsrelated to the uprising, according to the Pana news agency. The Tunisianministers of communication, trade and handicrafts, and religiousaffairs are all sacked for reasons related to the uprising, theArabiya news channel reports. Abderrahman Ayedi, a prominent Tunisianlawyer, is allegedly tortured by police after they arrest him for protesting.

December 29: Security forces peacefully break up ademonstration in the northeastern city of Monastir but allegedly use violencein the town of Sbikha. There are also reports ofpolice brutality in the town of Chebba, where one protester ishospitalised. Nessma TV, a private news channel, becomes thefirst major Tunisian media outlet to cover the protests,after 12 days of demonstrations.

December 30: Chawki Belhoussine El Hadri, shot by police six daysprior, dies ofhis injuries. France's Socialist Party, the mainopposition, condemns the "brutal repression" of the protesters,calling for lawyers and demonstrators to be released.

December 31: Lawyers across Tunisia respond to a call to assemblein protest over the arrested lawyers and in solidarity with the people of SidiBouzid. Authorities react to the protests with force, and lawyerstell Al Jazeera they were "savagelybeaten".

2011

January 2: The hacktivist group "Anonymous" announces Operation Tunisia in solidarity with theprotests by striking a number of Tunisian government websites with"direct denial of service" attacks, flooding them with trafficand temporarily shutting them down.Several online activists report onTwitter that their email and Facebook accounts were hacked.

January 3: About 250 demonstrators,mostly students, stage a peaceful march inthe city of Thala. The protest turns violent after police try to stop it byfiring tear gas canisters. At least nine protesters are reportedlyinjured. In response, protesters set fire to tyres and attack the local officesof the ruling party.

January 4: The Tunisian Bar Association announces a general strike tobe staged on January 6 in protest over attacks by security forcesagainst its members.

January 5: Mohamed Bouazizi, who launchedthe uprising by setting himself on fire two and a half weeks earlier, dies of self-inflicted burns. A funeral islater held for him in Sidi Bouzid, his hometown.

January 6: Reports suggest that 95 per centof Tunisia's 8,000 lawyers launch a strike, demandingan end to police brutality against peaceful protesters.

January 7: Authorities arrest a group ofbloggers, journalists, activists and a rap singer in a crackdownon dissent. Some of them reportedly go missing.

January 8: At least six protesters arereportedly killed and six others wounded in clashes with police in Tala, a provincial townnear the border with Algeria. Another three people werekilled in similar clashes in the Kasserine region. In Tala, witnesses saidpolice fired their weapons after using water cannons to try to disperse a crowdwhich had set fire to a government building. The crowd has also thrown stonesand petrol bombs at police.

January 9: Two protesters, Chihab Alibi andYoussef Fitouri, are shot dead by police in Miknassi,according to the SBZ news agency.

January 13: The Paris-basedInternational Federation for Human Rights tallies 66 deaths since theprotests began, and sources tell Al Jazeera that at least 13 people werekilled in the previous two days. The government's official toll stands at 23,after three and a half weeks of clashes. Later, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's president, makes a televisedaddress, announcing unprecedented concessions and vowing not to seekre-election in 2014. He pledges to introduce more freedoms into society,institute widespread reforms and investigate the killings ofprotesters during demonstrations. Formerly blocked or banned websitesreportedly become accessible.

January 14: Ben Ali imposes a state of emergency and fires the country'sgovernment amid violent clashes between protestersand security forces. He promises fresh legislative elections within six monthsin an attempt to quell mass dissent. State media reports that gatherings ofmore than three people have been banned and "arms will be used if ordersof security forces are not heeded." That night, reports fly that the armyhas seized control of Tunisia'smain airport and closed the country's airspace. Though members of his extendedfamily are reportedly arrested, Ben Ali manages to leave country by plane.Mohammed Ghannouchi, the prime minister, appears on state television toannounce that he is assuming the role of interim president under chapter 56 ofthe Tunisian constitution.

January 14: Ben Alireportedly flies first toward Malta, then Paris, before finally turning aroundtoward the Gulf, where he lands in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. French media report that Nicolas Sarkozy,the French president, refused to allow Ben Ali to land in his country.

January 15: SaudiArabia officially announces that it is hosting Ben Ali and his family for an unspecifiedperiod of time. The constitutional court, Tunisia's highest legal authority onconstitutional issues, rulesthat Fouad Mebazaa, thespeaker of parliament, should be interim president, not Ghannouchi. Mebazaatasks Ghannouchi with forming a new coalition government. The power vacuum leftby the departure of Ben Ali is exploitedby looters and violent gangs, who ransack grocery stores andexpensive manors belonging to the old regime, witnesses say. Residents inseveral parts of Tunis say that groups were prowlingthrough neighbourhoods at night setting fire to buildings and attacking peopleand property, with no police in sight.

January 16: Tension and uncertainty gripTunisia as military forces attempt to restore order. Imed Trabelsi, a nephew of Ben Ali's wife, reportedly dies in a militaryhospital in Tunis. He would have been the firstperson in the president's extended family to have died as a result of theuprising, but the Reuters news agency later reports on January 21 that Trabelsi hasactually been arrested. Salim Shayboub, Ben Ali's son-in-law, isalso reportedly arrested. Rafik Belhaj, Tunisia's former interior ministerand the man many held responsible for a police crackdownon protesters, is arrested and held in his home town of Beja in the north of thecountry.

WikiLeaksreleases a four-part series of US diplomaticcables that shows the United States knew about the extent ofcorruption and discontent in Tunisia and chose to support Ben Aliregardless.

January 17: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafisays heregrets the fall ofBen Ali, which has left the country in "chaos with no end in sight." Tunisia's prime minister promises to announcea new coalition government, hoping to maintain the momentum ofpolitical progress to ward off fresh protests and also undercut gunmen loyal tothe ousted president. Ghannouchi also announces widespread reforms, promisingpress freedom, the lifting of a ban on human rights groups operating in Tunisia, and the release of politicalprisoners. A newgovernment isannounced, but includes several Ben Ali loyalists in key posts - including thedefence, interior and foreign ministers - and few opposition members inlesser positions. Exiled opposition leaders cry foul, saying they've beensidelined in the new "unity" government, which favours members of theold guard.

January 18: Unhappy with the lineup ofthe new government, Tunisians take to the streets in protest. Anouar BenGueddour, the junior minister for transportation, resigns from the newly formedcabinet, as do Houssine Dimassi, minister of training and employment, andAbdeljelil Bedoui, a minister dealing with prime ministerial affairs. They areall members of a general national labour union. Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the newlyappointed health minister, says he is suspending his participation in thecabinet. Other opposition ministers threaten to quit, saying they do not wantto be in a government with members of Ben Ali's former ruling party, theConstitutional Democratic Rally (RCD). Ghannouchi and Mebazaa resignfrom the RCD in a bidto placate protesters.

January 19: The Swiss government orders a freeze on all funds held byBen Ali in Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey, the country'sforeign minister said. At the same time, prosecutors in Tunisia open an inquiry into theassets of Ben Ali and his extended family, the official TAP news agencyreported. Speaking to Al Jazeera in his first public remarks since theuprising, Gordon Gray, the US ambassador to Tunisia, calls the movement a"work in progress" and a "new phenomenon." The UN HighCommissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the UnitedNations plans to send a team of human rights officials to Tunisia to look into weeks of violenceand advise the new coalition government.

January 20: All ministersin the interim government quit Ben Ali's RCD partybut remain in their cabinet posts. The central committee ofRCD is dissolved, as many of the ministers were also committee members.

January 21: The first of a three-dayperiod of national mourning seesprotesters gather peacefully throughout the day in Tunis. They demand the dissolution ofthe new government as they honour those who who died in the unrest of previousweeks. In an effort to dampen the anger, Ghannouchi pledges to quitpolitics after legislative and presidential elections that he says will be heldas soon as possible.

January 22: Thousands of protesters take tothe streets yet again, continuingto ask for the removal of all RCD members from the interim government. Around2,000 police officers join the civilian protesters, calling for betterworking conditions and a new union and complaining about their association withBen Ali's repressive regime. Protesters break through barricades at the primeminister's office, but no violence is reported. The army and the justicedepartment are ordered to preserve any documents and evidence that can begathered so the old government can be implicated throughout the investigation. Rachidal-Ghannouchi, the leader of the formerly banned Islamist al-Nahda(Reinaissance) party and no relation to the prime minister, is still notallowed to return to Tunisia until a 1991 prison sentence islifted.

January 23: As the third and final day ofnational mourning begins, protesters are again expected to take to the streets,after former RCD government ministers showed no signs of resigning. Hundreds ofTunisians defy a nighttime curfew and travel hundreds of kilometres in whatthey call a "Liberation caravan" tojoin protesters in the country's capital, where anger at the interim governmentcontinues to grow. The country's state news agency reports that alliesof Ben Ali - Abdelaziz bin Dhia, Ben Ali's spokesman and chiefadviser, and Abdallah Qallal, a former interior minister and head of Tunisia'sappointed upper parliamentary house - have been placed under house arrest. Theagency also reports that police are searching for AbdelwahhabAbdalla, Ben Ali's political adviser, who has disappeared and that LarbiNasra, the owner of Hannibal TV and his son have been arrested onsuspicion of "treason" for working on Ben Ali's return from Saudi Arabia (where the deposedpresident currently is currently in exile). Nasra, the agencyreports, is related to Ben Ali's wife, Leila, and is accused of "using thechannel to ... create a constitutional vacuum, ruin stability and take thecountry into a vortex of violence that will bring back the dictatorship of theformer president."

January 24: Politiciansare negotiating the creation of a council to oversee the interim government.Its task would be to protect the "Jasmine" revolution that toppledBen Ali.

January 26: Clashesbreak out near government offices in the old city, or casbah, where riot policefire teargas at hundreds of demonstrators. The Tunisian General Labour Unionholds a general strike in Sfax, Tunisia'ssecond city and economic centre, and thousands demand that the governmentresign. Tunisiahas asked Interpolto help arrest ousted president Ben Ali and his family sothey can be tried for theft and currency offences, the nation's interim justiceminister said.

January 27: Tunisia'sforeign minister, Kamel Morjane, announces his resignation. The primeminister later announces a reshuffle of the cabinet, dropping keyministers from the criticised government of ousted president Zine ElAbidine Ben Ali.

February – 2011 – 1,000 thugs, paid by the former ruling RCDparty, ransack Kasserine, sparking demonstrations that spread.

Crisis Spreads to Egypt

http://www.telegraph...S-messages.html

Day 1 – Tuesday, Jan. 25:

– Protests begin in Egypt on the day Barack Obamadelivers his State of the Union address to Congress. He does not mention Egypt but does refer to protests inTunisia and says the United States "supports the democraticaspirations of all people". Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, gives thefirst high-level US response, saying, "Ourassessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways torespond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people."

Day 2 – Wednesday, Jan. 26:

Robert Gibbs, the White Housepress secretary, is asked whether the United States still backs Hosni Mubarak.His response: "Egypt is a strong ally.

Day 3 – Thursday, Jan. 27:

As protests spread, Joe Biden,the vice president, calls Mr Mubarak an ally on Middle East peace efforts and says:"I would not refer to him as a dictator." Mr Obama, in a YouTubeinterview, says reform "is absolutely critical for the long-term wellbeingof Egypt."

Day 4 – Friday, Jan. 28:

The White House says the United States will review $1.5 billion inaid to Egypt. Mr Obama speaks with Mr Mubarakafter the Egyptian president, in a televised statement, calls for a nationaldialogue to avoid chaos. Mr Obama says he urged Mubarak to undertake sweepingreforms "to meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people."

Day 5 – Saturday, Jan. 29:

After Mr Mubarak sacks hisgovernment and makes Suleiman vice president, State Department spokesman PJCrowley tweets that the Egyptian leader "can't reshuffle the deck and thenstand pat."

Day 6 – Sunday, Jan. 30:

Mrs Clinton, on televisiontalk shows, dodges questions about whether Mr Mubarak should resign but bringsthe term "orderly transition" into the official US message for the first time. "Wewant to see an orderly transition so that no one fills a void, that there notbe a void, that there be a well thought out plan that will bring about ademocratic participatory government," she tells "Fox NewsSunday."

Day 7 – Monday, Jan. 31:

Publicly, the White Housecontinues to call for democratic reforms but will not be drawn on Mr Mubarak'sfate. Mr Gibbs says: "We're not picking between those on the street andthose in the government."

Day 8 – Tuesday, Feb. 1:

The State Department ordersthe departure from Egypt of non-essential US government personnel andtheir families. Mr Obama says he spoke with Mubarak after the Egyptian leaderpledged in a television address not to seek re-election. He says he toldMubarak that "an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must bepeaceful and it must begin now."

Day 9 – Wednesday, Feb. 2:

US officials are vague whenpressed on whether Mr Obama's call for an immediate transition of power meansthe United States wants Mr Mubarak to step downbefore September elections.

Day 10 – Thursday, Feb. 3:

Mrs Clinton calls on theEgyptian government and opposition "to begin immediately seriousnegotiations on a peaceful and orderly transition".

Day 11 – Friday, Feb. 4:

The White House calls for"concrete steps" toward an orderly transition but again stops shortof demanding Mr Mubarak's immediate resignation.

Day 12 – Saturday, Feb. 5:

Mrs Clinton says the United States backs a transition processled by Omar Suleiman, and that it must be given time to mature. She warns thatradical elements may try to derail the process. Mr Obama's envoy in the crisis, Frank Wisner, says it is critical thatMubarak stays in power for the time being to manage the transition. The StateDepartment and White House quickly disavow his comments, saying Mr Wisner spokein a private capacity.

Day 13 – Sunday, Feb. 6:

Mr Obama says Egypt "is not going to go backto what it was" and tells Fox News he is confident an orderly transitionwill produce a government that will remain a US partner.

Day 14 – Monday, Feb. 7:

Mr Gibbs says: "The United States doesn't pick leaders of othercountries."

Day 15 – Tuesday, Feb. 8:

Mr Biden speaks with MrSuleiman, stressing US support "for an orderlytransition in Egypt that is prompt, meaningful,peaceful, and legitimate." Robert Gates, the defence secretary, says Egypt's military has behaved in"an exemplary fashion" by standing largely on the sidelines duringthe demonstrations.

Day 16 – Wednesday, Feb. 9:

After appearing to throw itssupport behind a transition process led by Mr Mubarak's new vice president, MrSuleiman, Washington shows growing irritation,saying it has still not seen "real, concrete" reforms. The WhiteHouse steps up pressure on Mr Suleiman after coming under fire for not callingon Mr Mubarak to step down immediately.

Day 17 – Thursday, Feb. 10:

Mr Obama says EgyptianPresident Hosni Mubarak's statement that he will not hand over power to hisvice president is not enough to meet the demands of protesters clamouring fordemocratic change. Amid widespread reports that Mr Mubarak was likely to stepdown, US officials said earlier MrObama was closely following the "fluid situation" in Egypt while on a trip to Michigan. Leon Panetta, the CIA director, tells acongressional hearing on Thursday that the situation in Egypt is fluid and will depend onwhether Egyptian leaders and the opposition are making the "rightdecisions at the right moments.

"There's a stronglikelihood that Mubarak may step down this evening, which would be significantin terms of where the, hopefully, orderly transition in Egypt takes place," he said.

Day 17 – Friday, Feb. 11:Protesters angry at Mubarak's decision to stay in power until Septembersurround State TV and media building and Presidential Palace. Mubarak andfamily flee Cairo to seaside resort home at Sharm.

Edited February 11, 2011 by William Kelly

[William Kelly]

The Revolution is on. Watch it live. Turn the sound up. They're singing and cheering.

Makeshift Tent City. Reminds me of Woodstock.

CBC News - World - LIVE: Crisis in Egypt

If only Bauazizi could see this.

Keep sounds of Live and view this slideshow of photos:

Massive Demonstrations as Mubarak Heads Out of Cairo - FoxNews.com

They are now having prayer, (10:45-11am EST) and the square is packed, wall to wall and the streaming video, with no talking heads or reporters, just shows what's happening on the square from

a panning camera in a highrise building.

I have a feeling that after prayer they will march on the TV station or do something radical.

[John Simkin]

President Hosni Mubarak resigned two minutes ago.

[William Kelly]

President Hosni Mubarak resigned two minutes ago.

Today's Chronology:

February 11, 2011 - Egyptian Independence Day.

Day 18 –Friday, Feb. 11: Protesters angry at Mubarak's decision to stay in power untilSeptember surround State TV and media building and Presidential Palace. Mubarakand family flee Cairo to seasideresort home at Sharm.

Update at 6:14 am. ET: Protesters at Cairo's Tahrir Square have finished Fridayprayers, but it is unclear whether they will continue their demonstration thereor march to other locations.

Update at 6:18 am.ET: In Cairo, thousands of demonstratorsare blocking access to the building housing state TV, Al-Jazeera reports, keeping some employees and guests from reaching the station. Al-Arabiya TVquotes witnesses in the Egyptian city of Suez as saying protesters therehave seized control of some governmental buildings.

Update at 6:38 am. ET: Oppositionleader Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate, says in a statement on Twitter that the "entire nationis on the streets." "Only way out is for regime to go," hetweets. "People power can't be crushed. We shall prevail. Still hope armycan join"

Update at 8 am. ET: AlJazeera TV reports that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is preparing toissue its third statement in two days regarding the transfer of power.

Update at 8 am. ET:Egypt's military is supportingPresident Mubarak's plans for a transfer of power, but is not preventinghundreds of thousands of protesters to demonstrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo and to gather outside boththe presidential palace and the building housing Egypt state TV, the AssociatedPress reports.

Update at 8:23 am. ET: President Mubarak and his family have leftCairo and are now in his Red Sea residence in Sharmel-Sheikh, CBS News, NBC and Al-Arabiya TV report.

Update at 8:39 am. ET: Denmark's prime minister has becomethe first European Union leader to publicly urge President Hosni Mubarak to step down."Mubarak is history, Mubarak must step down," Lars Loekke Rasmussensaid Friday in Copenhagen, the Associated Presssreports

Update at 9:14 am. ET: The Associated Press quotesa local official in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikhas confirming that President Mubarak is there.

Update at 9:36 am. ET: Egypt state tv says to expect astatement shortly from the presidential palace, Reuters reports. V.

Update at 9:51 am.ET: Al-Jazeera reports that twohelicopters have arrived at the presidential palace ahead of a statement by thepresidency. Tens of thousands of protesters have surrounded the building in apeaceful demonstration.

Update at 10:04 am. ET: Crowdsmove in large numbers from Tahrir Square in Cairo to the presidential palaceahead of an "urgent and important" statement from the presidency.Thousands of other have gathered outside Egypt state TV

Update at 10:08 am. ET: Reuters,quoting witnesses, reports 1,000 protesters in the north Sinai town of El-Arish have exchanged gunfire andtossed firebombs at a police station

Update at 10:16 a.m. ET:Al-Jazeera TV reports thatone person has died and 20 injured when a police station in north Sinai town ofEl-Arish came under small arms fireduring protests.

Update at 10:42 a.m. ET:Reuters quotes a U.S. official as describingMubarak's departure from Cairo as a "positive firststep."

Update at 11:03 a.m. ET: HossamBadrawi, who was recently appointed general secretary of the NDP, resignssaying Egypt needs new parties,Al-Jazeera reports.

Update at 11:05 a.m. ET: EgyptianPresident Hosni Mubarak has resigne.d Vice President Omar Suleiman said in abrief televised statement. His statement in full: "Hosni Mubarak haswaived the office of presidency and told the army to run the affairs of thecountry. "

Update at 11:08 a.m. ET: Hundredsof thousands of demonstrators erupted in jubilation in Tahrir Square as vice president OmarSuleiman announces that President Mubarak has resigned and called on the armyto "run the affairs of the country."

Update at 11:15 a.m. ET: Egyptianopposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, reacting to the resignation of PresidentHosni Mubarak, says: "This is the greatest day of my life. The country hasbeen liberated."

Update at 11:22 a.m. ET MSNBC reports that PresidentObama was notified of Mubarak's resignation during an Oval Office meeting. Hethen watched the TV coverage for several minutes in an outer office.

Update at 11:27 a.m. ET: Al-Jazeeracorrespondent Sherine Tadros, reporting from Tahrir Square, reports that a number ofdemonstrators have fainted amid the jubilation and been helped out of the area.

Update at 11:32 a.m. ET: Ourcolleagues at The Oval report that President Obama will make astatement on the Egyptian developments at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Update at 11:34 a.m. ET: Here is the full statementthat a grim-looking Vice President Omar Suleiman delivered on Egypt state TV announcing PresidentMubarak's resignation:

In these grave circumstancesthat the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided toleave his position as president of the republic. He has mandated the ArmedForces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor.

3:00 p.m. ET : President Obama makes an address to the Egyptian people from the White House.

Edited February 11, 2011 by William Kelly

[William Kelly]

The Revolution is on. Watch it live. Turn the sound up. They're singing and cheering.

Makeshift Tent City. Reminds me of Woodstock.

CBC News - World - LIVE: Crisis in Egypt

If only Bauazizi could see this.

Keep sounds of Live and view this slideshow of photos:

Massive Demonstrations as Mubarak Heads Out of Cairo - FoxNews.com

They are now having prayer, (10:45-11am EST) and the square is packed, wall to wall and the streaming video, with no talking heads or reporters, just shows what's happening on the square from

a panning camera in a highrise building.

I have a feeling that after prayer they will march on the TV station or do something radical.

Hey, did I call it, or what?

Is it too to say, "Grandmother's on the roof"?

Let's see: Tunisia - Dec. 17, 2010 - Mohamed Bouzid sets himself on fire and sparks anti-government protests.

January 14, 2011 - Ben Ali flees Tunisia - 28 days.

Egypt - Jan. 25 - Obama gives State of Union address, protests begin in Cairo.

February 11, 2011 - Mubarak resigns presidency. - 18 days.

Whose next? Yemen? Morocco? Libya? Saudi Arabia, Iran?

[William Kelly]

Okay, after Tunisia and Egypt,

democracy protests that have been scheduled for this week:

Monday - Iran, Behrain

Thursday - Libya

Saturday - Algeria

[William Kelly]

Okay, after Tunisia and Egypt,

democracy protests that have been scheduled for this week:

Monday - Iran, Behrain

Thursday - Libya

Saturday - Algeria

Mideast nations brace for Egypt spillover -

Mideast nations brace for Egypt spillover - World news - Mideast/N. Africa - msnbc.com

From the oil-rich Gulf states in the east to Morocco in the west, regimes throughout the Middle East could not help but worry they could see upheavals similar to Egypt's.If it could happen in 18 days in Egypt, where Mubarak's lock on power had appeared unshakable for nearly 30 years, could it happen anywhere? Only a month earlier, Tunisia's president was forced to step down in the face of protests.

"Egypt is going to have a big, big impact around the region," said Salman Sheik, director of The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. "It is — as it always has been — a bellwether for what happens elsewhere. It's wrong, though, to get into a count about what country could be next. The real impact is already being seen in reforms that are coming from countries feeling the pressure."

Zaki Bani Rusheid, a leading Islamist figure in Jordan, described "a new dawn, new stage" emerging.

"This is a new future painted by bloody hands of Egyptians and Tunisians that knocked on the doors of freedom."

Leaders across the region have made a variety of concessions and also tightened security.

Anti-government protests have erupted in recent weeks with demonstrators complaining of corruption, lack of services and rising prices. More are being planned.

Here's a look at what is expected in the Middle East.

Algerians have watched with fascination the revolts in Egypt, and opposition groups say they will defy a police ban and hold a protest march in the capital on Saturday, NBC News reported.

Algerians are angered by high unemployment, poor housing, high prices and corruption. They ask why they have not felt more benefit from the billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue the government spends on public projects.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, trying to stop mass protests from erupting, promised last week to allow more democratic freedoms, lift a 19-year-old state of emergency and generate more jobs.

Bahrain

Opposition groups are calling for street rallies Monday.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and the most politically divided in the Gulf. Majority Shiites have long alleged they face second-class status under the Sunni rulers. Last summer, the tiny nation was torn by clashes and riots after a wave of arrests against perceived Shiite dissidents.

On Friday — just hours before Mubarak stepped down — Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa granted each Bahraini family the equivalent of nearly $2,700 in an apparent bid to calm tensions.

Iran

Tehran is trying to stop opposition groups from seizing the moment with rallies linked to the Egyptian crisis,the BBC said. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told celebrations on Friday marking the 32nd anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution that Egyptian upheaval was an "Islamic awakening." This was a reference to the uprising that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah in 1979 and swept the Shi'ite Muslim clergy to power.

However, the pro-democracy Green Movement has called people to the streets Monday in solidarity with protesters in Egypt and Tunisia, The Wall Street journal reported. The call gained momentum on blogs and social networking sites, with over 30,000 people pledging to participate on one protest group's Facebook page.

Iran arrested several opposition activists and jammed signals of international broadcasters, the BBC said.

Libya

Libyan activists and the National Conference for Libyan Opposition have called for a Libyan "Day of Rage" on Thursday, NBC News reported.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has issued unprecedented warnings against any attempts to create chaos and instability in Libya, according to media reports.

Saudi Arabia

In a traditional cornerstone of U.S. interests in the Mideast, a group of opposition activists said they asked the nation's king for the right to form a political party in a rare challenge to the absolute power of the ruling dynasty.

"You know well that big political developments and attention to freedom and human rights is currently happening in the Islamic world," the activist said in a letter to King Abdullah, who was one of Mubarak's staunchest supporters up until the end.

Jordan

The nation's new prime minister, Marouf Bakhit, promised earlier this week to continue political reforms demanded by protesters who forced King Abdullah II to reshuffle the cabinet. Since the unrest in Tunisia and Egypt, Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, their leftist allies and other protesters have demanded constitutional amendments to curb Abdullah's power in naming prime ministers and instead allow Jordanians to elect them by popular vote.

Yemen

President Ali Abdullah Saleh — a key U.S. ally in office for more than three decades — bowed to pressure from protesters and announced he would not seek re-election in 2013 and would not try to pass power to his son. The opposition has yet to respond to his call to join him in a unity government. Saleh, a key U.S. ally against al Qaida, met with his top defense, political and security officials Friday night to discuss a plan to raise salaries for civil servants and the military — a second planned wage increase since last month, when Saleh planned a raise of about $47.

The move suggests that Saleh, a shrewd political survivor eyeing spreading unrest in the Arab world, is trying to ensure his forces would remain loyal in case of potential unrest in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.

The Gulf nation with serious political opposition outlawed any "gatherings, rallies or marches" after Friday prayers, said a report on the state news agency KUNA.

"Everybody should put the interests of the homeland above all considerations," said the statement by Kuwait, which has key U.S. military bases and is an important way station for the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq.

It also showed how close any unrest in the region comes to U.S. military and political bulwarks — seen as a critical front-line alignment against Iran.

Syria

Iran's main Middle East ally has been showing some concessions to reformist fervor. This week, Facebook and YouTube were available for the first time in three years amid signs Damascus may be lifting its ban on the popular social networking websites that have helped energize and organize protests.

Edited February 13, 2011 by William Kelly

[John Simkin]

Hey, did I call it, or what?

Is it too to say, "Grandmother's on the roof"?

Let's see: Tunisia - Dec. 17, 2010 - Mohamed Bouzid sets himself on fire and sparks anti-government protests.

January 14, 2011 - Ben Ali flees Tunisia - 28 days.

Egypt - Jan. 25 - Obama gives State of Union address, protests begin in Cairo.

February 11, 2011 - Mubarak resigns presidency. - 18 days.

Whose next? Yemen? Morocco? Libya? Saudi Arabia, Iran?

The scenes in Egypt have been fantastic and the democracy protests will clearly spread to other countries in the region. However, Egypt is still being ruled by a military dictatorship. All they have achieved is removing the figurehead (as they did in Tunisia). The next stage is the publishing the timetable for free elections. I see that some protesters are refusing to leave the square until they get details of the introduction to democracy.

[John Dolva]

Huge protests, strike wave topples Mubarak

Sunday, February 13, 2011 By Tim Dobson

Tahrir Square after Mubarak resigned on February 15.

In a world-shaking event, after 18 days of constant street protests, the Egyptian people’s revolution won a huge victory when dictator Hosni Mubarak finally resigned on February 11.

On that day, designated the “Day of Departure” by protesters, an estimated 20 million people (out of a population of about 80 million) were reported to have taken to the streets.

They defied a regime that had tried to crush the movement in blood. More than 300 people have been killed by security forces or pro-regime thugs since the uprising broke out on January 25.

Earlier in the week, there were fears the revolution was stagnating or even declining in the face of Mubarak’s refusal to go. But huge protests took place across Egypt on February 8 as the pro-democracy movement took the offensive once more.

The Sydney Morning Herald said on February 9: “AFP journalists … confirmed it was the biggest gathering yet in a movement which began last month.

“Witnesses in Egypt’s second city Alexandria said a march there also attracted record numbers.”

The AlMasryAlYoum said the protest in Tahrir (“Liberation”) Square in Cairo surpassed 1 million people.

The huge protests were a response to a speech by Egyptian vice president and long-time intelligence chief Omar Suleiman that made it clear the regime was not willing to accept the demands of the protesters.

The February 8 New York Times said Suleiman “does not think it is time to lift the 30-year-old emergency law that has been used to suppress and imprison opposition leaders. He does not think President Hosni Mubarak needs to resign before his term ends in September.

“And he does not think his country is yet ready for democracy.

“But, considering it lacks better options, the United States has strongly backed him to play the pivotal role in a still uncertain transition process in Egypt.”

The effect of the February 8 protests was almost immediate. Protesters marched on Parliament house and tried to storm the building. When repelled, they settled for blockading and setting up camp outside the entrance.

ABC Online said on February 10: “An army general who ordered the protesters outside parliament to disperse and go back to Tahrir Square was met by chants of ‘we are not leaving, he is leaving’.

In a significant development, a strike wave swept Egypt the next day. Three independent trade unions began an indefinite strike combined with economic and political demands on the regime.

The strikes involved factory and textile workers, steel and iron workers, teachers, workers in the health ministry, workers in the military factories and even journalists working for state-run media.

The New York Times said on February 9: “In the most potentially significant action, about 6,000 workers at five service companies owned by the Suez Canal Authority — a major component of the Egyptian economy — began a sit-in on Tuesday night.”

Striking iron and steel workers demanded: the end of the regime; the dismantling of the union federation controlled by the ruling party; the “confiscation of public sector companies that have been sold or closed down or privatised … and formation of a new management by workers and technicians”; and the “formation of a workers’ monitoring committee in all work places monitoring production, prices, distribution and wages”.

The Associated Press said that day: “For the first time, protesters were forcefully urging labour strikes despite a warning by Vice-President Omar Suleiman that calls for civil disobedience are ‘very dangerous for society and we can’t put up with this at all’.”

Such calls have especially come from the April 6th Youth Movement, which was formed in 2008 in solidarity with striking labourers in Mahalla.

AP said many workers were “motivated to strike when they heard about how many billions the Mubarak family was worth”.

The British Guardian said on February 4: “President Hosni Mubarak’s family fortune could be as much as [uS]$70bn (£43.5bn) according to analysis by Middle East experts.”

The regime continued to try to hold out. At least five people were killed and 100 wounded on February 9 when police opened fire on protesters.

On February 10, however, the strike wave spread further. Public transport workers went on strike, and about 24,000 textile workers struck in Mahalla.

Lawyers, doctors, public transport workers and energy workers joined the strike.

As protests and strikes built throughout the day, Egypt’s Supreme Military Council met to discuss “necessary measures and preparations to protect the nation”. It released “Communique No. 1”, which said the military would “support the legitimate demands of the people”.

Many took this as a sign that, under pressure from the army, Mubarak would step down. Speculation reached fever pitch when Egyptian state television announced Mubarak was to address to the nation.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Tahrir Square went silent as they waited for Mubarak’s expected resignation.

Silence turned to rage when it became clear Mubarak was refusing to go. When Mubarak spoke about all that he had done for the country, thousands held shoes in the air in a sign of disapproval.

Mubarak’s speech, described by the Angry Arab News Service (AANS) as the “dumbest speech ever delivered by a dictator”, appeased no one.

The next day, Tahrir square quickly filled to capacity after afternoon prayers. With no room in the square, some protesters marched on the state television office and the presidential palace to join protests that began the previous night.

Huge protests occurred in every big city in Egypt. There was a heavy military presence in the streets, as the Supreme Military Council met again.

Protesters waited to see if the military would live up to its words that it was “with the people”. The mood was again expectant, with one protestor writing on Twitter: “This is the third Friday of our revolution. The first was bloody, second was festive and third should be decisive.”

Signs emerged that Mubarak’s reign was truly on the brink.

Al Jazeera reported during the day: “An army officer joined protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square say[ing] 15 other middle-ranking officers have also gone over to the demonstrators.”

At the state television office, activist Alaa Abdel Fatah told Al Jazeera: “The army have now given up and are letting the protesters control the flow of people around the state television building.”

The newly appointed general secretary of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party also resigned.

At 6pm Egyptian time, Suleiman addressed the nation with the words everyone was waiting for: Mubarak would step down. The president’s powers would be transferred to the military command to oversee a transition.

Tahrir Square after Mubarak’s resignation was announced.

Jubilation broke out throughout Egypt, reporters on television couldn’t be heard due to the sheer noise. People power had beaten a dictator backed by the most powerful nation on Earth and who had ruled over them for three decades.

The army is widely respected in Egypt, but there is mistrust of many of the generals who were close to the Mubarak regime. The widespread feeling in among Egyptians is it was they who forced Mubarak out and it was their revolution.

Whatever comes next, Mubarak’s resignation is a big step forward — as is the apparent side-lining of Suleiman, who is infamous for heading Egypt’s torture program.

AANS said: “The biggest victory is that … Suleiman is out of the picture now. Israel/US/Saudi Arabia were hoping that he would be the extension of Mubarak until some other clone of Mubarak is found.”

The impact of Mubarak’s fall on the already explosive Arab world remains to be seen. The Egyptian revolution was inspired by the overthrow of a dictatorship in Tunisia. But Egypt is much more central to the Arab world — and therefore to the interests of the US and Israel.

Already, the Hamas-led government in Gaza has called for the Egyptian government to open its border with Gaza to ease Israel’s crippling siege — a move that would be hugely popular among Egyptians.

But the most immediate impact is on the consciousness of Egyptians. A 35-year-old Egyptian teacher told the February 5 Guardian: “People have changed. They were scared. They are no longer scared.

“We are not afraid of his system any longer and when we stopped being afraid we knew we would win. We will not again allow ourselves to be scared of a government. We will not be afraid to say when we think the president is wrong or the government is bad.

“This is the revolution in our country, the revolution in our minds.

“Mubarak can stay for days or weeks but he cannot change that.”

This attitude was reflected on the streets of Egypt after Mubarak’s resignation. Amid the scenes of wild jubilation, many protesters said they would not leave until they got some guarantees from the new government. Near the top of the list is a guarantee Mubarak will face trial for his crimes.

Egypt will never be the same again.

• 

From GLW issue 868

[William Kelly]

Hey, did I call it, or what?

Is it too to say, "Grandmother's on the roof"?

Let's see: Tunisia - Dec. 17, 2010 - Mohamed Bouzid sets himself on fire and sparks anti-government protests.

January 14, 2011 - Ben Ali flees Tunisia - 28 days.

Egypt - Jan. 25 - Obama gives State of Union address, protests begin in Cairo.

February 11, 2011 - Mubarak resigns presidency. - 18 days.

Whose next? Yemen? Morocco? Libya? Saudi Arabia, Iran?

The scenes in Egypt have been fantastic and the democracy protests will clearly spread to other countries in the region. However, Egypt is still being ruled by a military dictatorship. All they have achieved is removing the figurehead (as they did in Tunisia). The next stage is the publishing the timetable for free elections. I see that some protesters are refusing to leave the square until they get details of the introduction to democracy.

Protests have erupted in Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Bahrain and Algiers.

On deck, Libya Thursday and Algiera again on Saturday, and protests have been scheduled in Algiers this Saturday and every Saturday until the regime is toppled.

Meanwhile, in Tripoli, the road to Sidi Bouzid is about three hundred miles, closer than Bengazi, where the ripples have begun.

We need to get a program to see whose playing and whose sitting on the sidelines.

[John Simkin]

Hey, did I call it, or what?

Is it too to say, "Grandmother's on the roof"?

Let's see: Tunisia - Dec. 17, 2010 - Mohamed Bouzid sets himself on fire and sparks anti-government protests.

January 14, 2011 - Ben Ali flees Tunisia - 28 days.

Egypt - Jan. 25 - Obama gives State of Union address, protests begin in Cairo.

February 11, 2011 - Mubarak resigns presidency. - 18 days.

Whose next? Yemen? Morocco? Libya? Saudi Arabia, Iran?

The scenes in Egypt have been fantastic and the democracy protests will clearly spread to other countries in the region. However, Egypt is still being ruled by a military dictatorship. All they have achieved is removing the figurehead (as they did in Tunisia). The next stage is the publishing the timetable for free elections. I see that some protesters are refusing to leave the square until they get details of the introduction to democracy.

Protests have erupted in Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Bahrain and Algiers.

On deck, Libya Thursday and Algiera again on Saturday, and protests have been scheduled in Algiers this Saturday and every Saturday until the regime is toppled.

Meanwhile, in Tripoli, the road to Sidi Bouzid is about three hundred miles, closer than Bengazi, where the ripples have begun.

We need to get a program to see whose playing and whose sitting on the sidelines.

One problem facing politicians in the West is that if USA, UK, etc. withdraw their support for these anti-democractic regimes, they will be replaced by China, another country who has much to fear from popular protests in favour of democracy and a free media.