The Egyptian Crisis

Cairo, Egypt – The tumultuous nation of Egypt has come to a violent climax in its struggle between the Mubarak regime and its protesters. The political environment of the nation has been nothing short of hostile.

In the nation’s capital, Cairo, riots have erupted and resulted in the loss of eleven lives. Just in these past few days, journalists seeking to spread light on the horrors have been captured, imprisoned, and sometimes beaten. It is clear that this country is in dire need.

Yet this tragic instability did not come about overnight. President Hosni Mubarak has been the leader of Egypt since 1981 and is currently eighty-two years old. Since his installation, particularly in the past 10 years, the political and economic health of Egypt has been fading. Due to the President’s seeming allowance of the nation to stagnate, Egypt has slowly spiraled downwards into the conditions we witness today. What the people of Egypt are now demanding is not far from what the citizens of the United States asked for two years ago – change. Yet the people of Egypt are taking a much more aggressive approach in rebelling against the present government. Protesters are gathering by the hundreds of thousands to fight for their victory.
However, therein lies the problem. These protesters do not represent one united front, all seeking to abolish the government and to establish freedom and democracy. There are, no doubt, some that desire such results. No, these protesters consist of dozens, if not hundreds of different organizations, factions, and extremist groups. In this way, the protesters are not only fighting against the current system, but also against each other.

This is a cause of great anxiety not only for the rioters, but for the whole world. The government of the most populous nation in the Middle East is “up for grabs,” so to speak, and it could very easily fall into the wrong hands. The main concern in this regard is the Muslim Brotherhood – a group known for having terrorist ties and suspected as the main inciter for the violence happening in Egypt right now. If the country falls into the hands of this group, it will without a doubt have an ill-effect on not only the Middle East, but the entire world.
In this extremely unstable period in Egypt’s history, it is crucial that democracy and freedom be ensured. I believe that the United States should be directly involved in the establishment of a new government in this crumbling nation.
Let us not forget to keep the nation of Egypt, as well as the surrounding regions in our prayers at all times.

By Anne Lehan