Through the Eyes of Egypt

January 25 2011. This is when the social movement, also known as the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, began in Egypt. Riots, rallies, and marches are only a few things taking place in the streets of Egypt. The goal: to overthrow Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In an attempt to discontinue the hysteria of the online spreading of opposition against the President, the entire Internet was shut down overnight. Every day we hear more about war, chaos, and governmental issues going on in the world and it's crazy to think that a lot of this can be encouarged by the internet. Through the Eyes of Egypt is a blog characterized to discuss the thoughts and opinions of individuals regarding these issues as well as the impact social media can have on the world.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Hey guys! I wanted to start off by saying thanks to those of you who are interested in this blog! I think it is extremely important to stay connected with events happening outside of the United States. To make everyone comfortable I would like to say that this blog is completely open opinion; you can say what ever is on your mind and no one will be scrutinized for what they believe in.

Some updates about what's going on in Egypt:

After 18 angry days of protests, President Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11, 2011 and turned over all of his power to the military. Do you think this will benefit Egypt or completely destroy the country? We will see....

As of February 14, 2011, The Egyptian military has consolidated its control and "youthful volunteers swept streets, painted fences and curbs, washed away graffiti that read 'Down with Mubarak,' and planted bushes in Tahrir Square (where most of the protests took place). Good news so far...

2 comments:

jvFebruary 16, 2011 at 12:36 PM
Turning over the country to the military definitely was not a good idea or a responsible one. A country that is so used to having a ruler and is so dependent on that ruler is essentially lost once they are exposed to something different or really nothing at all for this matter. Just stepping down from your duties and shoving all the responsibility on another group would just cause complete chaos, hence the anarchy and rioting that is occurring right now.
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KristenFebruary 16, 2011 at 12:50 PM
I agree that there was not much strategic planning that went into the shift from a president in power to the military now being in control. Although, I do believe that by President Mubarak stepping down it will give Egypt an opportunity to move to a more democratic government.
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Take a look! Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article regarding the shutdown of the Internet in Egypt:

Autocratic governments often limit phone and Internet access in tense times. But the Internet has never faced anything like what happened in Egypt on Friday (January 28, 2011), when the government of a country with 80 million people and modernizing economy cut off nearly all access to the network and shut down cellphone service.

The shutdown caused a 90 percent drop in data traffic to and from Egypt, crippling and important communications tool used by the antigovernment protesters and their supporters to organize and to spread their message.

Here is the link if you want to take a further look: www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/technology/internet/29cutoff.html