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Chronicle of a Doomed Uprising

(MEMRI) Y. Carmon, T. Kuper and H. Migron - In January 2011, the peoples of the Middle East began their march towards seizing a share in the leadership and resources of their countries, following centuries in which they were deprived of this share by various ruling oligarchies. However, just like the European peoples' struggle for a share in power, this campaign against the total hegemony of the ruling elite is bound to be a drawn out, multi-phased historical process, with numerous setbacks. This first round - the present uprising in Egypt - will not be without some achievements, but it is ultimately doomed to failure, in that the Egyptian military establishment will retain its grip over power and resources in the country. The Egyptian protests are less a cry for democracy and freedom than they are a bid for power by a disenfranchised middle class, and the failure of the uprising is inevitable. The masses are up against a well-entrenched, united and all-powerful military establishment which reigns supreme. Most of the youth does not even realize that the army is, in fact, the real adversary, which has shrewdly placed the police in the front lines in the confrontations with the protestors, allowing itself to retain an image of being at one with the people. The protestors also lack a leadership. True, existing political oppositionists are trying to jump on the bandwagon. These, however, do not represent the protesters, and are in fact sabotaging the revolution by their willingness to negotiate with the regime. This is especially true of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is seeking the legitimization that has been denied it for decades. The Egyptian uprising is also doomed to failure for economic and practical reasons, because it is impossible for a population of 80 million to maintain a revolution that brings life to a standstill for any substantial period of time.
2011-02-09 00:00:00
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