Commentary
Amr Hamzawy
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Source: Getty
In The Media
The Egyptian Protests
Egyptian authorities have banned protests and tightened security overnight to prevent demonstrators from repeating the rally on January 25, when thousands took to the streets of Cairo to denounce President Hosni Mubarak.
By Amr Hamzawy
Published on Jan 27, 2011
Source: Bloomberg
Egyptian authorities have banned protests and tightened security overnight to prevent demonstrators from repeating the rally on January 25, when thousands took to the streets of Cairo to denounce President Hosni Mubarak. Bloomberg spoke with Carnegie's Amr Hamzawy about the growing civil unrest in Egypt.
Hamzawy noted that whether the current uprising in Cairo will have the same outcome as the Jasmine revolution in Tunisia depends on a number of factors. It took the opposition in Tunisia four weeks to topple former President Ben Ali’s regime and force him to leave the country, Hamzawy said, and it is still too early to predict whether the protests in Egypt will lead to political change.
It is significant that the Egyptian middle class is now fueling the demonstrations, which call for efficient solutions to the widening gap between rich and poor, Hamzawy contended. Additionally, educated young male and female Egyptians are mobilizing on their own, outside of any calls from political leaders. They demand political freedoms and civil liberties and call for the opening of the political arena and better contestation of the parliamentary and presidential elections, as well as social justice and equal distribution of the wealth. Hamzawy suggested that Egyptian youth have been inspired by the recent events in Tunisia.
To counter the escalating protests, Egyptian authorities are stepping in: they have shut down or limited access to social media tools and outlets like Twitter and Facebook, in an attempt to control and contain the demonstrations, which are rapidly turning into nationwide protest movements. But Hamzawy asserted that activists, as proven in Tunisia, are able to get around such censorship and can continue to organize and mobilize.
About the Author
Amr Hamzawy
Director, Middle East Program
Amr Hamzawy is a senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program. His research and writings focus on governance in the Middle East and North Africa, social vulnerability, and the different roles of governments and civil societies in the region.
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Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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