Egypt: Tragedy or Revolution?

I am struck by how much Americans' opinions on the current unrest in Egypt differ according to what new outlets they follow. Some folks say "Oh, it's so sad, all the killing..." and others, perhaps those who watch Al Jazeera, see current events as a mark of exciting things to come for the Middle East and North Africa. Others are worried about what all this means for Israel. Me, I'm sad about the bloodshed but I'm more excited than anything else.

I hope this means an end to the era of presidents-for-life and the beginning of true democracy in the region. Of course, it will take time. I think it was Rami Khouri who, in a panel discussion at Harvard Kennedy School Thursday night, pointed out that it took America more than a hundred years after the birth of its democracy to grant women and blacks the right to vote. Even if Presidents Mubarak (Egypt), Bouteflika (Algeria) and Salih (Yemen) follow in Ben Ali's (Tunisia) footsteps, and step down or go into exile tomorrow, we cannot expect freedom, jobs, cupcakes and rainbows to materialize immediately. Egypt, for example, has been struggling with high unemployment and a host of other issues for a long time. Additionally, in the case of Mubarak, as stated by Harvard Kennedy School professor Tarek Masoud in the New York Times, it might not actually be a good idea for him to step down tomorrow as the protesters suggest. The Egyptian constitution states that only an elected president can dissolve the parliament and call for new elections. This means that if Mubarak leaves without electing a new parliament, an essential part of the "orderly transition" that Secretary Clinton has called for, an interim president will be stuck with a largely useless, Mubarak-era parliament. I just hope that Clinton and Obama can convince Mubarak, and the Egyptian people, that a little more time in office is a good thing.

For a good collection of news and resources related to what's happening in Egypt and Tunisia, check out this site made by Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

You can also follow The Middle East Initiative Twitter feed, maintained by myself and an awesome intern from Emmanuel College.