upper waypoint

Waiting to See What Happens in Egypt

Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

Egyptian anti-government demonstrators crowd Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 10, 2011 on the 17th day of consecutive protests calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. (Credit: MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Wael Ghonim, the 30 year-old Google executive who's become one of the heroes of the revolution in Egypt,  posted this on his Twitter page today: "Guys, dont do much speculations for now. Just wait and see."

Easy for him to say?  CNN is quoting a series of Egyptian top brass saying President Hosni Mubarak is not leaving. He's expected to address the nation later today.

Sherif Hamdy in Oakland is cautiously optimistic. He's off work (doing content review for YouTube) today, watching BBC Arabic.

Hamdy doesn't like what he sees as the emerging narrative today.  Pundits are saying things like "The military is a good solution to restore order."  That doesn't make sense to Hamdy. "The people in the streets are calling for democracy. The military is not an independent entity. Everybody who's come before in the government was in some way part of the military establishment." Even Mubarak for the next six months would be preferable to Hamdy, presuming that leads to a civilian transition.

Sponsored

His relatives in Egypt live mostly in the suburbs around Cairo. He's been using Skype to stay in touch with relatives, but notes cell phone service hasn't been too bad the past three or four days.

Got family in Egypt? Tell us about it! We found Hamdy through the Public Insight Network.

lower waypoint
next waypoint
California Law Letting Property Owners Split Lots to Build New Homes Is 'Unconstitutional,' Judge RulesAlameda: The Island That Almost Wasn’tJust Days Left to Apply for California Program That Helps Pay for Your First HouseIn Fresno’s Chinatown, High-Speed Rail Sparks Hope and Debate Within ResidentsFresno's Chinatown Neighborhood To See Big Changes From High Speed RailRainn Wilson from ‘The Office’ on Why We Need a Spiritual RevolutionIs California Headed For Another Tax Revolt?Will Less Homework Stress Make California Students Happier?NPR's Sarah McCammon on Leaving the Evangelical ChurchState Prisons Offset New Inmate Wage Hikes by Cutting Hours for Some Workers