Egyptian Military Rules Out Attacking Protesters

Apparent Inability to Massacre Protesters Leaves Mubarak Running Out of Options

One of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s last options seems to have fallen through today, with spokesmen for the Egyptian military ruling out attacking civilian protesters on the streets of the nation’s major cities.

Assuming the pledge holds, this would mean Mubarak no longer has the option of ordering wholesale massacres, above and beyond those the nation’s police are able to accomplish, in attempting to stifle the growing dissent across the nation.

Indeed, with the number of protests in the streets growing all the time, it appears as if the Mubarak government is growing resigned to the ability that they will have to negotiate with the opposition and make sweeping reforms.

Even this doesn’t appear to be a recipe for success, as large numbers of the protesters are insisting on the removal of Mubarak as a major condition for the end of the rallies. Though there seems to be some international determination to keep Mubarak in charge, it appears the protesters will inevitably win out.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.