As Week Three Begins, Egypt Protests Growing Again

Anger Over Lack of Reforms Fuels Resurgent Protests

People have been predicting some sort of an agreement that will bring the uprising to an end for several days now, but as the anti-government protests in Egypt enter their third week, they seem to be growing again.

The release of “missing” Google executive Wael Ghonim appears to be part of the reason, as he revealed his kidnapping by the Mubarak government and his detention for 12 days in blindfolded isolation, adding to the belief that the US-backed government is not, despite US claims to the contrary, making meaningful reforms.

But this belief isn’t exclusively related to the disappearance of Ghonim, and the fact remains that the Egyptian government and Vice President Omar Suleiman really haven’t made much in the way of reforms, giving vague lip service to future changes while insisting the nation isn’t “ready for democracy.

This seems to be fueling considerable anger amongst the protesters, as there was a lot of optimism when the “negotiations” began and now opposition leaders are saying that the government’s negotiators are simply ignoring all of the protesters’ demands. President Obama promised two days ago that Egypt would “never be the same,” but for the people on the streets, it sure does feel eerily similar.

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.