With reports putting his personal fortune upwards of $70 billion, it isn’t hard to imagine why aging dictator Hosni Mubarak was so resistant to the notion of wholesale changes in Egypt. After all, it was the status quo that allowed him to steal the world’s single largest personal fortune.
But these same factors could be at work inside the Egyptian military, which itself controls far more of the Egyptian economy and directly owns far more assets than even the ousted tyrant. With the military now directly in control, those same reforms could imperil their own collective fortunes.
Egypt’s “military” is far from just a military of some half a million poorly paid conscripts, you see. When they reached a peace deal with Israel in 1979, the military sought to justify its enormous size by setting about producing weapons of war and its own supplies. As time went on, those tax free and regulation free factories and farms quickly moved into the public sector, and the military is now amongst the region’s largest bottled water producer, grows 20 percent of its food, and manufactures large portions of its appliances. They even manufacture automobiles and shampoo.
Which is where things get messy. No one really knows how big Egypt’s military is, its industrial holdings are all “off-budget” and its profits never show up on the bottom line of anything publicly available. It is quite well documented that the off-budget wealth has funded considerable largesse for the military’s leadership, with palatial estates set aside for high ranking officers.
As this new junta looks to crack down against the protesters and especially union organizers it seems increasingly that the force, though swept into power as an “interim” ruler with a mandate for wholesale reform to Egyptian society, sees its own fabulous wealth imperiled by the prospective freedom of the population. To that end, the protesters being chased off the street may have traded in the world’s richest tyrant for the only group whose wealth and avarice surpass his, the Egyptian military leadership.
The Egyptian 'Revolution' still has a long way to go. I detect similarities with the Chilian coupe detat of 1973 orchestrated by the CIA when democratically elected Alfredo Allende was forcibly replaced by the General Pinochet Junta, with disastrous consequences for the country. This time it will be CIA/Mossad who will prevent democracy getting a foothold in Egypt. There is too much at stake for Israel.
True for some time to come, after the coming civil war it is anyone's guess. Junta helped by USA, UK and Israel will attempt to protect their ill gained assets regardless of the cost in blood to citizens of Egypt.
The Junta will use 6 months to create few political "parties" which will be owned and CONTROLLED by them, then they will attempt to STEAL and AWARD "election" to one of them.
This is standard and classical MO of Empire of Terror and it's Satraps.
If that fails there be blood on the streets of Egypt knee deep, Anglos and Israelis are in a win-win situation regardless of outcome. Ops forgot the Armageddonites, they be happy and joyous as well.
Government in Egypt, like Empire USA, is exactly what the most aggressive and wealthy voting majority want it to be, and it has not changed since the beginning of civilization. For the Pharaoh’s of old could never have forced the lower half of society to build all those pyramids unless they had the 51%majority of society giving him the deadly force needed to turn the lower half into slaves.
I am afraid that it is not helpful to see what one wants to see, but a more complex reality. Reality number one: Egyptian army has been hollowed out under Mubarak, and the "aid" was used to get the interior forces built. Where are those millions of Mubarak's well armed and trained armies? Trying to cause chaos, of course. One day after ouster, Army that made it happen has been under all sorts of attack — well before they had a chance to do anything. It is clearly not in someone's interest that Army comes good on its word, allows for political organizing and prepare for elections in six months. Somebody is trying very had to continue chaos. This is what makes me very suspicious of idle critics. No revolution in history is alike, and this one is polar opposite of Chile. Who is going then to take the responsibility for on-going chaos, and derailing the opportunity for political organizing and elections? Cannot blame Army for that. Army selling bottled water and the mutlinationals that raped the country for the benefit of Mubarak's oligarchs, cannot be compared.
Whose reforms are being "imperiled"? Mubarak's "agresive liberalization" reforms? It just cannot be worse then it was under Mubarak. The way it looks, everyone is so wise and critical, assuming all sorts of evil coming from the "junta", without there being one piece of evidence supporting such claims. I am just amazed both at the otherwise fairly level headed Jason, and the commentators.
As things are and developing.., Egypt is going to be carbon copy of Iraq, no democracy and yes democracy, middle center left and right left right center with Muslim Brotherhood yet to find its place.
Look, one of the peoples cerebral weakness is religion, is a falsified hope given to people making them believe that god or particular religion will help them to have a better life, religion in Africa, Middle East and all other countries that are poor therefore has been used and abused by west or a brutal regime and have become a tool to stop the poor uprising against tyrant and dictatorial regime, Muslim Brotherhood is on its all gear to use the situation for its gain, therefore they support the army and are in negotiation with the army, don’t get me wrong, US militarism regime defending its “interests“ at the same table reporting the outcome to Israel.
1- One of the question that Iranian people need to ask their regime is the facts about their written constitutional social and political freedom, they need to include their demand based on what is written in constitution, although the green movement is the only opposition (at this time) yet most of the intellectuals from this movement deeply been involved and are from the present regime. This scenario creates a dilemma not for the regime but rather for the uprising and those who want to have a total change in Iran and not just reforming the Islamic system. The green movement hade the chance and they could have continued organizing people without asking the regime for permits demonstrating in 2009, that’s where they lost their chance. Now people of Iran is up in their feet and demanding the same as before, reform the system, and that’s not good enough, this time they need to continue demanding a total change of a brutal and dictatorial regime with a functioning democracy for the people and by the people.
2-All the uprising taking place in Middle East and North African country is about democracy with a true meaning, a open society where corruption has to be looked at as a crime and needs to be tackled by the governments which such systematic corruption…, provided by the west (from Sweden to US and beyond) …, or from within have build its empire able`s them to influencing the government, so the entire system is a system in deceit-ting people. In Iran however, although there is a low level corruptions all over the place yet the bigger economic crime done by such religious figure as Rafsanjani who is also supporting the green movement.
It is true that US and EU are the biggest political and economical loser no matter how you look at the situation or what the situation will develop. All that indicates the fact that US and EU also needs to get their act together and support the peoples uprising and not just those who would support US or EU or a nationalism front and etc. this is the peoples time, takeout the everyday politics by white house or black house or houses in Kremlin and or Sweden, no I haven’t forgotten the red house in China, this is the time for a true democracy with a functioning system for people and by the people. Losing this time around.., then people have lost their power, their power been given to another brutal and dictatorial regime from Iran to Libya and beyond.