Ben Heineman Jr.: The Future of Egypt and the Riddles of History
[Ben Heineman Jr. has held top positions in government, law and business. He is the author of High Performance with High Integrity.]
"History is being made." So say the people, the commentators, and the policy makers in Egypt and around the globe.
But, of course, "history" itself is no clear guide, and indeed offers many imperfect analogies for consideration as presidents and people--participants and observers--seek their bearings.
After more than 10 days of revolt, Egypt is at a cross-roads with great uncertainty. Long-standing fear of repression has turned to wide-spread anger and dramatic protests which have brought those with political, economic and military power to the negotiating table.
-- Will the ultimate result be a new and repressive dictatorship "of the people" as occurred after the French Revolution in 1789, the Russian Revolution in 1917, and the Iranian Revolution in 1979?
-- Will the ultimate result be the suppression of the uprising by the military in overt or subversive forms, as occurred in Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, China in 1989, or Iran in 2009, despite the "tolerance" of the protests thus far by the Egyptian military?...
Read entire article at The Atlantic
"History is being made." So say the people, the commentators, and the policy makers in Egypt and around the globe.
But, of course, "history" itself is no clear guide, and indeed offers many imperfect analogies for consideration as presidents and people--participants and observers--seek their bearings.
After more than 10 days of revolt, Egypt is at a cross-roads with great uncertainty. Long-standing fear of repression has turned to wide-spread anger and dramatic protests which have brought those with political, economic and military power to the negotiating table.
-- Will the ultimate result be a new and repressive dictatorship "of the people" as occurred after the French Revolution in 1789, the Russian Revolution in 1917, and the Iranian Revolution in 1979?
-- Will the ultimate result be the suppression of the uprising by the military in overt or subversive forms, as occurred in Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, China in 1989, or Iran in 2009, despite the "tolerance" of the protests thus far by the Egyptian military?...