Read this.
It's an article written by a friend of mine on the recent abduction of local activists here in Egypt. This entire political scene is so messed up.
Basically, here's the long/short of the politics right now -
The current leader Mubarak was the vice president under the last leader, Sadat. When Sadat was assassinated in '81 Mubarak took control. Do the math, that means that he has been 'president' for 27 years. Right after he took power he declared Egypt in a state of emergency and Egypt has been under 'emergency law' for over 25 years. That means that no one has the right to a fair trial and the government can do whatever it wants. He's one of those leaders that America keeps in power for because he follows instructions and protects our interests, but his human rights violations increase daily. Almost everyone is just holding their breath waiting for his reign to end. He's old and he's sick so it's just a matter of time, but the problem is that there is no real light at the end of the tunnel. Activists get arrested/tortured and there's no opposition party at all. The only 'alternative' is the muslim brotherhood, but they're technically not even allowed to participate politically and are also arrested on a regular basis. The assumed successors are either a military general or Mubarak's son Gamal (the one not publicly involved in corruption).
The system here does not work, but a culture of very real fear has led to a general sense of apathy and helplessness. My hope was that the burning of the parliament buildings would be the spark to light a real fire, but I know now that that's not the case. People don't want to be tortured. So everyone sits and waits for Allah to do something about it.
It's a shame really. This is a great country with a lot of potential and a rich history, but all it is right now is a myriad of failed policies and an overabundance of poverty.
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