Where Does Egypt Stand

canada goose outlet uk sale A year ago today, tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered Canada Goose Outlet in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and celebrated a previously unimaginable achievement: the toppling of Hosni Mubarak. canada goose outlet uk sale

canada goose outlet online uk But one year later, Egypt buy canada goose jacket is far from stable and far from the democratic utopia canada goose clearance sale many activists imagined. Is the nation better off? canada goose outlet online uk

Reporting from Cairo, NPR’s Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson says small groups of protesters now march around Tahrir Square demanding a quicker transition to democracy. They stand in stark contrast to the jubilant masses who came out to celebrate Mubarak’s departure.

canada goose outlet new york city Tour guide Mohamed Gad el Karim says Egyptians are worse off. The 22 year old blames the ruling generals for mismanaging the country and canada goose store accuses them of caring more about Mubarak, whose trial has dragged on for six months. He says the former president should be in prison, not the luxury hospital outside Cairo where he is being held. canada canada goose coats goose outlet new york city

canada goose outlet canada Karim’s sentiment is a common one in Egypt. It’s what led university professors, students and union leaders to launch a nationwide strike on this anniversary, vowing to bring the country to a canada goose clearance standstill unless the generals hand over power to civilian leaders. canada goose outlet canada

goose outlet canada That doesn’t sit well uk canada goose with Sekina Hassan, canada goose coats on sale a 50 year old homemaker who watched the protesters parade around Tahrir Square. The strike and continuing protests are destructive, she says, adding Canada Goose sale that Egyptians will lose their country if it keeps up. goose outlet canada

The ruling military council is sending the same message. In a statement read on state run television, the council called the unrest a uk canada goose outlet conspiracy meant to topple the state and spread chaos. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of canada goose the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The visit was kept low key as tensions are rising between the two governments. At issue is the Canada Goose online recent crackdown on American and other pro democracy groups and human rights organizations.

So far, 43 people, including 19 Americans, are accused of cheap Canada Goose operating illegally in the country and spurring unrest. They are awaiting trial.

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canada goose outlet nyc The question of whether Egypt is better off after Mubarak’s ouster remains difficult to answer, but for Samer Shehata, an assistant professor of Arab politics at Georgetown Canada Goose UK Outlet University, the answer is unquestionably yes. canada goose outlet nyc

canada goose outlet black friday Shehata tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz that under Mubarak, Egypt was turned into a “family business,” in which he planned canada goose uk shop to hand over power to his younger son, Gamal. canada goose outlet black friday

canada goose outlet reviews “Political and economic corruption were rampant,” Shehata says. “Police repression was the norm [and] elections were regularly fraudulent. There was no sense of vision for the future or even [the] possibility that things could improve.” canada goose outlet reviews

With ongoing protests and violence escalating (dozens of people were recently killed), some would argue that Mubarak did bring a certain level of stability, but Shehata canada goose uk black friday calls that stability a mirage.

canada Canada Goose Online goose outlet store “It wasn’t a real stability based on popular sovereignty, a government that represented its people, civil and political rights [and] rule of law,” he says. “It was repression.” canada goose outlet store

canada goose outlet store uk Mubarak has www.canadagoosediscount.co.uk left, but Shehata says there is still “Mubarakism” many of the military generals he appointed are still running the show. canada goose outlet store uk

canada goose outlet jackets “This is what happens during transitions,” he says. “Mubarak was in power since 1981; of course it’s not going to be an easy or smooth or canadian goose jacket overnight transition. Unfortunately that’s the reality of the situation.” canada goose outlet jackets

Despite the tremendous difficulties Egypt now faces, Shehata says, things are much better and there is the possibility of forward progress.

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canada goose outlet parka Raghida Dergham, a columnist and senior diplomatic correspondent for pan Arab newspaper Al Hayat, believes the jury is still out on whether Egypt is in a better place. canada goose outlet parka

canada goose outlet Dergham tells NPR’s Raz that Egyptians she’s talked to are uncertain about the future. canada goose outlet

“They feel there is instability, there is poverty [and] there is lack of real revolution in terms of the control of the military council,” she says. “They feel, in addition Canada Goose Coats On Sale to that, that there is an attempt by the Islamists to also have a monopoly on the political process.”

canada goose outlet toronto factory “You don’t protect your interests by putting a distance with the moderates,” she says. “These were the backbone of what America stands for. Don’t undercut the moderates [or] it will really come back to haunt us.” canada goose outlet toronto factory

canada goose black friday sale Given all of this, she says, what people seem to miss most is the “glue” of the country Mubarak represented, even though canada goose uk outlet they might not miss the dictatorship and his plans to hand over the Canada Goose Parka country to his son canada goose black friday sale.