Sunsara Taylor points out that the revolution in Egypt is not over. Indeed it has only barely just begun, and may well never achieve its ends. The Egyptian people have deposed Mubarak, and good for them, but the underlying power structures remain, for which Mubarak was just a figurehead. Without a revolutionary leadership, it might well be, as The Who sings, "Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss."
It used to be that if you caught the eye of the US, with "democracy" you got to be part of the exploiting countries, instead of the exploited. If you didn't, you had "democracy" only so long as you paid your tribute to the Empire. If you even hinted at independence, you'd have a CIA agent on your doorstep dropping ominous hints. "Nice democracy you got there. Shame if anything happened to it." Now, even the US as a country barely gets to be one of the exploiters; I don't think Egypt has much hope of rising to the top.
It remains to be seen whether the people of Egypt really want to change the objective conditions of their country, or if they just want exploitation and oppression in a more congenial wrapper.
Ah well. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and a world without Mubarak is better than one with him, no matter how you slice it. On the other hand, one step does not a journey make. The people of Egypt have won a great victory in only a single battle. The war for real freedom, real independence, real liberation remains to be fought.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
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I think this article that u wrote sums it all up, pretty well. Lots done, long way to go, no guarantee they'll ever get there, as Snake Pliskin told in Escape from LA- "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
ReplyDeleteThing is..... they tried.