THE ECONOMIST: A generational change of mentality may bring fresh hope to the entire region
SEMINAL moments in revolutions do not come at nicely spaced intervals, but in a bewildering cascade. The accelerating rush of events leading to the abrupt downfall of Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, came so cluttered with markers signifying radical change that their deeper implications can be hard to discern. The country’s streets have now calmed, with the army in charge of a wobbly interim government. But the smallest happenings in Cairo still reverberate with new meanings, not only for Egypt but for the surrounding region.
One such little scene with big implications played out some 36 hours after Mr Mubarak’s exit, when two top generals from the military council now ruling Egypt hosted a chat with some of the youthful campaigners whose organisational genius, to their own surprise as much as anyone’s, finally toppled Mr Mubarak on February 11th. In a Facebook post, the visitors described the meeting as encouraging. Not only did the generals, both in their early 60s, affirm the army’s commitment to the goals of the revolution, including a swift transition to democracy under civilian rule. They also showed “unprecedented respect for the opinions of young people”.
For Egyptians inured to rigid hierarchies of class and age, this last point was telling. Only a week before, as huge demonstrations engulfed the country, Mr Mubarak’s short-termed vice-president, the dour ex-head of intelligence, Omar Suleiman, had infuriated young Egyptians by suggesting that the protesters’ parents should tell them to go home. His prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, when pressed to apologise for a murderous attack on unarmed protesters by paid pro-Mubarak thugs, promised sarcastically to send the victims chocolates and sweets. >>> | Thursday, February 17, 2011 from PRINT EDITION
