More on the Egyptian uprising: “…revolutions, even when successful, are unpredictable”

The irresponsible use of the word ‘thug’ pops up with increasing frequency in both the old and new media lately to describe Mubarak supporters opposing the protesters in Liberation Square. This is a good example of the media’s usual unthinking response to conflict – fan the flames as much as possible with language that incites further violence instead of simply describing events as they occur. Someone should tell writers like Nick Kristoff at the NY Times that it’s possible to report behavior truthfully and accurately without labeling as thugs those with whom one disagrees.

Clearly Kristoff has not yet considered what all of the complexities of the Egyptian revolt, including the possibility of anarchy, might mean, not only to the people of Egypt, but to Egypt’s neighbors and the rest of the world. And one has to ask, are Kristoff and like-minded comrades aware that it’s possible to be fully supportive of reforms in the Egyptian government that will lead to a functional democratic state and better lives for its people without attempting to draw the US and other countries into a full-scale ground war in Cairo? I doubt it.

The Australian published today a clear and balanced appraisal of the Egyptian uprising that well serves readers who simply want to know what’s going on and what’s at stake. The article concludes:

Some have wanted to present Tahrir Square as the "Berlin Wall" of the Middle East, but popular protests do not always bear fruit -- witness the failures of the 2009 Green Movement in Iran and the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon in 2005. While Egypt is still in flux, it appears likely, as commentator Daniel Pipes wrote in this newspaper on Wednesday, that "the militaries will remain the ultimate powerbrokers" in the Middle East. Those impatient for change should remember that revolutions, even when successful, are unpredictable -- witness the deposition of the shah in 1979 that ushered in the Islamic republic in Iran. A post-Mubarak Egypt is inevitable, whatever the timing. The challenge for Egypt's powerbrokers is to increase popular participation in the life of the nation, but ensure that in the process extremist Islam does not secure a foothold.

Read the complete article here.