Middle East Revolutions: Current Bahrain protests getting violent

[Correction]

Because this is happening in the middle east, most democratic countries dont give a shit to what happens. World is run by bunch of hypocrites.

This oversimplifies the facts. The United States and its allies have an enduring interest in what happens to Egypt henceforward, but our policy for 30 years has been what you see John Bolton/Dick Cheney spouting earlier in the week about how the value of a predictable, stable ally with strategic assets near Israel trumps the human rights concerns of its citizenry. The US policy does give a shit, but not about fostering a rapid revolution in the region. It is definitely hypocritical when our government officials stand on the human rights soapbox to decry unfriendly autocracies that don't play ball with our foreign policy desires, but this is orthogonal to how much the USG 'gives a shit' about happenings in the Middle East.

[Kuya]

The idea is to keep the pedantic back and forth out of a thread whose primary value lies as a collection of information from a very chaotic and constantly evolving situation in Egypt. Even I can't keep up with cnn/aje/blogs/twitter, so this thread keeps it in one place.

Then Isladar might as well not let anyoen post anything that is not information with links. Because if someone makes a dumb comment, i'm going to correct them.

[Anton]

So wait what's the criticism of obama's speech? I missed what the AJE lady said

[clobetasol]

It's time for military to step up and take over until elections are held. Which i hope happen in 60 days or so.

[isladar]

AJE has moved on to pundit discussion, is CNN following up on the movement towards the State TV building / Presidential palace?

[Edelweiss]

AJE has moved on to pundit discussion, is CNN following up on the movement towards the State TV building / Presidential palace?

Not particularly.

[Correction]

Tweets/Live blogs have slowed down a lot. Are people going to bed? lol

[Edelweiss]

AJE has moved on to pundit discussion, is CNN following up on the movement towards the State TV building / Presidential palace?

Not particularly.

Eh, they're transitioning to shots of the procession towards either of the two, but only as they go to break.

[Cadsuane]

Basically that the USG supporting an "orderly transition" amounts to the USG supporting Mubarak's continued reign until the election. In general it was seen as a cowardly hedging of bets. Basically what every commentators been saying for awhile now.

[clobetasol]

its 1:30am

[Edelweiss]

And CNN reporting that the White House/President himself is to give a statement shortly.

Update: Protesters approaching the Presidential Palace now.

[clobetasol]

I hope they storm it and take his ass out of there

[Correction]

http://i55.tinypic.com/2n7jlme.jpg

Shoe Javelin spotted in the wild. Loving it.

[clobetasol]

Since I haven't heard anything, did any of the other demonstrations in Yemen, Algeria, or elsewhere pick up any momentum?

If mubarak falls, others will follow.

[Ksandra]

Since I haven't heard anything, did any of the other demonstrations in Yemen, Algeria, or elsewhere pick up any momentum?

General thought seems to be that they're waiting to see what happens in Egypt first. Puts a lot of pressure on the Egyptians to succeed, and for the Egyptian regime to prevent them.

[quannum]

US Embassy Cairo Local Employee Picked-up by Egyptian Security Forces Now Confirmed Dead

FSN Khairy Ramadan Aly was allegedly picked up by Egyptian security forces from his home and has now been confirmed dead.

Secretary Clinton's statement on the Loss of Locally Employed Staff Member Khairy Ramadan Aly in Cairo | February 10, 2011:

On behalf of all the men and women of the State Department and USAID, I offer our condolences to the friends and loved ones of Khairy Ramadan Aly, a member of our Embassy family in Cairo who went missing from his home on January 28 and has now been confirmed dead. Mr. Aly was a carpenter in the Embassy’s Facilities Office with 18 years of dedicated service. We join his family, friends and colleagues in Egypt in mourning this loss. Throughout this period, many Egyptian employees of the U.S. Mission have continued to work alongside their American colleagues in Cairo and Alexandria. The United States is grateful for their contributions, commitment and sacrifice during this difficult time."

The BBC's United Nations correspondent Barbara Plett says delegates are discussing Egypt in the corridors of the UN building, if not in public: "People don't want to take a position in public, because they're watching carefully, worried about their own countries."

.

[GentaiShinigami]

Mmmm that's not gonna turn out well. :X

[Caiyuo]

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/201..._kamat_reports

Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat reports about 5,000 people filled with "a mixture of rage and sadness" marched from Tahrir Square to the Egyptian state television building after Pres. Hosni Mubarak’s address. "The state television building is emblematic of the power of the state against the people and the way its been using this power to paint the people in Tahrir in a negative light," says Kamat. Earlier in the day about 50 state television employees protested in front of the building. Last week, reporter Shahira Amin, resigned her position at Nile TV, saying it "is being used as a propaganda machine."

[Callisto]

AJE is just looping the pundit commentary/interviews now, guessing we won't see much til morning.

[Correction]

not a lot of imagery coming out of this protest at Nile TV but AJE got a cameraphone pic:

http://i51.tinypic.com/2khsgo.jpg

Very hard to tell how many people there are outside the station.