Tag: government

Friends or Enemies

(via TotallyCoolPix) 08. An Egyptian Army soldier greets protesters as he stands atop an armoured vehicle in Cairo January 29, 2011. Egypt's president gave the first indication on Saturday he was preparing an eventual handover of power by naming a vice-president for the first time in 30 years after protests that have rocked the foundations of the state. REUTERS/ Goran Tomasevic

One of the more interesting observations from today’s reenactment of the ongoing protests in Egypt, was the almost instinctive eagerness of, at least some of the simulated protesters, to want to confront the simulated army.

70. A demonstrator (L) argues with police during a protest in Cairo January 28, 2011. Police and demonstrators fought running battles on the streets of Cairo on Friday in a fourth day of unprecedented protests by tens of thousands of Egyptians demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak's three-decade rule. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (via TotallyCoolPix)

One protester, who’d been given the role of “angry student demonstrator” was extremely eager to get in the face of the army.

We were, after all, playing a simulation game, and that particular student had been told that he was angry, frustrated with the lack of opportunities, and all riled up. However, the way the actual Egyptian protesters are dealing with the army is really important to observe. They’re treating them like the friends and brothers they actually are: taking them in, rather than fighting against them.

I did have one of the protesters offer to hug the “army”, so, in the end, I hope the message that co-option can be much better than confrontation.

Uprising in Egypt

(via The Daily Dish)

What protests look like:

See also:

  • Summary of the last two days’ protests.
  • The United States’ support for Egypt.
  • What happens when you’re arrested by the state security service. (warning: contains one quote with vulgar language)

UPDATE: We just watched the video over lunch, and it actually resulted in a very good discussion. Our morning novel discussions have been useful here, in helping us see the multiple perspectives of the actors in the street protests: the protesters and the police. After all, the police have families too.

I gave a little spiel at the beginning, to set the stage and to point out the potentially historical nature of these protests. Democracy spreading through the middle east has huge implications for a country fighting two wars in the region; not to mention the blowback from these conflicts.

The truth of the anger of the protesters in the video seemed to resonate, making poignant what could have appeared farcical. The music and the Kennedy quote also helped my students identify with these events in such a far off place.

We also touched on the role of the U.S. in supporting the Mubarak government, and the potential of the uprising to lead to an anti-US, muslim fundamentalist government (via the Muslim Brotherhood). We still need to talk about what the US should and can do to support democracy in this situation, which is so full of conflicting imperatives.

Revolution

One of my students expressed an interest today in learning more about the French and Russian revolutions. Coincidentally, there’s a piece by Josef Joffe that makes the connection between the recent Tunisian revolution and Marx’s ideas about the recipe for a successful revolution.

A country needs to have a certain level of education and wealth to overthrow a tyrant:

If you are poor, you have neither the time nor the energy to engage in politics. If you are not educated, you lack the cultural skills to articulate your demands—to agitate and organize.
— Joffe (2010) in Why Tunisia Isn’t a Tipping Point for the Arab World

Samuel Huntington, took this idea forward in his book, The Third Wave. He looked at democratic revolutions between 1974 and 1989 from around the world and found that 75% of countries had a revolution when they developed to the point where the per-capita (per person) income was between $1,000 and $3,000. Tunisia’s per-capita income is $1,000 (when adjusted for inflation).

P.S.: The Boston Globe’s Big Picture has an excellent picture series from the last few weeks.

Energy inefficiency: Checks and balances

The government’s Energy Star program to label products that are more energy efficient was in the news recently (and there are a lot of different products that have the label). The New York Times ran a story on how auditors, when asked by congress, submitted 20 fake and often ridiculous products to be approved for the stickers many environmentally aware people look for when they buy appliances like refrigerators (an AP report is also available).

GAO obtained Energy Star certifications for 15 bogus products, including a gas-powered alarm clock. – (GAO, 2010)

The Energy Star investigation was done by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is often tasked with checking up on the other branches of the government. The GAO website is a great information source because they post very readable summaries of their reports, and a highlights page that answers the question, “Why GAO Did This Study” and “What GAO Found”.

This Energy Star poster now takes a somewhat sinister (Orwellian) cast.

This study highlights the lesson that while we want to be environmentally aware, we must always remain skeptical of claims pushed by manufacturers, even if they are supported by government certification. It also highlights an excellent application of the concept of checks and balances. One branch of government (congress) checks up on others (EPA and DOE who run the Energy Star program are part of the executive branch) and the others are forced to improve.