RE: Mubarak to Step Down
February 12, 2011 at 4:27 am
(This post was last modified: February 12, 2011 at 4:36 am by Anomalocaris.)
Egypt is a poor country whose military is nevertheless relatively large, well equipped, well trained and most importantly well paid. This state of affairs is made possible largely by $1.4 billion of annual US aid. The military men of Egypt knows who it is that really butter their toast. They know what effect a Tiannammen style crack down on the protesters will have on the generosity of their vital benefactor. That's why tanks did not roll over the protesters. But it is a wholly different thing to say they would not hold on to power once it is in their hands, especially if they can protray themselves as a vital secular, western leaning bulwark against Islamization of Egyptian. The Egyptian society is much more vulnerable to rapid inroads by radical Islamization then you might realize.
