It was technology that made Gamal Abdel Nasser a leader, and it was technology that led to toppling Hosni Mubarak. Abdel Nasser had very strong charisma, and was extremely eloquent in addressing the masses. He would have probably remained an exclusively Egyptian leader were it not for the transistor radio that carried his voice to every corner of the Arab world, rallying the entire nation behind him. Arab citizens in the capital or the village, from the ocean to the Gulf and vice versa, heard from him what was music to their ears, as they awaited the emergence of an Arab renaissance. But since they heard him and did not see him, Arabs only saw the good side (which indeed existed) in Abdel Nasser's words, but missed the bad or negative aspect on the ground. The technology of the sixties is now outdated. Present cutting edge technology involves services like Facebook, Twitter and blogs, which have stoked the dreams of Egypt's youths, and helped bring them together. These youths discovered that there is a big gap between what the president and the regime say and reality. In the end, an uprising or rebellion took place, culminating in a popular revolution, which we heard being described as the revolution of the youths, the revolution of anger, and the revolution of hunger; then Hosni Mubarak stepped down. Of course, if the president had heeded my advice, he would have still been sitting happily on Egypt's throne. This statement is just sarcasm, though. I did not give him any advice. Instead, I read what those who made a 180 degree turn wrote, claiming that they told him to do this and that, and objected, rejected, protested and gave sincere advice, but that the president completely snubbed them and their ideas. After President Hosni Mubarak was ousted, I chose not to say anything about him that I did not say while he was still in power. I had noted down several dozen times the opinion that all Arab countries without exception are undemocratic, with no independent rule of law, accountability or women's rights. I reiterated this stance in my recent articles, and found it published on 10/05/2010, 22/12/2010, 04/02/2011, and 06/02/2011. Regarding Egypt in particular, I said that there was corruption, and that the perks of economic growth did not benefit the poor. After the parliamentary elections last November, I was surprised that the Muslim Brotherhood did not win any seats, and said that this is not possible in fair and free elections, and asked the President to choose the appropriate time to dissolve the parliament and conduct new elections. Since the above is on the record in my column published before the 11th of this month, I can say it again today. But I shall not ride any wave and will not do what I criticized others for doing. What I am saying today is that it has never occurred to me before, either in my sleep or in my waking life, to read the headlines like the ones published in Al-Ahram, which I receive in my office in London every morning. On the 26th of last month, the main headline was about ‘wide protests and unrest in Lebanon', with another headline underneath it that said “thousands participate in peaceful demonstrations in Cairo and the provinces”. Thus, the number one national newspaper decided that the headline from Lebanon was more important, and that the demonstrators in Egypt were thousands, instead of one or two million. This was then followed by: - 118 citizens and 162 policemen injured, and 100 arrested in Cairo and the provinces (27/01/2011). - Mubarak is closely following the developments and has called the Governor of Suez to check on the citizens (28/1/2011). - A million-strong protest calls for change (02/02/2011). - Millions are coming out in favor of Mubarak (03/02/2011). - Al-Adili, Izz, Garana, and Al-Maghrebi banned from travelling, and their assets frozen (04/02/2011). - Hundreds of thousands of people in Tahrir Square calling for change (02/05/2011). - Al-Sharif, Gamal Mubarak, Azmi, Izz, Shahab and Hilal resign from the secretariat of the National Party (06/02/2011). - Attempts to form a coalition for the January 25 revolution (08/02/2011). - Suleiman: Egypt has two options ... Dialogue or a Coup (02/09/2011). - A new era in Egypt ... The army, welcomed by the people, to lead the country (02/11/2011). - February 11, 2011 ... The fall of the Mubarak regime. And under this headline, a large banner with says in red: Congratulations to the people of Egypt (02/12/2011). - Egypt is ‘cleaned up' (13/02/2011). - Suspension of the constitution and dissolution of the People's Assembly and the Shura Council (02/14/2011). - The corrupt fall (15/02/2011). - No return to the situation before January 25 (16/02/2011). - A million-strong march today in Tahrir Square Rady to confirm the demands of the revolution (02/18/2011). For me, caution is a second nature, which also reflects my experience. When the civil war first started in Lebanon, I was certain that it would not last more than three months or six. Instead, it lasted 15 years, and after that, I no longer ventured to speculate, and I have since then preferred to writer as a historian, not as a clairvoyant. [email protected]
