The Egyptian people's movement is currently only at a bourgeois-democratic stage with bourgeois-democratic demands - keep the national/military clique in power while removing the croney-capitalist clique. Rewrite the constitution as a bourgeois constitution keeping the same bourgeoisie in power (minus the Gamal/Hosni/Omar clique). Read Paul Amar's analysis of the class forces running the country. The militarist/nationalist bourgeoisie is in no danger whatsoever of losing power. They are also fully capable and ready for putting down the uprising. The uprising is an advance, certainly, but no checkmate - not even check.
To my knowledge, today was the first day that there was even any participation of the organized labor movement (3 unions joined today) and nothing in Egypt will happen without them. And still no revolutionary party involvement. Still no split in the military (despite the croney capitalists being neutered), no communist recruitment of the young officers in the military, which is critical. Without winning over and putting into leadership the proletariat (which at this point is only beginning to become involved), there will be no revolution. Suez workers are now on strike, but they are only just beginning to join the political movement, rather than only making economic demands. I see many, many months more of turmoil before there could be any semblance of a revolutionary situation developing.
Even the Christian Science Monitor has better analysis than that article.
*"If the democracy protesters fully link up with Egyptian laborers, where resentment has been building for the past decade over declining real wages and management abuses like withholding pay, the Egyptian uprising could blossom into a full-blown national revolution.*
*"But that remains very much an open question since so many workers' demands remain purely economic and they demonstrate some suspicion toward the demands for a full regime change."* For comparison, just think back - in Portugal in 1974-75, the entire lower ranks of the military were members of the PCP, there were hundreds of thousands of people marching behind the banners of the PCP, MDP/CDE, etc.
The revolution was planned beginning to end by the PCP. And they still lost the revolution. When Mandela was released, there was a sea of SACP flags greeting him - and they lost the revolution there as well.
Unfortunately, it appears there is a long way to go before this is more than a simple shuffling of the bourgeois deck.
-Peter
On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 6:46 PM, Chuck Grimes <c123grimes at att.net> wrote:
> Below are the last few paragraphs of Esam Al-Amin's essay. If you haven't
> followed the names and events, start at the top. It gives a rough summary of
> events leading up to today Feb 9th.
>
>
> http://www.counterpunch.org/alamin02082011.html
>
> As the government attempts to weather the storm and deal with Tahrir Square
> as a Hyde Park phenomenon, a place where people vent their frustrations, the
> leadership of the revolution has devised new tactics to force the regime to
> accept their demands.
>
> They have called for massive demonstrations not only in public squares but
> also called for similar protests around strategic governmental buildings.
> For example, on Feb. 8 in addition to a million demonstrators in Tahrir
> Square, hundreds of thousands held huge demonstrations around the Prime
> Minster's building, preventing him from reaching his office. They also
> blocked the parliament, preventing any member from going in or out. They
> vowed that soon the presidential palace would be surrounded.
>
> The protesters were also joined this week with professional syndicates and
> labor unions. Hundreds of judges stood in Tahrir Square on Tuesday wearing
> their judicial robes in support of the revolution. Similarly, hundreds of
> journalists chased away the pro-government head of their union declaring the
> union independent and free. Likewise, hundreds of university professors from
> colleges across Egypt showed up at Tahrir Square declaring their full
> support for the goals of the revolution.
>
> Next week schools and universities will be back from the Spring break. The
> organizers plan to call on hundreds of thousands of students to participate
> in the demonstrations that could paralyze the whole education system.
> Meanwhile, they have also reached out to labor unions calling for massive
> strikes across the nation, especially in state factories and public
> industries. When this is fully implemented, Egypt's export business could
> come to a screeching halt.
>
> Slowly but surely selected major industries such as transportation, oil, or
> navigation through the Suez Canal could also be severely hindered. Sports
> activities have already ceased. The film industry has stopped all
> productions. There is no end to what activities the revolutionaries could
> advocate or call for. The initiatives are in their hands. They believe that
> they have the legitimacy and the support of the people.
>
> In short, the revolution has adapted to the maneuvering of the regime and
> has adopted a comprehensive program of activities that are creative and
> extensive. Time is no longer on the regime's side. With the passing of each
> week more Egyptians are joining the revolution. A culture of freedom and
> empowerment is on the rise.
>
> Meanwhile, the international community could speed up the inevitable, which
> is the collapse of the corrupt and repressive regime. Last week the Guardian
> and several financial publications including the Wall Street Journal and
> MSNBC, showed that Mubarak's family might be worth between $40 to $70
> Billion. Most of this wealth is believed to be in the U.S, the U.K,
> Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. In short, Western governments
> have access to ill-gotten money that belong to the Egyptian people. They can
> start investigations to determine the legality of these assets.
>
> Similarly, they can encourage Mr. Mubarak to go to Germany for his annual
> (extended) medical check-up, after which he could render his resignation.
> The people of Egypt would not forget who stood with them during their
> revolution, who stood against them, and who was on the sideline.
>
> When Mahfouz, the revolution's video blogger was asked what her
> expectations are now after the massive demonstrations, she answered, "All
> Egyptians, not only the protestors, have broken through the fear barrier. I
> expect only one outcome - protests will continue until Mubarak steps down
> from power."
>
> Mubarak and his Western backers better take notice. Checkmate.
>
> Esam Al-Amin can be reached at alamin1919 at gmail.com
>
>
>
>
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>
-- Peter Fay