Editorial: Rioting for a reason

Buildings on fire. Stopped traffic. Police lines. Crowds of ordinary people advancing,… Buildings on fire. Stopped traffic. Police lines. Crowds of ordinary people advancing, retreating. Unwavering defiance.

These are some of the scenes that have recently trickled out of Egypt, a country whose citizens are gathering en masse in major cities for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with a sports game.

In case you missed it, a state of social, political and financial chaos has enveloped the most populous Middle Eastern state since last Tuesday, and as of press time, the pressure is only growing. Inspired by the popular overthrow of the repressive Tunisian government that happened just last week, tens of thousands of Egyptians are on the streets hoping to effect similar change in their own authoritarian country. By and large, they are demanding the removal of their president, Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt since the 1981 assassination of former President Anwar Sadat.

Although threatened by government-backed police wielding live ammunition, military forces replete with tanks, jets and helicopters, forced Internet outages and food and supply shortages, throngs of ordinary Egyptians don’t seem intimidated. Rather, they vow to remain on the street until their president relinquishes power, as they chant “Down with Mubarak.” At least 100 people have died so far as a result of the uprising, according to BBC News.

The Egyptian people are asking for a government that more directly addresses their needs. People of all genders, colors, ages, creeds and clothes have assembled, many protesting high unemployment, rising food prices and rampant poverty in a nation that once was dubbed the “Jewel of the Nile.”

Although the uprising in Egypt might at first seem distant, Pitt students better keep up with it as the story continues to unravel. Why? Considering recent developments, a signifcant change in the Egyptian government seems imminent. Mubarak, in what’s clearly a last-minute move, fired his cabinet and appointed a vice president.  But despite violating curfew, the protesters are not going home. President Barack Obama seems to be preparing for a post-Mubarak Egypt, calling for an “orderly transition to a government that is responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.”

Whether what emerges from the smoke of revolution is a reshuffling of the current regime or a radically new political system, the power structure seems destined to look very different than it does now. And given Egypt’s broad influence in the wider Middle East — it has 80 million people, and controls the Suez Canal — a major power shift in Egypt could have far-reaching consequences in neighboring countries, and by extension, for U.S. policy in the region. As the United States has given Egypt billions of dollars in military aid each year, Egyptian President Mubarak has stayed loyal to the Israel-neutral Camp David Accords. But with a new government — and the emboldening effects that some analysts are predicting could reverberate throughout the Middle East — the fate of U.S. ally Israel might hang in jeopardy.

Tough decisions lie ahead for American leaders and the Egyptian people, and Pitt students should stay on top of the action.

Especially considering the upcoming Super Bowl, we should realize that sometimes there are more important things to fill the streets about.