Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A lesson from Midtown

My rosy view of the future of Egypt is becoming ever more smudged with the soot of evidence to the contrary.  What I was hoping was a revolution in the making, has more in common with a Saturday night I once spent in New York.  There in the middle of a Manhattan bar, was a mechanical bull.  Everyone took their turn, thinking this time things would be different, there would be a fleeting moment of glory, but ultimately everyone was ousted.  To compare Egyptian politics to the frivolities of a Manhattan weekend would be crude and incomplete.  Still, I can't help but be saddened by the cyclical nature of what is happening in the streets of Cairo.  Just a couple of years ago, Mubarak and his thugs were attempting to do what Morsi and his men are attempting now.  Consolidate and maintain power no matter the cost.

This just happened.  Is it really happening again?

Maybe they were all too busy getting drinks at the metaphorical bar to learn their lessons.  Maybe they're only interested at having a shot at being on top.  Whatever the motivation behind Egypt's current decision makers, I hope they wise up before they repeat all the mistakes of the last guy who got thrown off the bull.

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