Egypt army changes approach, people follow their protest

A change in the approach adopted by the Egyptian army to people who campaigned for ousting the longtime President Hosni Mubarak has led the speculations over the future of the country to a new phase.

By Mohammad Reza Noroozpour

Earlier, some analysts believed the military could play a pivotal role in stimulating the protests to ensue and even spread throughout the country. From their view, the disagreement between military generals with Hosni Mubarak is rooted in the latter's decision to make his son, Gamal Mubarak the heir of the power. 

However, rejecting such assumption, some other analysts deem the popular protest in Egypt is an original spontaneous movement and the army's moderate reaction to demonstrators is due to the status of such a great military institution among Egyptian people. Dominated by anti-Israel sentiment as well as numerous glories achieved through regaining the occupied lands of the country including Suez Canal from the Israelis, Egypt's army enjoys a remarkable prestige given by its people and is not to lose it through a crackdown on them. 

Based on such considerations, one may suppose that the army is not also pleased with the actions taken by Mubarak announcing that is not to take sides with people or Mubarak's embattled regime. The army proclaimed that will simply focus on its main duty which is to defend the national interest of Egypt. 

But in the last days, the military was directly involved in dispersing people gathered in Tahrir Square, or at least let the plainclothes agents which are comprised of security forces adherent to Mubarak to attempt crackdown on people. The question is raised why the Army didn't keep its promise in not taking sides with the regime. 

The military's change of stand with people in last days causes the analysis given by those who believed the protests are basically rooted in a dispute between the Army and Mubarak to ring more true.  

If the military is to achieve its goal through making a push, killing people or any other means of crackdown, that would be the end of the street movement of Egypt. But if people could carry on their revolution, the prospect of making a radical change in the region would be still alive. 

News ID 129654

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